IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,150,940
Granted Patent B2
US 10,150,940 · App. 15/065,636 · Granted Dec 11, 2018

Culture apparatus

Inventor: Tomoyoshi Tokumaru (Gunma, JP)
Assignee: PHC HOLDINGS CORPORATION
C12M25/06C12M23/04C12M23/48C12M37/04C12M41/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,150,940
App. No.
15/065,636
Granted
Dec 11, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A culture apparatus, configured to cultivate a culture, includes: an outer case; an inner case, configured with metal plates, arranged inside the outer case; a door to open/close an opening formed in a front face of the inner cases; and a shelf on which the culture is to be placed, wherein side plates on both sides of the inner case respectively include rising portions having shelf rests, formed by press working, on which side parts on both sides of a bottom surface of the shelf are to be placed, and the rising portions respectively configure faces that are positioned and pressed in a direction away from side plates on both sides of the outer case, with respect to a gasket in a vertical direction provided to the opening, the faces being opposed in a width direction to side parts on both sides of the shelf, respectively.

Claims (48)

1. A culture apparatus configured to cultivate a culture, the culture apparatus comprising:

an outer case;

an inner case configured with a left side plate, a right side plate, a bottom plate and a top plate, all of which are metal plates, the inner case being arranged inside the outer case;

a door configured to open and close an opening formed in a front face of the inner case;

a gasket disposed on the outer case and in a peripheral edge of the opening, the gasket including a left vertical portion and a right vertical portion; and

a shelf on which the culture is to be placed, wherein:

each of the left and right side plates has a rising portion on which shelf rests are disposed,

one of the shelf rests formed on the left side plate and corresponding one of the shelf rests formed on the right side plate constitute a pair of shelf rests, on which side ends of a bottom surface of the shelf are to be placed,

the rising portion is formed by press working so as to protrude inwardly,

the shelf rests are formed by press working so as to protrude inwardly from the rising portion, and a distance between the rising portion of the left side plate and the rising portion of the right side plate is smaller than a distance of the left vertical portion of the gasket and the right vertical portion of the gasket, wherein

when an inside of the inner case is viewed from a front of the culture apparatus through the opening, the rising portion of the left side plate protrudes inwardly from the left side plate beyond the left vertical portion of the gasket, and the rising portion of the right side plate protrudes inwardly from the right side plate beyond the right vertical gasket.

2. The culture apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

each of the shelf rests has a placement surface on which the shelf is to be placed, and

the placement surface has an inclined surface that inclines toward the bottom plate of the inner case as a distance from one of the left and right side plates, on which the each of the shelf rests are disposed, increases.

3. The culture apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

plural pairs of shelf rests are formed, by press working, in the left and right side plates such that plural shelves are arranged in a vertical direction.

4. The culture apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

a distance between an upper pair of shelf rests and a lower pair of shelf rests immediately adjacent to each other in the vertical direction is set to such a distance that the upper pair of shelf rests limits movement in the vertical direction of the shelf placed on the lower pair of shelf rests to a predetermined amount.

5. The culture apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

plural pairs of shelf rests are formed, by press working, in the left and right side plates such that plural shelves are arranged in a vertical direction.

6. The culture apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

a distance between an upper pair of shelf rests and a lower pair of shelf rests immediately adjacent to each other in the vertical direction is set to such a distance that the upper pair of shelf rests limits movement in the vertical direction of the shelf placed on the lower pair of shelf rests to a predetermined amount.

7. A culture apparatus configured to cultivate a culture, the culture apparatus comprising:

an outer case;

an inner case configured with two side plates, a bottom plate and a top plate, all of which are metal plates, the inner case being arranged inside the outer case;

a door configured to open and close an opening formed on a front face of the outer case and the inner case;

a gasket disposed in a periphery of the opening; and

a water tray in which water is to be stored, wherein:

the water tray is to be placed on the bottom plate,

the bottom plate includes a projecting portion having inclined portions formed by press working,

the projecting portion and the water tray are formed to have such dimensions and a location that, when the water tray is drawn to the opening, an end portion of the water tray is raised with the water tray sliding on the inclined portion, and the end portion of the water tray comes to the opening, the end portion of the water tray does not come into contact with a lower horizontal portion of the gasket provided on a lower part of the opening.

8. The culture apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the left and right side plates has an front portion, and

a distance between the front portion of the left side plate and the front portion of the right side plate is larger than the distance of the left vertical portion of the gasket and the right vertical portion of the gasket.

9. A culture apparatus configured to cultivate a culture, the culture apparatus comprising:

an outer case;

an inner case configured with a left side plate, a right side plate, a bottom plate and a top plate, all of which are metal plates, the inner case being arranged inside the outer case;

a door configured to open and close an opening formed in a front face of the inner case;

a gasket disposed on the outer case and in a peripheral edge of the opening, the gasket including a left vertical portion and a right vertical portion; and

a shelf on which the culture is to be placed, wherein:

each of the left and right side plates has a support portion on which shelf rests are disposed,

one of the shelf rests formed on the left side plate and corresponding one of the shelf rests formed on the right side plate constitute a pair of shelf rests, on which side ends of a bottom surface of the shelf are to be placed,

the shelf rests are formed so as to protrude inwardly from the support portion, and

a distance between the support portion of the left side plate and the support portion of the right side plate is smaller than a distance of the left vertical portion of the gasket and the right vertical portion of the gasket, wherein

when an inside of the inner case is viewed from a front of the culture apparatus through the opening, the rising portion of the left side plate protrudes inwardly from the left side plate beyond the left vertical portion of the gasket, and the rising portion of the right side plate protrudes inwardly from the right side plate beyond the right vertical portion of the gasket.

10. The culture apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

each of the left and right side plates has an front portion, and

a distance between the front portion of the left side plate and the front portion of the right side plate is larger than the distance of the left vertical portion of the gasket and the right vertical portion of the gasket.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 30, 2018
From: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
To: PHC HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 046266/0809 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APPLICATION NUMBER 10065636 TO 15065636 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 037940 FRAME 0074. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Mar 16, 2016
From: TOKUMARU, TOMOYOSHI
To: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 038106/0213 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 10, 2016
From: TOKUMARU, TOMOYOSHI
To: PANASONIC HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 037940/0074 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-214059 · Oct 11, 2013 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2014077155 · Oct 10, 2014
Related Publication 20160186116A1 · Jun 30, 2016