Patent Publication Number: US-7581415-B2

Title: Apparatus for feeding and discharging liquid contents in a fulling vat for the treatment of hides and skins

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/855,475, filed on May 27, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,526, entitled “Spiral System Reactor for the Treatment of Hides and Skins,” and claims priority to Uruguayan Patent Application No. U-4038 filed Nov. 10, 2004. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The innovation claimed as patentable improves procedures for feeding and discharging liquids and solid chemicals in a process for the treatment of hides and skins carried out by using a fulling reactor suitable to that end. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The fulling vat or spiral system reactor which is referred to in this innovation carries out a mechanical process for the treatment of animal hides and skins (steeping, hair scraping, tanning, retanning, currying and other steps), and the course of said process involves the use of liquid feeds introduced through one end of the hollow shaft of the device. When the use of solid chemicals is required, said chemicals are usually introduced and drawn off through the same loading and unloading gate used for the hides and skins and are then gradually dissolved by the motion of the vat. Bearing in mind the fact that hides and skins are extremely sensitive to sudden changes or shifts in conditions (physical, thermal, hydric and tonic shocks), the invention provides for the use of hollow perforated crosspieces which reduce to a minimum the effects of shock, by the following means: 
     slow rotation, to prevent sudden blows or clashes; 
     thermostatic controls and regulators which prevent thermal shock; 
     perforated crosspieces which reduce to a minimum both hydric shock (occasional sudden pH variations) and tonic shock (variations in concentration). 
     The provision of perforated crosspieces offers not only the above advantages during the feeding step, but also ensures at the time of draining a faster drawing off of exhausted liquids (thus allowing for shorter “idle” time in the fulling vat). 
     Water and chemicals for the treatment of hides and skins flow into the reactor by means of valves placed at the side of the crosspieces, which have a great number of orifices. Likewise, water and chemicals are drawn off through said orifices, which act like a sprinkler facilitating a homogeneous distribution of treatment products, and also allow a faster drawing off of liquid after the process operations have been completed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are side views in elevation of a vat in accordance with an example of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are transverse sectional views of the vat seen in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As can be seen from  FIGS. 1-4 , which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, all crosspieces  11  set inside the fulling vat  10  have orifices  12  on their four sides, uniformly distributed and circular in shape. Mounting brackets  16  are located proximate the ends  19  of the crosspieces  11  and are engaged by fasteners  17  to couple the crosspieces  11  to and within the vat  10  (shown best in  FIGS. 3-4 ). Background disclosure for this invention is provided by my copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/855,475, including U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US2005/0034245, published Feb. 17, 2005, entitled “Spiral System Reactor for the Treatment of Hides and Skins,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     Liquids flow into the crosspieces  11  through inner ducts  13 A (defined generally by the crosspiece  11  as shown in  FIG. 4  with a portion of the crosspiece  11  hidden for clarity) and external ducts  13 B connected thereto, and through said crosspieces  11  are poured into a chamber  14  in the vat  10  through the orifices  12 . In the opposite case, when the active process has been completed by the device, liquids are drawn off into the crosspieces  11  through said orifices  12 , and each crosspiece  11  is provided at its end  19  with a valve  18  connected to an external duct  13 B which in turn leads to an external valve  21  for final draining.