Protective jacket and base for pressure vessel

Claim 2

A jacketed vessel comprising an elongated tank and a jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket being open at at least one end to receive the tank and having generally an undulant cross-sectional configuration wherein substantial portions of the jacket wall are in panel configuration contoured to conformance with the outside surface of the tank and, viewed in cross-section, form separated components of a closed geometrical figure matching that of a cross-section of the wall of the tank with the panel-configured portions of the jacket in tight surface-to-surface contact with the outside surface of the tank to substantially inhibit relative movement between the tank and the jacket, and the remainder of the jacket wall being out of contact with the surface of the tank and forming ribs enclosing hollow spaces between the jacket wall and the tank surface, with the intervening panel-configured portions of the jacket that have surface contact with the tank forming grooves.

Claim 3

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 1 in which said ribs include substantial portions contoured to conformance with the outside surface of the tank and, viewed in cross-section, form separated components of a closed geometrical figure matching and symmetrically positioned with respect to that of a cross-section of the tank in outwardly spaced relation to the outside surface of the tank whereby the crss-sectional configuration of the jacket resembles a clipped wave-form wrapped around the tank.

Claim 4

A jacketed vessel comprising a substantially cylindrical tank and a plastic jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket having a cross-sectional configuration generally resembling a symmetrically clipped wave-form encircling the tank to provide a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being cylindrically coaxial with the tank and in tight surface-to-surface engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface; the portions of the jacket wall representing the inner dwell of the clipped wave-form and forming the grooves conform to the configuration of a cylinder coaxial with the tank and having a predetermined diameter; and the portions of the jacket wall forming the ridges include components representing the outer dwell of the clipped-wave form and conforming to the configuration of a cylinder coaxial with the tank and having a diameter greater than that first-mentioned cylinder, and also include components extending between the two cylindrical configurations and representing the rising and falling portions of the clipped wave-form.

Claim 5

A jacketed vessel comprising a substantially cylindrical tank and a plastic jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket having a cross-sectional configuration generally resembling a symmetrically clipped wave-form encircling the tank to provide a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being cylindrically coaxial with the tank and in tight surface-to-surface engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface; the portions of the jacket wall representing the inner dwell of the clipped wave-form and forming the grooves conform to the configuration of a cylinder coaxial with the tank and having a predetermined diameter; and the portions of the jacket wall forming the ridges include components representing the outer dwell of the clipped-wave form and conforming to the configuration of a cylinder coaxial with the tank and having a diameter greater than that first-mentioned cylinder, and also include components extending between the two cylindrical configurations and representing the rising and falling portions of the clipped wave-form.

Claim 6

A jacketed vessel comprising a substantially cylindrical tank and a plastic jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket having a generally cylindrical wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being in tight engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface, one of the ridges of the jacket extending beyond the other ridges at one end of the jacket and being widened where it extends beyond the others and provided in the widened extension with an aperture to accommodate the insertion of a hand for gripping the jacket at the widened extension.

Claim 7

A jacketed vessel comprising a substantially cylindrical tank and a plastic jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket having a generally cylindrical wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being in tight engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface, one of the ridges of the jacket extending beyond the other ridges at one end of the jacket and being widened where it extends beyond the others and provided in the widened extension with an aperture to accommodate the insertion of a hand for gripping the jacket at the widened extension.

Claim 8

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 4 in which the ridge portion having the widened extension terminates short of the other end of the jacket and the wall of the jacket beyond the end of that ridge portion is provided with an aperture to accommodate the insertion of a hand for gripping the jacket at that end.

Claim 9

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 5 in which the tank is contoured at the point of location of the aperture in the wall of the jacket to provide clearance for the insertion of a hand.

Claim 10

A jacketed vessel comprising an elongated tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends and a plastic jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket being open at one end to receive the tank and at the other end to expose the access opening and having generally an overall cross-sectional configuration matching the cross-sectional configurarion of the tank and having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being in tight engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface, and a closure base for the jacket having a central portion contoured to match the bottom of the tank and adapted to support the tank and a peripheral vertically extending flange dimensioned to enter the open end of the jacket and have contact with the inner surface of the wall of the jacket at that end and having protrusions on the flange spaced to be alignable with certain of the ridges of the jacket and adapted to enter those ridges.

Claim 11

A jacketed vessel comprising an elongated tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends and a plastic jacket engaged over the outer surface of the tank, the jacket being open at one end to receive the tank and at the other end to expose the access opening and having generally an overall cross-sectional configuration matching the cross-sectional configurarion of the tank and having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being in tight engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface, and a closure base for the jacket having a central portion contoured to match the bottom of the tank and adapted to support the tank and a peripheral vertically extending flange dimensioned to enter the open end of the jacket and have contact with the inner surface of the wall of the jacket at that end and having protrusions on the flange spaced to be alignable with certain of the ridges of the jacket and adapted to enter those ridges.

Claim 12

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 7 in which at the open end of the jacket the ridges of the jacket terminate short of the end of the jacket leaving a band at the end of the jacket dimensioned to have substantially the same tight engagement with the outer surface of the entering tank as the bases of the grooves and forming pockets at the ends of the ridges to retentively engage the protrusions on the peripheral flange of the closure base.

Claim 13

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 8 in which the peripheral flange of the closure base snugly engages the inside of the band at the open end of the jacket, and the protrusions on the flange of the base extend outside the confines of the band when retentively engaged by the pockets.

Claim 14

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 9 in which the jacket and the closure base are molded of plastic affording sufficient resilience as between the jacket and the closure base to accommodate passage of the protrusions on the flange of the base through the interior of the band at the open end of the jacket and to cause self-entry of the protrusions into the pockets at the ends of the ridges of the jacket.

Claim 15

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 10 in which the protrusions are outward offsets in the flange of the base and are at least as readily yieldable to accommodate entry of the base into the jacket as the other portions of the flange.

Claim 16

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 8 in which the band at the open end of the jacket is provided with relief offsets spaced around the band in correspondence with the protrusions on the closure base to facilitate entry of the protrusions into the band.

Claim 17

A jacketed vessel in accordance with claim 12 in which the protrusions on the flange of the base are beveled outwardly from their free edges to facilitate entry of the protrusions into the band at the open end of the jacket.

Claim 18

A jacket for an elongated water-softener tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends, the jacket having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being conformed over a major portion of their widths to the contour of the tank so as to be adapted for tight surface-to-surface engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being thereby spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface.

Claim 19

A jacket for an elongated water-softener tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends, the jacket having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the bases of the respective grooves being conformed over a major portion of their widths to the contour of the tank so as to be adapted for tight surface-to-surface engagement with the outer surface of the tank and the ridges being thereby spaced away from the tank surface and defining hollow spaces between the jacket wall and tank surface.

Claim 20

A jacket for an elongated water-softener tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends, the jacket having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the portions of the jacket wall forming the grooves, viewed in cross-section, conformed over a major portion of their widths to the contour of the tank and outlining a closed geometrical figure and adapted to engage tightly the outer surface of a tank having the same cross-sectional configuration and at least as great cross-sectional dimensions as the cross-sectional dimensions of said closed geometrical figure; and the portions of the jacket wall forming the ridges, viewed in cross-section, including components comprising a major portion of the width of the ridges conformed to a closed geometrical figure matching the first-mentioned closed geometrical figure in contour and appreciably exceeding it in area, to provide hollow spaces between the ridges and the wall of an enclosed tank and further including components joined with the groove portions of the jacket.

Claim 21

A jacket for an elongated water-softener tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends, the jacket having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the portions of the jacket wall forming the grooves, viewed in cross-section, conformed over a major portion of their widths to the contour of the tank and outlining a closed geometrical figure and adapted to engage tightly the outer surface of a tank having the same cross-sectional configuration and at least as great cross-sectional dimensions as the cross-sectional dimensions of said closed geometrical figure; and the portions of the jacket wall forming the ridges, viewed in cross-section, including components comprising a major portion of the width of the ridges conformed to a closed geometrical figure matching the first-mentioned closed geometrical figure in contour and appreciably exceeding it in area, to provide hollow spaces between the ridges and the wall of an enclosed tank and further including components joined with the groove portions of the jacket.

Claim 22

A jacket for an elongated water-softener tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends, the jacket having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the portions of the jacket wall forming the grooves, viewed in cross-section outlining a closed geometrical figure and adapted to engage tightly the outer surface of a tank having the same cross-sectional configuration and at least as great cross-sectional dimensions as the dimensions of said closed geometrical figure, and the portions of the jacket wall forming the ridges, viewed in cross-section, including components comprising a major portion of the width of the ridges conformed to a closed geometrical figure matching the first-mentioned closed geometrical figure in contour and appreciably exceeding it in area, to provide hollow spaces between the ridges and the wall of an enclosed tank and further including components joined with the groove portions of the jacket, the ridges terminating short of one end of the jacket thereby forming pockets; and a closure member associable with that end of the jacket comprising a molded plastic body having a peripheral flange contoured and dimensioned to snugly engage the inside of the wall of the jacket adjacent to said pockets, said flange having outward protrusions spaced to be alignable with certain of the ridges of the jacket and adapted to expand into the clearance afforded by the interior of the ridges and enter the pockets and be retained by the barrier forming the pockets.

Claim 23

A jacket for an elongated water-softener tank having an access opening in at least one of its ends, the jacket having its wall formed into a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, hollow ridges and grooves disposed alternately about the periphery thereof, the portions of the jacket wall forming the grooves, viewed in cross-section outlining a closed geometrical figure and adapted to engage tightly the outer surface of a tank having the same cross-sectional configuration and at least as great cross-sectional dimensions as the dimensions of said closed geometrical figure, and the portions of the jacket wall forming the ridges, viewed in cross-section, including components comprising a major portion of the width of the ridges conformed to a closed geometrical figure matching the first-mentioned closed geometrical figure in contour and appreciably exceeding it in area, to provide hollow spaces between the ridges and the wall of an enclosed tank and further including components joined with the groove portions of the jacket, the ridges terminating short of one end of the jacket thereby forming pockets; and a closure member associable with that end of the jacket comprising a molded plastic body having a peripheral flange contoured and dimensioned to snugly engage the inside of the wall of the jacket adjacent to said pockets, said flange having outward protrusions spaced to be alignable with certain of the ridges of the jacket and adapted to expand into the clearance afforded by the interior of the ridges and enter the pockets and be retained by the barrier forming the pockets.