Patent Abstract:
An illumination device for vessels that have access ports terminated with pipe flanges. The illumination device includes a retention collar that is adapted to receive a flashlight at its first end. The opposite second end of the retention collar terminates with a flange. A conduit extends through the retention collar from the first end to the second end. A mounting element is provided for attaching the retention collar and the flashlight to the access port of the vessel. The mounting element includes an annular base plate. A coupling mechanism is attached to the annular base plate. The coupling mechanism selectively receives the flange of the retention collar. The annular base plate of the mounting bracket clamps to the pipe flange of the vessel over an inspection window. This provides an unobstructed passage through which light from the flashlight can enter the access port of the vessel.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/135,523 filed Aug. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,136, entitled Illumination Device For Containers With Pipe Flanged Access Ports. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     In general, the present invention relates to illumination devices for illuminating opaque containers through bung hole orifices or similar access ports. More particularly, the present invention relates to illumination devices for containers that have access ports that terminate with pipe flanges. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In the manufacture and processing of pharmaceutical products, medical cultures, dairy products, and other materials that require a sanitary processing environment, it is common for materials to be stored and transported in sealed containers and other vessels. Such containers and vessels are commonly manufactured of stainless steel or some other material that can be readily cleaned and sterilized for reuse. A wide variety of such containers are manufactured by Eagle Stainless Container of Warminster, Pa. 
     A common feature of such stainless steel containers and vessels is the use of connector ports that terminate with a pipe flange. A pipe flange is a general term used to describe a circular flange that radially extends from the neck of the container or some other access port. The use of such connector ports on the containers makes it easier to connect the container to piping and other containers in a sterile fashion. To join any two flanged connections together, the two flanged connectors are placed in abutment so that the openings in the center of each of the flanges align. An O-ring or other sealer is placed between the two abutting flanges. The flanged connections are then clamped together with some type of pipe flange clamp. Examples of such clamps can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,768 to Palatchy, entitled Pipe Coupling Hinge, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,115 to Zimmerly, entitled Multi-Piece Pipe Clamp. 
     Many containers and vessels used in the pharmaceutical industry contain more that one access port, wherein each port terminates with a flanged connection. In many applications, vessels with multiple access ports are used when it is desirous to view the contents of the vessel. In such an application, at least one of the access ports is capped with an inspection glass. By looking through the inspection glass, a person can see the contents of the vessel. A problem associated with the use of inspection glasses is that the contents of the vessel are often dark. Consequently, in order to view the contents of the container, the interior of the container must be artificially illuminated. 
     If a vessel only has a single access port, the contents of the vessel must be illuminated and viewed through that same port. U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,608 to Papenmeier, entitled Inspection Glass Light and U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,556 to Canty, entitled Lighting And Viewing Light, both show devices used for such an application. Such devices are commonly very expensive and are highly labor intensive to install and remove from vessels. It is not uncommon for such illumination devices to be bolted directly onto an access port of a vessel with numerous bolts. This makes the illumination device very difficult to remove when the vessel is to be cleaned and sterilized. 
     A simpler and less expensive approach to illuminating the contents of a vessel, involves the use of a vessel with at least two access ports. By using such a vessel, the contents of the vessel can be illuminated through one of the access ports, while the contents of the vessel are viewed through a second access port. In the prior art, the contents of the vessel are commonly illuminated with a portable flashlight that is shown into the vessel through an access port. The flashlight is commonly held in one hand at one access port as the person peers through the other access port. Since a person is using one hand to hold the flashlight in place, it is often difficult for a person to view the contents of a vessel and perform some other activity at the same time. For example, if a person is transferring material into a container, it would be difficult for that person to operate the transfer controls and hold the flashlight while simultaneously looking into the vessel. 
     Another problem with the use of flashlights is that it requires person to carry a working flashlight with them at all times when they wish to view the contents of a vessel. The face of the flashlight must also be held flush against the inspection glass in order for the light from the flashlight to properly pass through the inspection glass and illuminate the contents of the container. 
     A need therefore exists in the art for a low cost illumination device that can be connected to a vessel containing access ports with flanged connectors. Such an illumination device would eliminate the need of a person to hold and manipulate a flashlight when viewing the contents of a sealed vessel. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an illumination device for vessels that have access ports terminated with pipe flanges. The illumination device includes a retention collar that is adapted to receive a flashlight at its first end. The opposite second end of the retention collar terminates with a flange. A conduit extends through the retention collar from the first end to the second end. A mounting element is provided for attaching the retention collar and the flashlight to the access port of the vessel. The mounting element includes an annular base plate. A coupling mechanism is attached to the annular base plate. The coupling mechanism selectively receives the flange of the retention collar in an orientation wherein the retention collar is supported over at least a portion of the area defined by the mounting bracket. The annular base plate of the mounting bracket clamps to the pipe flange of the vessel over an inspection window. This provides an unobstructed passage through which light from the flashlight can enter the access port of the vessel. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a prior art vessel and inspection glass assembly; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of an illumination device in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a segment of the embodiment of FIG. 2, viewed along section line  3 — 3 ; 
     FIG. 4 is an assembled cross sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded, perspective view of an alternate embodiment of an illumination device in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Although the present invention illumination device can be used to illuminate many different types of vessels, containers and pipes, the present invention is particularly well suited for illuminating stainless steel pharmaceutical containers. Accordingly, by way of example, the present invention illumination device will be described in the application of illuminating a stainless steel pharmaceutical container with multiple access ports. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical prior art container  10  with multiple access ports. The multiple access ports include the main access port  12  and at least one other auxiliary access port  14 . Each of the access ports terminates with a pipe flange configuration. The main access port commonly is used to fill the container  10 . After the container  10  is filled, the main access port  12  is typically sealed. In the shown embodiment, the auxiliary access port  14  is sealed with an inspection glass assembly  18 . An inspection glass assembly  18  is essentially a transparent cap assembly for an access port that enables a person to see into the access port without exposure to the contents of the container. Inspection glass assemblies typically include a glass window  20  and an annular cap  22 . The glass window  20  seals against the flanged access port  14  of the container with a first gasket  24 . The annular cap  22  seals against the glass window  20  with a second gasket  26 . The annular cap  22  is clamped to the flange of the access port  14  with a traditional pipe flange clamp  28 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, an illumination device  30  is shown in accordance with the present invention. The illumination device  30  includes a mounting element  32  that replaces the prior art annular cap  22  (FIG. 1) of a traditional inspection glass assembly  18  (FIG.  1 ). The mounting element  32  contains a clamping base  34  that is configured have the same dimensions as the prior art annular cap  22  (FIG.  1 ). The clamping base  34  is annular in configuration and is sized to engage the second gasket  26  and seal it against the glass window  20  without obstructing the glass window  20 . The thickness of the clamping base  32  is sized to be generally the same as the prior art annular cap  22  (FIG.  1 ). In this manner, a traditional pipe flange clamp  28  can be used to bias the clamping base  34  against the second gasket  26  and seal the glass window  20  over the access port  14 . 
     A generally U-shaped structure  36  is supported above the top surface of the clamping base  34 . The U-shaped structure  36  defines a slot  38  having an open mouth. The slot  38  is sized to receive a flanged base  42  of the flashlight retention collar  40 , as will later be described. Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that a locking ball  44  extends into the slot  38  between the U-shaped structure  36  and the below lying clamping base  34 . The locking ball  44  is a small ball bearing that is biased partially into the slot  38  by a spring  46 . However, the spring  46  enables the locking ball  44  bearing to fully retract out of the slot  38 , if the locking ball  44  is pushed upwardly with a force sufficient to overcome the bias of the spring  46 . 
     Returning to FIG. 2, it can be seen that a flashlight  50  is provided. Although most any prior art flashlight  50  can be adapted for use with the present invention, a preferred flashlight would have a head  52  with a circular cross-section. The head  52  of the flashlight  50  has a predetermined diameter D1. The head  52  of the flashlight  50  is mounted to a retention collar  40 . The retention collar  40  contains a cylindrical segment  48 , wherein the interior of the cylindrical segment  48  is sized to receive head  52  of the flashlight  50 . To join the flashlight  50  to the retention collar  50 , the cylindrical segment  48  of the retention collar  50  is sized to receive the head  52  of the flashlight  50  with an interference fit. However, other types of interconnection mechanisms can also be used. For example, both the head of the flashlight and the cylindrical segment of the retention collar can be similarly threaded or some type of twist lock mechanism can be employed. 
     An annular flange  42  is disposed at the distal end of the retention collar  40 . The open center of the cylindrical segment  48  of the retention collar  40  aligns with the aperture in the center of the annular flange  40 , thereby creating a continuous opening that passes directly through the retention collar  40 . The continuous opening aligns with the beam of the flashlight  50 . Accordingly, the beam of light produced by the flashlight  50  will travel through the retention collar  40  essentially unobstructed. 
     Referring to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG. 4, it can be seen that the annular flange  42  at the distal end of the retention collar  40  has a diameter D2 and a thickness T. Both of these dimensions are sized to be received into the slot  38  that exists between the clamping base  34  of the mounting element  32  and the generally U-shaped structure  36  positioned above the clamping base  34 . The annular flange  42  of the retention collar  40  is received into the slot  38  by sliding the annular flange between the clamping base  32  and the generally U-shaped structure  36  from the direction of the open end of the generally U-shaped structure  36 . 
     A groove  54  is formed on the surface of the annular flange  42  that faces the flashlight. The groove  54  follows the periphery of the annular flange  42 . When the annular flange  42  of the retention collar  40  is slid into the slot  38  of the mounting element  32 , the locking ball  44  engages the groove  54 . The presence of the locking ball  44  in the groove  54  of the annular flange  42  causes the retention collar  40  and the mounting element  32  to be mechanically interconnected. The locking ball  44  therefore prevents the annular flange  42  from inadvertently departing from the slot  38 , should the illumination device be inverted or otherwise oddly manipulated. However, since the locking ball  44  is spring loaded, the annular flange  424  can be manually removed from the slot  38  by the application of a force sufficient enough to cause the locking ball  44  to retract out of the slot  38  and disengage the annular flange  42 . Accordingly, the retention collar  40  can be manually removed from the mounting bracket  32  in a rapid fashion without the use of tools. 
     From FIG. 4, it can be seen that the illumination device  30  attaches to the access port  14  of a vessel without bolts or in any other manner that would require the use of tools. The illumination device  30  retains a flashlight  50  in the proper orientation over an access port  14 . The flashlight  50  is self supporting and does not need to be held. The illumination device  50  can be rapidly attached or removed from any vessel having an inspection glass. Since the illumination device  50 , is inexpensive and can be mounted directly to the vessel, the illumination device can be shipped as part of the vessel. Consequently, inspectors need not carry their own flashlights when inspecting vessels. 
     When the vessel is to be sterilized, the flashlight  50  and retention collar  40  can be removed. The mounting element  32  can then be sterilized with the vessel. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, FIG.  3  and FIG. 4, the illumination device is used to completely cover an access port. This is not a problem if two access ports are available. Once access port can be used to illuminate the contents of the vessel and the other access port can be used to view the contents of the vessel. However, in certain applications, only a single access port is provided. In such applications, the contents of a vessel must be illuminated and viewed through the same port. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, an embodiment of the present invention illumination device  70  is shown that is adapted for use on an vessel having only one available access port  14 . The illumination device  70  contains a mounting element  72  that replaces the prior art annular cap  22  (FIG. 1) of a traditional inspection glass assembly  18  (FIG.  1 ). The mounting element  72  contains an annular clamping base  74  that is configured have the same dimensions as the prior art annular cap  22  (FIG.  1 ). The annular clamping base  74  seats against a gasket  76  and seals the gasket  76  against the glass window  20 . The thickness of the clamping base  74  is sized to be generally the same as the prior art annular cap  22  (FIG.  1 ). In this manner, a traditional pipe flange clamp  28  can be used to bias the clamping base  74  against the gasket  76  and seal the glass window  20  over the access port  14 . 
     A generally U-shaped structure  76  is disposed within the area defined by the annular clamping base  74 . The U-shaped structure  76  has a diameter that is less than half of the diameter of the clamping base  74 . The U-shaped structure  76  defines a slot  78  having an open mouth. The slot  78  is sized to receive a flanged base  42  of the flashlight retention collar  40 , in the same manner as was previously described with earlier embodiments. 
     The U-shaped structure  76  defines a small circular window  80  through which light from the flashlight  50  can enter the access port  14 . However, since the U-shaped structure  76  has a diameter that is much smaller that the overall annular clamping base  74 , a majority of the area within the annual clamping base  74  remains unobstructed. 
     A larger second window  82  is defined by the annular clamping base  74 . The second larger window  82  enables a person to see directly into the vessel, through the glass window  20 , while the flashlight  50  illuminates the interior of the vessel through the first smaller window  80 . 
     The gasket  76  that is interposed between the annular clamping base  74  and the glass window  20  is shaped to have the same circle-within-circle configuration as does the clamping base  74 . 
     It will be understood that the various figures described above illustrate only one preferred embodiment of the present invention. A person skilled in the art can therefore make numerous alterations and modifications to the shown embodiment utilizing functionally equivalent components to those shown and described. For example, there are numerous configurations that can be substituted for the round annular flange and U-shaped slot illustrated. Numerous different configurations of flashlights and retention collars can also be used. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5