Sealing Appliance
An appliance for sealing elastic hoses with a sleeve, which is plastically deformable and slipped onto the hose, has two jaws which are movable towards and away from each other. One jaw has two straight bars which project towards the other jaw and extend transversely of the sleeve to make two transverse indentations in the sleeve and the hose when the jaws are moving towards each other. The same jaw has a cutting edge which projects towards the other jaw and is directed transversely of the sleeve, the cutting edge making a substantially transverse cutting indication in the sleeve and the hose when the jaws are moving towards each other.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/422,820, filed Apr. 13, 2009, which is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11/305,813, filed Dec. 19, 2005, which reissued as U.S. Pat. No. RE41169, issued Mar. 30, 2010, which is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,575, issued on Aug. 24, 2004, which was a national stage application claiming priority to PCT/SE99/00878 filed May 25, 1999, which claims priority to SE-9801885, filed May 28, 1998, the disclosures of which are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to an appliance for mechanical sealing of hollow hoses of elastic material with a sealing means which is made of plastically deformable material and which is applied to the hose, said appliance having two jaws, which are movable towards and away from each other and which, when moving towards each other, crimp the sealing means against the hose to seal the same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn a prior-art sealing appliance of the type mentioned by way of introduction, the sealing means in the form of a folded clip is applied to a likewise folded end of the hose. The clip is then crimped against the hose to seal the same, after which the hose is cut downstream of the clip by means of a pair of scissors or some other cutting tool.
As the relevant hoses have a relatively small diameter, say 5-10 mm, the clips are also relatively small and often difficult to apply in the right position on the folded end of the hose. Nor is it infrequent that the clip falls off the end of the hose, before the sealing appliance has managed to grip it for crimping against the hose with the ensuing risk of sealing not taking place.
The sealing appliance according to the invention is primarily to be used in the type of device which is intended for introduction and/or withdrawal of a medium in a container and which is disclosed and described in WO 97/16715. More specifically, it is intended for contamination-free sealing and cutting of the hoses which extend between the conveying means and the collecting vessels which are connected to the process container, so that the collecting vessels after being filled with a medium from the process container can be moved without any risk of contamination to a laboratory or the like for sampling or analysis of the medium.
In the above use of the sealing appliance, which requires good hygienic conditions and contamination-free environment/surroundings, clips of the mentioned type are unacceptable. One reason for this is that they are difficult to handle and often do not provide the desired sealing. Another reason is that there is in most cases at least a small portion of the hose left downstream of the clip containing a small quantity of the medium which leaks out to the surrounding area with an obvious risk of contamination.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONThe main object of the present invention is to provide a sealing appliance of the type mentioned by way of introduction, satisfying all the requirements for contamination-free transport of the relevant collecting vessels, which are filled with a medium, to the laboratory or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis as well as related objects are achieved in a simple and efficient manner in that the sealing means has the form of a sleeve which is slipped on to the hose, that at least one of the jaws has at least one bar which projects towards the other jaw and which, when the jaws are moving towards each other, makes an indentation in the sleeve and the hose to reinforce the sealing thereof as well as the fixing of the sleeve on the hose, and that at least one of the jaws has a cutting means, which projects towards the other jaw and which, when the jaws are moving towards each other, makes a cutting indication in the sleeve and the hose to allow a sealing cutting of the hose.
In a particularly preferred embodiment there are at least two straight bars which are arranged substantially in parallel at a distance from each other and extend substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the sleeve to make a corresponding number of substantially transverse indentations in the sleeve and the hose, the cutting means preferably extending substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the sleeve and making a substantially transverse cutting indication in the sleeve and the hose.
The invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
As mentioned above, the appliance generally designated 1 is primarily conceived for use in the type of device which is intended for introduction and/or withdrawal of a medium in a container and which is disclosed and described in WO 97/16715. More specifically, it is intended for sealing and cutting the hoses in a mechanical and contamination-free manner, which extend between the conveying means and the collecting vessels which are connected to the process container, so that the collecting vessels after being filled with a medium from the process container can be transported without any risk of contamination to a laboratory or the like for sampling or analysis of the medium.
Still, the appliance 1 can, of course, also be used in a number of other applications where good hygienic conditions and/or contamination-free surroundings and/or working environment are required to a varying extent.
Thus the appliance 1 is generally intended for mechanical sealing of hollow hoses 2 of elastic material, e.g. rubber or plastic, of a quality which is suitable for the purpose. The sealing is carried out with the aid of a sealing means 3, which is made of a plastically deformable material, e.g. plastic or metal, having suitable plastic properties and which is applied to the hose 2. In the preferred embodiment shown, the sealing means 3 consists of a metal sleeve 4 which has been slipped on to the hose 2 in advance. The sleeve has a length of preferably two or more multiples of the diameter of the hose 2, which in turn is typically in the range of 5-10 mm.
As shown in
More specifically, as best seen in
Moreover, at least one of the jaws 8 or 9, also in this case the jaw 8, has a cutting means 13 projecting towards the other jaw 9 or 8 (see
In the shown embodiment, the cutting means 13 is preferably formed as a substantially straight cutting edge 15. The cutting edge extends substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the sleeve 4 and thus makes a substantially transverse cutting indication 14 in the sleeve 4 and in the hose 2. As seen in
Preferably, the cutting edge 15 is situated substantially halfway between the bars 11, if they are two in number, such as shown in
The cutting indication 14 mentioned above is preferably such that the sleeve 4 and the hose 2 are not cut or broken directly when sealing by means of the appliance 1, such as shown in
Naturally, nothing prevents the sleeve 4 and the hose 2 from being separated along the cutting indication 14 directly in connection with the actual sealing.
To fix the sleeve 4 and the hose 2 in the intended position between the jaws 8 and 9 in the appliance 1 when sealing, at least one of the jaws 8 or 9, in this case the jaw 9, has a fixture 17. The fixture fixes and supports the hose 2 and the sleeve 4 laterally, horizontally and vertically and can be formed in an optional manner which is not described in further detail.
For practical and other reasons, in the disclosed and described embodiment the bars 11 and the cutting edge 15 are arranged on one of the jaws 8 or 9, in this case the jaw 8, and the fixture 17 on the other, opposite jaw 9 or 8, in this case the jaw 9. The bars 11, the cutting edge 15 and the fixture 17 can be mounted on the associated jaw 8, 9 with the aid of suitable attachment means, which are not shown. Alternatively, one/some of or all these components can be made in one piece with the associated jaw. In the shown case, the bars 11 and the cutting edge 15 are made in one piece with the associated jaw, whereas the fixture 17 is mounted on the associated jaw, see
In the preferred embodiment, the jaw 8 provided with the bars 11 and the cutting edge 15 suitably has the form of a die which is fixedly mounted in the appliance 1 with the aid of attachment means (not shown), see
The invention is not, of course, limited to the embodiment which is described above and shown in the drawings, and can be modified in many different ways within the scope of protection according to the appended claims.
The appliance 1 does not, for example, need to be a manually operable pair of tongs, but it can alternatively be a separate tool or a tool which is included in a machine and driven electrically, pneumatically, hydraulically etc according to need and desire. The jaws 8, 9 with the associated components (bars 11, cutting edge 15 and fixture 17) can be attached to the appliance 1 in a replaceable manner and match the size of the hose 2 and the sleeve 4 and/or be mutually exchangeable etc.
Claims
1. A hand-held sealing appliance, comprising:
- jaws mounted to receive a hose and operable for relative movement;
- an indentation projection, supported by at least one of the jaws, that provides an indentation in the hose; and
- at least one cutting indication projection, supported by at least one of the jaws, that makes a cutting indication in the hose at a location longitudinally displaced from the indentation, the cutting indication extending farther into the hose than the indentation.
2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the indentation projection and the cutting indication projection are fixed relative to each other on the same jaw.
3. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a second indentation projection on one of the jaws to provide a second indentation in the hose, the at least one cutting indication projection being positioned longitudinally between the indentation projections.
4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the hose is separated along the cutting indication.
5. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a sealing element of plastically deformable material positioned about the hose at the indentation projection and at the at least one cutting indication projection.
6. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a plastically deformable sleeve about the hose at the indentation projection and at the at least one cutting indication projection.
7. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the plastically deformable sleeve is metal.
8. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the jaws are manually operable.
9. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a fixture to position the hose between the jaws.
10. The appliance of claim 1, wherein one of the jaws is fixed in the appliance.
11. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the indentation projection and one of the at least one cutting indication projection are supported by the jaw.
12. A method of sealing and allowing separation of a hose, comprising:
- providing a hand-held appliance having jaws, an indention projection extending from one of the jaws and a cutting indication projection extending from one of the jaws;
- positioning the hose between the jaws of the hand-held appliance; and
- causing relative movement between the jaws, the projection forming an indentation in the hose and the cutting indication projection forming a cutting indication in the hose at a location longitudinally displaced from the indentation, the cutting indication extending farther into the hose than the indentation.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the indentation projection and the cutting indication projection are fixed relative to each other on the same jaw.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein a second indentation projection on one of the jaws forms a second indentation in the hose, the cutting indication being positioned longitudinally between the indentations.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the hose is separated along the cutting indication.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising positioning a sealing element of plastically deformable material about the hose at the indentation projection and at the cutting indication projection.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising positioning a plastically deformable sleeve about the hose at the projection and at the cutting indication projection.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the jaws are operated manually.
19. The method of claim 12, wherein one of the jaws is fixed in the appliance.
20. The method of claim 12, wherein the indentation and the cutting indication are made on the same side of the hose.
21. A hand-held sealing appliance, comprising:
- jaws mounted to receive a hose and operable for relative movement;
- indentation means for forming an indentation, supported by at least one of the jaws, that provides an indentation in the hose; and
- cutting means for forming a cutting indication, supported by at least one of the jaws, that makes a cutting indication in the hose at a location longitudinally displaced from the indentation, the cutting means extending farther into the hose than the indentation.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 22, 2011
Publication Date: Aug 18, 2011
Applicant: MILLIPORE AB (Nodinge)
Inventor: Nils Arthun (Sandnes)
Application Number: 13/092,522
International Classification: B23P 19/02 (20060101); B26D 5/10 (20060101); B26D 1/04 (20060101); B23P 11/00 (20060101);