Extruded seal carrier and method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9340336-B2
Application number	US-201313859076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2013
Priority date	Apr 10, 2012
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A sealing apparatus includes a carrier and sealant contained by the carrier. An enclosure interface includes first and second pieces and defines one or more sealing channels that the sealing apparatus may be positioned within. The first piece defines an opening that has a perimeter sealed by the sealing apparatus. When the first and second pieces are mounted together, the sealant forms a first interface seal with the first piece and a second interface seal with the second piece. The one or more sealing channels are interconnected by one or more junction sections that include a volume of sealant. The carrier may define first and second channels that respectively contain first and second volumes of sealant. The method for making the sealing apparatus may include extruding the first and second volumes of sealant into the first and second channels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An enclosure interface including a sealing apparatus, the enclosure interface comprising:
a first housing piece and a second housing piece that meet at an interface, at least one of the first and the second housing pieces defining an enclosure sealing channel that extends along the interface; and the sealing apparatus positioned at least partially within the enclosure sealing channel; the sealing apparatus comprising:
a carrier that is elongated along a carrier axis, the carrier including a first seal-access side and a second seal-access side, the first and the second seal-access sides facing in different directions, the carrier has a height extending from the first seal-access side in a direction toward the second seal-access side and a width perpendicular to the height, wherein the height is larger than the width; and
sealant material carried by the carrier, the sealant material being accessible from the first seal-access side and the second seal-access side of the carrier, the sealant material being elongated along the carrier axis, and the entirety of the sealant material being recessed relative to the first and second seal-access sides of the carrier;

wherein when the first and the second housing pieces are mounted together so as to meet at the interface, the sealant material forms a first interface seal at the first seal-access side with the first housing piece and the sealant material also forms a second interface seal at the second seal-access side with the second housing piece.

2. The enclosure interface of claim 1 , wherein the first housing piece includes a first integral sealing projection that embeds in the sealant material to form the first interface seal and the second housing piece includes a second integral sealing projection that embeds in the sealant material to form the second interface seal.

3. The enclosure interface of claim 1 , wherein the sealant material is positioned between a first wall and a second wall that are defined by the carrier and that extend along the carrier axis.

4. The enclosure interface of claim 3 , wherein the carrier includes a cross-structure that extends between the first and the second walls.

5. The enclosure interface of claim 4 , wherein the cross-structure is a base wall, wherein the carrier defines a first carrier channel that is elongated along the carrier axis, that opens to the first seal-access side, and that includes a first closed end that is defined by the base wall, and wherein the carrier also defines a second carrier channel that is elongated along the carrier axis, that opens to the second seal-access side, and that includes a second closed end that is defined by the base wall.

6. The enclosure interface of claim 1 , wherein the sealant material includes a first volume of sealant material that is accessible from the first seal-access side and that is elongated along the carrier axis and a second volume of sealant material that is accessible from the second seal-access side and that is also elongated along the carrier axis.

7. The enclosure interface of claim 6 , wherein the first volume of sealant material is a different material from the second volume of sealant material.

8. The enclosure interface of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first volume of sealant material and the second volume of sealant material is a gel.

9. The enclosure interface of claim 6 , wherein the first volume of sealant material and the second volume of sealant material are positioned between a first wall and a second wall that are defined by the carrier and wherein the first volume of sealant material and the second volume of sealant material are generally positioned on opposite sides of a cross-structure that extends between the first and the second walls.

10. The enclosure interface of claim 1 , wherein the carrier further includes a cover structure that at least partially covers the first seal-access side.

11. The enclosure interface of claim 1 , wherein the carrier further includes a cover structure that at least partially covers the first seal-access side and wherein the first housing piece includes an integral sealing projection that penetrates the cover structure and embeds in the sealant material to form the first interface seal.

12. A sealing apparatus comprising:
a carrier that is elongated along a carrier axis, the carrier defining a first carrier channel that is elongated along the carrier axis and that has a first seal-access side, the carrier also defining a second carrier channel that is elongated along the carrier axis and that has a second seal-access side, the first and the second seal-access sides facing in different directions, the carrier has a height extending from the first seal-access side in a direction toward the second seal-access side and a width perpendicular to the height, wherein the height is larger than the width;
a first volume of sealant material being entirely contained within the first carrier channel, the first volume of sealant material being accessible from the first seal-access side of the first carrier channel, the first volume of sealant material being elongated along the carrier axis; and
a second volume of sealant material being entirely contained within the second carrier channel, the second volume of sealant material being accessible from the second seal-access side of the second carrier channel, and the second volume of sealant material being elongated along the carrier axis;
wherein the carrier includes a cover structure that at least partially covers the first seal-access side of the first carrier channel; and
wherein the cover structure includes at least one resilient flap.

13. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the carrier is flexible.

14. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first and the second seal-access sides face in opposite directions from one another.

15. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the carrier is an extruded polymeric part, and wherein the first and the second volumes of sealant material are respectively extruded within the first and the second carrier channels.

16. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the carrier has a transverse cross-sectional shape that is generally H-shaped.

17. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the cover structure includes first and second resilient flaps moveable from a closed position to an open position, each of the first and the second resilient flaps having a base end integral with a main body of the carrier, each of the first and the second resilient flaps having a free end, the free ends of the first and the second resilient flaps opposing one another when the cover structure is in a closed position, and the first and the second resilient flaps flexing away from one another and toward the first volume of sealant material about their base ends when the first and the second resilient flaps are moved from the closed position of the resilient flaps toward the open position of the resilient flaps.

18. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first and the second carrier channels have transverse cross-sectional shapes, and wherein the first and the second volumes of sealant material respectively conform to the transverse cross-sectional shapes of the first and the second carrier channels.

19. The sealing apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the transverse cross-sectional shapes of the carrier channels are generally rectangular.

20. The sealing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first and the second volumes of sealant mater

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Mullaney Julian S
• Allen Barry Wayne

Classifications

• Y10S285/91

  Gaskets · CPC title

• H04Q1/025 Primary

  Cabinets · CPC title

• B65D53/06 Primary

  Sealings formed by liquid or plastic material · CPC title

• H05K5/062

  sealed by a material injected between a non-removable cover and a body, e.g. hardening in situ · CPC title

• B29L2031/3481

  Housings or casings incorporating or embedding electric or electronic elements · CPC title