US3586812A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Maintenance of a workpiece at a pressure other than ambient atmospheric pressure
Assignee: Vickers Ltd
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Filing: 1969-03-13
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Granted: 1971-06-22
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Expires: 1989-03-13
Abstract
Abstract One wall of an enclosure unit that bounds a working chamber in the unit is formed with a slot which is sealed over in slidable manner by a cover plate. The cover plate has an aperture which can be moved along the slot, and a tool (for example a chargedparticle gun) can be attached to the cover plate in gastight manner to operate, via the aperture and the slot, upon a workpiece in the chamber. The cover plate is mounted to rotate parallel to the said one wall, and to undergo translational movement transversely with respect to the slot, as the aperture is moved along the slot. Guide means operate on the cover plate to limit its translational movement so that it cannot project beyond two opposite sides of the unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Leonard Fisher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 06:34
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/02; H01J37/16; B; B23; B23K; B23K15/00; B23K15/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
310 words
An enclosure unit for separating a workpiece from the ambient atmosphere, comprising walls enclosing a working chamber for containing the workpiece, one of the walls being substantially flat and having between two opposite edges thereof an elongate opening the longitudinal axis of which extends across the wall In a direction from one of said two opposite edges towards the other, the elongate opening being closed over by means of a cover member which is mounted in closely spaced relation and parallel to the said one wall and has an aperture registering with the elongate opening, the cover member being movable with respect to the said one wall for moving said aperture along the elongate opening, a sealing device extending around the aperture for cooperating with a tool to form a substantially gastight seal over the aperture, whereby a stationary workpiece in the chamber can be operated upon by means of the tool at points across the workpiece by movement of the aperture and the tool along the elongate opening, and sealing means arranged between the cover member and the said one wall and extending around the elongate opening for cooperating with the cover member to maintain a substantially gastight seal over the elongate opening as the said aperture is moved therealong, wherein the improvement comprises means associated with the cover member for mounting it for rotation parallel to the said one wall about a movable axis, said mounting means permitting the cover member to undergo translational movement transversely with respect to the elongate opening as the aperture is moved along the elongate opening, and guide means acting on the cover member to limit its translational movement in directions perpendicular to the said opposite edges, thereby substantially preventing projection of the cover member beyond the said opposite edges as the aperture is moved along the elongate opening from end to end.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
310 words
An enclosure unit for separating a workpiece from the ambient atmosphere, comprising walls enclosing a working chamber for containing the workpiece, one of the walls being substantially flat and having between two opposite edges thereof an elongate opening the longitudinal axis of which extends across the wall In a direction from one of said two opposite edges towards the other, the elongate opening being closed over by means of a cover member which is mounted in closely spaced relation and parallel to the said one wall and has an aperture registering with the elongate opening, the cover member being movable with respect to the said one wall for moving said aperture along the elongate opening, a sealing device extending around the aperture for cooperating with a tool to form a substantially gastight seal over the aperture, whereby a stationary workpiece in the chamber can be operated upon by means of the tool at points across the workpiece by movement of the aperture and the tool along the elongate opening, and sealing means arranged between the cover member and the said one wall and extending around the elongate opening for cooperating with the cover member to maintain a substantially gastight seal over the elongate opening as the said aperture is moved therealong, wherein the improvement comprises means associated with the cover member for mounting it for rotation parallel to the said one wall about a movable axis, said mounting means permitting the cover member to undergo translational movement transversely with respect to the elongate opening as the aperture is moved along the elongate opening, and guide means acting on the cover member to limit its translational movement in directions perpendicular to the said opposite edges, thereby substantially preventing projection of the cover member beyond the said opposite edges as the aperture is moved along the elongate opening from end to end.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
95 words
A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said mounting and guide means comprise first and second cooperating members of which the first member is a cam follower and the second member has an interior cam surface extending around the cam follower and the second member has an interior cam surface extending around the cam follower to limit its movement in directions parallel to the said wall, and wherein one of the said first and second cooperating members is fixed to the cover member and the other is fixed to the said one wall.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover member has adjacent to the said one wall a main face covered with a flat layer of polytetrafluoroethylene for cooperating in the gastight sealing over of the elongate opening.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising drive means extending in gastight manner through a second wall of the unit for moving a workpiece, in the working chamber, transversely with respect to the said longitudinal axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
A unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising auxiliary support means mounted between the said one wall and the cover member to reduce compression of the sealing means between the said one wall and the cover member.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
A unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the auxiliary support means comprise spring-loaded plastics-ball casters.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
122 words
A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said one wall is formed between the said two opposite edges with a second elongate opening, and wherein the unit includes second sealing means extending around the second opening, between the cover member and the said one wall, for cooperating with the cover member to provide a substantially gastight seal over the second elongate opening throughout movement of the said aperture from one end to the other of the first-mentioned elongate opening, and wherein the cover member mounting and guide means enable the said aperture to be brought into register with the second elongate opening and moved therealong from end-to-end substantially without allowing the cover member to project beyond the said opposite edges.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
52 words
A unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first-mentioned sealing means comprise a first resilient sealing member extending completely around and closely adjacent to the first-mentioned elongate opening, and wherein the second sealing means comprise a second resilient sealing member extending completely around and closEly adjacent to the second elongate opening.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
A unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cover member is a circular disc.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
A unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the two elongate openings are spaced apart laterally and their respective longitudinal axes are perpendicular to one of said two opposite edges and wherein the rotational axis of the cover member is centrally positioned thereon and movably located in an area between the two elongate openings.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
75 words
A unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the said mounting and guide means comprise a cam follower, fixed to the cover member and projecting therefrom towards the said one wall along the central rotational axis, and a cam member fixed to the said one wall and having an interior cam surface surrounding the cam follower with clearance, whereby movement of the cam follower parallel to the said one wall is limited in all directions.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
An electron beam welding process, wherein a unit as claimed in claim 1 is used to maintain a vacuum around the workpiece, and the welding electron beam is admitted to the working chamber through the said aperture.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-06-21 | 1974-12-21 | 1975-06-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-06-21 | 1978-12-21 | 1979-06-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-06-21 | 1982-12-21 | 1983-06-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |