US3174819A

US3174819A - Fluid purifying apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3174819A
Application number: US206014A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Clayton
Original assignee: Merrick Medicine Co
Current assignee: Merrick Medicine Co
Priority date: 1959-08-17
Filing date: 1962-06-28
Publication date: 1965-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-23

Description

March 23-, 1965 w. B. CLAYTON FLUID PURIFYING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug. 17, 1959 FIGI FIG3

FIGZ

INVENTOR WILLIAM B. CLAYTON- ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 3,174,819 FLUID PURIFYING APPARATUS William B. Clayton, Waco, Tex., assignor to Merrick edicine Company, Waco, Tex., a corporation of exas Original application Aug. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,109, now Patent No. 3,060,943, dated Oct. 30, 1962. Divided and this application June 28, 1962, Ser. No. 206,014 2 Claims. (Cl. 21-78) This application is a division of the copending applica tion of William B. Clayton, Serial No. 834,109, filed August 17, 1959, for Container Cleaning Apparatus and Megthod, now Patent No. 3,060,943, dated October 30, 19 2.

This invention relates to apparatus for purifying fluid, e.g. air, especially for use in cleaning containers by removing lint, dust or other particulate substances from the containers.

Bottles used for medicines and other substances intended for administration to humans and animals ordinarily are supplied by bottle manufacturers in sterile condition, packed in cardboard shipping cases, tops or caps ofl". In spite of the taking of reasonable precautions to keep the bottles clean, it is known by experience that cardboard or paper lint and other foreign matter finds its Way into the packed containers during shipping, handling and storage of the packing cases. Even though such foreign particles should be and usually are sterile, their presence in the bottles or other containers at the time of filling is obviously objectionable. Removing the foreign substances just prior to filling the containers has, in the past, been somewhat troublesome, time consuming and inetficient.

In accordance with the invention disclosed in the aforesaid Patent No. 3,060,943, containers to be cleaned are positioned open ends down, and are struck hammer like blows or impacts. This is accomplished by positioning the container, open end down, on a support; and oscillating the support vertically. During vertical movement of the support, the latter is momentarily or temporarily separated vertically from the container, or the container is separated from the support, after which the support and the container re-engage each other, so that the container strikes or is struck by the support with a jarring or hammer like blow. The container is also subjected to jarring or hammer like blows in directions other than vertical, e.g. in horizontal or substantially horizontal directions at various angles. The jarring, hammer like blows have been found effectively to loosen or dislodge and remove particles adhering to the container inner surfaces. The jarring of the containers is accompanied or followed by purging with a jet stream of purified fluid, e.g. air. Containers are moved in succession relatively to the jet nozzle, generally transversely to the direction of the jet, so that the purging fluid will first enter each container at one side and flow upwardly, then across the container, and downwardly and out of the other side; and thereafter will enter the container at its other side and flow upwardly, then across, and downwardly and out at its one side.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for purifying fluid.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a flow sheet diagrammatically depicting apparatus for purifying fluid;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the 3,174,819 Patented Mar. 23, 1965 container cleaning apparatus fully disclosed in the parent Patent No. 3,060,943, this view showing the top of a fluid purifying structure according to the present invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of apparatus disclosed in the parent patent, and showing the interior of a fluid purifying apparatus.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the apparatus comprises a frame including legs 1, longitudinal members 2, and horizontal members 3. This frame supports the container moving and jarring mechanism disclosed in the parent patent, a jet nozzle N (FIGURE 1) for delivering purging fluid to the inverted containers, and the fluid purifying equipment.

As diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1, purging air is delivered from a dryer 83 through a conduit 84 to a sealed box or enclosure 85 so as to flow around an electrical germicidal lamp 86 of any suitable kind. Air which has passed through the enclosure 85 and around the lamp 86 flows through a conduit 87, filter 88 and conduit 89 to an air compressor 90 which delivers through a conduit 91 to a tank or receiver 92. The receiver 92 delivers air through a conduit 93 to the interior of an imperforated tube 94 of quartz glass or other suitable clear transparent material mounted within the enclosure 85 and providing a defined passage adjacent to and in the zone of germicidal eifect of the lamp 86 so that the air will be subjected again to purifying action. The tube 94 is transparent to the germicidal radiations from the lamp 86. The purified air leaving the tube 94 passes through a conduit 95 and a second filter 96 to the jet nozzle N. In this way the purging fluid is very efiiciently conditioned for purging particles from the containers without recontaminating the latter.

As the containers, already subjected to repeated hammer like blows, move over and past the nozzle N, the jet of purging fluid first passes upwardly along the leading side of each container and then reverses to flow downwardly along the trailing side of the container. As the container moves on over the jet, the flow is reversed, passing upwardly along the trailing side of the container and then downwardly over the leading side of the container. The horizontal jarring of the containers continues during their passage over the jet.

The apparatus shown and described is representative of the invention, but the disclosure is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive, the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for purifying fluid for purging containers by flow through a nozzle into the containers, a source of purging fluid; an enclosure; an electrical germicidal lamp in said enclosure; means for delivering purging fluid from said source into said enclosure to surround and flow in direct contact with said lamp; an imperforate tube in said enclosure, said tube being transparent to the germicidal radiations from said electrical germicidal lamp; means for extracting purging fluid from within said enclosure and filtering the extracted fluid and delivering it to one end of said tube; and means for delivering fluid from the other end of said tube to said nozzle.

2. In apparatus for purifying fluid for purging containers by flow through a nozzle into the containers, a source of purging fluid; an elongated enclosure; a tubular electrical germicidal lamp in and extending longitudinally of said enclosure with a clearance space between the 3 4 inner walls of said enclosure and the outer surface of References Cited by the Examiner said lamp; means for delivering purging fluid from said UNITED STATES PATENTS source into one end of said clearance space to surround and flow in direct contact with said lamp; an imperforate 2670439 2/54 Damey 99 218 X tube in and extending longitudinally of said enclosure 5 2681'061 6/54 21" 74 X spaced from but close to said lamp, said tube being tranS- 2870024 1/59 Martin 21 78 X parent to the germicidal radiations from said electrical 3011230 12/61 Potapenko 21 53 X 3,058,177 10/62 Taylor et al 2178 X germicidal lamp; means for extracting purging fluid from the opposite end of said clearance space and delivering it to one end of said tube; and means for delivering fluid 10 D ONALL SYLVESTER Primary Exammer from theopposite end of said tube to said nozzle. MORRIS O. WOLK, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING FLUID FOR PURGING CONTAINERS BY FLOW THROUGH A NOZZLE INTO THE CONTAINERS, A SOURCE OF PURGING FLUID; AN ENCLOSURE; AN ELECTRICAL GERMICIDAL LAMP IN SAID ENCLOSURE; MEANS FOR DELIVERING PURGING FLUID FROM SAID SOURCE INTO SAID ENCLOSURE TO SURROUND AND FLOW IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID LAMP; AN IMPERFORATE TUBE IN SAID ENCLOSURE, SAID TUBE BEING TRANSPARENT TO THE GERMICIDAL RADIATIONS FROM SAID ELECTRICAL GERMICIDAL LAMP; MEANS FOR EXTRACTING PURGING FLUID FROM WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE AND FILTERING THE EXTACTED FLUID AND DELIVERING IT TO ONE END OF SAID TUBE; AND MEANS FOR DELIVERING FLUID FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID TUBE TO SAID NOZZLE.