Replaceable door seal and retainer assemblies

Details Replaceable door seal and retainer assemblies Replaceable door seal and retainer assemblies

2000-01-10

2002-11-12

Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)

Seal for a joint or juncture

Seal between fixed parts or static contact against...

Contact seal for other than internal combustion engine, or...

C277S637000, C277S642000, C277S650000, C277S921000, C049S490100, C049S495100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06478308

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to door edge seal and retainer assemblies wherein elongated seal lip members are integrally formed with a retainer attachable to the door edge and the lip members may be cut away, when worn, and replaced by another seal member without replacing the retainer.
BACKGROUND
In applications of swing doors, particularly in cargo container doors, it is desirable to obtain a weathertight seal, as well as a low pressure hermetic seal in certain applications, about the perimeter of the door panel or panels while at the same time providing minimal opening and closing forces required to be exerted on the doors. Moreover, in the manufacture of doors and seal assemblies therefor, it is desirable to provide seal assemblies which may be easily attached to the door panel edges while requiring minimal attachment effort and while also providing a seal which has a long life.
Door edge seals for cargo container doors, in particular, are subject to rapid wear due to the extreme environmental conditions they are subjected to as well as the frequent opening and closing motions of the doors. In this regard, the flexible seal lips are likely to suffer early wear and degradation or be subject to damage due to inadvertent engagement with truck or cargo container loading and unloading equipment, for example. Whereas it is difficult to replace the entire seal and retainer assembly which extends along the edges of the door, it is desirable to be able to replace any worn or damaged flexible seal lip parts without the effort required to replace the seal retainer or support structure or the entire door panel itself. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides improved door edge seal and retainer assemblies, particularly adapted for use with swing doors for motor truck cargo containers and the like.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a door panel edge seal and retainer assembly is provided wherein a retainer member is adapted for engagement with and retention on the door panel edge and one or more elongated seal lips are integrally joined to the retainer and are preferably coextruded with the retainer from a polymer material. The retainer is configured such that the seal lips may be cut away when worn or damaged and replaced by a replacement seal member having, essentially, the same configuration and arrangement of seal lips or fingers and which may be supported on the retainer to form a replacement seal and retainer assembly. The hardness or rigidity of the seal member or members and the retainer member are different so that the seal members retain resiliency and are elastically deformable to provide an effective seal while the retainer member is provided with sufficient rigidity to allow for securing the retainer to a door panel edge.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a door edge seal and retainer assembly is provided with an integral seal part and wherein the retainer is configured to be connectable to a seal member which is fabricated separate from the retainer, may be easily assembled to the retainer and tightly secured thereto under all operating conditions and may be removed from the retainer for replacement, if needed.
The present invention still further provides an improved integral seal and retainer assembly wherein one or more flexible seal members and a retainer member may be coextruded of a suitable polymer material, such as polyvinylchloride, and the seal and retainer members may have different hardness or stiffness.
Still further, the present invention contemplates a method of repairing or replacing a flexible seal for a door panel edge wherein original integrally formed seal lip parts are removed from a retainer or support member without removing the retainer or support member from the door panel, and a replacement seal member is mountable on and retained on the retainer member. The replacement seal member is adapted to be easily mounted on and supported by the retainer member and multiple replacement seal members may be subsequently substituted for previous seal members without replacing the retainer member.


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