Package making – Gas filling and/or evacuating of receptacle and closing – Including soldering means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-26
2001-04-10
Kim, Eugene (Department: 3721)
Package making
Gas filling and/or evacuating of receptacle and closing
Including soldering means
C053S081000, C053S082000, C053S083000, C141S002000, C141S018000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212854
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the manufacture of components for inflatable restraining systems used in automotive vehicles, and more particularly to an apparatus for charging metallic canisters used in such systems with a gas under high pressures and sealing such canisters while maintaining them under pressure.
In the prior art, there has been developed an apparatus for pressurizing metallic canisters used in inflatable restraining systems for automotive vehicles by injecting a gas under pressure through a filler opening provided in the canister and then sealing such filler opening while continuing to supply pressurized gas to the canister. Generally, such apparatus is provided with a member engageable in sealing relation with a canister being charged, having a guide passageway communicable with the filler opening of the canister. Such member can be either stationary with means for displacing the canister into sealing engagement with the member or displaceable with means for displacing the member into sealing engagement with the canister. In either of such arrangements, with the member disposed in sealing engagement with the canister and the guide passageway of the member communicating with the filler opening in the canister, means are provided for injecting an inert gas under pressure through the guide passageway in the sealing member and the filler opening in the canister to pressurize the canister, delivering a welding ball through the guide passageway of the sealing member so that it deposits on the canister across the filler opening therein and for extending a welding rod through the guide passageway in the sealing member to positively engage and fuse the welding ball and close the filler opening while continuing to maintain the canister under pressure. An example of such type of apparatus is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,860.
Canisters intended to be pressurized by such type of apparatus often vary in configuration, wall thickness, filler opening size and charging pressure requirement. Accordingly, for such an apparatus to be effective and productive, it must be capable of pressurizing such canisters at pressures in the range of 3,500 to 10,500 psi, positively maintaining a seal between the sealing member and the canister to accommodate such high pressures, reliably delivering welding balls of different sizes to accommodate canister filler openings of different sizes, and effectively preventing leakage of gas, particularly through the welding ball feeding mechanism.
It thus has been found to be desirable to provide an apparatus of the type described which is capable of not only providing an effective seal between the sealing member and the canister and pressurizing the canister while maintaining such seal but of reliably feeding welding balls of different sizes to accommodate canisters of different filler hole sizes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally provides an apparatus comprising a sealing member having a passageway therethrough displaceable between a first position out of engagement with a canister to be pressurized and a second position engageable in sealing engagement with the canister with the guide passageway therein communicating with the filler opening in the canister, means for conveying a gas under pressure to the guide passageway of the sealing member when the sealing member is in sealing engagement with the canister, a rotary valve for feeding a welding ball through the guide passageway to cause the ball to deposit on the canister across the filler opening therein, while the sealing member is maintained in sealing engagement with the canister and the canister is under pressure, and a welding rod disposed in the guide passageway of the sealing member and displaceable into positive mechanical and electrical contact with a welding ball deposited on a canister for fusing the welding ball and welding closed the filler opening in the canister while continuing to maintain the sealing member in sealing engagement with the canister and the canister under pressure.
Preferably, the apparatus includes a gate displaceable between a first position in a nonobstructing relation to a welding ball conveying means and a second position in obstructing relation therewith, such gate is mechanically connected to the sealing member so that the gate is in a nonobstructing relation with a welding ball conveying means when the sealing member is disposed in its retracted position out of sealing engagement with a canister and in obstructing relation with the welding ball conveying means when the sealing member is disposed in its extended position in sealing engagement with a canister, and the rotary valve is operable to feed a welding ball into the welding ball conveying means when the gate is in obstructing relation with the welding ball conveying means for holding a welding ball in abeyance to be delivered to the guide passageway of the sealing member during the next operating cycle of the apparatus.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2059931 (1936-11-01), Cate
patent: 2101156 (1937-12-01), Payne
patent: 2447861 (1948-08-01), Junge
patent: 3834118 (1974-09-01), Wakdrop et al.
patent: 3970121 (1976-07-01), Brandt
patent: 4262472 (1981-04-01), Soeda et al.
patent: 4651503 (1987-03-01), Anderson, III
patent: 4712353 (1987-12-01), Bethell et al.
patent: 4982555 (1991-01-01), Ingemann
patent: 5196669 (1993-03-01), Richardson
patent: 5791122 (1998-08-01), Tobin et al.
Harrington James R.
Leonard Douglas M.
Richardson, Jr. Ronald W.
Tobin Brian P.
Kim Eugene
Lalos & Keegan
Lau Michael N.
RWC Inc.
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