Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
212 words
AN APPARATUS FOR COOLING WORK-PIECES, COMPRISING: A TANK ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A COOLING LIQUID BATH, SAID TANK HAVING AN OPENING FOR INTRODUCING A WORK-PIECE INTO THE TANK BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE AND HAVING MEANS FOR REMOVING THE WORK-PIECE FROM THE TANK BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE, SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL ROLLERS IN SAID TANK FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE WORKPIECE HORIZONTALLY BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE, COMBINED SEALING MEANS AND COOLING LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS ADJACENT SAID OPENING AND ADAPTED TO DIRECT UPPER AND LOWER COOLING LIQUID CURTAINS ANGULARLY AND INWARDLY INTO SAID TANK BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE FOR SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTING LIQUID FROM FLOWING OUT OF SAID OPENING WHILE PERMITTING THE WORK-PIECE TO BE MOVED HORIZONTALLY THERETHROUGH INTO SAID TANK WITH THE COOLING LIQUID CURTAINS IMPINGING AGAINST THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES OF THE WORK-PIECE, AND MEANS PROVIDING AN ELONGATED GUIDE WALL BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS IN SPACED RELATION BELOW THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE WORK-PIECE WHEN THE LATTER IS SUPPORTED ON SAID ROLLERS, THEREBY DEFINING AN ELONGATED RESTRICTED COOLING CHANNEL AT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WORK-PIECE, SAID CHANNEL HAVING AN INLET END POSITIONED SO THAT THE COOLING LIQUID CURTAIN IMPINGING AGAINST THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE WORK-PIECE IS DIVERTED INTO SAID INLET END AND FLOWS THROUGH SAID CHANNEL AT HIGH VELOCITY.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
212 words
AN APPARATUS FOR COOLING WORK-PIECES, COMPRISING: A TANK ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A COOLING LIQUID BATH, SAID TANK HAVING AN OPENING FOR INTRODUCING A WORK-PIECE INTO THE TANK BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE AND HAVING MEANS FOR REMOVING THE WORK-PIECE FROM THE TANK BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE, SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL ROLLERS IN SAID TANK FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE WORKPIECE HORIZONTALLY BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE, COMBINED SEALING MEANS AND COOLING LIQUID SUPPLY MEANS ADJACENT SAID OPENING AND ADAPTED TO DIRECT UPPER AND LOWER COOLING LIQUID CURTAINS ANGULARLY AND INWARDLY INTO SAID TANK BENEATH THE BATH SURFACE FOR SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTING LIQUID FROM FLOWING OUT OF SAID OPENING WHILE PERMITTING THE WORK-PIECE TO BE MOVED HORIZONTALLY THERETHROUGH INTO SAID TANK WITH THE COOLING LIQUID CURTAINS IMPINGING AGAINST THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES OF THE WORK-PIECE, AND MEANS PROVIDING AN ELONGATED GUIDE WALL BETWEEN SAID ROLLERS IN SPACED RELATION BELOW THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE WORK-PIECE WHEN THE LATTER IS SUPPORTED ON SAID ROLLERS, THEREBY DEFINING AN ELONGATED RESTRICTED COOLING CHANNEL AT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WORK-PIECE, SAID CHANNEL HAVING AN INLET END POSITIONED SO THAT THE COOLING LIQUID CURTAIN IMPINGING AGAINST THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE WORK-PIECE IS DIVERTED INTO SAID INLET END AND FLOWS THROUGH SAID CHANNEL AT HIGH VELOCITY.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said rollers are provided with drive means for rotating the rollers and thereby conveying the work-piece horizontally in the cooling bath.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by the provision of means for introducing additional cooling liquid into said channel at the underside of the work-piece and spaced downstream from said liquid curtains.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that each of said rollers has a cylindrical body portion and a plurality of axially spaced disk portions of greater diameter than said body portion, said guide wall extending between the body portions of the rollers and said disk portions being adapted to support the work-piece in spaced relation above said guide wall while permitting flow of cooling liquid through said channel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 4 further characterized in that said guide wall comprises a plurality of guide plates supported in horizontal alignment between the body portions of said rollers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 5 further characterized by the provision of releasable locking means associated with each of said guide plates for removably retaining the guide plates in said tank.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
78 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said opening is generally rectangular and said combined sealing means and cooling liquid supply means comprises a pair of upper and lower nozzles extending across said inlet opening, said nozzles having elongated slit orifices for discharging uniform curtains of cooling liqiud, and said orifices being arranged and constructed to direct the cooling liquid curtains at an acute angle to the horizontal and inwardly toward said opening in intersecting relation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 7 further characterized in that said angle is from about 10* to about 25*.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of claim 7 further characterized in that said rollers and said nozzles are arranged and constructed so that the horizontal axis of the work-piece is substantially aligned vertically with the intersectiOn of the cooling liquid curtains.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said tank is also provided with cooling liquid outlet means, and control means is provided at said cooling liquid outlet means for maintaining a desired flow velocity over the work-piece surfaces and a desired liquid level in said tank.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said cooling liquid outlet means comprises an overflow weir in a wall portion of said tank.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
76 words
The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that said cooling liquid outlet means comprises an overflow weir at the upper edge of a wall portion of said tank remote from said opening and a submerged liquid outlet in said wall portion below said weir, and said control means comprises adjustable closures at said weir and said outlet for obtaining a desired distribution of the outlet flow of cooling liquid between said weir and said outlet.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
76 words
The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that said tank has an elongated configuration with said opening at one end of said tank and said cooling liquid outlet means at the opposite end of said tank, the work-piece being moved in one direction into the tank through said opening and also being withdrawn in the reverse direction from the tank through said opening which also comprises said means for removing the work-piece from the tank.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
122 words
The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that said tank has an elongated configuration with said opening at one end of the tank, said means for removing the work-piece from the tank comprising an additional opening at the opposite end of the tank for withdrawing the work-piece from the tank beneath the bath surface, combined sealing means and cooling liquid supply means is also provided adjacent said additional opening for directing upper and lower cooling liquid curtains angularly and inwardly into said tank for substantially preventing liquid from flowing out of said additional opening while permitting the work-piece to be moved horizontally therethrough out of said tank, and said cooling liquid outlet means is located intermediate the ends of the tank.