US006173210B1 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 6,173,210 B1 Bj 0rns0n et al. (45) Date of Patent: Jan. 9, 2001 (54) APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Wolf, Green?eld & Sacks, SELECTING A MECHANICAL SEAL PC. (75) Inventors: Carl C. Bjornson, Tiverton, RI (US); (57) ABSTRACT David G. Greenlie, Malden, MA (US) An automated seal selection, seal design, manufacturing, (73) Assignee: Northeast Equipment, Inc., Fall River, and post sales system allows a distributor or untrained user MA (US) to select a replacement seal for a pump. The automated system designs and engineers the seal, whether standard or ( * ) Notice: Under 35 U.S.C. 154(b), the term of this special, and creates all drawings, documentation, quotations, patent shall be extended for 0 days. and other output forms. The automated system initiates selection from inventory or purchasing of materials to be (21) Appl. No.: 09/179,506 used in the manufacturing operations, creates all manufac (22) Filed: Oct. 27, 1998 turing CNC programs for the components to be manufac tured and downloads to CNC from manufacturing equip Related US. Application Data ment. The system allows selection of a seal based upon a seal part number, or selection of a seal based upon the pump (63) Continuation of application No. 09/033,194, ?led on Mar. 2, 1998. into which the seal will be installed and the operating conditions of the pump. The pump may be de?ned by (51) Int. Cl.7 ........................... .. G06F 17/16; G06F 19/00 searching through a database of existing pumps, or may be (52) U.S. Cl. .......................... .. 700/99; 700/100; 700/110; de?ned as a new pump if it is not in the pump database. 700/97; 705/26; 705/27; 705/28; 705/29 Results of a previous compatibility analysis, perhaps per (58) Field of Search .................. .. 700/3, 8, 10, 100—106, formed by the seal manufacturer, may be accessed for 700/97_99, 117, 118, 216, 214; 705/26—29; 382/141; 395/609; 345/968; 707/500 existing pumps, or an on-line compatibility analysis may be performed for new pumps, to determine whether an existing (56) References Cited seal ?ts the pump with no modi?cations. If no existing seal ?ts, the system provides two options. In a ?rst option, a U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS special seal is speci?ed which will ?t the pump with no 4,739,488 4/1988 Asakura ............................. .. 700/159 modi?cations to the pump. An integrated design system 5,089,970 2/1992 Lee et a1. ............................. .. 700/95 determines dimensions for the special seal and its various (List continued on next page.) components in real time providing immediate quotations including drawings. With a second option, modi?cations to FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS the pump are de?ned so that a standard seal will ?t. After a seal is speci?ed, the system recommends materials of con WO 96/36921 11/1996 (WO) . struction and allows the customer to select materials and OTHER PUBLICATIONS other selectable options. The system then outputs a proposal Delta Mechanical Seals, Seal Selection Guide, 1996. including drawings with full dimensions, price, modi?cation notes, warnings, a complete bill of materials, an order form, (List continued on next page.) quote form and a dimensions veri?cation form. Primary Examiner—William Grant Assistant Examiner—Kidest Bahta 65 Claims, 61 Drawing Sheets US 6,173,210 B1 Page 2 US. PATENT DOCUMENTS Goulds Purnps, Inc., Industrial Products Group Engineered Products Div., Packard Box Envelope Dimensions, 1 page, 5,297,054 3/1994 Kienzle et al. .................... .. 700/182 Revision Jan. 20, 1992. 5,319,541 6/1994 Blanchard et al. 700/100 Fluid Sealing Association, “Mechanical Seal Material Selec 5,577,364 11/1996 Wang et al. ..... .. 53/53 tion Guide,” Mechanical Seal Handbook, 1990. 5,593,839 1/1997 Hubbell et al. 435/6 Shaft Sealing System For Centrifugal And Rotary Purnps, 5,673,533 10/1997 Wang et al. ..... .. 53/53 5,717,595 2/1998 Cherrington et al. ............... .. 700/44 API Standard 682, First Edition, Oct. 1994. 5,721,903 * 2/1998 Anand et al. .......................... .. 707/5 Shaft Sealing System For Centrifugal And Rotary Purnps, API Standard 610, Seventh Edition, Oct. 1994. 5,730,356 3/1998 Mongan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 237/19 5,745,390 4/1998 Daneshgari 700/100 Parker Seals, O—Ring Reference Guide, “Fluid Cornpatibil 5,836,136 11/1998 Highberger ...... .. 53/75 ity Tables,” p. 15, date unknown. 5,923,552 * 7/1999 Brown et al. ...................... .. 700/100 “Chernical Resistance and Fluid Cornpatibility,” KalreZ 5,940,290 8/1999 Dixon ..................................... .. 700/9 parts ratings, Oct. 1993, p. 4 and Appendix A and B (2 5,968,110 * 10/1999 Westrope et al. .. 703/27 pages). 5,970,471 * 10/1999 Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 705/26 A?as Technical Information, 3M Corporation, Jan. 1988. 6,023,683 * 2/2000 Johnson et al. ...................... .. 705/26 Viton Fluid Resistance Guide, DuPont, date unknown. OTHER PUBLICATIONS Titaniurn, Titaniurn Corrosion Rate Data, Titaniurn Devel oprnent Assoc. Appendix 2, date unknown. AESSEAL—Technical & Seal Management Database Corrosion Resistance of Hatelloy Alloys, Cabot Corpora Updates, Web Site Print —out of Database Updates, http:// www.aesseal.co.uk/dataupdt.htrn (printed Aug. 25, 1999), 2 tion, p. 6, date unknown. Hastelloy Alloy C—276, Haynes International, p. 7, date pages. unknown. Parker Filtration Advertisernent entitled “Get Accurate Fil tration Facts, Figures and Forrnulas Instantly, with Parker’s Hastelloy Alloy C—22, Haynes International, p. 8, date unknown. new inPHorrn software,” 1 page, date unknown. Hastelloy Alloy B—3, Haynes International, p. 4, date Author Unknown, “Database Matches Chernicals to unknown. Mechanical Seals,” Business Financial, date unknown, 2 Hastelloy Alloy B—2, Haynes International, p. 6, date pages. PS Plus Seal Dirnension Drawing Numbers and Sleeve unknown. Diarneter chart, frorn ITT Industries, Jun. 1997, 1 page. * cited by eXarniner U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 1 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 XXX .1 will! 79 U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 2 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 24 lnput Module New Pump New Pump Record Select Customer, Or Add; And Pump Definition The Customer If Not Module Dimensional Found, 25 Select Process Fluid l Enter Environmental Existing Data Pump Selector 37 Select From 3 Paths Thru System /C haracteristics And Recommendations Of Process Fluid l__ 22 5 CD) 43 S Seal Specifier |———( : ) Add New Customer And Their Discount Selects Seal : Recommends Materials Equipment Modifications Seal Modifications 44 Recommends Features And Products Use New Customer 45 l To Generate Quote ‘ Address And Discount information ,————o Proposals: ~27 Customer Database Name/Address Drawings Distributor Price Disc ount Modification Notes Warnings Bill Of Materials 48 489 Order Form Dimension Verification Form Plant Standardization Survey Promotion/ Post Sales Service M Advertising And Support Module 20/ Fig. 2A Fig. 25 Fig. 20 FIG. 2A Fig. 2 U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 3 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 26 35 Compatability Analyzer Results From (19+ Compares Dimensions Compatibility New Pump Definition Module Analyzer To Seal Dimensions In Seal Styles Database, Updates Pump Database And Stores Results (‘W eeeéé 38 Profile Of Pump Selected 39 Dimensions And ; Graphics Of Seal 28 ‘Profile or Seal Selected Design Center Uses Pump And Seal Profiles To Draw And Calculate Dimensions For Ms 23 Modified/Custom Seal Components 8 42 © 5 Proposal Generator Result Of C I Design Center 52 Order / ® 50 Order Processing Module 51 Quotation Proposals 20/ FIG. 2B U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 4 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 31 Pump Database Pump Profile Dimensions Frame/Group Pump Sizes, Bore Type Compatibility Results Process Fluids Database Material Compatiblity Rating Recommended Seal Type Recommended Materials 33 Recommended APl Plan Seal Styles Database Dimensional Profile Of Each Seal Graphic Drawings Materials Avaiable For Each Seal Features And Products Avaiable ‘S11 ii Pump Profile And Results Of Compatibility Analyzer 47 CNC Programs And Templates Manufacturing Center ~29 Uses Results From The Design Center To Create Custom Manufacturing Prints And Programs For Each Of The Modified Or Custom Components i Manufacturing 46 Prints And Programs For Each Of The 20/ Manufacturing Processes FIG. 2C U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 5 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 60 Enter Customer Data 61 Define Environmental Data And Process Fluid ‘I’ 62 Choose From 3 Selection Methods 65 63 64 S Search For Pump ~ . Select Any Seal From Existing Degne New "Quick Path" Database “mp 65 l 3 Perform Compatibility Analysis And Update Pump Database l ‘T Choose From 4 Seal ~67 Selection Method 6i8 F—————?——Y—D—’_w ill Program AnyelSegalFlwoTdel seFerfmilsyeaI Recommends Model seli'cypceoénepatljgem S From Any Family l l t t s 69 70 71 21%"332? Analysis ~73 >2 Lav i— Recommend Materials ~74 Of Construction And APl Plans Based On Process Fluid Select Materials Of ~75 Construction And Check Other Process Fluid Ratings a FIG. 3A U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 6 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 Does Off 76 Yes The Shelf Se'al Fit Equipment ? 77 No i Modification‘ S79 Strategy is Selected Design Center l 78 Design, Draw, And Calculate Ftecommed Optional / Dimensions For The ltems Features And Required Additional Products Generate Quote Proposal J80 Seal Information Applicable Warnings If Standard. Seal Or Modified Equipment Selected: Standard Gland/Sleeve Drawings With Dimensions And Equipment Modification Notes. If ModifiedSeal Selected: Modified/Custom Drawings With Dimensions Are Created Price With Applicable Discount If Necessary Bill Of Materials Quote Order Form Dimension Verification Form Adds To Plant Standardization Survey Maintenance History File Manufacturing Center Order Entry Department Create Special Manufacturing/Scheduling Prints For Activate Manufacturing Each Of The Manufacturing Processes. Center To Produce Order Select Material To Be Used, Orders 81 Materials if Necessary Create CNC Programs To Perform Each Of The Manufacturing Functions For The Modified/Custom Components % @ FIG. U.S. Patent Jan. 9, 2001 Sheet 8 0f 61 US 6,173,210 B1 [1: Please Enter Customer Data Below Billing and Mailing Information: 110 Code Company Contact Address 1 Phone Address 2 Fax City, State E-mail Zip Code Discount ~112 Country Ship Via: Ship To Information: 111 Complete only if different than mailing address. Company Address 1 Address 2 City, State Zip Code Cou t n W 4.0 FIG. 5