Abstract:
An apparatus and method for adjusting the orientation of a lubricant-retaining basin is disclosed. The apparatus includes a cabinet configured for retaining a vacuum pump and a lubricant-retaining basin. A rotatable member engages the lubricant-retaining basin and elevates the back end of the basin to permit drainage of lubricant from the front end of the basin.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     Vacuum pumps are widely used in laboratory environments to permit the operation of analytical equipment and to conduct experimental procedures. For example, mass spectroscopy equipment requires strong vacuums in order to operate properly. Although vacuum pumps are essential to many analytical and experimental tasks, the pumps are often relatively loud and cumbersome to maintain. Vacuum pumps can be isolated within small cabinets to reduce ambient noise, but such isolation can cause overheating. Vacuum pumps also require maintenance to adjust pump settings and to remove excess lubricant, tasks that are often difficult with existing cabinets because existing cabinets can make it difficult to access and perform routine maintenance on the vacuum pump.  
         [0002]     Therefore, a need exists for improved cabinets for containing vacuum pumps.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     The present invention is directed to a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, including an apparatus for adjusting the orientation of a lubricant-retaining basin in the cabinet. The cabinet is configured for retaining a vacuum pump, and includes a lubricant-retaining basin. The lubricant-retaining basin comprises a first end and a second end, a depression for retaining lubricant discharged from a vacuum pump. A rotatable member engages the lubricant-retaining basin such that the rotatable member can elevate the first end of the basin, thereby promoting drainage of collected lubricant from the second end of the basin.  
         [0004]     The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The Figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a simplified top view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a simplified top view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, showing a first side portion removed.  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is a simplified top view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, showing a second side portion removed.  
         [0012]      FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0013]      FIG. 9  is a side cross sectional view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump.  
         [0014]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a frame of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, showing a catch basin beneath the frame for retaining lubricant.  
         [0015]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a frame of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, showing a catch basin beneath the frame for retaining lubricant, the catch basin partially withdrawn from the frame.  
         [0016]      FIG. 12  is a top perspective view of a catch basin for retaining lubricant from a vacuum pump.  
         [0017]      FIG. 13  is a partial bottom perspective view of a catch basin for retaining lubricant from a vacuum pump.  
         [0018]      FIG. 14  is a partial side elevational view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, the enclosure including an apparatus for elevating a portion of the enclosure.  
         [0019]      FIG. 15  is a partial side elevational view of a cabinet for retaining a vacuum pump, the enclosure including an apparatus for elevating a portion of the enclosure.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]     Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the claimed invention.  
         [0021]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-7 , a cabinet  20  containing a vacuum pump  22  is shown in an example embodiment. The cabinet  20  is suitable for holding a vacuum pump  22  during operation of the pump  22 , allowing the vacuum pump  22  to be kept cool while also allowing relatively easy access to the vacuum pump and reducing ambient noise generated by the vacuum pump. The vacuum pump  22  can be used, for example, in mass spectrometry, lyophilizers, and vacuum ovens. The cabinet  20  substantially surrounds the vacuum pump. The cabinet  20  includes a first side wall  24 , a top surface  26 , and a second side wall  28 . The top surface  26  is joined to the first side wall  24  along an edge  25 , and is joined to the second side wall  28  along an edge  27 . In certain embodiments the top surface  26 , and side walls  24 ,  28  are integrally formed from a single material, such as a piece of bent sheet metal. However, in other implementations the top surface  26  and side walls  24 ,  28  are separately formed and then joined along edges  25 ,  27 .  
         [0022]     The top surface  26  and side walls  24 ,  28  define an interior space or enclosure into which a vacuum pump is placed. In addition, the cabinet  20  also includes a front  36  and back  40 , placed at opposite ends of the cabinet  20 . The front  36  can include a door  38  providing an opening to the front of a vacuum pump placed within the cabinet. The cabinet  20  is constructed such that additional access is easily gained into the cabinet  20  by removing one or more access panels that form at least a part of the first wall  24 , top surface  26 , or second wall  28 . First access panel  32  forms a portion of the first wall  24  and a portion of the top surface  26 . Second access panel  34  forms a portion of the second wall  28  and top surface  26 .  
         [0023]     The cabinet  20  shown in the depicted embodiment is constructed such that first access panel  32  and second access panel  34  are each easily removable from the cabinet  20  such as by loosening screws  52  and lifting the access panel  32  or  34  from the cabinet  20 . Removal of the first and second access panels  32 ,  34  provides access to the interior of the cabinet  20 , in particular to a vacuum pump within the cabinet  20 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  shows a simplified top view of the cabinet  20  shown in  FIG. 1 , indicating the relative top positions of the first access panel  32  and second access panel  34  in the depicted embodiment.  FIG. 2  also shows two ports  50  that are formed along the edges of first and second access panels  32 ,  34 . These ports  50  allow hoses and vacuum lines to extend into the cabinet  20 , and also allow portions of a vacuum pump to extend out of the cabinet  20 , as necessary. In some embodiments the cabinet  20  contains just one port, while in other embodiments the cabinet  20  contains more than two ports.  
         [0025]     The first and second access panels  32 ,  34  are constructed, in certain embodiments, to form a sufficient portion of the top surface  26  of the cabinet  20  to allow removal of a vacuum pump from within the cabinet  20 . However, in other implementations removal of the first and second access panels  32 ,  34  is sufficient to give access to the interior of the cabinet  20  without allowing removal of the full vacuum pump within the cabinet  20 .  
         [0026]     The depicted embodiment includes two removable access panels  32 ,  34 , but alternative embodiments have just one removable access panel or more than two removable access panels  32 ,  34 . Also, although the depicted embodiment shows access panels  32 ,  34  covering a portion of the top surface  26  and each of the first wall  24  and second wall  28 , alternative embodiments include access panels that cover portions of the front or back of the cabinet  20 .  
         [0027]     First access panel  32  and second access panel  34  meet along an edge  48 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In some implementations the first and second access panels  32 ,  34  overlap along edge  48 , while in other implementations access panels  32 ,  34  abut against one another without overlapping. The access panels  32 ,  24  combine to form ports  50  that allow for tubes, pipes, and cords of a vacuum pump to extend out from the cabinet  20 . Various parts of the vacuum pump can also extend through these ports  50 , such as an exhaust tube or an exhaust filter. The edge of each port  50  in the shown embodiment is formed by part of each of the access panels  32 ,  34 . Thus, the access panels  32 ,  34  can be lifted from the cabinet  20  without removing any hoses, tubes, or other articles extending through the ports  50 .  
         [0028]     In some embodiments of the invention, alternative access panels  32 ,  34  are provided with differing arrangements for ports  50 , allowing customization of the enclosure for different vacuum pumps or different vacuum pump configurations. For example, more or fewer ports  50  can be provided, as well as different positions of the ports  50  and different sizes of the ports  50 . It is possible to customize a cabinet for a specific configuration of ports  50  by selecting customized access panels without changing the remainder of the cabinet.  
         [0029]     The surface area covered by the removable access panels  32 ,  34  can vary depending upon the embodiment. In some embodiments, removable access panels cover a portion of the top surface  26  and a portion of one or more sides  24 ,  28 . In yet other embodiments, the removable access panels  32 ,  34  cover a portion of the top surface  32 ,  34  and a portion of the back  40  of the enclosure. In addition, although the cabinet  20  shown in FIGS.  1  to  7  has substantially planar surfaces joined along straight edges, alternative embodiments include those in which the cabinet  20  has curved surfaces and/or non-linear edges.  
         [0030]     In further reference now to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the cabinet  20  includes a front  36  having a door  38 . In the depicted embodiment, the door  38  rotates around a hinge  41 , and can be kept in a closed position by hand fastening screws  42 ,  44 . It will be appreciated, however, that numerous alternative mechanisms can be used for allowing the opening or removal of door  38 , including hinges, latches, fasteners, etcetera. In addition, various mechanisms, latches, locks, and fasteners may be used instead of screws  42 ,  44  to keep the door  38  closed.  
         [0031]     In some implementations the cabinet  20  is equipped with a removable catch basin  54  for retaining lubricant discharged from the vacuum pump. This catch basin  54 , also referred to as an oil pan or lubricant pan, retains lubricant discharged from the vacuum pump, and this retained lubricant can then periodically be removed from the cabinet  20 . The cabinet  20  depicted in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  is mounted on a plurality of wheels  56 . The wheels permit the cabinet  20  to be easily moved to different locations, and to be readily stored in a convenient location, such as under a laboratory bench. In some implementations the wheels  56  can be locked, thereby preventing unintentional rolling of the enclosure. In other implementations no wheels are used.  
         [0032]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the back  40  of a cabinet  20  is shown. The back  40  of the cabinet  20  can include, for example, a junction  35  for connecting the enclosure to a power source. The back  40  can also include a pivoting stand  58  that rotates to elevate the back  40  of the cabinet relative to the front  36 , thereby allowing collected lubricant in the catch basin  54  to flow out a drain spout in the front of the basin.  
         [0033]     In certain implementations, the back  40  is constructed to permit the flow of cooling air streams in or out of the cabinet  20  while also limiting the escape of sound from the cabinet  20 . In one embodiment, the back  40  includes one or more openings into which one or more cooling fans are positioned. A single fan can be used to either exhaust air from the cabinet  20  or to draw air into the cabinet  20 . Alternatively, two fans are used, one to draw in air and one to exhaust it. In yet other implementations, two or more fans are used to both draw in air or to exhaust air. In a simple configuration just one fan is used, and it is positioned at the back  40  of the cabinet  20  to exhaust air from the cabinet  20 . As air is exhausted, additional air can be drawn into the cabinet  20  from a gap around the front door  38  of the cabinet  20  or along other openings in the cabinet  20 , such as from beneath the cabinet  20  or around the edges of the catch basin  54 .  
         [0034]     The volume of noise escaping from the back  40  of cabinet  20  is limited in certain embodiments by placing a baffle  37  over the opening or opening in the back  40  of the cabinet  20 . In certain embodiments, the baffle  37  includes a substantially flat sheet of material (such as plastic or metal) that occludes the opening or openings beneath it, but which has a gap along its perimeter to allow the ready flow of air around the sheet. In some implementations, the gap is located around the entire perimeter of the sheet, while in other implementations the gap is along only a portion of the perimeter.  
         [0035]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the various portions of the cabinet  20  are shown in side elevational view, including the front  36 , back  40 , top surface  26 , and second side  28 , which includes a portion of second access panel  34 . The catch basin  54  beneath the cabinet  20  is depicted as running along most of the bottom of the cabinet  20 , although in other embodiments the catch basin  54  is smaller. Pivoting stand  58 , shown in end view in  FIG. 4  is shown in side view in  FIG. 5 , and also shows the pivot point  65  around which the pivoting stand  58  rotates. In  FIG. 5  the pivoting stand  58  is stowed away at the back  40  of the cabinet  20 , retained by latch  59 . In this depiction all wheels  56  of the cabinet  20  are on the ground, and the lubricant collection basin  54  is in a substantially horizontal orientation promoting collection of lubricant.  
         [0036]     Each of the first and second access panels  32 ,  34  can be independently removed in certain embodiments of the invention, or each is separately removable in other embodiments.  FIG. 6  shows a top view of the cabinet  20  after the first access panel  32  has been removed, thereby revealing the interior  21  of the cabinet  20 .  FIG. 7  shows a top view of the cabinet  20  after the second access panel  34  has been removed, thereby also revealing the interior  21  of the cabinet  20 .  FIGS. 6 and 7  show alternate removal of the two access panels  32 ,  34 , but it is also possible to remove both access panels  32 ,  34  at once.  
         [0037]      FIG. 8  shows an additional view of the back  40  of a cabinet  20 , along with a baffle  37 . A lip  70  is shown extending along both sides of the cabinet  20  as well as along the top surface  26 . The cabinet  20  shown in  FIG. 8  also depicts two removable access panels  32 ,  34 , although in this embodiment the access panels  32 ,  34  cover only a portion of the top surface  26 , rather than along either side of the cabinet  20 .  FIG. 9  shows a cross section of the cabinet  20  shown in  FIG. 5 , and depicts the two positions for the pivoting stand  58 , indicating the manner in which the back of the enclosure is elevated to permit drainage of the collection basin  54 .  
         [0038]     In order to drain lubricant from the collection basin  54 , the pivoting stand  58  can be rotated so that its foot portion  67  contacts the floor or other surface beneath the enclosure  54 , causing the rear portion of the catch basin  54  to become elevated as the basin and/or cabinet  20  is partially supported by the leg  69  of the pivoting stand  58 . After the collection basin is drained the pivoting stand  58  can be rotated back to a stored position and the collection basin  54  returned to a more horizontal position.  
         [0039]     The volume of noise escaping from the cabinet  20  is also controlled, in some embodiments, by extending some or all of sides  24 ,  28  and the top surface  26  of the cabinet  20  past the back  40  of the cabinet  20 .  FIG. 5  shows a phantom line where the plane  55  of the back  40  is located. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the side wall  28  can be made to have an extended portion  70  that reaches past the plane  55  of the back  40 , effectively creating lip  70 . The lip  70  extends past the plane  55  of the back  40  by a distance L measured between lines A-A′. In some implementations at least a portion of the top surface, first side, or second side of the cabinet  20  extends beyond the plane  55  of the back  40  of the cabinet  20  by a distance L of at least 0.5 inches, while in other implementations a portion of the top surface, first side, or second side of the enclosure extends beyond the plane defined by the back surface of the cabinet  20  by a distance L of at least 1.0 inches, while in yet other implementations a portion of the top surface, first side, or second side of the enclosure extends beyond the plane defined by the back surface of the cabinet  22  by a distance L at least 1.5 inches.  
         [0040]     Lip  70  extend around the sides and top of the cabinet in some embodiments, yet does not extend along the bottom of the cabinet, so that in operation the cabinet can be positioned against a wall or other flat surface so that the lip  70  comes in close proximity to the wall or contact the wall. This creates a channel for air flow between the back  40  of the cabinet  20  and then downward toward the floor, since only the bottom or lower portions of the cabinet  20  do not have a lip  70 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 5 , the lip  70  does not extend along the lower portions of side wall  28 , reducing resistance to air flow at these lower portions while also allowing the cabinet  20  to be pressed against a wall which has a baseboard or trim along the floor.  
         [0041]     In certain embodiments the cabinet  20  further comprises a sound insulating material on the interior of the enclosure. The sound insulating material comprises foam in some implementations. Alternatively, a sound absorbing woven or non-woven material can be used, or other sound absorbing material. The sound insulating material, such as foam, can be used to line part or the entire interior of the cabinet.  
         [0042]     The invention is also directed to an apparatus for collecting lubricant from a vacuum pump, the apparatus comprising a variable depth basin configured to receive and retain lubricant from the vacuum pump. The variable depth basin includes a front portion having a first depth and a rear portion having a second depth. In some implementations the variable depth basin has a bottom inclined from horizontal such that the basin is deeper near its front. For example, the variable depth basin can have a first, shallow portion inclined to a second, deeper portion. The variable depth basin includes a plurality of substantially horizontal areas connected by inclined areas in other embodiments. The variable depth basin has one pour spout configured to drain collected lubricant from the basin in some embodiments, and the variable depth basin has two pour spouts in certain embodiments.  
         [0043]     Two opposite edges of the variable depth basin  54  are configured to slidably engage the sides of a cabinet for holding a vacuum pump. In some embodiments opposite edges of the variable depth basin  54  are configured to slidably engage rails  75  along the sides of the frame  71 , and these opposite edges of the variable depth basin  54  comprise a lip  77  extending along the edges of the basin  54 . Referring now to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the interior of an example cabinet is disclosed.  FIGS. 10 and 11  show a frame  71  onto which a vacuum pump can be placed. In the depicted embodiment, frame  71  includes first side member  72  and second side member  74 , along with a first cross member  76  and a second cross member  78 . The rails  75  comprise a portion of the side members  72 ,  74  in some implementations, and are independent of the side members  72 ,  74  in other implementations.  
         [0044]     The back  82  of the frame  71  is shown having two ventilation openings  84 , which are typically covered by a baffle on the exterior of the enclosure (not shown). The front  86  of the frame  71  is shown, along with a door or cover  38 . In this embodiment the door  38  does not completely seal the front of the enclosure, and instead has a gap  88  around at least a portion of its perimeter. This gap  88  allows air to pass through the front of the enclosure, to then flow around a vacuum pump within the enclosure before exiting out one or both of the ventilation openings  84  at the back of the enclosure. However, in alternative embodiments the door  38  completely seals the front of the cabinet  20 , thereby providing improved sound insulation. Also, in some alternative embodiments the flow of air is into the cabinet from the back ventilation openings and then through the cabinet and out the front.  
         [0045]     Beneath the frame  71  is positioned a lubricant collection basin  54 . The basin  54  covers substantially the entire underside of the cabinet  20  in the embodiment shown, although in other implementations the basin is configured to cover less than the entire underside of the enclosure. The basin shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11  is removable from the cabinet  20 . Removal of the basin  54  allows it to be more easily cleaned and can help in draining the basin  54 , although alternative embodiments provide for a stationary basin  54  that is not readily removed from the cabinet  20 .  
         [0046]     When the basin  54  is removable, such as in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the basin  54  is typically constructed such that it can be removed without spilling lubricant collected in the basin, and thus it is generally constructed so that it can be removed without substantial tilting. The embodiment shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11  slides along the first and second side rails  72 ,  74  of the frame  71  of the cabinet  20 , thereby allowing the basin  54  to be removed while being kept horizontal to reduce or eliminate spilling.  
         [0047]     Additional aspects of the basin  54  are shown in additional detail in  FIGS. 12 and 13 .  FIG. 12  shows a top perspective view of an example embodiment for a basin  54 , while  FIG. 13  shows a partial bottom perspective view of the front of a basin  54 . In the depicted basin  54 , the bottom  55  of the basin has a shallow inclined portion  57  draining into a deeper reservoir portion  59 . The shallow inclined portion  57  is typically positioned near the back of the basin  54 , and lubricant dripping onto the shallow inclined portion  57  drains into the deeper reservoir portion  59 . The reservoir portion  59  can have a horizontal bottom, an inclined bottom, or other shape. Although the shallow inclined portion  57  is shown as being a substantially planar surface, alternative configurations are possible, although in general it is desirable to have good drainage from the inclined portion down to the reservoir portion. The basin is removable from the cabinet  20  by pulling on handle  75  in certain embodiments.  
         [0048]     Periodically it is necessary to remove lubricant that has accumulated inside the basin  54 . In one implementation the basin is drained by either of two drainage spouts  61  positioned on corners of the basin  54 . The drainage spouts  61  are located so that they extend beyond any wheels supporting the cabinet  20 , thereby preventing spilling of lubricant onto the wheels during drainage of the basin  54 . In other implementations a single drainage spout is used, such as from one of the corners of the basin or at the front center of the basin. In yet other implementations no drainage spout is provided, in which case lubricant is removed from the basin by a drain plug, pump, scoop, etcetera. The stepped design is similar to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , but includes multiple areas of differing inclines. Some areas have relatively shallow inclines, while other areas have relatively steep inclines. In yet other implementations the transitions from steep inclines to shallow inclines are less abrupt, resulting in a curved or undulating bottom that gets generally deeper toward the front of the basin than toward the back.  
         [0049]     During operation of a vacuum pump within the enclosure, the pump is placed on top of the cross members  76 ,  78  in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . Optionally the pump is bolted or otherwise secured to the cross members  76 ,  78  or other portion of the frame  71 . The area between the cross members  76 ,  78  is open in some implementations, and is covered with additional support members in other implementations. Generally, however, there are sufficient openings on the underside of the frame  71  to allow lubricant readily to flow from the vacuum pump down into the basin  54 . Typically the vacuum pump is elevated above the basin  54  and does not rest on top of the basin, thereby allowing the basin to be removed from the enclosure without lifting or moving the vacuum pump. It will be appreciated that although the depicted embodiment in the figures shows a pump supported on a frame with cross members, numerous other support designs are possible.  
         [0050]     As noted above, in some embodiments the basin  54  on the underside of the cabinet  20  can be drained by removal of the basin  54  from the cabinet  20  and then pouring the contents from the basin  54 . In addition, in some embodiments the enclosure is constructed such that the basin  54  is readily tilted from a horizontal position to an inclined position to allow fluid to flow through the spouts and drain the basin. In some embodiments the entire cabinet  20  is tilted to permit draining of the basin  54 , while in other embodiments only the basin itself is tilted, or the basin along with supporting elements are tilted.  
         [0051]     A further embodiment of an apparatus for aiding in draining of a catch basin is shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . In one implementation the basin  54  is tilted by elevating the back end of the cabinet  20  or the back end of the basin  54  to pour lubricant from the spout or spouts at the front of the basin  54 . The back end of the cabinet  20  can be lifted by using a pivoting stand  90 , depicted in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . The pivoting stand  90  rotates round an axis  92 . In a first position, shown in  FIG. 14 , the pivoting stand  90  is tucked back into a stored position where it is not applying a lifting force to the enclosure  20 . In a second position, shown in  FIG. 15 , the pivoting stand  90  is rotated around so that a foot  94  touches the floor and lifts the back of the cabinet  20  by supporting the cabinet on leg  96  of the pivoting stand  90 . The pivoting stand  90  is secured to opposite edges of the catch basin itself in certain embodiments, and is secured to opposite edges of the cabinet  20  in other implementations.  
         [0052]     The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that can be made to the present invention without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims.