Tiered container with flow distribution system
AssigneeReynolds Leasing Corporation
InventorRobert C. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tiered container for use in an autoclave of an apparatus used in a process for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco, said process utilizing a compound to impregnate the tobacco and a hot gas to vaporize the impregnating compound.
Claims19
[1. A tiered container for use in the autoclave of an apparatus used in a process for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco, said process utilizing a volatile organic compound to impregnate the tobacco carried in beds in the tiered container and a hot gas to vaporize the compound in the tobacco, said tiered container comprising at least two baskets, each of said baskets including:
- a. a bottom with an aperture therein;
- b. a side wall secured to and circumscribing said bottom;
- c. a perforated member positioned above said bottom and within said side wall providing a flow passage between said perforated member and said bottom, said perforated member receiving a portion of the total quantity of tobacco to be processed;
- and
- d. a conduit communicating with the flow passage and said aperture within its basket and the aperture and flow passage of an adjacent basket, whereby a fluid can pass upwardly through said apertures into said flow passages and through the perforated members into the tobacco beds and downwardly through said beds into said flow passages and into said conduits adjacent said basket.]
[2. The tiered container of claim 1, wherein said fluid passing upwardly through said baskets is an impregnating compound and said fluid passing downwardly through said baskets is a hot gas.]
[3. The tiered container of claim 1, further including a sealing member on the lowermost basket to prevent fluid from passing between the lowermost basket and the autoclave wall, thereby directing the fluid through the aperture in the bottom.]
[4. The tiered container of claim 3, further including a sealing element for sealing of the conduit of the uppermost basket, thereby causing the downwardly flowing fluid to enter the flow passages through the tobacco beds.]
[5. The tiered container of claim 4, wherein the conduit of one of said baskets contacts the bottom of an upper basket surrounding said aperture, whereby the fluid can pass downwardly from one basket to another only through the conduits and upwardly from one basket to another through the tobacco beds and the conduits.]
[6. The tiered container of claim 5, wherein the upper basket further includes means for positioning and supporting it with respect to an adjacent lower basket.]
[7. The tiered container of claim 6, further including means for connecting the baskets together, whereby they can be handled as a single unit.]
[8. A tiered container for use in an autoclave of an apparatus for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco including a lower basket and at least one upper basket, said lower basket comprising:
- a. a cone-shaped bottom having an aperture therein;
- b. a side wall circumscribing said bottom;
- c. a perforated sheet located within said side wall and positioned above said bottom to form a flow passage between said bottom and said perforated sheet, said flow passage diverging inwardly from the side wall towards the center of the basket;
- d. a conduit extending through said perforated sheet and communicating with said flow passage;
- and
- e. a sealing member secured to the outside surface of said side wall which is adapted to mate with said autoclave;
- said upper baskets comprising:
- a. a cone-shaped bottom having an aperture therein;
- b. a side wall circumscribing said bottom;
- c. a perforated sheet located within said side wall and positioned above said bottom to form a flow passage between said bottom and said perforated sheet, said flow passage diverging inwardly from the side wall towards the center of the basket;
- d. a conduit extending through said perforated sheet and communicating with said flow passage;
- and
- e. means for positioning said upper basket on an adjacent basket below so that said conduit of said adjacent basket below is in a sealing relationship with the bottom of the above adjacent basket and communicates with the flow passage of the above adjacent basket through the aperture in
- its bottom.]
[9. The tiered container of claim 8, further including a sealing member for closing the upper end of the conduit of the uppermost basket when said baskets are being utilized in said apparatus.]
[10. The tiered container of claim 9, further including means for securing said baskets together.]
An improved apparatus for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco having a pressure vessel for receiving the tobacco and which utilizes a volatile organic compound to impregnate the tobacco and a hot gas to vaporize the compound in the tobacco, said improved apparatus comprising:
- a stack or tier of containers mounted within said pressure vessel and comprising a plurality of spaced apart, individual containers each comprising a basket including:
- (a) a bottom with an aperture therein;
- (b) a side wall secured to and circumscribing said bottom;
- (c) a perforated member positioned above said bottom and within said side wall providing a flow passage between said perforated member and said bottom, said perforated member receiving a portion of the total quantity of tobacco to be processed;
- and
- (d) a conduit communicating with the flow passage and said aperture within its basket and the aperture and flow passage of an adjacent basket, whereby a fluid can pass upwardly through said apertures into said flow passages and through the perforated members into the tobacco beds and downwardly through said beds into said flow passages and into said conduits adjacent said basket,
- means operably connected to said central flow passage for supplying a volatile organic impregnating fluid upwardly through said central flow passage and substantially simultaneously upwardly and outwardly through the flow passages and perforated members of said individual containers to contact and treat tobacco confined within the individual containers with the impregnating fluid in a bottom-to-top manner, and
- means operably connected to said vessel and communicating with the spaces between said individual containers for supplying a hot gas into said spaces and downwardly through the perforated members and flow passages of said individual containers and into and downwardly through said central flow passage to contact the tobacco confined within said individual containers with the hot gas in a top-to-bottom manner to vaporize the
- impregnating fluid and expand the tobacco.
A process for treating a predetermined quantity of tobacco to increase its filling capacity utilizing a pressure vessel and comprising the steps of:
- dividing said quantity of tobacco into several small portions and confining said small portions into individual containers of a plurality of stacked containers, each container having a bottom wall with an aperture therein, a side wall secured to and circumscribing said bottom, a fluid permeable floor member positioned within said side wall and above said bottom wall, providing a flow passage between the permeable floor member and the bottom wall and an open top tobacco confining space above the floor member and within said side walls, and a conduit communicating with said flow passage and said aperture in said bottom wall and extending upwardly from the flow member to the bottom of the next adjacent container with said conduit communicating with the aperture therein, the conduits of said plurality of stacked containers cooperating to provide a substantially continuous central flow passage communicating simultaneously with the flow passages of said individual containers to produce a predetermined flow pattern;
- passing a volatile organic impregnating fluid into said pressure vessel and directing said impregnating fluid upwardly through said central flow passage and substantially simultaneously upwardly and outwardly through the flow passages and fluid permeable floor member of said individual containers to contact and impregnate tobacco confined in the individual containers in a bottom-to-top manner;
- passing a hot gas into said pressure vessel and directing said hot gas downwardly through the tobacco in said tobacco confining spaces and downwardly through said fluid permeable floor member, flow passages of each of said individual containers and through said central flow passage in a top-to-bottom manner to vaporize the impregnating fluid and expand the tobacco.
An improved tobacco processing apparatus for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco by impregnating the tobacco with a volatile organic compound and using a hot gas to vaporize the compound in the tobacco, said tobacco processing apparatus being contained within a pressure vessel and comprising a plurality of spaced-apart individual containers, each of said containers comprising:
- (a) a bottom wall having an aperture therein;
- (b) a side wall secured and subscribing said bottom;
- (c) a fluid permeable floor member positioned above said bottom and within said container side wall to provide a flow passage between said bottom and said floor member and an open-topped tobacco confining space above the floor member and within said side wall;
- and
- (d) a conduit communicating with said flow passage and said aperture in said bottom wall and extending upwardly from said floor member to the bottom wall of the next adjacent container where said conduit communicates with the aperture therein, the conduits of said plurality of containers cooperating to provide a substantially continuous central fluid passage communicating simultaneously with the flow passages in said individual containers so that said volatile organic impregnating fluid can be directed upwardly through said central flow passage and substantially simultaneously upward and outwardly through the flow passages and fluid permeable floor members of said individual containers to contact and treat tobacco confined within the individual containers with the impregnating fluid in a bottom-to-top manner and for directing the hot gas into the confining spaces and downwardly through the fluid permeable floor members and flow passages of said individual containers and into and downwardly through said central passage to contact the tobacco confined within the individual containers with the hot gas in a top-to-bottom manner to vaporize the impregnating fluid and expand the tobacco.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.