Sanitary sight indicator

{
  "publication_number": "US5297429A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Sanitary sight indicator",
  "abstract": "A sanitary sight indicator for viewing the contents of a production process is provided. The sanitary sight indicator includes a body, an optical unit, and a sanitary connection between the body and the optical unit. The body includes a process-interfacing portion which is adapted to interface with the production process and an optical-interfacing portion which interfaces with the optical unit. The optical unit includes a viewing portion for viewing the contents of the production process and a body-interfacing portion which interfaces with the optical-interfacing portion of the body. The sanitary connection includes a sanitary gasket having a substantially flat annular portion, and first and second annular projections which are approximately semi-circular in cross-sectional shape and which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the annular portion. The sanitary connection further includes a sanitary gasket-groove in each of the optical unit-interfacing portion and the body-interfacing portion. Each of the sanitary-gasket grooves includes a flat surface supporting the flat annular portion of the sanitary gasket and a channel supporting one of the annular projections of the sanitary gasket. Such a sight indicator may be in the form of a \"sight flow indicator\" for installation in a process line or a \"sight window\" for installation on a process tank.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A sanitary sight indicator for viewing the contents of a production process, said indicator comprising a body, an optical unit, and a sanitary connection between said body and said optical unit; said body comprising a member including two aligned through-flow sections and at least one transverse section, each of said through flow sections including a process-interfacing portion which is adapted to interface with the production process and said transverse section including an optical unit-interfacing portion which interfaces with said optical unit; said optical unit including a viewing portion for viewing the contents of the production process and a body-interfacing portion which interfaces with said optical unit-interfacing portion of said body; said sanitary connection including a sanitary gasket including a substantially flat annular portion, and first and second annular projections which are essentially semi-circular in cross-sectional shape and which extend outwardly from opposite sides of said annular portion; said sanitary connection further including a sanitary gasket-groove in each of said optical unit-interfacing portion and said body-interfacing portion, each of said sanitary-gasket grooves including a flat surface supporting said flat annular portion of said sanitary gasket and a channel supporting one of said first and second annular projections of said sanitary gasket; wherein said process-interfacing portions of said body are adapted to interface with a process line.",
    "2. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said member includes tow aligned transverse sections.",
    "3. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said viewing portion of said optical unit is cylindrical in shape.",
    "4. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 3 wherein said optical unit is made of a rigid transparent material.",
    "5. A sanitary sight flow indicator as set forth in claim 4 wherein said optical unit is made of a material selected from a group consisting of borosilicate glass, acrylic, and polycarbonate.",
    "6. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said body is made of stainless steel.",
    "7. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said optical unit comprises a window assembly including a frame which is made of a stainless steel of low coefficient of thermal expansion and a transparent insert which is arranged within said frame and which is made of a glass having a coefficient of thermal expansion not greater than that of said frame.",
    "8. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said optical unit comprises a window assembly made of a transparent plastic material, said window assembly including a central region which forms said viewing portion and a circumferential border therearound which includes said body-interfacing portion.",
    "9. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sanitary gasket is made of an approved sanitary gasket material.",
    "10. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sanitary gasket is made of a material selected from the group consisting of Buna N, EPDM, Viton, PTFE, Silicone, and Polyethylene.",
    "11. A sanitary sight indicator for viewing the contents of a production process, said indicator comprising a body, an optical unit, and a sanitary connection between said body and said optical unit; said body including a process-interfacing portion which is adapted to interface with the production process and a transversely extending optical unit-interfacing portion which interfaces with said optical unit; said optical unit including a viewing portion for viewing the contents of the production process and a body-interfacing portion which interfaces with said optical unit-interfacing portion of said body; said sanitary connection including a sanitary gasket including a substantially flat annular portion, and first and second annular projections which are essentially semi-circular in cross-sectional shape and which extend outwardly from opposite sides of said annular portion; said sanitary connection further including a sanitary gasket-groove in each of said optical unit-interfacing portion and said body-interfacing portion, each of said sanitary-gasket grooves including a flat surface supporting said flat annular portion of said sanitary gasket and a channel supporting one of said first and second annular projections of said sanitary gasket; wherein said process-interfacing portion of said body is adapted to interface with a process tank.",
    "12. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said viewing portion of said optical unit is cylindrical in shape.",
    "13. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 12 wherein said optical unit is made of a rigid transparent material.",
    "14. A sanitary sight flow indicator as set forth in claim 13 wherein said optical unit is made of a material selected from a group consisting of borosilicate glass, acrylic, and polycarbonate.",
    "15. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said body is made of stainless steel.",
    "16. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said optical unit comprises a window assembly including a frame which is made of a stainless steel of low coefficient of thermal expansion and a transparent insert which is arranged within said frame and which is made of a glass having a coefficient of thermal expansion not greater than that of said frame.",
    "17. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said optical unit comprises a window assembly made of a transparent plastic material, said window assembly including a central region which forms said viewing portion and a circumferential border therearound which includes said body-interfacing portion.",
    "18. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said sanitary gasket is made of an approved sanitary gasket material.",
    "19. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said sanitary gasket is made of a material selected from the group consisting of Buna N, EPDM, Viton, PTFE, Silicone, and Polyethylene.",
    "20. A sanitary sight indicator as set forth in claim 11 wherein said process-interfacing portion of said body comprises an integral portion of the process tank whereby said process-interfacing portion comprises a transition between said optical unit-interfacing portion and the remainder of said tank."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This is a divisional of copending application Ser. No. 07/764,837 filed on Sep. 24, 1991, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,929 on Sep. 14, 1993.\n\nThis invention relates generally as indicated to a sanitary sight indicator and more particularly to a sight indicator in which a sanitary connection is made between the body and the optical unit of the indicator.\n\nA typical production process will include the flow of a fluid-like substance through process lines and/or the storing of a substance within process tanks. Sight indicators are commonly installed in such process lines and process tanks for the observation of the contents of the production process. This observation may be accomplished by visual inspections performed by personnel, measurement data gathered by instrumentation, or a combination of both.\n\nA sight indicator will usually be in the form of either a \"sight flow indicator\" installed in a process line to observe the relevant characteristics of the contents flowing therethrough or a \"sight window\" installed on a process tank to observe the pertinent parameters of the contents stored therein. These characteristics/parameters may include color, clarity, degree of mixing, liquefaction, formation of voids or bubbles, turbidity, light refraction, and effectiveness of cleaning solutions. With particular reference to a sight window, it is commonly also used to determine significant height dimensions, such as the overall level of the contents stored in the process tank or the location of interfaces between the components of multi-component mixture (e.g.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01F 23/02",
    "G01N 21/01",
    "G01P 13/008",
    "G02B 7/007"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01F 23/02",
    "G01N 21/01",
    "G01N 21/85",
    "G01P 13/00",
    "G02B 7/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Clark Reliance LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "David E. Brown",
    "David E. Purcel"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1993-05-20",
  "publication_date": "1994-03-29",
  "grant_date": "1994-03-29",
  "priority_date": "1991-09-24",
  "application_number": "US-6484893-A",
  "family_id": "25071938",
  "cited_by_count": 11,
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  ]
}