Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Backqround of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to storage chambers, such as
controlled environmental chambers or incubators, and sealing
systems therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gaskets for COZ incubators have been previously
provided. These gaskets surround the opening of a storage
chamber and provide a seal between the chamber and a door
mounted for closing the opening to allow the chamber to
maintain the proper environmental conditions, such as the
proper temperature, COZ and humidity levels.
In use, these gaskets often have items spilled on them
and get contaminated. The gaskets then need to be removed
to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in an autoclave, or
the like. Prior gaskets were adhered to the frame about the
opening by a silicone adhesive, or the like. This
connection made the removal of the gasket from the incubator
a difficult and time-consuming task, often causing damage to
the gasket requiring replacement thereof.
Additionally, in use, condensation sometimes builds up
in the storage chamber and falls onto the gasket along the
bottom portion of the opening. When the door is opened, the
condensation often drops off the gasket onto the surface
supporting the incubator.
Summary of the Invention
It is a general object of the invention to provide an
improved controlled environmental chamber and a sealing
system therefor which avoid the disadvantages of prior
storage chambers and sealing systems while affording
additional structural and operating advantages.
An important feature of the invention is the provision
of a sealing system which is of relatively simple and
economical construction.
A further feature of the invention is the provision of
a sealing system of the type set forth, which includes a
gasket, which can easily be removed, cleaned and
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reinstalled.
A still further feature of the invention is the
provision of a sealing system of the type set forth, which
aids in containment of condensation.
Still another feature is the provisions of incubator
incorporating a sealing system of the type set forth.
Certain of these and other features of the invention
may be attained by providing a sealing system for a housing
defining a storage chamber having an opening formed in a
wall structure with interior and exterior surfaces and an
opening-defining edge connecting the surfaces. The sealing
system includes a flexible gasket having a sealing portion
and an attachment portion disposed over the opening-defining
edge, and a clip disposed about the attachment portion of
the gasket and over the opening edge, the clip removeably
maintaining the gasket on the wall.
The invention consists of certain novel features and a
combination of parts hereinafter fully described,
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly
pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that
various changes in the details may be made without departing
from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the
present invention.
Brief Description of the Drawinss
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the
invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings
a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which,
when considered in connection with the following
description, the invention, its construction and operation,
and many of its advantages should be readily understood and
appreciated.
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the COZ
incubator of the present invention with the door open;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken
generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the sealing
system in a normal rest condition;
FIG. 3 is a is an exploded sectional view of the
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sealing system of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a is an exploded, fragmentary, perspective
view of the COZ incubator and sealing system of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 when the transparent
door of the incubator is closed and the gasket is
compressed.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, incubator 10, such as a
COZ incubator, is illustrated. The incubator 10 includes a
housing 11 defining a storage chamber 12 therein for
maintaining the contents thereof under certain controlled
environmental conditions, such as certain humidity and COZ
atmospheric conditions, all in a known manner. The housing
11 includes a plurality of shelves 14 for holding the
contents. The housing 11 has a generally box-like wall
structure including a front wall 16 having a bottom portion
16A, a top portion 16B and side portions 16C, 16D (FIG. 1).
The front wall 16 has interior and exterior surfaces 18 and
connected by an opening-defining edge 22 which defines a
20 substantially rectangular opening 24 (FIGS. 1 and 5) having
a center. As seen in FIGS. 2-5, each of the front wall 16
and opening-defining edge 22 has a thickness.
The incubator 10 also includes a sealing system 26.
The sealing system 26 includes a one-piece, flexible and
resilient gasket 28, which may be formed from rubber,
silicone rubber, or the like, and four substantially U-
shaped, flexible and resilient clips 30, which may be formed
of a suitable plastic, or the like.
The gasket 28 has a length substantially equal to the
perimeter of opening 24 and includes a substantially U-
shaped attachment portion 32 having first and second
substantially parallel attachment legs 34, 36 respectively
having thicknesses. Attachment portion 32 also includes an
end wall 38 connecting the legs 34, 36.
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The gasket 28 also includes a substantially D-shaped,
compressible, hollow sealing portion 40 which includes a
sealing wall 42 connected to an arcuate-shaped portion 44.
The sealing portion 40 also includes a flange 46 projecting
from the arcuate-shaped portion 44. As discussed further
below, the arcuate-shaped portion 44 and flange 46 form a
channel 48 that opens toward the center of the opening 24.
As best seen in FIG. 3, a channel 50 is also formed between
the spaced-apart sealing wall 42 and the second attachment
leg 36.
Each of the clips 30 includes first and second clip
legs 52, 54 respectively terminating at free ends 56, 58.
The clips 30 are made of a flexible and resilient material,
and has a normal, at-rest condition shown in solid line in
FIG. 3 with the free ends 56 and 58 inclined toward each
other. Each of the clips 30 also has an engaged condition,
as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. When a clip 30 is in its
normal condition, the distance between the free ends 56, 58
of its first and second clip legs 52, 54 is less than the
combined thickness of the first and second attachment
portions 32, 34 of the gasket 28 and the opening edge 22.
The gasket 28 is removeably attached to the housing 11
as follows. As seen in FIG. 2, the attachment portion 32 is
placed and disposed on the wall 16 so that the first
attachment leg 34 and second attachment leg 36 respectively
face the interior surface 18 and exterior surface 20 of wall
16 and the top wall 38 is disposed over opening edge 22.
The four clips 30 are each pushed over the end wall 38 at
one of the four sides of the opening 24 causing the
respective free ends 56 and 58 of a clip 30 to be spread a
greater distance apart from each other and the first clip
leg 52 to face attachment leg 34 and the second clip leg 54
to be disposed in channel 50 between attachment leg 36 and
sealing wall 42, thereby placing the clips 30 in their
respective engaged condition. The resilient nature of the
clips 30 causes the first and second clip legs 52, 54 to be
biased toward one another and maintain the gasket 128 on the
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wall 16.
If the gasket 28 becomes contaminated, the clips 30 are
simply removed from over the gasket 28 and the attachment
portion 32 of the gasket 28 is removed from the wall 16
5 allowing the gasket 28 to be cleaned.
The incubator 10 also includes a transparent inner door
60 hingedly coupled to wall 16 and an outer door 62 also
hingedly coupled to the wall 16. When, as seen in FIG. 5,
transparent door 60 is closed in a known manner, the D-
shaped sealing portion 40 of gasket 28 is compressed and a
seal is formed between the wall 16 and door to aid in
maintaining a constant environmental condition in storage
chamber 12.
When the transparent door 60 is opened and the D-shaped
sealing portion 40 is uncompressed (FIG. 2), any
condensation that may have formed in the storage chamber 12
in use and fallen onto the portion of the gasket 28
overlying the bottom portion 16A of the wall 16 may be
contained in channel 48 of the gasket 28, thereby preventing
the condensation from falling onto a user or a surface
supporting the incubator 10.
While particular embodiments of the present invention
have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may
be made without departing from the invention in its broader
aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to
cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the
true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set
forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings
is offered by way of illustration only and not as a
limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended
to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their
proper perspective based on the prior art.
