Safety bracket for table top mounting of a centrifuge
AssigneeBeckman Instruments, Inc.
InventorRobert G. Coffey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bracket for shock mounting of a vibrating or rotating device, such as a centrifuge, to a support surface. The bracket is formed from a plate of stiff material, such as steel, having an expandible deformable section along a lengthwise axis of the plate and a rotationally deformable leg section formed by undulations in the plate from one end to the other. At narrower plate regions, formed by the undulations, plate rotation is possible until the plate exceeds its elastic limit in the rotational direction and permanent deformation occurs. Such permanent deformation absorbs energy from accidents within the device in which energy would otherwise be transferred to a support surface and the surrounding environment.
Claims15
A safety bracket for restraining dislocation of a vibrating or twisting table top instrument relative to a support surface, the bracket comprising:
- a plate having a head section connected to a neck, in turn connected to a shoulder section, in turn connected to a trunk, in turn connected to a torso section, the neck and trunk being laterally narrower than said head, shoulder and torso sections and serving to join adjacent sections aligned along a lengthwise axis,
- said shoulder section being an elongated loop laterally symmetric with respect to the lengthwise axis and which is extendible in the lengthwise direction to an extent before permanently deforming and said torso section being rotationally bendable about a point on the lengthwise axis to an extent before permanently deforming,
- said head section having means for mounting to a support surface and said torso section having means for mounting to a portion of a vibrating or twisting table top instrument.
A safety bracket for restraining dislocation of a vibrating or twisting table top instrument relative to a support surface, the bracket comprising,
- a plate having a wide base edge undulating to a narrow head section about a lengthwise axis, the wide edge having means for mounting to a side of a vibrating or twisting table top. instrument and the narrow head section having means for mounting to a support surface,
- a deformable, elongated, cut-out region laterally symmetric with respect to the lengthwise axis, between the head section and said wide edge allowing axial expansion of the plate, and
- a rotationally deformable plate section bordering undulations between the head section and said wide edge with a center of rotation along the lengthwise axis.
A safety bracket for restraining dislocation of a centrifuge relative to an external support surface and for reducing shock load to a centrifuge door latch, the centrifuge being of the type havinq an access door to a rotor containment cavity, said door beinq secured by a latch having a predetermined maximum acceptable shock load before opening, the bracket comprising:
- a plate having a base edge spaced from a head section along a lengthwise axis, the base edge having means for mounting to a side of the centrifuge and the head section having means for mounting to a support surface, and
- a cut-out plate region between said base edge and said head section defining an aperture having lateral end portions on opposite sides of said lengthwise axis, said end portions being defined by laterally extending narrow rims of plate material, said rims having an axial stiffness along said lengthwise axis such that permanent deformation of said plate rims during a rotor failure reduces the shock load transmitted to said centrifuge, including the door latch, to a value less than said maximum acceptable shock load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.