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AssigneeCEM Corporation
InventorsWyatt P. Hargett, Sara E. Littau
Estimating the term…
A ventable container for materials to be heated (preferably digested) by microwave radiation includes a movable rupture diaphragm in a venting passageway in a closure or cover for such container. Such diaphragm is tightenable into place so that the container is sealed and in such sealed state is protected by the rupture diaphragm against pressures that could develop in the container that are higher than that for which it was designed. An important feature of the invention is that the rupture diaphragm is controllably movable, when desired, to open positions to vent the container during heating and afterward, and is resealable after venting. Because of the chemical reactivity of the reagents utilized in digestions an inner chemically resistant liner is desirably employed in conjunction with a physically stronger outer body, with the outer body giving the liner enough strength to withstand pressures developed during the heating. Also within the invention are processes for heating and digesting materials in the described containers with microwave radiation, microwave heating apparatuses including the invented containers, and lined containers wherein the liners are of improved sealing structures so that the containers are more tightly sealed when heated.
A process for heating a material to elevated temperature in a container while simultaneously protecting the container against damage by pressure developed in said container due to said heating, and providing for controllable venting of container contents which comprises providing said material in a sealed veritable container, which container comprises a container body and a closure for such body which seals the container and makes the container pressure tight, which closure comprises venting means for venting gas from the container, said venting means comprising rupturable means that is rupturable by pressure in the container in excess of a predetermined upper limit of such pressure, seating means against which the rupturable means is held, an outlet means from the container interior to outside of the container, which outlet means is sealed by the rupturable means and through which container contents are discharged when the rupturable means is ruptured, and means for controllably releasing the rupturable means from said seating means to unseal said outlet means and controllably release gas from the container through said outlet means without releasing gas at any other location of the container, heating said material in said sealed ventable container with radiant energy, and controllably venting the container prior to said rupturable means being ruptured by manipulating said means for releasing the rupturable means so as to controllably release the rupturable means from said seating means to unseal said outlet means and controllably release gas from the container through said outlet means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.