Snap-in, snap-out clean room ceiling system

A clean room ceiling system for a clean room comprising a generally closed space having a workspace and an air supply thereto, said system including a filter unit having a predetermined shape and comprising a frame and filter media sealed within said frame, and a filter unit support adjacent said frame for supporting said filter unit adjacent said workspace, said filter unit support comprising plural sets of cooperating latch and keeper fasteners carried by said filter unit frame and said filter unit support, each said latch having a shoulder by which said latch is deflectable in pivoting relation by its said cooperating keeper to pass said keeper, each said latch being biased against said deflection and adapted to return to an undeflected position in keeper-engaged relation to block separation of said filter unit from said filter unit support after passing said keeper, said latch being spring-loaded and mounted for pivoting movement, said latch having structure by which said latch is reversely deflectable from outside said filter unit support to disengage from said keeper and release said filter unit from said filter unit support. said latch structure being accessible from within said workspace.

The method of mounting filter units in a clean room ceiling system including maintaining a filter unit and filter unit support structure in air filtering relation to a workspace, said support structure having a wall, said air filter unit having an opposing wall to said support structure wall, and coupling said filter unit to said support structure with cooperating latch and keeper structure including a latch that is pivotable in a plane that is parallel with said air filter unit wall and deflectable upon contact with said keeper to pass said keeper and shaped to latch onto said keeper once past said keeper in filter unit supporting relation on said support structure.

A clean room filter comprising a filter unit for mounting in a support supported by a support surface said filter unit having a frame with outwardly facing side walls and filter media sealed with said frame, said side walls and support defining cooperating fasteners comprising a latch pivotable in a plane parallel to the plane of said side walls and a keeper adapted to support said filter unit at said support and spaced from said support surface.

A clean room filter comprising a filter unit for mounting in a support supported by a support surface, said filter unit having a frame with outwardly facing side walls and filter media sealed with said frame, said side walls and support defining cooperating fasteners comprising latches pivotable in a plane parallel to the plane of said side walls and keepers adapted to support said filter unit at said support and spaced from said support surface, said filter unit comprising multiple packs of filter media, a divider between adjacent packs of filter media supporting a bracket, an air inlet, a bushing mounted to the bracket, a rod journaled in said bushing for shifting axially relative thereto, a damper carried on said rod between said air inlet and the filter media packs, said rod being adapted to adjust the position of the damper relative to said filter media by a force applied from within the dean room in which said filter unit is disposed.

A clean room filter comprising a filter unit for mounting in a support supported by a support surface, said filter unit having a frame with outwardly facing side walls and filter media sealed with said frame, said side walls and support defining cooperating fasteners comprising latches and keepers adapted to support said filter unit at said support and spaced from said support surface, said filter unit side walls carrying latches adapted to engage keepers carried by said support, each said latch having a structure by which said latch is reversely deflectable from outside said filter unit to disengage from a keeper and release said filter unit from a filter unit support, said latch structure being located to be accessible from within said workspace.

A clean room filter comprising a filter unit for mounting in a support supported by a support surface, said filter unit having a frame with outwardly facing side walls and filter media sealed with said frame, said side walls and support defining cooperating fasteners comprising latches and keepers adapted to support said filter unit at said support and spaced from said support surface, said filter unit frame defining a plurality of outward facing sides, at least two of said sides carrying a latch or keeper for latching with a keeper or latch respectively carried by a filter unit support, each said filter unit frame outward facing side carrying a latch having a leading shoulder and a trailing shoulder, each said latch pivoting in a plane parallel to said filter unit side carrying said latch for latching with an opposing keeper carried by a support, each said latch being generally hook-shaped and adapted to cooperate with a keeper comprising a pin projecting normal to said filter unit, said latch being constructed and arranged such that its leading shoulder engages said pin in deflecting relation and captures said pin following said latch leading shoulder passing said pin in filter unit supporting relation on said pin.

A clean room filter comprising a filter unit for mounting in a support supported by a support surface, said filter unit having a frame with outwardly facing side walls and filter media sealed with said frame, said side walls and support defining cooperating fasteners comprising latches and keepers adapted to support said filter unit at said support and spaced from said support surface, said filter unit side walls defining a rectangular frame, said frame having first and second pairs of outwardly facing sides, said first and second pairs of sides having respectively first and second sets of pivoting latches mounted thereon in longitudinally distributed relation for locking on first and second sets of keepers carried on a support structure, and first and second tethers separately connecting said first and second sets of latches respectively for pivoting together each of the latches within each set in pin separating relation.