Having Installation, Removal, Assembly, Disassembly, Or Repair Feature Patents (Class 277/511)
  • Patent number: 6626438
    Abstract: A multi-tube hydraulic cylinder includes annular seal assemblies joining adjacent tubes. Each assembly includes an annular primary seal member and an annular base seal member. The primary seal member is formed from relatively soft elastomer and includes inner and outer seal ribs which engage the bottom of a seal groove and the surface of an adjacent tube. The primary seal member is mounted on the base seal member, is formed from an elastomer harder than the material in the primary seal member, and includes inner and outer seal ribs and a heel facing outwardly of the seal groove on the end of the base member away from the seal ribs. The base member has an axial length greater than its radial thickness. When the seal assembly is compressed between the two tubes the seal ribs of the two members provide low pressure and high pressure seals for confining hydraulic fluid in the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: HPS, Inc.
    Inventor: Elond W. Walden
  • Patent number: 6578850
    Abstract: A dynamic seal for a drive shaft including a seal housing with at least one inlet for injecting a fluid, (i.e., a liquid or gas) into the seal. The seal also has an expeller device, such as an expeller ring mounted on the drive shaft, for expelling the injected fluid along the drive shaft in the direction of the casing. In addition, the seal may employ sealing rings positioned to prevent the injected fluid from escaping the seal in a direction other than along the shaft toward the casing, such as a glass-filled PTFE ring positioned proximal to the expeller device and a seal adjuster for compressing a graphite-yarn packing ring against the glass-filled PTFE seal ring. Further, the seal may additionally or alternately include a fitted sleeve covering the drive shaft to protect the shaft from wear and corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: John A. Rothlisberger
  • Patent number: 6571819
    Abstract: A method of installing a valve seal at the base of a valve stem of an automotive internal combustion engine is disclosed. A two-piece tool consisting of first and second tool parts is employed for carrying out the method. The first tool part is used to push upon the valve seal while the second tool part is engaged over the free end of the valve stem and guides the movement of the first tool part as it pushes upon the valve seal. The method employs a coaxial assembly to keep square the pushing upon the valve seal by the first tool part consisting both of the slidable engagement between the two tool parts and of the fixed engagement between the second tool part and the valve stem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Inventor: Fred Louis Capoferi
  • Patent number: 6561517
    Abstract: A packing device, for sealing a longitudinal shaft against leakage of a pressurized fluid, having an elongate valve housing with an annular internal chamber about a coaxial rotatable shaft. The chamber has an inner end with an annular stationary packing support shoulder exposed to pressurized fluid and an outer end with an annular packing access opening exposed to ambient air pressure. Annular self travelling pressure energized retained chevron packing is disposed within the chamber, an inner end thereof engaging the stationary packing support shoulder. An axially slidable ring engages an outer end of the packing, and gland housing engages an outer end of the slidable ring. The gland housing includes compression mountings for loading the packing. For limiting the axial movement of the ring within the chamber when the gland housing is removed, the valve housing includes an annular groove within which a floating retaining clip is slidably disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Stealth International, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce James
  • Patent number: 6502827
    Abstract: A sealing device (20, 80, 90), optionally in the form of a kit is provided for sealing about a rotatable member such as a shaft (22). The sealing device or the kit includes a follower housing (32) for mounting about the rotatable member (32) with an axial direction of the follower housing aligned with the rotational axis of the rotating member. Further, a follower (40, 40a, 40b) is provided for compressing a primary seal, such as packing (28), for sealing against the rotatable member. The follower is slidable within the follower housing generally in the axial direction and has sliding interfaces for interfacing with the follower housing and/or the rotatable member. There is also a chamber (68, 108) or simply a recess defined by the housing and a pressure face of the follower, with the chamber/recess being configured to receive fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: GRM Distributors Limited
    Inventor: Michael Toner
  • Patent number: 6382633
    Abstract: A shaft seal apparatus that exhibits a good and reliable sealing performance, even when a rotating shaft undergoes axial vibration, eccentric revolution, or the like. This shaft seal apparatus has gland packings (2) stuffed in a sealed space (10) formed between a rotating shaft (9) and a stuffing box (1), with gland packings (2) pressed between a first packing gland (3) on a sealed liquid region side (7) and a second packing gland (4) on an atmospheric region side (8). The first packing gland (3) is fixed to a rotary equipment body (6) and the second packing gland (4) is to the stuffing box (1). A screw bolt (15) extending in the axial direction of the rotating shaft (9) is anchored to the first packing gland (3). The stuffing box (1) is provided with a through hole (16) larger than the screw bolt (15) in the flange (1a). The screw bolt (15) running through the through hole (16) has a tightening nut (17) thereon at a place which is out of and backward of the hole (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Nippon Pillar Packing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideto Hashiguchi, Takahisa Ueda
  • Patent number: 6375196
    Abstract: A system is provided for sealingly coupling a gear reducer to a driven machine, such as a screw conveyor. The gear reducer includes a sealing assembly disposed in a bore of the gear reducer housing about an output member, such as an output hub. An adapter element couples the gear reducer to the load, such as directly to a screw conveyor trough. A first seal assembly is disposed in the adapter about an output shaft received in the output hub of the gear reducer. For a screw conveyor application, the first seal assembly may be adjacent to the screw conveyor trough plate. The adapter includes a second seal assembly within an interface flange which is secured to the gear reducer housing. The first and second seal assemblies are spaced from one another by a dropout area defined by integral standoffs of the adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Reliance Electric Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Allyn E. Phillips
  • Patent number: 6354566
    Abstract: Live loaded valve stem packing wherein grafoil packing is molded into a metal cap that prevents extrusion of the packing, and has live loading built into the metal cap. This metal cap can be conventional flat spring materials (17-7PH S.S. or 302 S.S.) or a Shape Memory Alloy (commonly known as SMA materials, e.g. Ni—Ti (Nickel-Titanium alloy) or Fe—Si—Mn (Iron-Silicon-Manganese alloy). The cap is designed with a singular hump, entirely along its top surface. On this hump there are two slots through the hump, 180 degrees apart, for ease of removing the packing. Upon assembly of the packing box, the hump is elastically flattened out due to axial loading through the fasteners. As the packing consolidates during service (optionally if the cap is SMA, during temperature increases) the hump deflects to maintain a relatively constant or enhanced axial load on the packing to enhance sealing, even during a fire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: General Valve, Inc.
    Inventors: Gordon M. Smith, Hashimali Merchant
  • Patent number: 6325387
    Abstract: A packing gland assembly mountable on a shaft extending through an opening in a wall member of an apparatus consisting of a main housing member mountable on the shaft having an opening for receiving the shaft therethrough, the opening being provided with an enlarged section defining an annular space about the shaft when the man housing member is mounted on the shaft with the shaft extending through the opening therein; a split housing member mountable on the shaft including a section receivable in the annular space provided by the main housing section, such section having an opening for receiving the shaft therethrough and being provided with an enlarged section defining an annular space about the shaft when the main and split housing members are mounted on the shaft with the shaft extending through the openings therein; at least one packing ring mountable on the shaft and receivable within the annular space of the split housing member when the main and split housing members are mounted on the shaft in the as
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: The Young Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Dennis M. Shoemaker
  • Patent number: 6318729
    Abstract: A seal assembly having a first seal with a first mating surface and a recess in the first mating surface, and a second seal having a second mating surface and a recess in the second mating surface. The first mating surface of the first seal is adjacent to the second mating surface of the second seal and a first thermal expansion restricter is received simultaneously into the recesses of the first and second mating surfaces of the first and second seals, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Greene, Tweed of Delaware, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles E. Pitts, Jr., Merle L. Bell, Scott C. Schuette, Jesus Martinez
  • Publication number: 20010020771
    Abstract: A seal device for a shaft is provided which has a maintenance seal which can reliably seal around the shaft without compression by rotation or pressing force, and which eliminates the necessity of readjustment after replacement of the seal packings. A seal packing is retained in a packing case housed in a casing, and a maintenance seal is housed under the packing case. A pressurizing means resiliently deforms a resilient body fitted so as to form a sealed space. The pressurizing means supplies pressurized fluid into the sealed space and inflates the resilient body to press it against the shaft. The pressurized fluid is discharged after repair of seal packings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Publication date: September 13, 2001
    Inventor: Hirotoshi Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 6231048
    Abstract: An improved mechanical seal incorporating a pusher ring to hold the integral parts of the seal together, in lieu of a typical retaining ring and snap ring aligning and compressing the gland plate. The improvement consists of a pusher ring, fixedly attached to the seal body gland face with cap screws, which retains the gland plate, allowing for easy and safe repair and assembling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Inventor: William B. McAnally, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6220604
    Abstract: A self-adjusting interlocking throat bushing is provided in which mating concentric bushing rings are provided with an interlocking annular slot in the outer bushing ring and an annular ridge at the periphery of the inner bushing ring to hold the two rings in axial alignment when bushing is installed and the packing gland is tightened to compress the packing ring between the gland and the bushing. The annular slot/ridge structure prevents canting of the parts of throat bushing during packing ring compression thereby eliminating packing extrusion between the shaft and the annulus of the bushing. Before compression, the concentric rings are held together in alignment so that the bottom ring cannot drop out of its proper position prior to compression. After compression, the locking structure comprising the slot and ridge structure results in the bushing being compressed evenly about the shaft, thereby to eliminate misalignment and shaft sleeve wear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Inventor: George B. Champlin
  • Patent number: 6212999
    Abstract: A reciprocating piston pump is provided with an automatic throat positive packing torque clip thereby providing consistent and extended pump life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventor: David J. Thompson
  • Patent number: 6168161
    Abstract: A shaft seal having spacers positioned between the packing follower and the body of a valve. The spacers are flat, hard members of a certain thickness which allow maximum tightening of the packing fasteners and determine the maximum pressure the packing follower exerts on the packing material. The spacers have a slot for accommodating the fasteners and a tab that can easily be grasped with a tool, such as pliers. A stack of spacers can be positioned between the packing follower and valve body and then sequentially removed to provide incremental tightening of the fasteners for maintaining pressure on the packing materials by the packing gland. The spacers may include integral locking tabs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Val-Matic Valve & Manufacturing Corp.
    Inventor: Robert M. Majcen
  • Patent number: 6161838
    Abstract: A cartridge seal stack utilizes a plurality of rotary cartridge seals each including a cold flowable plastic ring having a body for sealably engaging a housing bore and a lip for sealably engaging a shaft rotating within the housing bore. A spring is provided and disposed between the body and the lip for biasing the lip against the shaft and a separable metal retainer is provided for fixing the plastic ring within the housing bore and around the shaft. The separable metal retainer includes a surface of revolution with a rear portion having a radius suitable for press fitting into the housing bore and a front portion of lesser radius ending the ring. An internal groove is provided in the body of the plastic ring for engaging the ring in order to latch the plastic ring and metal retainer together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering, Co, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Balsells
  • Patent number: 6126171
    Abstract: An improved sealing cartridge for use in a reciprocating plunger pump which includes a low pressure seal, a vacuum seal, and an oil seal within a unitized cartridge assembly to facilitate servicing and/or replacing the various seals with minimal effort and which provides improved sealing characteristics to prevent the unwanted migration of oil, fluid, and air during both priming and normal operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Hypro Corporation
    Inventor: David G. Vensland
  • Patent number: 6098986
    Abstract: A seal (14) for use between a pair of substantially concentric elements (10 and 11) capable of relative movement with respect to each other, said seal comprising a sealing element (17) having a configuration of a helix wherein the opposed axial faces of the helix are of complementary configuration and are in close abutting relationship with each other, said sealing element (17) being formed of a rigid resilient wear resistant material having a low coefficient of sliding friction, said sealing element (17) being adapted to be supported from one element (11) by a support means (13) and being in close abutting relationship with the other element (10), a clamping means (19) for causing resilient compression of the seal against the other element, a resilient means (20) mounted between the axial ends of the sealing element (17) and adapted to resiliently resist relative rotation between the ends of the sealing element (17) in a direction which will cause the sealing element (17) to expand radially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignees: Aileendonan Research Pty Ltd, Gian Research Pty Ltd.
    Inventor: Stanley Nowak
  • Patent number: 6076831
    Abstract: A switch fitting, in particular a cock, ball cock, flap or likewise, with a switch rod for a switch member, which is rotatably and slightly tiltably guided in a switch shaft bore of a fitting housing and which has a sealing surface which is formed on a collar on the side opposed to the switch member, with a sealing ring cooperating with the sealing surface and being supported on a graduation of the switch shaft bore, and with a spring pressing the sealing surface against the sealing ring, wherein the sealing ring has essentially a fine contact with the sealing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: Pfannenschmidt GmbH
    Inventor: Erhard Pfannenschmidt
  • Patent number: 6003875
    Abstract: A mechanical seal assembly having multiple compression spring assemblies that are used to bias a stationary seal into sealing engagement with a rotating seal, the springs in the spring assemblies being supported on their internal diameter and having their outside diameter visible for their entire length, each spring assembly further including a releasable, expendable clip that serves to preload the two seal faces against one another, limits relative axial movement between the stationary and rotating seal assemblies, and coaxially aligns the stationary and rotating seal assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Utex Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Peterjon Ellis, Alan O. Lebeck
  • Patent number: 5845909
    Abstract: A stuffing box 10, 60 designed for sealing engagement with a rod member R includes a plurality of stacked packing rings 32, 110, 150, 210, and a gland member 42, 64 axially moveable relative to the stuffing box body 12, 62 for varying the compressive force on the packing rings. Each packing ring comprises an annular rubber carrier 34, 112, 152, 212 having tapered upper and lower surfaces, and an annular plastic dynamic seal 36, 114, 154, 214 for sealing engagement with the rod member. Gland member 42, 64 exerts an axially compressive force on the radially exterior portion of each angularly wedged packing ring and thereby generates a radial inwardly directed biasing force on each plastic dynamic seal through the rubber carrier for sealing engagement of the dynamic seal with the rod member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Flow Control Equipment, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence F. Angelo, J. William Heathcott, Stephen L. Witte, Sr.
  • Patent number: 5820130
    Abstract: The mechanical seal for movable joints of machines comprises at least two pairs of nonelastomer cylindrical rings (4, 5, 16) ground to each other with their faces and having their outer surfaces eccentrically displaced, and the rings themselves cooperate with an elastomer element (3, 15). One of the surfaces of the elastomer element (3, 15) (an outer or an inner one, respectively), has eccentrically arranged shoulders (17, 18, 19, 20) or borings (6, 7). The seal rings (4, 5, 16) have concentric cylindrical surfaces and are fitted on the shoulders (17,18,19,20) or in the borings (6,7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Inventor: Boris Semenovich Zakharov