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US 7,238,224 B2Granted
Fluid-gas separator
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorBlair M Kent
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid-gas separator includes a gas-permeable membrane arranged sufficiently adjacent to a fluid-permeable membrane to allow the separation of fluid and gas flowing therein independent of the orientation of the fluid-gas separator itself.
Claims22
A fluid-gas separator comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber therein and having an inlet leading into said chamber and first and second outlets each leading out of said chamber;
- a gas-permeable membrane arranged within said housing to completely separate said chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber such that said inlet leads into said first chamber, said first outlet leads out of said first chamber and said second outlet leads out of said second chamber;
- and
- a fluid-permeable membrane arranged within said housing to completely cover said first outlet within said first chamber and wherein at least a portion of a surface of said fluid-permeable membrane is adjacent to at least a portion of an opposing surface of said gas-permeable membrane.
1 more element
A fluid-gas separator comprising:
- a gas-permeable membrane establishing a boundary between a fluid-side chamber and a gas-side region, wherein said gas-side region is inside a gas-side chamber;
- an inlet configured to direct a flow of materials into said fluid-side chamber, wherein said flow of materials includes at least one fluid and at least one gas;
- a fluid outlet having a fluid-permeable membrane cover, said fluid outlet configured to direct said at least one fluid out of said fluid-side chamber through said fluid-permeable membrane cover;
- a gas outlet directing said at least one gas out of said gas-side chamber after passing through said gas-permeable membrane;
- and
- wherein a surface of said fluid-permeable membrane cover is positioned adjacent to an opposing surface of said gas-permeable membrane.
3 more elements
A fluid-gas separator comprising:
- a gas-permeable membrane establishing a boundary between a fluid-side chamber and a gas-side region;
- an inlet configured to direct a flow of materials into said fluid-side chamber, wherein said flow of materials includes at least one fluid and at least one gas;
- a fluid outlet having a fluid-permeable membrane cover, said fluid outlet configured to direct said at least one fluid out of said fluid-side chamber through said fluid-permeable membrane cover;
- and
- wherein a surface of said fluid-permeable membrane cover contacts an opposing surface of said gas-permeable membrane.
2 more elements
The material delivery device comprising:
- a drive configured to output a flow of materials including at least one fluid and at least one gas;
- and
- a separator coupled to receive said flow of materials, said separator including a gas-permeable membrane dividing a chamber into a fluid-side chamber and a gas-side chamber, an inlet directing said flow of materials into said fluid-side chamber, a fluid outlet covered by a fluid-permeable membrane directing said at least one fluid out of said fluid-side chamber after passing through said fluid-permeable membrane, a gas outlet directing said at least one gas out of said gas-side chamber after passing through said gas-permeable membrane, and wherein a surface of said fluid-permeable membrane is positioned adjacent to an opposing surface of said gas-permeable membrane.
A method comprising:
- receiving a flow of materials including at least one fluid and at least one gas;
- causing said flow of materials to contact a gas-permeable membrane through which said at least one gas passes through but said at least one fluid does not pass through;
- and
- causing said flow of materials to contact a fluid-permeable membrane through which said at least one fluid passes through but said at least one gas does not pass through, and wherein a surface of said fluid-permeable membrane contacts an opposing surface of said gas-permeable membrane.
1 more element
A printing device comprising:
- a pump configured to output a flow of materials including ink and at least one gas;
- and
- a fluid-gas separator coupled to receive said flow of materials, said fluid-gas separator including a gas-permeable membrane dividing a chamber into a fluid-side chamber and a gas-side chamber, an inlet directing said flow of materials into said fluid-side chamber, a fluid outlet covered by a fluid-permeable membrane directing said ink out of said fluid-side chamber after passing through said fluid-permeable membrane, a gas outlet directing said at least one gas out of said gas-side chamber after passing through said gas-permeable membrane, and wherein a surface of said fluid-permeable membrane is positioned adjacent to an opposing surface of said gas-permeable membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.