Patent ID: 7878700

Claim:
In a method for controlling the removal of heated polymer from a continuous polymer mixer, said mixer having an open elongate outlet orifice having an upper inlet adjacent said mixer and a distal lower outlet, said inlet and outlet being separated by an elongate length of an essentially closed hollow body that has a width transverse to said elongate length and at least first and second opposed elongate sides, an orifice gate carried in said hollow body, said orifice gate having upper and lower ends, said upper end being rotatably hinged at said first elongate side near said upper inlet, said orifice gate extending for a distance diagonally across at least a portion of said elongate length of said hollow body so that when said lower end of said orifice gate is gradually moved toward said second elongate side, said outlet orifice is gradually closed thereby gradually restricting the flow of polymer through said hollow body, said lower end of said orifice gate carrying a laterally extending member, said laterally extending member extending from said lower end of said orifice gate toward said first elongate side, said laterally extending member having a distal end opposing said first elongate side, said first elongate side having an aperture through which said distal end of said laterally extending member can pass, the improvement comprising rotatably mounting to said distal end of said laterally extending member a first end of a clevis pin, said clevis pin having a distal end that carries a first flange, said first flange having an exposed terminal end, said first flange having a depression in said exposed terminal end, providing a shaft having first and second ends, said first end of said shaft carrying a second flange, said second flange having an exposed terminal end that mates with said first terminal end of said first flange, said second flange carrying at its terminal end a protuberance that fits into said depression in said first flange, fixing said first and second flanges to one another with said protuberance mating with said depression in a sliding fit, attaching said second end of said shaft to an actuator, and employing said actuator to move said lower end of said orifice gate toward or away from said second elongate side.