Air duct seal for HVAC case

• US 7,022,008 B1
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Crocker, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Boles, Derek S.
• Application Number:
  US11/030,549
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 454/69, 454/254, 454/270, 454/903
• US Class Current: 454/69
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00564 of air ducts
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/242 located in the front area
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 454/903 Flexible ducts used for carrying air

Abstract

An HVAC duct sealing system has an air duct wall, a sealing surface, such as an HVAC case, against which the air duct wall is biased, and a seal member interposed between the duct wall and the sealing surface. The seal member is interposed between the air duct wall and the sealing surface and is molded directly onto the air duct wall using a two-shot or double shot method of forming. The seal can be rubber or any flexible, pliable material capable of creating a seal with a surface. The seal has a seal base that is attached to and surrounds an end part and two sides of the air duct wall. The seal has a flexible tip portion extending from the seal base that is biased against and bends against the sealing surface in accordance with an amount of pressing force to create a seal. The flexible tip bends between 0 and 100 degrees from its pre-installation position.

Claims

1. An air duct seal comprising:

an interior seal portion;

an exterior seal portion, wherein the interior and exterior seal portions are located on opposite sides of an air duct wall; and

a first protruding portion that protrudes away from the interior and exterior seal portions and which includes a laterally extending end face, the laterally extending end face being adapted to contact an adjacent sealing face to deflect the first protruding portion, wherein the first protruding portion is a seal forming portion that is used to seal against the adjacent sealing surface.

2. The air duct seal of claim 1, wherein the exterior seal portion and interior seal portion are securing portions that secure the air duct seal to the air duct wall.

3. The air duct seal of claim 2, wherein the exterior seal portion and interior seal portion are molded to the air duct wall.

4. The air duct seal of claim 3, wherein the first protruding portion is a flexible tip portion, which biases in one of two lateral directions relative to its length, and that is biased against the sealing surface by a force supplied by its own structure.

5. The air duct seal of claim 4, further comprising a second protruding portion parallel to the first protruding portion to provide multiple seals against the sealing surface.

6. The air duct seal of claim 4, wherein the flexible tip bends between 30 and 100 degrees from its pre-installation position.

7. The air duct seal of claim 1, wherein the sealing surface is a surface of an instrument panel.

8. The air duct seal of claim 1, wherein the air duct seal is applied to the air duct wall using a double-shot molding method.

9. An air duct seal comprising:

an interior seal portion;

an exterior seal portion, wherein the interior and exterior seal portions are located on opposite sides of an air duct wall; and

a protruding portion that protrudes away from the interior and exterior seal portions, wherein the protruding portion is a compressible seal forming portion that is compressible upon itself and that is used to seal against an adjacent sealing surface, wherein the exterior seal portion and interior seal portion are securing portions that secure the air duct seal to the air duct wall using a double-shot attachment method, wherein the protruding portion is a flexible tip portion having a thickness equal to an overall combined thickness of the interior seal portion, exterior seal portion, and air duct wall.

10. The air duct seal of claim 9, wherein the protruding portion is a flexible tip portion that is thinner than the overall combined thickness of the interior seal portion, exterior seal portion, and air duct wall.

11. The air duct seal of claim 10, wherein said flexible tip bends in accordance with an amount of force applied against it by the sealing surface.

12. The air duct seal of claim 11, wherein the flexible tip bends between 30 and 100 degrees from its pre-installation position.

13. The air duct seal of claim 12, wherein the sealing surface is a surface of an instrument panel.

14. The air duct seal of claim 10, wherein the flexible tip portion is a multi-tipped portion to provide multiple seals against the sealing surface.

15. A vehicular HVAC air duct sealing apparatus, the sealing apparatus comprising a double-shot molded flexible seal upon an end of an air duct wall, the flexible seal including a laterally extending end face, the laterally extending end face being adapted to contact an adjacent sealing face to deflect the flexible seal in one of two directions upon said contact, the flexible seal protruding from the end of the air duct wall and bending in accordance with an amount of force applied to the flexible seal by a sealing surface, wherein the protruding flexible seal is located apart from the air duct wall.

16. The vehicular HVAC air duct sealing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the protruding flexible seal is located off-center in cross-section with respect to the air duct wall longitudinal axis.

17. The vehicular air duct sealing apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a second flexible protruding seal.