Retrofit Fume Hood Drive Assembly
OwnerEugene DeCastro, Jared Lowe +2inventors
InventorsEugene DeCastro, Jared Lowe, Eugene DeCastro, Jeffrey Christie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fume hood having a retrofit drive assembly includes an elongated lifting piece, such as a toothed rack, which attaches to a fume hood sash at connection point that minimizes stress on the sash. The retrofit drive assembly also includes a drive motor driven rotary engagement member, such as pinion, for opening and closing the sash. This arrangement allows for easy field retrofit, and requires limited intrusion from behind the upper regions of the existing fume hood.
Claims51
A fume hood comprising:
- a frame having a top surface, two opposing side walls, a back wall and a front face with an access opening into a working chamber;
- a movable sash member having of a top end and a bottom end and two opposing side ends and a center portion therebetween, said sash member being movably attached to said front face;
- an existing mechanism coupled to said movable sash member for raising and lowering said sash member over said access opening;
- a retrofit drive assembly attached to said fume hood, said retrofit drive assembly comprising:
- an elongated lifting piece attached to said sash;
- a rotary engagment member for engaging said elongated lifting piece;
- and
- a drive motor operably connected to said rotary engagement member for causing rotation of said rotary engagment member and vertical movement of said elongated lifting piece and said sash.
In an existing fume hood having a frame with a top surface, two opposing side walls, a back wall and a front face with an access opening into a working chamber, a movable sash member having of a top end and a bottom end and two opposing side ends and a center point therebetween, said sash member being movably attached to said front face, a retrofit drive assembly comprising:
- an elongated lifting piece attached to said sash;
- a rotary engagment member for engaging said elongated lifting piece;
- and
- a drive motor operably connected to said rotary engagment member for causing rotation of said rotary engagment member and vertical movement of said elongated lifting piece and said sash.
A method of converting an existing fume hood into a gear motor operated fume hood, wherein said existing fume hood includes a top surface, two opposing side walls, a back wall and a front face with an access opening into a working chamber, and a movable sash member having of a top end, a bottom end, two opposing side ends and a center point therebetween, said method comprising:
- attaching an elongated lifting piece to said sash;
- positioning a rotary engagment member within said fume hood, said rotary engagement member being adapted to engage said lifting piece;
- and
- operably connecting a drive motor to said rotary engagment member for causing rotation of said rotary engagment member and vertical movement of said lifting piece and said sash.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.