Method and apparatus for releasably attaching a closure plate to a casing
US6752085B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 6, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jun 22, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 6, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF42B39/14
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus for releasably attaching a closure plate to an open end of a cylindrical casing, the apparatus having an inner member; a threaded outer ring biased in tension, disposed adjacent to the inner member, for releasably engaging an interior wall of the casing; and a eutectic spacer between the inner member and the outer ring. At temperatures below the melting point of the eutectic spacer, the outer ring is held in threaded engagement with the casing, and holds the closure plate in position in abutment with the casing. When the temperature of the eutectic spacer reaches its melting temperature, the eutectic spacer transitions to a liquid state, flows away from the apparatus, allowing the outer ring to retract into a groove in the inner member, and the closure to be released from the casing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.