The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 04, 1976
Filed:
Nov. 18, 1974
Andrew B Wittkower, Rockport, MA (US);
Geoffrey Ryding, Manchester, MA (US);
Extrion Corporation, Gloucester, MA (US);
Abstract
An isolation lock through which a workpiece item can move in a path between first and second regions at different pressures, the lock comprising a housing having an upper item entrance and a lower item exit at opposite sides of the housing, a movable member within the housing defining an item-receiving surface disposed substantially in a plane which lies at a constant acute angle to the horizontal regardless of its position to enable gravity movement of the workpiece over the surface, the member movable to translate the item-receiving surface between upper and lower positions in which, respectively, the uppermost portion of the surface is adjacent the entrance to receive the workpiece and the lowermost portion of the surface is adjacent the exit to deliver the workpiece and means providing an air-tight seal between the exit and the surface when the surface is in its upper position and between the entrance and the surface when the surface is in its lower position. The movable member is shown as a piston movable in reciprocating linear motion, the item-receiving surface comprising an end surface of the piston, and an internal flange is provided intermediate the entrance and exit, this flange disposed to engage the piston when the piston is in its upper position, a resilient seal member being disposed between the flange and the piston to provide the air-tight seal between the exit and the surface.