Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
  • B01F31/00—Mixers with shaking, oscillating, or vibrating mechanisms
  • B01F31/20—Mixing the contents of independent containers, e.g. test tubes
  • B01F31/24—Mixing the contents of independent containers, e.g. test tubes the containers being submitted to a rectilinear movement

Definitions

• the invention relates to a laboratory shaker drive mechanism including a pair of flexible
• Patent 5,593,228 issued on January 14, 1997 and entitled "ROTARY SHAKER WITH
• Devices other than laboratory shakers also include flexible or reciprocating motion
• That device includes a drive mechanism for
• animal feed bowls is driven by a single shaft through two pairs of flexible straps.
• the invention comprises a laboratory shaker which includes a platform
• a frame including a pair of upright supports, also supports a drive motor.
• Each of the upright supports is attached to the outside surface of a flexible strap or belt.
• the drive motor causes the platform to move only in a single
• Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the flexible band reciprocating shaker platform invention according to the preferred embodiment thereof.
• Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the flexible band reciprocating shaker platform
• Fig. 2B is an exploded view of the flexible band reciprocating shaker platform.
• Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the shaker platform with the tray and chassis removed.
• Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the platform mechanism with the tray and chassis
• Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the platform with the tray and chassis removed.
• Fig 6A illustrates the shaker platform in its fully reversed mode.
• Fig 6B illustrates the platform in its central, or neutral, position between the positions
• Fig 6C illustrates the shaker platform in its fully forward mode.
• the preferred embodiment of the invention 10 is illustrated in an assembled perspective
• Invention 10 includes a reciprocating platform 12, that only moves in a forward and backward direction, i.e., 1 dimension, not 2 dimensions, which supports a tray 14 which in
• a chassis cover 18 which supports a plurality of laboratory flasks 16 or Petri dishes or the like.
• Chassis 18 also supports a control panel 20 which may include a key pad 56 for
• a control panel 20 could typically include a speed indicator
• Power is provided to an electric drive motor 62 and the control panel
• invention 10 is similar to that of other prior art laboratory devices.
• Figs. 2A to 5 which represent counter-respectively orthogonal views of the drive mechanism.
• Invention 10 is supported by a frame 24 which includes a base 26 and a pair of upright supports
• Base 26 would also typically support the electric drive motor 62. Electric drive motor 62
• crank is preferably connected to the underside of the platform 12 through a conventional crank
• crank mechanism 54 A number of well known crank mechanisms, previously used in the art, would be
• crank mechanism 54 illustrated in the drawings and
• crank mechanism 52 would allow for adjustable stroke
• the pair of upright supports 28 each includes an inward facing surface 64. The inward
• facing surfaces 64 are attached by at least two pair of attachment means, such as bolts, rivets,
• Belts 30 and 32 are preferably fabricated from
• polyethylene or could be made from any other suitable, flexible, but not especially elastic
• belts 30 and 32 can be varied in thickness, width and length to
• belts 30 and 32 can actually be
• the first flexible belt 30 includes a pair of rollers 34 and 36 located on the inside thereof,
• rollers 34 and 36 respectively
• roller/belt attachments 44 which could comprise nails, machine
• rollers 38 and 40 are attached to the second flexible belt 32 by a suitable roller/belt attachment such as wood screws, machine screws, bolts, rivets, etc. 44.
• 40 can be made of any suitable durable, nonelastic material, such as wood, metal or plastic.
• support/belt attachments 46 which again, might comprise common fasteners such as wood
• supports 28 were made of thin gauge metal, then sheet metal screws, bolts or rivets might be
• the reciprocating motion of the drive mechanism is illustrated in a progressive fashion
• Fig. 6A the platform 12 is shown in its most withdrawn, i.e., reversed, position with
• rollers 34, 36, 38 and 40 have rotated approximately 60 degrees
• roller/belt fastener 44 are almost adjacent to the downward facing portions 70 of
• rollers 34, 36, 38 and 40 which in turn ride against the inside surfaces of the two upright supports
• the platform 12 is effectively equi-distance between the front 66 and back 68 of the base 26.
• the roller/belt attachments 44 effectively face directly forward and backward respectively.
• crank mechanism 54 has advanced to its other extreme
• roller/belt attachment means 44 almost come into contact with the pair of upward supports 28.
• the invention 10 just described has several advantages over the prior art.
• rollers 34, 36, 38 and 40 move across flat surfaces separated only by the
• the motion of the platform 12 is smooth, and not erratic.
• the mechanism is very sturdy and dependable. This means that it has a long life, especially under adverse conditions.
• the mechanism 10 is nearly noise free as compared to like devices using ball or
• a quiet running machine such as the present invention 10 is very desirable.
• length of the larger platform can be increased by making the roller diameters larger.
• the system can be provided to the public at a relatively reasonable and competitive

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)
• Mixers With Rotating Receptacles And Mixers With Vibration Mechanisms (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=22268010

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (1)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-10-05 AU AU97847/98A patent/AU9784798A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-10-05 JP JP2000573464A patent/JP2002526240A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-10-05 WO PCT/US1998/020859 patent/WO2000020110A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-10-05 EP EP98952054A patent/EP1126909A4/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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