LOCKING GATE DEVICE
First Claim
1. A locking gate device comprising:
- a pair of spaced apart fixed members presenting opposing sealing surfaces and defining a gate-receiving space between said sealing surfaces, wherein each of said fixed members defines a flow-through opening circumscribed by one of said sealing surfaces, wherein said flow-through openings are substantially aligned with one another; and
a gate assembly shiftable within said gate-receiving space between a closed position where said gate assembly substantially blocks said flow-through openings and an open position where said gate assembly does not substantially block said flow-through openings,wherein said gate assembly comprises a pair of spaced apart sealing plates and a drive member disposed between said sealing plates, wherein when said gate assembly is in said closed position said drive member is shiftable relative to said sealing plates between a retracted position and an extended position,wherein said gate assembly further comprises at least one pair of bearings disposed between said sealing plates, wherein shifting of said drive member from said retracted position to said extended position causes said bearings to force said sealing plates apart from one another and into a sealed position where said sealing plates engage said opposing sealing surfaces, wherein shifting of said drive member from said extended position to said retracted position allows said sealing plates to retract towards one another and into an unsealed position where said sealing plates are disengaged from said opposing sealing surfaces.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A locking gate device suitable for selectively blocking the flow of fluid and/or articles through a pair of openings defined by two spaced-apart members is provided. The spaced-apart members may be opposing walls or flanges of two adjacent processing chambers or vessels in a pressurized heating system. The locking gate device includes a gate assembly that is movable within a gate-receiving space defined between opposed sealing surfaces of the spaced-apart members. The gate assembly comprises a pair of sealing plates and a drive member shiftable relative to the sealing plates. As the drive member is shifted between a retracted position and an extended position, a pair of bearings disposed between the sealing plates and the drive member forces the sealing plates outwardly to contact the sealing surfaces of the spaced-apart members. This substantially blocks the flow-through openings defined by one or both sealing surfaces and restricts flow therethrough.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A locking gate device comprising:
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a pair of spaced apart fixed members presenting opposing sealing surfaces and defining a gate-receiving space between said sealing surfaces, wherein each of said fixed members defines a flow-through opening circumscribed by one of said sealing surfaces, wherein said flow-through openings are substantially aligned with one another; and a gate assembly shiftable within said gate-receiving space between a closed position where said gate assembly substantially blocks said flow-through openings and an open position where said gate assembly does not substantially block said flow-through openings, wherein said gate assembly comprises a pair of spaced apart sealing plates and a drive member disposed between said sealing plates, wherein when said gate assembly is in said closed position said drive member is shiftable relative to said sealing plates between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein said gate assembly further comprises at least one pair of bearings disposed between said sealing plates, wherein shifting of said drive member from said retracted position to said extended position causes said bearings to force said sealing plates apart from one another and into a sealed position where said sealing plates engage said opposing sealing surfaces, wherein shifting of said drive member from said extended position to said retracted position allows said sealing plates to retract towards one another and into an unsealed position where said sealing plates are disengaged from said opposing sealing surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for moving one or more articles within a pressurized system, said method comprising:
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(a) passing one or more articles from a first pressurized process zone to a second pressurized process zone through a flow-through opening; (b) shifting a pair of movable plates into said opening; (c) moving said plates apart from one another to thereby seal said plates against a pair of opposed sealing surfaces that at least partially define said opening, wherein the pair of sealed plates substantially isolates said first and said second process zones from one another; (d) creating a pressure differential of at least 15 psig across the pair of sealed plates; (e) depressuring at least one of said first and second process zones to equalize the pressure across the pair of sealed plates; (f) moving said plates toward one another to thereby unseal said plates from said sealing surfaces; (g) shifting said pair of plates out of said opening; and (h) removing said articles from said second process zone back into said first process zone through said flow-through opening and/or inserting a new article into said second process zone through said flow-through opening. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification