Vernon R Natwick

51584379, Oct 27, 1992

Aug 8, 1991

7/742623

Vernon R. Natwick - Los Altos CA
Michael W. Lawless - Boulder Creek CA

Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park IL

F04B 700
F04B 1300

417 53

A volumetric pump and method for displacing a predetermined quantity of fluid at a predefined cracking pressure, independent of supply and output pressures. The volumetric pump (30) includes an inlet cracking valve (46), an outlet cracking valve (52), and a plunger (48) for displacing fluid from a pumping portion (34b) of flexible tubing (34) that extends through the volumetric pump. The pumping portion of the flexible tube fills with liquid when the inlet cracking valve is fully opened and is urged to expand by jaws (236) on pivotally-mounted arms (234). The arms are forced to pivot, as tubing reshaper rollers (160), disposed on the plunger, roll along the inner surface (232) of each arm. During a pumpback-pressurization segment of the pumping cycle, the inlet cracking valve applies a cracking force to the flexible tubing, while the plunger compresses the pumping portion of the flexible tubing sufficiently to develop a cracking pressure that displaces excess fluid back through the inlet cracking valve toward a container (32). After the excess fluid been forced from the pumping portion of the flexible tubing, a pumping segment of the cycle begins, wherein the inlet cracking valve closes fully and the outlet cracking valve applies a cracking force to compress the flexible tubing.

52192792, Jun 15, 1993

Jul 17, 1992

7/916426

Vernon R. Natwick - Los Altos CA
Michael W. Lawless - Boulder Creek CA

Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park IL

F04B 4308
F16H 2508

417479

A volumetric pump and method for displacing a predetermined quantity of fluid at a predefined cracking pressure, independent of supply and output pressures. The volumetric pump (30) includes an inlet cracking valve (46), an outlet cracking valve (52), and a plunger (48) for displacing fluid a pumping from a pumping portion (34b) of flexible tubing (34) that extends through the volumetric pump. The pumping portion of the flexible tube fills with liquid when the inlet cracking valve is fully opened and is urged to expand by jaws (236) on pivotally-mounted arms (234). The arms are forced to pivot, as tubing reshaper rollers (160), disposed on the plunger, roll along the inner surface (232) of each arm. During a pumpback-pressurization segment of the pumping cycle, the inlet cracking valve applies a cracking force to the flexible tubing, while the plunger compresses the pumping portion of the flexible tubing sufficiently to develop a cracking pressure that displaces excess fluid back through the inlet cracking valve toward a container (32). After the excess fluid has been forced from the pumping portion of the flexible tubing, a pumping segment of the cycle begins, wherein the inlet cracking valve closes fully and the outlet cracking valve applies a cracking force to compress the flexible tubing.

D2526468, Aug 14, 1979

Jul 29, 1977

5/820142

Vernon R. Natwick - Saratoga CA

Ramtek Corporation - Sunnyvale CA

D2101

D21 5

53578279, Oct 25, 1994

Jul 31, 1991

7/738585

Vernon R. Natwick - Los Altos CA
Michael W. Lawless - Boulder Creek CA

Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park IL

F16H 5306

74569

A cam assembly and method for providing a substantially constant load to a motor that drives the cam assembly. A torque compensated cam assembly (142,300) includes a plurality of tracks (140,150,152/310,312,314) that are profiled with a surface that varies radially as the cam rotates, thereby actuating cam followers, each of which rolls along a different track. A tangential force developed by the cam followers as they move over rapid radial changes in the surfaces of the tracks produces a total net torque that at times tends to aid the rotation of the cam and at times tends to impede its rotation. The cam is used in a volumetric pump (30) that accurately delivers a desired volume of fluid at a desire rate. To assist in maintaining the accuracy of these parameters, the torque compensated cam assembly presents a substantially constant load to a motor (146,304) that drives the cam. In one embodiment, the cam assembly includes a torque compensation track (170/316) disposed at one end of the cam, and in another embodiment, the torque compensation track is disposed circumferentially around the cam.

50392794, Aug 13, 1991

Mar 15, 1990

7/494201

Vernon R. Natwick - Los Altos CA
Michael W. Lawless - Boulder Creek CA

Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park IL

F04B 4910

417 63

A flow detector for use in a volumetric pump to determine if fluid is being displaced by the pump. The volumetric pump (30) includes an inlet cracking valve (46) and an outlet cracking valve (52) disposed on opposite sides of a plunger (48) used to displace fluid by compressing flexible tubing (34). During a pumping segment of a pumping cycle for the volumetric pump, the outlet cracking valve is closed with a cracking force that compresses the flexible tubing until the pressure of the fluid displaced by the plunger exceeds a cracking pressure, at which time the outlet cracking valve opens to enable fluid flow from the volumetric pump. A cracking flexure (182) provides the cracking force. As the outlet cracking valve opens in response to the fluid passage exceeding the cracking pressure, a flow detector (54) comprising in one preferred embodiment a strain gauge (198) mounted to the cracking flexure responds to the stress generated in the cracking flexure thereby, producing a signal indicative of fluid flow from the volumetric pump. Other types of sensors, including an optical sensor (300), and a linear variable displacement transformer (LVDT) (318) are alternatively used for sensing movement of an outlet valve arm (180) as fluid flows from volumetric pump (30).

50550012, Oct 8, 1991

Mar 15, 1990

7/494210

Vernon R. Natwick - Los Altos CA
Michael W. Lawless - Boulder Creek CA

Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park IL

F04B 4308

417 63

A volumetric pump and method for displacing a predetermined quantity of fluid at a predefined cracking pressure, independent of supply and output pressures. The volumetric pump (30) includes an inlet cracking valve (46), an outlet cracking valve (52), and a plunger (48) for displacing fluid from a pumping portion (34b) of flexible tubing (34) that extends through the volumetric pump. The pumping portion of the flexible tube fills with liquid when the inlet cracking valve is fully opened and is urged to expand by jaws (236) on pivotally-mounted arms (23). The arms are forced to pivot, as tubing reshaper rollers (160), disposed on the plunger, roll along the inner surface (232) of each arm. During a pumpback-pressurization segment of the pumping cycle, the inlet cracking valve applies a cracking force to the flexible tubing, while the plunger compresses the pumping portion of the flexible tubing sufficiently to develop a cracking pressure that displaces excess fluid back through the inlet cracking valve toward a container (32). After the excess fluid has been forced from the pumping portion of the flexible tubing, a pumping segment of the cycle begins, wherein the inlet cracking valve closes fully and the outlet cracking valve applies a cracking force to compress the flexible tubing.

51802872, Jan 19, 1993

Aug 12, 1991

7/743604

Vernon R. Natwick - Los Altos CA
Michael W. Lawless - Poway CA
Joseph E. Doll - Saratoga CA
Chung-You C. Wu - San Francisco CA

Abbott Laboratories - Abbott Park IL

F04B 4906

417 43

A method for determining if fluid is being displaced by a volumetric pump. The volumetric pump (30) includes an inlet cracking valve (46) and an outlet cracking valve (52) disposed on opposite sides of a plunger (48) used to displace fluid by compressing flexible tubing (34). During a pumping segment of a pumping cycle for the volumetric pump, the outlet cracking valve is closed with a cracking force that compresses the flexible tubing until the pressure of the fluid displaced by the plunger exceeds a cracking pressure, at which time the outlet cracking valve opens to enable fluid flow from the volumetric pump. A cracking flexure (182) provides the cracking force. As the outlet cracking valve opens in response to the fluid pressure exceeding the cracking pressure, a flow detector (54) mounted to the cracking flexure responds to the stress generated in the cracking flexure thereby, producing a signal indicative of fluid flow from the volumetric pump. Since a compressible gaseous fluid in the pumping portion of the flexible tubing does not develop the cracking pressure, the flow detector also provides an indication when a source of liquid (31) for the volumetric pump has run dry. The method comprises the steps of processing the signal to determine if it exceeds a predefined threshold that varies as a function of the rate at which the pump is set to deliver fluid.

42158672, Aug 5, 1980

May 4, 1979

6/035821

Vernon R. Natwick - Saratoga CA

Ramtek Corporation - Santa Clara CA

F41B 1100

273357

An arcade amusement gun of the type which pneumatically shoots a rubber ball toward a hollow target with each pull of the trigger is gated by a master control so that its firing rate is the same as the other arcade amusement guns in a grouping of such guns.