US-12618036-B2 - Technique and parts kit for sealing an incubator in a wall

Abstract

A kit of parts for sealing openings between an enclosure extending through a wall separating a cleanroom and a space outside the cleanroom. Multiple gaskets, frame members, and a lower skirt are positioned to seal any openings between the side, top and bottom surfaces of the enclosure and proximate wall surfaces. The sealing components can be easily installed without the use of tools.

Inventors

• Steven F. Brooker
• Robert W. Dotterer

Assignees

• CARON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20220716

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A kit of parts for use with an enclosure having access to an interior space through a door, the enclosure extending through a wall separating first and second spaces, a forward enclosure portion, including the door, protruding into the first space and a rearward enclosure portion protruding into second space, the parts of the kit for sealing gaps between enclosure right-side and left-side surfaces and proximate wall surfaces, and between a chamber top surface and a proximate wall surface, the kit of parts comprising: a left-side vertically-oriented gasket for placing between the chamber left-side surface and a proximate wall surface, the left-side gasket extending from a chamber top surface to a chamber bottom surface; a right-side vertically-oriented gasket for placing between the chamber right-side surface and an opposing wall surface, the right-side gasket extending from a chamber top surface to a chamber bottom surface; a top horizontally-oriented gasket for placing between the chamber top surface and an opposing wall surface, the top gasket extending from the chamber left-side surface to the chamber right-side surface; first and second left-side vertically-oriented material strips each extending from the chamber top surface to the chamber bottom surface and within the first space, the first material strip for sealing an interface between a surface of the left-side gasket and the chamber left-side surface and the second material strip for sealing an interface between another surface of the left-side gasket and a proximate wall service; first and second right-side vertically-oriented material strips each extending from the chamber top surface to the chamber bottom surface and within the first space, the first right-side material strip for sealing an interface between a surface of the right-side gasket and the chamber right-side surface and the second right-side material strip for sealing an interface between another surface of the right-side gasket and a proximate wall surface; first and second top horizontally-oriented material strip each extending from the chamber left-side surface to the chamber right-side surface and within the first space, the first top material strip for sealing an interface between a surface of the top gasket and the chamber top surface and the second top material strip for sealing an interface between another surface of the top gasket and an proximate wall surface; a skirt for enclosing a bottom region of the chamber and disposed within the first space, the skirt comprising a front member and affixed thereto left-side and right-side skirt members, the left-side skirt member for installing in a spaced-apart relation from the chamber left-side surface and in contact with a lower end of the second left-side material strip, the right-side skirt member for installing in a spaced-apart relation from the chamber right-side surface and in contact with a lower end of the second right-side material strip; and a bottom horizontally-oriented material strip disposed between a top surface of the front member and a bottom surface of the chamber.
2. 2 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure with access to an interior space via a door further comprises a controlled-environment chamber.
3. 3 . The kit of parts of claim 2 , wherein the controlled-environment chamber further comprises an incubator, a refrigerator, or a freezer.
4. 4 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein the first space comprises a closed cleanroom and the second space comprises a space outside the cleanroom.
5. 5 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein the first left-side material strip, the first right-side material strip, and the bottom material strip each comprise a bulb gasket.
6. 6 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , further comprising a caulking bead disposed between a bottom surface of the skirt and a floor surface on which the enclosure sets.
7. 7 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein a lower region of the front skirt member and a lower region of each of the left-side and right-side skirt members is coved shape.
8. 8 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein a material of each left-side and right-side gasket comprises a semi-closed EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) with a density of between about 4 and 8 lb/ft{circumflex over ( )}3.
9. 9 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein the left-side and right-side gaskets have a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
10. 10 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein the first left-side material strip comprises a left-side bulb gasket, the first right-side material strip comprises a right-side bulb gasket, the second left-side material strip comprises a left-side frame member, and the second right-side material strip comprises a right-side frame member.
11. 11 . The kit of parts of claim 10 , wherein the left-side bulb gasket is disposed between a chamber-side end of the left-side frame member and the chamber left-side surface, and the right-side bulb gasket is disposed between a chamber-side end of the right-side frame member and the chamber right-side surface.
12. 12 . The kit of parts of claim 11 , wherein each of the left-side and right-side bulb gaskets comprises a curved surface and an opposing flat surface, and wherein the curved surface of each of the left-side and right-side bulb gaskets for installing in contact with the respective chamber left-side surface and chamber right-side surface, and wherein the opposing flat surface of each of the left-side and right-side bulb gaskets for installing in a contact with the chamber-side end of the respective left-side and right-side frame members.
13. 13 . The kit of parts of claim 12 , wherein the flat surface of the left-side bulb gasket is joined to the chamber-side end of the left-side frame member by a first adhesive and the flat surface of the right-side bulb gasket is joined to the chamber-side end of the right-side frame member by a second adhesive.
14. 14 . The kit of parts of claim 10 , wherein a material of the left-side bulb gasket and the right-side bulb gasket comprises fully-closed cells of EPDM.
15. 15 . The kit of parts of claim 10 wherein a wall-end of the left-side frame member is affixed to a proximate wall surface and a wall-end of the right-side frame member is affixed to a proximate wall surface.
16. 16 . The kit of parts of claim 15 , wherein a first adhesive is disposed between a wall-facing surface of the left-side frame member and a proximate wall surface and a second adhesive is disposed between a wall-facing surface of the right-side frame member and a proximate wall surface.
17. 17 . The kit of parts of claim 16 , wherein the first and second adhesives each comprise an adhesive tape gasket.
18. 18 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein a material of the left-side and right-side gaskets is in compression when disposed between the respective chamber left-side and right-side surfaces and an opposing wall surface.
19. 19 . The kit of parts of claim 1 , wherein the left-side and right-side gaskets, the first and second left-side material strips, and the first and second right-side material strips form a double vapor barrier between the first space and the second space.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims benefit of Provisional Application No. 63/222,731, filed Jul. 16, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Culturing cells is a common laboratory practice for many industrial markets. Optimal cell growth environments are created within an incubator where the temperature, humidity, and CO2 (or oxygen) levels are controlled. Contamination is the biggest threat to cell culturing and extensive steps are taken to maintain clean incubator environments. One technique for maintaining a clean environment locates the cell cultures in an incubator and then places the entire incubator in a cleanroom. But incubators in cleanrooms have certain known disadvantages: Expensive to build cleanroomsExpensive to maintain cleanroomsTime consuming for personnel to enter and exit cleanroomsRisk of contamination with each cleanroom entry/exitExpense of maintaining clean linens for use in the cleanroomDifficulty maintaining equipment in a cleanroom; many servicing procedures can't be performed in a cleanroom and therefore the equipment must be removed and serviced outside the cleanroom, then returned to the clean room. To address these issues, one solution locates the front (i.e., door) of the incubator inside a cleanroom while the remainder of the incubator protrudes through a cleanroom wall into a space outside the cleanroom. To accomplish this, a hole the size of the incubator, is cut into the wall and the incubator is installed in that opening, with the front surface extending about 6 inches into the cleanroom. This arrangement advantageously maintains the culturing cells in a clean environment, while locating the incubator maintenance section outside the cleanroom. This arrangement also minimizes the cleanroom space occupied by the incubator. Prior art FIG. 1 illustrates three incubator doors 10 visible and accessible from inside the cleanroom; the portion of the incubator extending into the cleanroom is referred to as the forward incubator portion. Although it is difficult to visualize from the angle of FIG. 1, the doors and proximate side surfaces protrude about 6 inches into the cleanroom. FIG. 2 illustrates a rear portion 12 of an incubator extending into a space outside the cleanroom; the portion of the incubator extending into the space outside the cleanroom is referred to as the rearward incubator portion. Most of the incubator mechanical and electrical components are located in this rearward portion and thus can be easily accessed and maintained without entering the cleanroom. As is known, incubators are typically designed to be placed entirely in one room and were not intended to be installed with a first portion inside and a second portion outside the cleanroom, as described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The incubator exterior surfaces often have protrusions and are typically not perfectly flat. When installed in a cleanroom wall (such as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2) and without an effective seal, the incubator surfaces allow outside contaminants to enter the cleanroom. Along the bottom surface of the incubator, casters, leveling feet, door hinges, tubing drains, etc. also present difficulties in creating and maintaining an effective seal, thereby jeopardizing a contaminant-free cleanroom atmosphere. The underside surface of an incubator is illustrated in FIG. 4, showing casters 14, leveling feet 16 and other protrusions that make forming an air tight seal along a cleanroom floor surface difficult. The cleanroom (into which the incubator opens) must be isolated from the outside environment (where the incubator rearward portion is located). To maintain the cleanroom environment and ensure that chemicals and substances used to clean and otherwise maintain the cleanroom do not infiltrate outside the cleanroom, mechanical seals between the cleanroom wall and floor surfaces, and the incubator surfaces must be vapor tight. Also, when the incubator door is open, air must be prevented from flowing from the cleanroom/incubator front side, through the incubator chamber to the non-cleanroom/incubator rearward portion and then into the non-cleanroom space. While maintaining this internal incubator barrier is not addressed by the elements of the “kit of parts” of the present invention, it is a necessary incubator feature that is required to maintain the cleanroom atmosphere. It should also be noted that the cleanroom is maintained at a positive pressure relative to the pressure outside the cleanroom. This pressure differential prevents contamination outside the cleanroom from entering the cleanroom. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The present invention can be more easily understood and the advantages and uses thereof more readily apparent when the detailed description of the present invention is read in conjunction with the figures wherein: FIG. 1 is