Patent ID: 7942571
Filing Date: 2011-05-17
Classification: B01F

Abstract:
1. A mixer comprising: a rotatable drive shaft; a stationary sun pulley carried by a stationary shaft extending through an interior of the rotatable drive shaft; a base carrier rotating about a primary axis driven by the rotatable drive shaft, the base carrier including a plurality of planetary pulleys; an endless belt connecting the stationary sun pulley and the plurality of planetary pulleys such that rotation of the base carrier relative to the stationary sun pulley causes the planetary pulleys to rotate; a plurality of crank arms, each crank arm rotatably attached to a corresponding planetary pulley, each of the plurality of crank arms having a rotation point at which they are attached to the planetary pulley and a plate securement aperture spaced apart from the rotation point; and a plate rotatably secured to each of the crank arms via pivot pins extending through the plate securement apertures such that as each of the crank arms pivot about a secondary axis spaced apart from the primary axis, each of the pivot pins orbit the rotation point of the corresponding crank arm, the plate configured to accommodate a material container wherein the pivot pins travel through an epitrochoidal path defined by the following parametric equations: in which a+b is equal to a spacing of the secondary axis to the primary axis, b is equal to a length of each of the crank arms between the rotation point and the plate securement aperture and t varies between 0 and 2π radians.