Patent US3795986A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3795986A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Modular compartment sublimator
Assignee: Cenco Medical Health Supply Corp
•
Filing: 1971-12-13
•
Granted: 1974-03-12
•
Expires: 1991-12-13
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus particularly adapted for freeze drying various materials and for stoppering, under vacuum, receptacles containing these materials after freeze drying having a plurality of individual drying chamber modules, each chamber forming a self-supporting drying module capable of receiving a number of receptacles upon one wall of the chamber also which serves as a shelf for supporting them. Each chamber is independently connected to a vacuum source, a condenser and heat transfer means mounted on an adjacent but separate equipment unit in such a manner that thermal transfer and the duration of the freeze drying cycle may be varied independently with respect to each individual module to permit freeze drying of diverse materials and allow different drying rates. A latching means and a door support means mounted adjacent the chamber door permit doors of adjacent modules to be opened without obstruction and act to maintain each door in an open position. Stoppering means having upper and lower plates sandwiching an expansible means may be removably mounted within the separate drying modules and independently activated by operation of fluid pressure means mounted on the equipment unit to pressurize the expansible means and urge the plates apart to stopper the receptacles. Stoppering control means require the force exerted by the stoppering means on the receptacles to remain constant despite variation in height of the receptacle and permit discontinuation of the stoppering operation at any time.
Inventors
- 👤 D Sutherland
- 👤 H Scharf
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 21:48
CPC Classifications
F; F26; F26B; F26B5/00; F26B5/04; F26B5/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
350 words
An apparatus particularly adapted for freeze drying materials contained in receptacles and for stoppering said receptacles comprising, in combination: a plurality of individual self-supporting drying chambers, each drying chamber having a lower wall which also forms a shelf to support a number of receptacles containing material to be freeze dried; hinge means reciprocally mounted on each drying chamber adjacent an open end of said drying chamber, said hinge means having a door of substantially similar dimension to said open end of said chamber attached for rotation thereabout, said door being rotatable on said hinge means to cover said open end of said chamber, said hinge means allowing movement of said door relative to said open end of said chamber such that said door is self-locating with respect thereto; latching means disposed on each drying chamber for opening and closing tightly said door mounted on said drying chambEr, said latching means being always movable to a position that does not obstruct the opening and closing of similar doors on adjacent drying chambers: door support means disposed adjacent said drying chamber door and movable with said door, said support means automatically operating to maintain said door in an open position and releasable to allow said door to be moved over the open end of said chamber in position for closing by said latching means; an equipment unit separate from said drying chambers having heat transfer means, vacuum means, condenser means and stoppering power means each mounted thereon, said heat transfer means, said vacuum means and said condenser means in communication with each of said drying chambers independently and operable respectively to control the temperature and to evacuate and condense water vapor from each of said chambers independently, such that materials placed in each of said chambers may be freeze dried; and, unitary stoppering means removably mounted within each of said drying chambers, said stoppering means in each chamber being movable, upon operation of said stoppering power means in communication therewith, to stopper the receptacles supported on said shaft in said chamber after the material contained in these receptacles has been freeze dried.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
350 words
An apparatus particularly adapted for freeze drying materials contained in receptacles and for stoppering said receptacles comprising, in combination: a plurality of individual self-supporting drying chambers, each drying chamber having a lower wall which also forms a shelf to support a number of receptacles containing material to be freeze dried; hinge means reciprocally mounted on each drying chamber adjacent an open end of said drying chamber, said hinge means having a door of substantially similar dimension to said open end of said chamber attached for rotation thereabout, said door being rotatable on said hinge means to cover said open end of said chamber, said hinge means allowing movement of said door relative to said open end of said chamber such that said door is self-locating with respect thereto; latching means disposed on each drying chamber for opening and closing tightly said door mounted on said drying chambEr, said latching means being always movable to a position that does not obstruct the opening and closing of similar doors on adjacent drying chambers: door support means disposed adjacent said drying chamber door and movable with said door, said support means automatically operating to maintain said door in an open position and releasable to allow said door to be moved over the open end of said chamber in position for closing by said latching means; an equipment unit separate from said drying chambers having heat transfer means, vacuum means, condenser means and stoppering power means each mounted thereon, said heat transfer means, said vacuum means and said condenser means in communication with each of said drying chambers independently and operable respectively to control the temperature and to evacuate and condense water vapor from each of said chambers independently, such that materials placed in each of said chambers may be freeze dried; and, unitary stoppering means removably mounted within each of said drying chambers, said stoppering means in each chamber being movable, upon operation of said stoppering power means in communication therewith, to stopper the receptacles supported on said shaft in said chamber after the material contained in these receptacles has been freeze dried.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
216 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plates acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within the chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
80 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes, a chamber portion mounted adjacent said drying chamber above the open end thereof and having an elongated shaft extending normally to the plane of the open end of said chamber, a door portion attached to said chamber door and connected to said chamber portion for rotation therearound, a resilient means adjacent said shaft and urging said hinge means in the direction of the open end of said chamber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
183 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said latching means includes, locking rod means disposed adjacent the open end of said drying chamber and movable laterally of said wall forming a shelf of said drying chamber, said locking rod means having a plurality of upright protrusions disposed along its length, latching plate means disposed on said door of said drying chamber to engage said upright protrusions on said locking rod, adjustable connecting means having a first end attached to one end of said locking rod means, lever arm means attached to the opposite end of said connecting means and pivotal horizontally about a fixed point adjacent said open end of said chamber, and handle means to rotate said lever arm means about said fixed point to move said locking rod means laterally of said door and said latching means thereby locking and unlocking said door with respect To the open end of said drying chamber, said handle means being always rotatable to a vertical position to allow a door of an adjacent drying chamber to be moved to any position without obstruction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
216 words
The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plates acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within said chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
154 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said equipment unit includes a frame, a condenser mounted on said frame, said condenser in communication with said plurality of drying chambers through a plurality of individually valved conduit means connecting each of said drying chambers with said condenser independently, vacuum means mounted on said frame in communication with said condenser to withdraw water vapor from each of said drying chambers into said condenser, refrigeration means mounted on said frame and in communication with said condenser, ehat transfer means mounted on said frame including heat exchanger means containing heat transfer fluid and proportionally controlled means to heat said fluid in valved communication therewith, and continually operating pump means in communication with said exchanger means to circulate said heat transfer fluid through conduit means to each of said drying chambers, and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means and secondary vacuum means, mounted on said frame. heat
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
277 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said stoppering means includes a support means and a platen means connected and being maintained in parallel relationship to one another by resilient means disposed between said platen means and said support means and urging said platen means upwardly toward said support means and expansible means sandwiched between said support means and said platen means and inflatable to move said platen means and said support means in vertically opposite directions, said stoppering means being easily and quickly mounted in said drying chamber above said lower wall thereof by hanging said support means in said chamber, and said stoppering power means includes fluid pressure means mounted on said equipment unit in communication with said expansible means through conduit means to inflate said expansible means, control means in communication with said fluid pressure means to regulate the admission of pressurized fluid into said expansible means so that a maximum constant stoppering force is always exerted by said platen means on the receptacles to be stoppered despite the height of such receptacles, valve means to release pressurized fluid contained in said expansible means after stoppering, and secondary vacuum means to evacuate said expansible means of residual pressuirzed fluid and thereby maintain equilibrium between said expansible means and the interior of said drying chamber, said stoppering means being operable by actuation of said stoppering power means such that said support means is moved adjacent an upper wall of said drying chamber as said platen means is moved adjacent said receptacles during stoppering to allow the external forces on said drying chamber to assist in balancing the internal forces created by said stoppering means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
234 words
The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said support means having brackets disposed on them on which said stoppering means may be slidably mounted, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plate acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within said chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining together said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
209 words
The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said door support means includes an elongated support arm having a lower end attached to said drying chamber at a point adjacent said open end thereof, said support arm pivotal about said point, and having an upper end with a notch formed therein and a stop means formed thereon, and a catch means slidably mounted on said support arm to travel from one end of said arm to the opposite end, said catch means pivotally attached to said chamber door, said catch means having a pawl pivotally attached thereto, said pawl engaging said notch on said support arm when said catch means is slidably moved toward the upper end of said support arm by the opening of said chamber door to maintain said door in an open position, said catch means having a friction slide means frictionally attached thereto for movement therewith relative to said support arm until, said door is moved to move said catch means and said friction slide means along said support arm such that said stop means bears against said friction slide means thereby causing said friction slide means to move relative to said catch means to disengage said pawl to permit said door to be closed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
234 words
The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said support means having brackets disposed on them on which said stoppering means may be slidably mounted, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plate acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within said chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining together said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear walL of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
256 words
The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said latching means includes, locking rod means disposed adjacent the open end of said drying chamber and movable laterally of said wall forming a shelf of said drying chamber, said locking rod means having a plurality of upright protrusions disposed along its length, latching plate means disposed on said door of said drying chamber to engage said upright protrusions on said locking rod, adjustable connecting means having a first end attached to one end of said locking rod means, lever arm means attached to the opposite end of said connecting means and pivotal horizontally about a fixed point adjacent said open end of said chamber, and handle means to rotate said lever arm means about said fixed point to move said locking rod means laterally of said door and said latching means thereby locking and unlocking said door with respect to the open end of said drying chamber, said handle means being always rotatable to a vertical position to allow a door of an adjacent drying chamber to be moved to any position without obstruction, and said hinge means includes, a chamber portion mounted adjacent said drying chamber above the open end thereof and having an elongated shaft extending normally to the plane of the open end of said chamber, a door portion attached to said chamber door and connected to said chamber portion for rotation therearound, a resilient means adjacent said shaft and urging said hinge means in the direction of the open end of said chamber.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
191 words
The combination set forth in claim 11 wherein said stoppering means includes a support means and a platen means being maintained in parallel relationship to one another by resilient means disposed between said platen means and said support means and urging said platen means upwardly toward said support means, expansible means inflatable to move said platen means and said support means in vertically opposite directions, said expansible means disposed between said support means and said platen means and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means mounted on said equipment unit in communication with said expansible means through conduit means, to inflate said expansible means, control means in communication with said fluid pressure means to regulate the admission of pressurized fluid into said expansible means so that a maximum constant stoppering force is always exerted by said platen means on the receptacles to be stoppered despite the height of such receptacles, valve means to release pressurized fluid contained in said expansible means after stoppering, and secondary vacuum means to evacuate said expansible means of residual pressurized fluid and thereby maintain equilibrium between said expansible means and the interior of said drying chamber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
159 words
The combination set forth in claim 12 wherein said equipment unit includes a frame, a condenser means mounted on said frame, said condenser means in communication with said plurality of drying chambers through a plurality of individually valved conduit means connecting each of said drying chambers with said condenser means independently, vacuum means mounted on said frame in communication with said condenser means to withdraw water vapor from each of said drying chambers into said condenser means, refrigeration means mounted on said frame and in communication with said condenser means, heat transfer means mounted on said frame including heat exchanger means containing heat transfer fluid and proportionally controlled means to heat said fluid in valved communication therewith, and continually opeRating pump means in communication with said exchanger means to circulate said heat transfer fluid through conduit means to each of said drying chambers, and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means and secondary vacuum means, mounted on said frame.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
122 words
An apparatus particularly adapted for freeze drying various materials comprising in combination, a plurality of individual self-supporting drying chambers, each drying chamber having a lower wall which also forms a shelf to support a number of receptacles containing material to be freeze dried, and an equipment unit separate from said drying chambers having heat transfer means, vacuum means, unitary condenser means and stoppering power means each mounted thereon, said heat transfer means, said vacuum means and said condenser means in communication with each of said drying chambers independently and operable respectively to control the temperature and to evacuate and condense water vapor from each of said chambers independently, such that said materials placed in each of said chambers may be freeze dried.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
122 words
An apparatus particularly adapted for freeze drying various materials comprising in combination, a plurality of individual self-supporting drying chambers, each drying chamber having a lower wall which also forms a shelf to support a number of receptacles containing material to be freeze dried, and an equipment unit separate from said drying chambers having heat transfer means, vacuum means, unitary condenser means and stoppering power means each mounted thereon, said heat transfer means, said vacuum means and said condenser means in communication with each of said drying chambers independently and operable respectively to control the temperature and to evacuate and condense water vapor from each of said chambers independently, such that said materials placed in each of said chambers may be freeze dried.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
216 words
The combination set forth in claim 14 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall jointed together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plates acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within the chamber in resposne to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining said rectangular plates at corresponding end thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
159 words
The combination set forth in claim 15 wherein said equipment unit includes a frame, a condenser means mounted on said frame, said condenser means in communication with said plurality of drying chambers through a plurality of individually valved conduit means connecting each of said drying chambers with said condenser means independently, vacuum means mounted on said frame in communication with said condenser means to withdraw water vapor from each of said drying chambers into said condenser means, refrigeration means mounted on said frame and in communication with said condenser means, heat transfer means mounted on said frame including heat exchanger means containing heat tranfer fluid and proportionally controlled means to heat said fluid in valved communication therewith, and continually operating pump means in communication with said exchanger means to circulate said heat transfer fluid through conduit means to each of said drying chambers, and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means and secondary vacuum means, mounted on said frame.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
103 words
The combination set forth in claim 14 additionally including unitary stoppering means removably mountable within each of said drying chambers when stoppering of receptacles is desired, said stoppering means in each chamber being movable, upon operation of said stoppering power means in communication therewith, to stopper the receptacles supported on said shelf in said drying chamber after the material contained in these receptacles has been freeze dried, said stoppering means being supported, during stoppering, by the waLls of each drying chamber such that the external forces on each of said drying chamber assist in balancing the internal forces created by said stoppering means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
234 words
The combination set forth in claim 17 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said support means having brackets disposed on them on which said stoppering means may be slidably mounted, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plate acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within said chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining together said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
191 words
The combination set forth in claim 18 wherein said stoppering means includes a support means and a platen means being maintained in parallel relationship to one another by resilient means disposed between said platen means and said support means and urging said platen means upwardly toward said support means, expansible means inflatable to move said platen means and said support means in vertically opposite directions, said expansible means disposed between said support means and said platen means and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means mounted on said equipment unit in communication with said expansible means through conduit means, to inflate said expansible means, control means in communication with said fluid pressure means to regulate the admission of pressurized fluid into said expansible means so that a maximum constant stoppering force is always exerted by said platen means on the receptacles to be stoppered despite the height of such receptacles, valve means to release pressurized fluid contained in said expansible means after stoppering, and secondary vacuum means to evacuate said expansible means of residual pressurized fluid and thereby maintain equilibrium between said expansible means and the interior of said drying chamber.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
159 words
The combination set forth in claim 19 wherein said equipment unit includes a frame, a condenser means mounted on said frame, said condenser means in communication with said plurality of drying chambers through a plurality of individually valved conduit means connecting each of said drying chambers with said condenser means independently, vacuum means mounted on said frame in communication with said condenser means to withdraw water vapor from each of said drying chambers into said condenser means, refrigeration means mounted on said frame and in communication with said condenser means, heat transfer means mounted on said frame including heat exchanger means containing heat transfer fluid and proportionally controlled means to heat said fluid in valved communication therewith, and continually operating pump means in communication with said exchanger means to circulate said heat transfer fluid through conduit means to each of said drying chambers, and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means and secondary vacuum means, mounted on said frame.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
141 words
An apparatus particularly adapted for use as a chAmber unit in the freeze drying and stoppering of samples contained in receptacles comprising, in combination, a plurality of individual self-supporting drying chambers, each drying chamber having a lower wall which also forms a shelf to support a number of receptacles containing material to be freeze dried, and a stoppering means removably mounted within each of said drying chambers, said stoppering means in each chamber being movable, to stopper the receptacles supported on said shelf in said chamber after the material contained in these receptacles has been freeze dried, said stoppering means being supported by said lower wall and an upper wall of each of said drying chambers during stoppering such that the internal forces created by the stoppering means are at least partially balanced by the external forces on said chamber walls.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
141 words
An apparatus particularly adapted for use as a chAmber unit in the freeze drying and stoppering of samples contained in receptacles comprising, in combination, a plurality of individual self-supporting drying chambers, each drying chamber having a lower wall which also forms a shelf to support a number of receptacles containing material to be freeze dried, and a stoppering means removably mounted within each of said drying chambers, said stoppering means in each chamber being movable, to stopper the receptacles supported on said shelf in said chamber after the material contained in these receptacles has been freeze dried, said stoppering means being supported by said lower wall and an upper wall of each of said drying chambers during stoppering such that the internal forces created by the stoppering means are at least partially balanced by the external forces on said chamber walls.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
234 words
The combination set forth in claim 21 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said support means having brackets disposed on them on which said stoppering means may be slidably mounted, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plate acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within said chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining together said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
276 words
The combination set forth in claim 21 wherein said stoppering means includes a support means and a platen means connected and being maintained in parallel relationship to one another by resilient means disposed between said platen means and said support means and urging said platen means upwardly toward said support means and expansible means sandwiched between said support means and said platen means and inflatable to move said platen means and said support means in vertically opposite directions, said stoppering means being easily and quickly mounted in said drying chamber above said lower wall thereof by hanging said support means in said chamber, and said stoppering power means includes fluid pressure means mounted on said equipment unit in communication with said expansible means through conduit means to inflate said expansible means, control means in communication with said fluid pressure means to regulate the admission of pressurized fluid into said expansible means so that a maximum constant stoppering force is always exerted by said platen means on the receptacles to be stoppered despite the height of such receptacles, valve means to release pressurized fluid contained in said expansible means after stoppering, and secondary vacuum means to evacuate said expansible means of residual pressurized fluid and thereby maintain equilibrium between said expansible means and the interior of said drying chamber, said stoppering means being operable by actuation of said stoppering means such that said support means is moved adjacent an upper wall of said drying chamber as said platen means is moved adjacent said receptacles during stoppering to allow the external forces on said drying chamber to assist in balanciNg the internal forces created by said stoppering means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
234 words
The combination set forth in claim 23 wherein each drying chamber includes a top wall and a bottom wall, two side walls and a rear wall joined together to form an elongated hollow shell having an opening at its front end to provide access to its interior, said top wall and said bottom wall formed by parallel rectangular plates held in spaced relationship by support means vertically disposed between them, said support means having brackets disposed on them on which said stoppering means may be slidably mounted, said rectangular plate forming said bottom wall also forming a shelf to support the receptacles containing materials to be freeze dried, said rectangular plate acting to directly conduct thermal changes to the receptacles and the materials contained therein within said chamber in response to the temperature of a heat transfer fluid circulated about their outside surfaces, said side walls formed by cylindrically-shaped members joining together said rectangular plates at corresponding ends thereof, said rear wall of said drying chamber fixedly attached to said top wall, said bottom wall and said side walls and having an opening formed in it to provide communication to said condenser means mounted on said equipment unit, said door mounted in hinged relationship to said front end of said chamber being movable over the front end of said chamber to close and hermetically seal the interior of said drying chamber from the atmosphere.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
155 words
An equipment containing unit particularly adapted for use in freeze drying various materials including a frame, a condenser mounted on said frame, said condenser in communication with a plurality of drying chambers through a plurality of individually valved conduit means connecting each of said drying chambers with said condenser independently, vacuum means mounted on said frame in communication with said condenser to withdraw water vapor from each of said drying chambers into said condenser, refrigeration means mounted on said frame and in communication with said condenser, heat transfer means mounted on said frame including heat exchanger means containing heat transfer fluid and proportionally controlled means to heat said fluid in valved communication therewith, and continually operating pump means in communication with said exchanger means to circulate said heat transfer fluid through conduit means to each of said drying chambers, and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means and secondary vacuum means, mounted on said frame.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
155 words
An equipment containing unit particularly adapted for use in freeze drying various materials including a frame, a condenser mounted on said frame, said condenser in communication with a plurality of drying chambers through a plurality of individually valved conduit means connecting each of said drying chambers with said condenser independently, vacuum means mounted on said frame in communication with said condenser to withdraw water vapor from each of said drying chambers into said condenser, refrigeration means mounted on said frame and in communication with said condenser, heat transfer means mounted on said frame including heat exchanger means containing heat transfer fluid and proportionally controlled means to heat said fluid in valved communication therewith, and continually operating pump means in communication with said exchanger means to circulate said heat transfer fluid through conduit means to each of said drying chambers, and stoppering power means, including fluid pressure means and secondary vacuum means, mounted on said frame.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2295421A
Cited
US2996210A
Cited
GB1000545A
Cited
US3245152A
Cited
US3286366A
Cited
US3448556A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-03-11 | 1977-09-10 | 1978-03-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-03-11 | 1981-09-10 | 1982-03-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-03-11 | 1985-09-10 | 1986-03-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |