Seal retainer
DCFirst Claim
Patent Images
1. A seal retainer for coupling at least one seal thereto, comprising:
- a substantially flat, flexible body portion lying in a plane and with at least one seal receiving aperture; and
at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member, said at least one retaining element extending inwardly from said body portion into said at least one seal receiving aperture to a free end, said at least one retaining element being resiliently cantilevered relative to said body portion to permit said free end of said at least one retaining element to be resiliently deflected out of said plane of said body to engage a cavity in the seal.
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Abstract
A sealing assembly is disclosed for creating a seal between first and second mating members or components. The sealing assembly basically includes a seal retainer with one or more annular seals coupled thereto. The seal retainer including a substantially flat body portion lying in a plane and with at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member for engaging the seal(s) to retain the seal(s) thereto.
83 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A seal retainer for coupling at least one seal thereto, comprising:
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a substantially flat, flexible body portion lying in a plane and with at least one seal receiving aperture; and at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member, said at least one retaining element extending inwardly from said body portion into said at least one seal receiving aperture to a free end, said at least one retaining element being resiliently cantilevered relative to said body portion to permit said free end of said at least one retaining element to be resiliently deflected out of said plane of said body to engage a cavity in the seal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A seal retainer for coupling at least one seal thereto, comprising:
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a substantially flat, flexible body portion lying in a plane and with at least one seal receiving aperture; and at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member, said at least one retaining element extending inwardly from said body portion into said at least one seal receiving aperture to a free end, said body portion and said at least one retaining element being constructed of a thin material having a thickness ranging from approximately 0.003 inch to approximately 0.005 inch.
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13. A seal retainer for coupling at least one seal thereto, comprising:
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a substantially flat, flexible body portion lying in a plane and with at least one seal receiving aperture; and a plurality of resilient retaining elements integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member, each of said retaining elements extending inwardly from said body portion into said at least one seal receiving aperture to a free end, said retaining elements being arranged for supporting at least two separate seals. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A sealing assembly for creating a seal between first and second members, comprising:
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at least one annular seal with first and second longitudinally facing sealing surfaces and an outwardly facing cavity located between said first and second longitudinally facing sealing surfaces; and a seal retainer coupled to said at least one seal, said seal retainer including a substantially flat body portion lying in a plane and with at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member for engaging said cavity of said at least one seal to retain said at least one seal thereto, said at least one retaining element being resiliently cantilevered relative to said body portion to permit a free end of said at least one retaining element to be resiliently deflected out of said plane of said body to engage said cavity in said at least one seal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A sealing assembly for creating a seal between first and second members, comprising:
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at least one annular seal with first and second longitudinally facing sealing surfaces and an outwardly facing cavity located between said first and second longitudinally facing sealing surfaces; and a seal retainer coupled to said at least one seal, said seal retainer including a substantially flat body portion lying in a plane and with at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion as a one-piece, unitary member for engaging said cavity of said at least one seal to retain said at least one seal thereto, said body portion has at least one seal receiving aperture with said at least one retaining element extending therein, said body portion and said at least one retaining element being constructed of a thin material having a thickness ranging from approximately 0.003 inch to approximately 0.005 inch.
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28. A method of creating a seal, comprising the steps of
providing a thin seal retainer lying in a plane with a substantially flat body portion, at least one seal receiving aperture and at least one resilient retaining element integrally formed with said body portion; -
coupling at least one seal within said at least one seal receiving aperture via deflecting said at least one retaining element out of said plane of said body portion such that a free end of said at least one retaining element engages a cavity formed in said at least one seal; placing said seal retainer with said at least one seal coupled thereto between a first member and a second member; and coupling said first and second members together such that opposed surfaces of said first and second members engage and compress said at least one seal.
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Specification