1. A multistage compressor comprising:
two movement converting scotch yoke means driven by the same driving shaft for converting a rotating movement to a linear reciprocating movement;
first, and second pistons connected to one of the two movement converting means in opposite directions for making linear reciprocating movements; and
third, and fourth pistons connected to the other one of the two movement converting means in opposite direction and arranged at an angle to the first and second pistons for making linear reciprocating movements,
wherein at least two of the first to fourth pistons are operative as first stage compression pistons, and at least one of the rest of the pistons are operative as a second stage compression piston,
wherein the two movement converting scotch yoke means includes scotch yokes, and the scotch yokes comprise one pair of wedge members each having a sloped surface, and an elastic member having one end fixed to the wedge member and the other end fixed to a predetermined position for pressing the wedge member.
2. A multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein, of the first to fourth pistons, two pistons are operative as first stage compression pistons, and the rest two pistons are operative as second stage compression pistons.
3. A multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the angle is 90 degrees.
4. A multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two first stage compression pistons are arranged adjacently.
5. A multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scotch yoke further comprises:
a crank shaft,
a crank pin connected to the crank shaft so as to revolve around the crank shaft along a circular locus as the crank shaft rotates,
a frame having one pair of sliding surfaces on parallel opposite inside surfaces thereof for fixing one or more than one piston to an outside of the sliding surface,
a sliding block rotatably coupled to the crank pin and arranged between the one pair of sliding surfaces, and
one pair of self-lubricating members attached to the sliding block so as to be in surface to surface contact with a facing surface of the one pair of sliding surfaces.
6. A freezer comprising a multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 1.
7. An air conditioner comprising a multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 1.
8. A multi-stage compressor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scotch yoke further comprises:
a crank shaft,
a crank pin connected to the crank shaft so as to revolve around the crank shaft along a circular locus as the crank shaft rotates,
a frame having one pair of sliding surfaces on parallel opposite inside surfaces thereof for fixing one or more than one piston to an outside of the sliding surface,
a sliding block rotatably coupled to the crank pin and arranged between the one pair of sliding surfaces, and
one pair of self-lubricating members attached to the sliding block so as to be in surface to surface contact with a facing surface of the one pair of sliding surfaces,
wherein one surface of the each wedge member is opposite to the sliding surface and the sloped surface of the each wedge member is in surface to surface contact with the sliding block.
9. A multi-stage compressor composing:
two movement converting scotch yoke means driven by the same driving shaft for converting a rotating movement to a linear reciprocating movement;
first, and second pistons connected to one of the two movement converting means in opposite directions for making linear reciprocating movements; and
third, and fourth pistons connected to the other one of the two movement converting means in opposite directions and arranged at an angle to the first and second pistons for making linear reciprocating movements,
wherein at least two of the first to fourth pistons are operative as first stage compression pistons, and at least one of the rest of the pistons are operative as a second stage compression piston, and
wherein the scotch yoke means comprises:
a crank shaft,
a crank pin connected to the crank shaft so as to revolve around the crank shaft along a circular locus as the crank shaft rotates,
a frame having one pair of sliding surfaces on parallel opposite inside surfaces thereof for fixing one or more than one piston to an outside of the sliding surface,
a sliding block rotatably coupled to the crank pin and arranged between the one pair of sliding surfaces, having a surface facing the sliding surface sloped at an angle to the sliding surface,
one pair of wedge members each having a surface opposite to the sliding surface and a sloped surface in surface to surface contact with the sliding block,
one pair of self-lubricating members each attached to the sliding block so as to be in surface to surface contact with the sliding surface, and
an elastic member having one end fixed to the wedge member and the other end fixed to a predetermined position for pressing the wedge member having the self-lubricating member attached thereto both to the sliding block and the sliding surface.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A load-bearing osteoimplant comprising a shaped coherent mass of bone particles possessing a bulk density of greater than about 0.7 gcm3.
2. A load-bearing osteoimplant comprising a shaped coherent mass of bone particles possessing a wet compressive strength of at least about 3 MPa.
3. A method for making a load-bearing osteoimplant which comprises:
a) providing an aggregate containing bone particles and, optionally, one or more optional components selected from the group consisting of binder, filler, plasticizer, wetting agent, surface active agent, biostaticbiocidal agent, bioactive substance, reinforcing material and reinforcing structure; and,
b) shaping the aggregate into a coherent mass in at least one shaping operation to provide a shaped composite having an initial configuration for subsequent shaping into a desired osteoimplant or a final configuration corresponding to that of the osteoimplant.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein shaping step (b) further comprises an initial shaping of the aggregate into an osteoimplant blank and a subsequent shaping of the osteoimplant blank into a fully shaped osteoimplant.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the shaping of the aggregate is accomplished by compressing the aggregate within a mold, optionally at elevated temperature.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by molding.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the molding is injection molding.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the molding is blow molding.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the molding is rotational molding.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein the molding is leach molding.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein the molding is leavening molding.
12. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by casting.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the casting is solvent casting.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the casting is gel casting.
15. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by a CADCAM operation.
16. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by rolling.
17. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by vacuum-forming.
18. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by sintering.
19. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by melt-forming.
20. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by thermoforming.
21. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by foam molding.
22. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by forging.
23. The method of claim 3 wherein the aggregate is shaped at least in part by laser fusion of polymer binder therein.
24. The method of claim 4 wherein subsequent shaping of the blank into the fully shaped osteoimplant includes a machining operation.
25. The method of claim 15 which further comprises:
a) imaging a patient’s implantation site to provide digital information for a three dimensional model of an osteoimplant to be implanted at the site;
b) converting the three dimensional model of the osteoimplant into a CAD file stored in the memory of a computer;
c) machining a blank which is a coherent mass of an aggregate containing bone particles and, optionally, one or more optional components selected from the group consisting of binder, filler, plasticizer, wetting agent, surface active agent, biostaticbiocidal agent, bioactive substance, reinforcing material and reinforcing structure to provide the osteoimplant, the machining being carried out by a machine executing a defined tool path numerically controlled by the computer in which the CAD file is stored.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein imaging step (a) is carried out by CAT scan, MRI or MUI.
27. The method of claim 15 which further comprises;
a) imaging a patient’s implantation site to provide digital information for a three dimensional model of an osteoimplant to be implanted at the site;
b) converting the three dimensional model of the osteoimplant into a CAD file stored in memory of a computer;
c) forming a mold whose shaping surface conforms to the osteoimplant using the CAD file; and
d) forming the osteoimplant in the mold.
28. The method of claim 27 wherein imaging step (a) is carried out by CAT scan, MRI or MUI.
29. An integral implant insertion instrument and implant comprising an implant insertion instrument portion integrally attached to an implant portion by a weakened, break-away connection such that on insertion of the implant portion at the implantation site, the implant insertion instrument portion is separated from the implant portion by a breaking-away force applied thereto, the implant portion being a load-bearing osteoimplant comprising a shaped, coherent mass of bone particles.
30. The integral implant insertion instrument and implant of claim 29 in which the load-bearing osteoimplant portion contains at least one additional component selected from the group consisting of binder, filler, plasticizer, wetting agent, surface active agent, biostaticbiocidal agent, bioactive substance, reinforcing material, reinforcing structure or combinations thereof.
31. The integral implant insertion instrument and implant of claim 30 in which the binder present in the load-bearing osteoimplant is a natural, synthetic or semisynthetic bioresorbable or nonbioresorbable polymer.
32. The osteoimplant of claim 1 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 12 to about 200 MPa.
33. The osteoimplant of claim 1 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 15 to about 130 MPa.
34. The osteoimplant of claim 1 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 17 to about 200 mPa.
35. The osteoimplant of claim 1 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 20 to about 200 mPa.
36. The osteoimplant of claim 1 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 31 to about 200 mPa.
37. The osteoimplant of claim 1 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 56 to about 200 mPa.
38. A load-bearing osteoimplant comprising a shaped, coherent mass of bone particles possessing a bulk density of greater than about 0.7 gcm3 and a wet compressive strength of at least about 3 MPa, wherein the bone particles comprise a combination of nondemineralized and demineralized bone.
39. The osteoimplant of claim 38 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 12 to about 200 MPa.
40. The osteoimplant of claim 38 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 15 to about 130 MPa.
41. The osteoimplant of claim 38 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 17 to about 200 mPa.
42. The osteoimplant of claim 38 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 20 to about 200 mPa.
43. The osteoimplant of claim 38 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 31 to about 200 mPa.
44. The osteoimplant of claim 38 possessing a wet compressive strength of from about 56 to about 200 mPa.