U.S. patent number 3,782,133 [Application Number 05/280,166] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-01 for low temperature storage vessel.
This patent grant is currently assigned to L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des. Invention is credited to Jean-Michel Desperier, Gerard Sermanet.
United States Patent |
3,782,133 |
Desperier , et al. |
January 1, 1974 |
LOW TEMPERATURE STORAGE VESSEL
Abstract
A low temperature storage vessel for storing receptacles
containing perishables has a tray rotatable about a vertical axis,
access to the tray being had through a laterally offset upper
opening. The tray is supported for rotation on a vertical screw
that bears on the upper end of an elongated vertical pivot.
Manipulation of the screw raises and lowers the tray. In the
lowered position, the tray rests on the container bottom for
stability during transport. In the raised position, the tray is
rotatable and can be raised above ice formations.
Inventors: |
Desperier; Jean-Michel (St.
Maurice, FR), Sermanet; Gerard (Yerres,
FR) |
Assignee: |
L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour
L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des (Paris, FR)
|
Family
ID: |
23071959 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/280,166 |
Filed: |
August 14, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/381; 62/64;
62/45.1; 62/374 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F17C
13/085 (20130101); F25D 25/02 (20130101); F17C
2223/0161 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25D
25/02 (20060101); F17C 13/08 (20060101); F25d
025/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;62/378,381,373,374,45,64 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wye; William J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Irvin S. Thompson et al.
Claims
Having described our invention, we claim:
1. A low temperature storage vessel for storing receptacles
containing perishables, comprising a thermally insulated wall
defining a low temperature storage space, an opening through the
top part of said wall giving access to said storage space, said
opening being laterally offset from the center of the vessel, a
pivot upstanding from the bottom of the vessel, a revolvable tray
in said storage space for supporting said receptacles, a vertical
sleeve surrounding and revolvably mounted about said pivot, said
tray being fixedly secured to said sleeve, means for vertically
positioning said tray in said storage space, comprising a threaded
plug disposed in the upper end of said sleeve, a vertical manually
adjustable screw extending through said threaded plug and bearing
at its lower end on the upper end of said pivot, whereby by
manipulation of the upper end of said screw said tray can be
positioned in a lower position in which said tray rests entirely on
the bottom of the vessel and upper positions in which said tray is
spaced from the bottom of the vessel and is revolvable about said
pivot.
2. A low temperature storage vessel for storing receptacles
containing perishables, comprising a thermally insulated wall
defining a low temperature storage space, an opening through the
top part of said wall giving access to said storage space, said
opening being laterally offset from the center of the vessel, a
pivot upstanding from the bottom of the vessel and extending a
major portion of the height of the vessel, a vertical sleeve
surrounding and revolvably mounted on said pivot, a revolvable tray
in said storage space for supporting said receptacles and fixedly
secured to said sleeve, and means acting between the upper end of
said sleeve and the upper end of said pivot and accessible through
said opening for manual adjustment to move said sleeve vertically
relative to said pivot thereby to position said tray selectively in
a lower position in which the tray rests entirely on the bottom of
the vessel or in upper positions in which said tray is spaced from
the bottom of the vessel and is revolvable about said pivot.
3. A vessel as claimed in claim 2, said means comprising screw
means passing through the upper end of said sleeve and bearing on
the upper end of said pivot and having an exposed upper end for
manual adjustment thereof.
Description
The invention relates to a low temperature storage vessel, for
storing perishables in a cryogenic liquid such as liquid nitrogen,
more particularly for preserving biological products such as bovine
semen for centers of artificial insemination.
Such low temperature storage vessels are well-known for storing
perishable commodities in special receptacles, such as canisters,
which are placed in the vessel.
Such a storage vessel, comprises an inner wall and an outer wall
defining therebetween an insulation space under vacuum, an opening
through the top part of the vessel affording access to the storage
space, the opening being offset from the vertical axis of said
vessel and the axis passing through that opening. A revolvable tray
adapted for supporting receptacles such as canisters is disposed in
the storage space, and a pivot integral with the bottom part of the
inner wall extends vertically along the vessel axis in the storage
space, up to about the opening. A sleeve fixedly attached to the
tray is revolvably mounted around that pivot, the tray resting on
the pivot at the upper portion of the sleeve, whereby the tray
revolves around the pivot.
In the case of a storage vessel having the above structure, the
revolvable tray with its load of canisters rests entirely on the
axial pivot through the upper portion of the sleeve. This leads to
the drawback that the tray, when loaded with many canisters, is
generally heavy and the axial pivot, which is fixedly attached to
the inner wall only at its narrow lower end, is very fragile.
Therefore, during transportation of the storage vessel, the pivot
encounters important flexural stresses which may distort it with
respect to the vertical axis of said vessel, and which may even
break it at its lower end.
The storage vessel according to the present invention eliminates
these drawbacks. According to the invention, the storage vessel is
further provided with means for vertically positioning the
revolvable tray, especially in a lower position allowing the tray
to rest entirely on the innerside of the bottom part of the
thermally insulated wall and in upper positions allowing the tray
to be spaced from the bottom of the wall and to revolve.
In this way it is possible to transport the storage vessel with
full safety, by placing the tray with its load of canisters in the
lower position in which the tray rests on the bottom part of the
thermally-insulated wall.
In addition, these positioning means bring about the following
further advantages:
1. By placing the tray in an upper position spaced from the bottom
part of the storage vessel, it is possible to prevent the tray from
rubbing against the solid deposits, such as ice, which necessarily
accumulate in the bottom part of the storage space, during storage
use of the vessel. Therefore, whatever the thickness of these
deposits, it is possible to raise the tray and prevent it from
becoming blocked by ice accumulation and to drive the tray around
the axial pivot. Perfect working of the tray is in this manner
always ensured.
2. By placing the tray in an upper position, it is possible to have
easier access, through a trap in the bottom part of the tray, to
the space between the tray and the bottom part of the thermally
insulated wall of the vessel, when removal of solid deposits or
cleaning is desired.
The invention will now be more fully understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diametral section of a low temperature storage vessel
according to the invention; and
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the central part of
the vessel shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a low temperature storage vessel in accordance
with the invention comprises a thermally insulated wall 1 defining
a low temperature storage space 2, symmetrical with respect to its
vertical axis 3. Wall 1 comprises an outer stainless steel wall 4
and an inner stainless steel wall 5 defining therebetween an
insulation space 6 which may contain an insulating material and
which has been evacuated through vacuum connection stem 18.
Insulation space 6 is exposed to an adsorbent 19 in a recess
defined by the inner wall 5 at the bottom thereof, communicating
with space 6 through the perforations of a metal sheet 20 enclosing
the adsorbent. Adsorbent 19 ensures the preservation of the vacuum
during the storage vessel life. A safety vacuum device 21 is
disposed at the top part of the outer wall 4. An opening 7 extends
through the thermally insulated wall 1, at its top, and allows
access to the storage space 2. The axis 8 of opening 7 is offset
from the vertical axis 3 of the storage vessel, and axis 3 passes
through opening 7. A closure 9 having a peripherally protruding
shoulder 26 is made of insulating material such as expanded plastic
and closes the eccentric opening 7 during storage use of the
vessel. Closure 9 fits loosely in the opening 7, to define
therewith an annular passage for avoiding any pressure rise within
the storage vessel.
The bottom part of the inner wall 5 bears an axial tubular pivot 11
extending vertically along the storage vessel axis 3 in the storage
space 2 up to about opening 7. The pivot 11 is integral with the
inner wall 5, and therefore with the insulated wall 1.
A revolvable tray 12 is provided for placing therein receptacles
such as canisters 21. This tray is fixedly attached to a
cylindrical sleeve 13, revolvably mounted around the pivot 11. An
upper plug 14 in the sleeve 13 rests upon an upper plug 15 in the
pivot 11, through a screw 16, the function of which will be
explained hereinafter.
A bearing 17, disposed at about 1/3 of the height of pivot 11,
ensures correct centering of the sleeve 13 on the pivot 11. The
neck 10 of the opening 7 alone suspends the inner wall 5, with the
pivot 11, the plate 12 and its load of canisters 21, from the outer
wall 4.
During storage, the stopper 9 closes opening 7, and the tray 12
with its load of canisters 21 is immersed in liquid nitrogen 27,
thereby to cool and preserve the biological substance contained by
the receptacles 21. When access to any canister 21 is wished,
stopper 9 is revolved. Then the tray 12 is rotated by a removable
driving rod 25 (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2), which is fitted
on the upper plug 14 of the sleeve 13. Canisters 21, covering the
whole of the tray 12, thus all pass beneath the eccentric opening
7, until the chosen canister can be removed through that
opening.
The storage vessel also has means for positioning vertically the
tray 12 in the storage space 2 in a lower position shown in FIG. 1
with dotted lines, wherein the plate rests entirely on the inner
side of the bottom part of the wall 1 or inner wall 5 through
flanges 28, and in upper positions, shown for example in full lines
in FIG. 1, wherein tray 12 is spaced from that bottom part. The
positioning means comprise the manually adjusting screw 16, fitted
through the upper plug 14 of the sleeve 13, and bearing on the
upper plug 15 of the axial pivot 11. To that end, the adjusting
screw 16 is received in a threaded bore 29 of the upper plug
14.
When it is desired to transport the storage vessel by means of the
casters 22, disposed at the bottom of the storage vessel, the screw
16 is manually unscrewed by access thereto through the opening 7,
so as to make the tray 12 rest in a lower position, entirely on the
bottom part of the insulated wall 1. When the storage vessel is to
be in use and stationary, the screw 16 is manually screwed, so as
to raise the tray 12 to an upper position, supported entirely on
the pivot 11, through the upper portion of the sleeve 13, in which
position the tray 12 is revolvable around the pivot 11.
A cleaning trap 24 is disposed in the bottom plate 23 of the tray
12. It allows access to the space between plate 23 and the bottom
part of inner wall 5, wherein ice and other solid deposits can
accumulate. When cleaning is desired, easier access to this space
is had by lifting the tray 12 by means of the adjusting screw
16.
* * * * *