Gas separation – Combined or convertible – In environmental air enclosure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-10
2001-07-31
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation
Combined or convertible
In environmental air enclosure
C055S422000, C055S418000, C055S480000, C055S484000, C055S504000, C055S508000, C454S187000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267793
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to clean room systems and, in particular, clean room ceiling systems. “Ceiling” herein includes not only horizontal upper walls and lower walls or floors of rooms but also vertical side walls. The terms lower, upper, above, below, and the like and their cognitives have reference to a conventional ceiling installation and are to be understood as relative terms when the “ceiling” is other than above the workspace. The invention further relates to filter units comprising a frame and filter media sealed in the frame, support structure comprising a support such as a grid or other array of support elements, or a filter unit receiver of one or more interconnected modular bays congruent and close-fitting with the filter units, and plural spring-loaded latch and keeper fasteners for separably attaching the filter units into the support structure with a simple push-in, pull-out movement.
2. Related Art
Clean room ceilings are known and typically comprise one or more filter units supported by a structure that is separate or integral with the filter units. Facile installation and removal of the filter units, which are replaced from time-to-time, is of increasing importance. Replacement from the room side of the filter system is desirable for increased convenience and lower cost. The need to air-tightly mount the filter units in their filter support structure has lead to the use of supports that have flanges or lips against which the filter units rest in sealed condition. Passing the flanges to insert filter units can be problematic. More recently, it has been demonstrated that sealing tape can be used at the interstices of the filter arrays to block unfiltered air flow, eliminating in some systems the use of support flanges, and easing the insertion problem.
In clean room systems that use one or a plurality of single filter units each in its own enclosing frame so that there is no large plenum over a number of filters as in grid systems, the testing of the filters for integrity involves the addition of a test material (an aerosol typically) to the air stream entering the filter. In a further aspect the present invention provides a novel and highly convenient way to accomplish this test. In addition, the filter units of the invention further permit adjustment of incoming air flow by selective positioning of a damper from the room side of the filter unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Mounting the filter units in their support structure directly, easily and without tilting is desirable, and can now be achieved with a filter unit mounting system that reacts to the presence of the filter. Desirably such a system also permits the separation of the filter unit from the support readily and from the room side.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved clean room ceiling system. It is a further object to provide an integrated filter unit and support structure that preserves the ultimate qualities of present clean room ceiling design, but adds the dimension of ease of installation and removal. A further object includes providing cooperating fastener components on the filter units and support structure that enables snap-in installation, and snap-out removal, typically by a single worker for even unwieldy size filter units. A still further object is to achieve snap connection with low cost parts. Another object is to provide a common unlatching system for one or all together of the cooperating fastener components. A specific object is the provision of room side replaceable filter system in which individual filter units equipped with cooperating pivoting latches are insertable into supports carrying cooperating pins that serve to pivotally deflect the latches to pass and then upon a spring-powered return engage in hooked relation the pins against separation of the filter unit from the support, the latches being reversely pivotable to pass the pins in filter unit releasing relation from the support in pairs on each side of the filter unit, the members of the pairs being connected with a tether such as a cable responsive to movement of one latch to actuate the other so that a one-hand unlatching step is possible on each side of the filter unit. Further objects include provision of a tubular element within the filter units to which a damper plate is mountable in the incoming air flow, the element being rotatable to adjust the proximity of the damper to the air flow inlet and thus to modify the air flow. The same tubular element can be used to inject a test material into the air flow above the filter media for testing of the efficiency and integrity of the filter unit. In general the invention has as an object the complete redesign of conventional clean room ceilings and filter units so that the filter units snap in and out of their supports and in between times are positively retained at multiple positions about their periphery.
These and other objects of the invention, to become apparent hereinafter, are realized in a clean room ceiling system comprising a generally closed space having a workspace and an air supply thereto, the system including a filter unit having a predetermined shape and comprising a frame and filter media sealed within the frame, and a filter unit support adjacent the frame for supporting the filter unit adjacent the workspace, the filter unit support comprising plural sets of cooperating latch and keeper fasteners carried by the filter unit frame and the filter unit support, each latch having a shoulder by which the latch is deflectable in pivoting relation by its cooperating keeper to pass the keeper, each latch being biased against the deflection and adapted to return to an undeflected position in keeper-engaged relation to block separation of the filter unit from the filter unit support after passing the keeper.
In this and like embodiments, typically, the latch is spring-loaded and mounted for pivoting movement, the latch having structure by which the latch is reversely deflectable from outside the filter unit support to disengage from the keeper and release the filter unit from the filter unit support, the latch structure being accessible from within the workspace, the filter unit frame defines a plurality of outward facing sides, at least two of the sides carrying a latch or keeper in latching relation with a keeper or latch respectively carried by the filter unit support, the filter unit frame defines a plurality of outward facing sides, the support is disposed circumjacent to the filter unit frame and has a plurality of inward facing sides opposite each of the filter unit outwardly facing latch or keeper carrying sides, the inward facing sides carrying a latch or keeper in latching relation with a keeper or latch respectively carried by the outward facing sides in latch registerable relation, each filter unit frame outward facing side carries a spring-loaded latch, said latch shoulder being a leading shoulder, each latch pivoting in a plane parallel to the filter unit side carrying the latch, the inward facing support sides each carrying a keeper opposite each the latch, each keeper comprising a pin projecting normal to the filter unit support and arranged to engage the latch leading shoulder in deflecting relation, the latch being hook-shaped to capture the pin following the latch shoulder passing the pin in filter unit supporting relation on the pin, the filter unit sides carrying the latches have a front face normal to the sides and facing the workspace, each latch having a trailing shoulder having a flange arranged to separably engage the side front face in the latched condition of the filter unit in the filter unit support, there is also included a tether secured to the latch structures for simultaneously pivoting multiple ones of the latches from pin engagement by pivoting one latch, sets of the latch structures being tethered by a common tether for simultaneous pivoting from pin engagement by the tether.
In a preferred embodiment, the filter unit frame is rectangular and has first
Gomez Tony
Jeanseau Peter
Bachand Louis J.
HEPA California
Hopkins Robert A.
Simmons David A.
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