Patent Application
20070012243
The present invention relates to an apparatus used to hold a crucible or other objects that may be in a state of extreme heat or cold, may be radioactive, or may otherwise require separation between a human actor that is manipulating the object and the object.
Apparatuses for holding objects in a laboratory or manufacturing environment are known in the art. Such apparatuses usually rely on a tong-like configuration to allow a user to place enough pressure on the object through the use of two opposing and moveable supports to provide sufficient clamping force without causing the object to be broken by the clamping force.
Although some spring-loaded configurations for apparatuses for holding objects are known, such spring-loaded configurations suffer from various drawbacks. For example, it is often necessary to limit the spring force to prevent breakage of the object, which is typically made of ceramic or glass. As a result, objects may slip out of such spring-loaded apparatuses.
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus for holding a crucible or other object is provided that overcomes known problems with inspection lighting heads.
In particular, an apparatus for holding a crucible or other object and method of use are provided that allows a crucible or other object to be held without risk of breakage or slippage.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for holding a crucible or other item is provided. The apparatus includes a first support member having a straight portion with two ends. A second support member having a shaped portion is connected to one of the ends of the first support member, wherein the shape of the shaped portion accommodates the crucible or other item. A support material covers the second support member, wherein the support material increases the coefficient of friction between the crucible or other item and the second support member. A spring is coupled to the other end of the first support member, and a third support member is coupled to the spring and configured so as to apply a force to the crucible or other item when the crucible or other item is placed in the shaped portion of the second support member. The third support member can be moved by exerting a force opposite to that applied by the spring so as to allow the crucible or other item to be placed in the shaped portion of the second support member, and when the exerted force is removed, the third support member is placed in contact with the crucible or other item by the spring force, such as to hold the crucible without exceeding the amount of force that would break the crucible or other item.
The present invention provides many important technical advantages. One important technical advantage of the present invention is an apparatus for holding a crucible or other item that allows an increases spring force to be applied to the crucible or other item by virtue of the shaped portion and support material, which distribute the force to prevent breakage and increase the holding force applied to the crucible or other item so as to prevent slippage.
Those skilled in the art will further appreciate the advantages and superior features of the invention together with other important aspects thereof on reading the detailed description that follows in conjunction with the drawings.
In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawing figures might not be to scale, and certain components can be shown in generalized or schematic form and identified by commercial designations in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
The shaped portion of second support member 112 is selected to accommodate the crucible 108 or other item. In one exemplary embodiment, the shaped portion of second support member 112 can be fixed for predetermined structures, such as crucibles 108 having predetermined dimensions, test tubes or other laboratory glassware, or other suitable items. In another exemplary embodiment, the shaped portion of second support member 112 can be modified by the user to fit a user-selected item, such as by bending or otherwise modifying the material of second support member 112, by selecting one of two or more pre-selected settings of the shaped portion of second support member 112, by disconnecting the shaped portion of second support member 112 from the first support member 102 and replacing the shaped portion with a different shaped portion of second support member 112, or in other suitable manners. In this manner, the shaped portion of second support member 112 can be provided so as to increase the contact area between crucible 108 or other item and second support member 112.
Support material 120 can cover the shaped portion of second support member 112. Support material 120 increases the coefficient of friction between crucible 108 or other items and the shaped portion of second support member 112, and can also provide a cushioning force between the shaped portion of second support member 112 and crucible 108 or other item. In one exemplary embodiment, support material 120 can be comprised of a foam rubber, a solid polymer, or other material having a coefficient of compression that allows a greater force to be applied to crucible 108 or other item so as to reduce the risk of breakage while increasing the holding force to decrease the risk of crucible 108 or other item from slipping from apparatus 100.
A spring 106 coupled to the other end of the first support member 102 applies a force to first support member 102 and a third support member 104 that causes them to move towards each other. Guide 110 can be used to restrict the motion of third support member 104 along a path away from and towards second support member 112. In one exemplary embodiment, guide 110 can restrict the maximum inward location of third support member 104 so as to prevent the spring force from spring 106 from exceeding the material strength of crucible 108 or other items, so as to prevent them from being broken. The force applied by spring 106 can also be coordinated with the coefficient of compression of support material 120 and the material strength of the crucible 108 or other item so as to allow a force sufficient to prevent slippage to be applied while ensuring that the force does not cause crucible 108 or the other item to break.
Third support member 104 is coupled to spring 106 and is configured so as to apply a force to crucible 108 or other item when crucible 108 or other item is placed in the shaped portion of second support member 112, wherein third support member 104 can be moved by exerting a force opposite to that applied by spring 106 so as to allow crucible 108 or other items to be placed in the shaped portion of second support member 112.
In one exemplary embodiment, support material 120 is a foam rubber, a heat-resistant polymer, a ceramic material, a metal having surface treatment or texturing, non-stick materials (such as when crucible 108 or other items are sticky or have inherent adhesive qualities), or other suitable materials.
Guide 110 is coupled to second support member 112, wherein third support member 104 is coupled to guide 110 so as to limit the range of motion of third support member 104. In one exemplary embodiment, third support member 104 is looped around a section of guide 110, where the range of motion of third support member 104 is restricted by the range of motion permitted by the section of guide 110 that third support member 104 is looped around. Likewise, other suitable configurations can be used.
Although not explicitly shown in the figures, support material 120 can also be applied to third support member 104 in addition to the shaped portion of second support member 112, so as to allow additional support to be applied to crucible 108 or other items being held by apparatus 100. Likewise, support material 120 can extend beyond those areas where third support member 104 contacts crucible 108 or any other item.
An exemplary method for handling a crucible or other item, such as by using apparatus 100 or other suitable apparatuses, includes applying a force to third support member 104 to counteract spring force from spring 106, so as to cause third support member 104 to move in a first direction away from first support member 102. The shaped portion of second support member 112 is then placed in contact through support material 120 with crucible 108 or other suitable items. The force is then removed from third support member 104 so as to allow the spring force to move third support member 104 in a direction opposite to the first direction, so as to apply the force from spring 106 to crucible 108 or other items. The spring force from spring 106 is selected so as to prevent crucible 108 or other items from being damaged by the third support member 104, and also to prevent slippage. In addition, the shaped portion of the second support member 112 and the support material 120 can be modified to match the shape of crucible 108 or other item.
Although exemplary embodiments of a system and method of the present invention have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will also recognize that various substitutions and modifications can be made to the systems and methods without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
