Sealing arrangements

• US 20030150168A1
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laird Holdings Ltd. (Laird Limited)
• Original Assignee: Laird Holdings Ltd. (Laird Limited)
• Inventors: Van Den Oord, Henricus
• Granted Patent: US 6,968,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 49/490.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/16 consisting of two or more plastic materials having different physical or chemical properties B60J10/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/17 provided with a low-friction material on the surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/248 having two or more tubular cavities, e.g. formed by partition walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/32 using integral U-shaped retainers
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/84 arranged on the vehicle body

Abstract

A sealing arrangement, such as for a vehicle door opening, comprises a channel-shaped mounting or gripping portion (10) for embracingly gripping a mounting flange (40) extending around the door opening. The mounting portion (10) integrally includes an outwardly inclined support member or lip (34) on which is supportingly mounted a tubular seal (38) so as to be presented to and to be sealingly compressed by the closing door. The tubular seal (38) is advantageously made of open-cellular thermoplastic elastomer material, and is covered by a skin-like covering (42) of closed-cellular thermoplastic elastomer material. The skin-like covering (42) extends from the mounting portion (10), over the outside of the tubular seal (38) and partially over the surface of the support member (34) facing the outside of the one of the channel side walls (14) of the mounting portion (10). The support member (34) may incorporate a longitudinally compressible metal reinforcement (36), which is relatively stiff in the perpendicular direction (arrow C) for preventing wrinkling of the tubular seal (38) at bends or corners in the surround. In order to hold the sealing portion (12) in the correct attitude relative to the mounting portion (10), the sealing arrangement incorporates a web (46) made of textile or similar fabric material which is longitudinally stretchable but resistant to width-wise stretching—but is readily compressible so as not adversely to effect compressibility of the sealing portion (12).

Claims

1. A longitudinally extending sealing arrangement, comprising a mounting portion (10) adapted for mounting the sealing arrangement along the surround (40) of a closable opening, and a longitudinally extending sealing portion (12) carried by the mounting portion (10) so as to run along at least part of the length of the surround and to be sealingly compressed by a closure member for the opening, characterised by a web-shaped connecting member (46) extending along the length of the sealing arrangement and interconnecting the mounting portion (10) and the sealing portion (12) to hold the sealing portion (12) in a desired attitude with respect to the mounting portion (10).

2. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the web-shaped connecting member (46) comprises material which is relatively stretchable in the longitudinal direction of the sealing arrangement, resistant to width-wise stretching but relatively compressible widthwise.

3. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the web-like connecting member (46) is made of anisotropic fabric or textile material.

4. A sealing arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised by a support member (34) extending longitudinally along the length of the sealing arrangement and projecting in a generally sideways direction from and flexibly supported by the mounting portion (10), the sealing portion (12) being mounted on the support member (34) so as to presented thereby to the closing closure member when the mounting portion (10) is mounted on the surround (40), the web-like connecting member (46) extending between the support member (34) and the mounting portion (10).

5. A sealing arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the mounting portion (10) is channel-shaped for embracingly gripping the surround (40).

6. A sealing arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in that the mounting portion (10) is channel-shaped for embracingly the surround (40), the web-like connecting member (46) extending from the outside of one channel side wall of the mounting portion (10) to the support member (34).

7. A sealing arrangement according to claim 4 or 6, characterised in that the support member (34) comprises flexible or resilient material in which is embedded a reinforcement (36) which is compressible in the direction longitudinally of the sealing arrangement but stiff in the direction perpendicular to the major plane of the support member (34).

8. A sealing arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the mounting portion (10) and the sealing portion (12) comprise plastics or rubber material or similar material.

9. A sealing arrangement according to claim 8, characterised in that a reinforcing resilient core or carrier (20) is embedded in the material of the mounting portion (10).

10. A sealing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that at least the sealing portion (12) substantially comprises a thermoplastic elastomer material.

11. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10, characterised in that the sealing portion (12) has an outer skin-like covering (42).

12. A sealing arrangement according to any one of claims 4,6 and 7, characterised in that the sealing portion (12) has an outer skin-like covering (42), the skin-like covering (42) extending over the sealing portion (12) and partially over the support member (34), for at least partially securing the sealing portion (12) to the support member (34).

13. A sealing arrangement according to claim 11 or 12, characterised in that the sealing portion (12) comprises flexible open-cellular thermoplastic elastomer material