US3750558A

US3750558A - Apparatus for producing clean air

Info

Publication number: US3750558A
Application number: US00222235A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Jokiel; K Bracht
Original assignee: CEAG Dominit AG
Current assignee: CEAG Dominit AG
Priority date: 1971-01-29
Filing date: 1972-01-31
Publication date: 1973-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-07
Also published as: SE382679B; NL7200804A; BE773368A; DE2104234B2; IT953143B; DE2104234A1; DE2104234C3; FR2124016A5; CH543713A; AT307672B

Abstract

Apparatus for producing clean air includes an air supply unit for supplying a downdraft of inlet air; and a rectangular upright frame having vertical upright supports, joint members at the top of the upright supports, and horizontally disposed beams joined by the joint members perpendicularly to one another and defining a horizontal rectangular opening at the top of the upright frame, the beams being formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores, the air supply unit having a housing formed with a rectangular base and including four upright rectangular walls having a rectangular profile frame blocked out at the corners thereof and including four horizontally projecting flange lengths formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores therein, the base of the air supply unit being displaceable with clearance through the horizontal rectangular opening of the upright frame, the projecting flange being engageable with the underside of the beams, respectively, with the bores formed in the beams in alignment with the bores formed in the projecting flange lengths.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Jokiel et al.

[ APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CLEAN AIR [75] Inventors: Theodor Jokiel, Dortmund- Brunningshausen; Karl Bracht, Dortmund, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Ceag Dominit Aktiengellschaft,

Dortmund, Germany [22] Filed: Jan. 31, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 222,235

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data OTHER PUBLICATIONS Farr Company Product Data Sheet The Farr DF/48 Clean B L r /121 .22? PL? 5- 201.

1451 Aug. '7, 1973 Primary ExaminerWilliam E. Wayner Assistant Examiner-William E. Tapolcal, Jr. Attorney-Arthur E. Wilfond, Herbert L. Lerner et al. [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for producing clean air includes an air supply unit for supplying 21 downdraft of inlet air; and a rectangular upright frame having vertical upright supports, joint members at the top of the upright supports, and horizontally disposed beams joined by the joint members perpendicularly to one another and defining a horizontal rectangular opening at the top of the upright frame, the beams being formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores, the air supply unit having a housing formed with a rectangular base and including four upright rectangular walls having a rectangular profile frame blocked out at the corners thereof and including four horizontally projecting flange lengths formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores therein, the base of the air supply unit being displaceable with clearance through the horizontal rectangular opening of the upright frame, the p.r0- jecting flange being engageable with the underside of the beams, respectively, with the bores formed in the beams in alignment with the bores formed in the projecting flange lengths.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEB AUG 7197s SHEET 2 0F 4 PATENIED 3. 750.558

snmanra PATENTEB AU; H973 SHEET h 0? 4 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CLEAN AIR The present invention relates to apparatus for producing clean air, and more particularly, such apparatus which includes an air supply unit for supplying a downdraft of air, and an upright frame.

The apparatus disclosed in German Petty Pat. No. 7,014,152 for the production of dust-free and germfree environments in a downdraft system uses air supply units having bending-proof, closed sheet metal housings, wherein blowers and air filter cells for particles floating in the air, are mounted. They can be brought into the required operating position at the location of installation thereof, only with an excessively high expense for installation personnel.

Heretofore, it has been the practice to lift the air supply units either with the aid of an erecting crane if the room is sufficiently high, or with the aid of at least four men and to shore it up with the aid of a fifth man, for example, by means of boxes or the like, and therefore bring the air supply unit up to a height that permits subsequent assembly of the upright frame beneath it. Adequate room height, however, is not always available for accommodating an erecting crane, so that it cannot be used at all, and an air supply unit must be jacked up manually with the greatest of difficulties.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to avoid the aforementioned shortcomings of the heretofore known lifting methods and to provide apparatus for producing clean air in which it is possible to lift the air supply unit uniformly or evenly from below and to elevate it to the top of the upright frame, and threadedly secure it in that position to the longitudinal and transverse beams of the upright frame.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, there profile provided, in accordance with the invention, apparatus for producing clean air including an air supply unit for supplying a downdraft of inlet air; and a rectangular upright frame having vertical upright supports, joint members at the top of the upright supports, and horizontally disposed beams joined by the joint members perpendicularly to one another and defining a horizontal rectangular opening at the top of the upright frame, the beams being formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores, the air supply unit having a housing formed with a rectangular base and including four upright rectangular walls having a rectangular profile frame blocked out at the corners thereof and including four horizontally projecting flange lengths formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores therein, the base of the air supply unit being displaceable with clearance through the horizontal rectangular opening of the upright frame, the projecting flange being engageable with the underside of the beams, respectively with the bores formed in the beams in alignment with the bores formed in the projecting flange lengths.

The air supply unit is placed on the floor at the location at which it is to be installed vertically overhead and the appertaining support frame is formed of four supports, two longitudinal beams and two transverse beams, all of which are connected by insertable or telescopic joints and threaded fastening devices.

After assembly of the support frame, the air supply unit is lifted between the four supports of the support frame up to the longitudinal and transverse beams thereof, in each of which a row of threaded bores is formed. A corresponding row of bores is formed in the profile frame surrounding the air supply unit.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, means are provided for lifting the air supply unit, which comprise two threaded spindles suspended at each of two opposite beams and having at the lower ends thereof, which are disposed below the profile frame of the air supply unit, a nut rotatable, for example, by a ratchet, a washer having an entrainer pin being mounted on the nut. By alternatingly cranking up this device, the entrainer pin of which is engageable in a respective bore of the profile frame surrounding the air supply unit, the latter is brought slowly, and under certain condition by only one man, into the operating position thereof wherein it is firmly suspended so that it can be bolted conveniently to the beams.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as apparatus for producing clean air, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus for producing clean air according to the invention;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are enlarged perspective views of two embodiments of the lifting members of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic top plan view of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c are enlarged perspective views of three different joint members shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, and first particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown an air supply unit 2 which is formed with four upright rectangular walls 27 and a rectangular base 28 and which has been placed on a floor. Four upright supports 4 have been assembled about the air supply unit 2 and joints 5 have been inserted into the supports 4 at the top thereof. The joints 5 are, in turn, connected to each other by the beams 6 and 7 which are inserted therein and define therebetween a horizontal rectangular opening 26. The solid line representation of the air supply unit 2 in FIG. 1 is the initial position thereof before it is lifted upwardly to its proper installation location, shown by the broken lines. The complete upright frame is identified by the reference numeral 1.

The lifting device of the invention is made up of four screw spindles 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 which are suspended in pairs from respective longitudinal beams 7 having opposing upper and

lower walls

7 and 7 respectively, and opposing lateral walls 6' and 6".

FIGS. 2a and 2b show details of different embodiments of such a screw spindle with all necessary appurtenances. At the top, in the upper and

lower walls

7 and 7", respectively, of the hollow beam 7, two elongated holes 19.1 and 19.2 are formed out of which a hammerhead end 8 of one of the screw spindles 10 extends, four posts 9 being welded around the upper elongated hole 19.2, the hammerhead 8 being fixed in position between the posts 9 as shown in FIG. I, after the hammerhead 8 is turned through an angle of after it has been slid from below through the hole 19.2. The

screw spindle 10 is thereby fixed and secured against entrained rotation and damage. Between a nut 11 which is located below the profile frame 3 at the air supply unit 2, and the flange 20 of the profile frame 3 that is to be engaged, there is disposed a sleeve-like disc 12, mounted coaxially on the nut 11 and formed with an entrainer pin 15. The sleeve-like disc 12 has an undercut substantially semicircular portion 14 corre sponding to the thickness of the flange 20 that is to be raised, and the flange 20 is engageable therewith so as to be firmly held thereby in order to avoid reciprocatory rotary movement of the spindle when the unillustrated ratchet is actuated at the nut 11 for lifting the air supply unit 2. The entrainer pin 15 always engages in a hole 17.1 situated at a suitable location of the securing hole row 16. Through the holes 17.1, 17.2 and the like of the row 16, fastening bolts, not shown, are threadedly secured in stamped out threaded sleeves 18 located at the respective beam, after which the screw spindles 10 are removable, for example, for re-use in installing additional air supply units 2.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2b there is provided a smooth surface spindle 21 formed with a longitudinal row of openings 22. The spindle 21 is suspended from one of the two opposite beams 7 (not shown in FIG. 2b) and extends downwardly through the pair of elongated holes 19.1 and 19.2 and below the profile frame 3 (see FIG. 2a). A jack is carried by the spindle 21 below the profile frame 3 and includes a pressure plate 23 engageable with the profile frame 3. The pressure plate 23 carries an entrainer pin 29 and is undercut a distance corresponding to the thickness of one of the lengths of the flange 20. The pressure plate 23 is formed with a diametral cut-out 24 alignable with one of the openings 22 formed in the spindle 21, and a support rod 25 is bindingly received simultaneously in the diametral cut-out 24 and the respective aligned opening 22 in the spindle 21.

FIG. 3 illustrates such additional or add-on installation. The overall width of the add-on unit of FIG. 3 is always determined by the combined lengths of two air supply units 2 that are disposed back-to-back, i.e., with the air grill intake front thereof facing away from one another in order to take in air therethrough. The two directions in which the add-on unit is built up are indicated in FIG. 1 by dashed lines, as well as by the identification of the succeeding transverse beams 6.1, 6.2, and so on, and the longitudinal beams 7.1, and so on. The aggregate length of such an overall assembly depends upon the number of air supply units 2 added by the use of the previously assembled longitudinal beams. In FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c, the required joints, of necessity in three different embodiments, are again shown in considerably enlarged views.

A simple corner joint is shown in FIG. 3a, a lateral extension joint 5.1 in FIG. 3b and an extension joint 5.2 for joining four beams together, is shown in FIG. 30.

For lifting the next succeeding air supply units 2 to the longitudinal beams, the same elongated holes 19.1 and 19.2 are used as before for passing therethrough from below, the hammerhead 8 of the screw spindles 10. There is no interference with the lifting manipulation of the succeeding air supply units 2, and the entrainer pin 15 merely changes the direction of application. Thus, one pair of such screw spindles can always be left suspended for lifting and securing one side,

respectively, of two air supply units 2. Only the succeeding screw spindle pair must be rehung.

With apparatus for producing clean air according to the invention, new heavy structural units having to do with the maintenance of clean air can be accommodated and installed at operating locations which, heretofore, were intended only for operating facilities or equipment, such as in laboratories or operating rooms. In clinics, for example, it is impossible to use adequate assembling or assembly equipment including erection cranes. The invention of the instant application facilitates especially the accomodation of air supply units for so-called white" or clean" chambers in hospitals.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for producing clean air comprising an air supply unit for supplying a downdraft of inlet air; and a rectangular upright frame having vertical upright supports, joint members at the top of said upright supports, and horizontally disposed beams joined by said joint members perpendicularly to one another and defining a horizontal rectangular opening at the top of said upright frame, said beams being formed with respective rows of vertically extending bores, said air supply unit having a housing formed with a rectangular base and including four upright rectangular walls having a rectangular profile frame blocked out at the corners thereof and including four horizontally projecting flange lengths formed with respective rows of bores therein, said base of said supply unit being displaceable with clearance through said horizontal rectangular opening of said upright frame, said projecting flange lengths being engageable with the underside of said beams, respectively, with the bores formed in said beams in alignment with the bores formed in said projecting flange lengths.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least two of the beams opposite one another are of hollow construction and are respectively formed with opposing lateral walls, on the one hand, and opposing upper and lower walls, on the other hand, said upper and lower walls thereof being formed with a pair of elongated holes, and including stop seating means located along one of said pairs of elongated holes.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said stop seating means comprises a plurality of posts disposed transversely to said one elongated hole.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 including a screw spindle suspended from one of said two opposite beams and extending downwardly through said pair of elongated holes and below said profile frame, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw spindle below the lower edge of said profile frame, and a washer carrying an entrainer pin mounted on said nut, said washer being undercut a distance corresponding to the thickness of one of said flange lengths and being formed with a throughbore through which said screw spindle extends with clearance.

5. Apparatus apparatus according to claim 2 including a smooth surface spindle formed with a longitudinal row of openings, said spindle being suspended from one of said two opposite beams and extending downwardly through said pair of elongated holes and below said profile frame, a jack carried by said spindle below said profile frame and including a pressure plate engageable with said profile frame, said pressure plate carrying an entrainer pin and being undercut a distance corresponding to the thickness of one of said flange lengths, said pressure plate being formed with a diametral cutout alignable with one of the openings fonned in said spindle and a support rod bindingly receivable simultaneously in said diametral cut-out and the respective aligned opening in said spindle.

Claims

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 including a screw spindle suspended from one of said two opposite beams and extending downwardly through said pair of elongated holes and below said profile frame, a nut threadedly mounted on said screw spindle below the lower edge of said profile frame, and a washer carrying an entrainer pin mounted on said nut, said washer being undercut a distance corresponding to the thickness of one of said flange lengths and being formed with a through-bore through which said screw spindle extends with clearance.

5. Apparatus apparatus according to claim 2 including a smooth surface spindle formed with a longitudinal row of openings, said spindle being suspended from one of said two opposite beams and extending downwardly through said pair of elongated holes and below said profile frame, a jack carried by said spindle below said profile frame and including a pressure plate engageable with said profile frame, said pressure plate carrying an entrainer pin and being undercut a distance corresponding to the thickness of one of said flange lengths, said pressure plate being formed with a diametral cut-out alignable with one of the openings formed in said spindle and a support rod bindingly receivable simultaneously in said diametral cut-out and the respective aligned opening in said spindle.