Fluid handling – Convertible
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-15
2001-10-16
Lee, Kevin (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Convertible
C137S884000, C137S271000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302141
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of gas delivery systems, and more specifically to a gas panel comprising a plurality of blocks which provide the gas routing conduits and passages for the panel.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Gas panels are used to control the flow of gases and gas mixtures in many manufacturing processes and machinery. A typical gas panel, such as gas panel
100
shown in
FIG. 1
, is made up of literally hundreds of discreet or individual components, such as valves
102
, filters
104
, flow regulators
106
, pressure regulators
107
, pressure transducers
109
, and connections
108
, connected together by tens (or hundred) of feet of tubing
110
. Gas panels are designed to provide desired functions, such as mixing and purging, by uniquely configuring the various discreet components.
A problem with present gas panels is that most of them are uniquely designed and configured to meet specific needs. Today there is simply no standard design in which gas panels are configured. Today it takes weeks to months to design a gas panel, fabricate all subassemblies, and then assemble the final product. Uniquely designing or configuring each new gas panel costs time and money. Additionally, the lack of a standard design makes it difficult for facilities' personnel to maintain, repair, and retrofit all the differently designed gas panels which may exist in a single facility. The unique designs make spare parts inventory management cumbersome and expensive.
Another problem with present gas panels is a large number of fittings
108
and welds required to interconnect all of the functional components. When tubes are welded to fittings
108
, the heat generated during the welding process physically and chemically degrades the electropolish of the portion of the tube near the weld (i.e., the heat affected zone). The degraded finish of the heat affected zone can then be a substantial source of contaminant generation. Additionally, during the welding process metal vapor, such as manganese, can condense in the cooler portions of the tube and form deposits therein. Also, if elements being welded have different material composition (e.g., stainless steel with inconel), desired weld geometry and chemical properties are difficult to achieve. Thus, gas panels with large numbers of fittings and welds are incompatible with ultra clean gas systems which require extremely low levels of contaminants and particles. Additionally, high purity fittings
108
are expensive and can be difficult to obtain, thereby increasing the cost of any gas panel incorporating them.
Yet another problem associated with present gas panel designs is the large amount of tubing
110
used to route gas throughout the gas panel. Large volumes of tubing require large volumes of gas to fill the system and make it difficult to stabilize and control gas flows. Additionally, gas panels with excessive tubing require significant amounts of time to purge and isolate which can result in expensive downtime of essential manufacturing equipment, resulting in an increase in the cost of ownership. Still further, the more tubing a gas panel has, the more “wetted surface area” it has, which increases its likelihood of being a source of contamination in a manufacturing process.
Thus, what is desired is a rapidly configurable and easily reconfigurable gas panel which reduces or eliminates the number of welds, fixtures and tubing incorporated therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a set of uniquely ported and passage routed base blocks and manifold blocks which can be coupled together to form a weldless and tubeless gas panel capable of all ultra high purity functions and capabilities. Base blocks of the present invention may include an identical component interconnection face for mounting a functional component (e.g., a valve, pressure transducer, regulator, a filter, etc.). Additionally, many functional components include an identical base interconnection face so that many components of the present invention can be attached to a number of different base blocks. Additionally, each base block includes identical conduit interconnection faces so that ports of adjacent base blocks can be coupled together to form a common conduit or gas stick. Additionally, the present invention includes a plurality of manifold blocks which have identical manifold interconnection faces which allow manifold blocks to be coupled together in a direction transverse to the coupling of base blocks in order to generate a common manifold which can be used to route gas between the various conduits (gas sticks) formed by coupling base blocks. Additional features and capabilities of the present invention will become evident from the detailed description which follows.
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patent: 3915194 (1975-10-01), Friedrich
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patent: 4168724 (1979-09-01), Graffunder et al.
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patent: 4848393 (1989-07-01), West
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patent: 5301717 (1994-04-01), Goedecke
patent: 5368062 (1994-11-01), Okumura et al.
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patent: 5642756 (1997-07-01), Lawrence et al.
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patent: 5769110 (1998-06-01), Ohmi et al.
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patent: 5836355 (1998-11-01), Markulec et al.
patent: 5950661 (1999-09-01), Kirchhoff-Stewens
patent: 5992463 (1999-11-01), Redemann et al.
patent: 27 38 027 (1978-03-01), None
patent: 2250907A1 (1975-06-01), None
patent: WO 95/10001 (1995-04-01), None
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“The World Standard for Ultra Clean Gas Delivery Systems and Components”, by Ultra Clean Technology Systems & Service, Inc.
Elliot Brent D.
Markulec Jeffrey R.
Rex Dennis G.
Schuster Richard E.
Insync Systems, Inc.
Lee Kevin
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C.
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