Self centering hinge design for concentric sealing of an enclosure
AssigneeITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsJohn Thomas Sadler, Scott Joseph Adams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A waterproof, clam-shell style enclosure including a first cover, a second cover that is hingedly coupled to the first cover to pivot about an axis of rotation between an open state and a closed state defining an enclosed interior region of the enclosure, a seal positioned to limit or prevent the passage of fluid into the enclosed interior region of the enclosure, and a hinge that is configured to accommodate translation of the second cover with respect to the first cover in two different, perpendicular directions upon pivoting the second cover to a closed state to achieve uniform compression of the seal along its circumference.
Claims11
A waterproof, clam-shell style enclosure comprising:
- a first cover;
- a second cover that is hingedly coupled to the first cover to pivot about an axis of rotation between an open state and a closed state, wherein, in a closed state, the first cover and the second cover define an enclosed interior region of the enclosure for storing an object;
- a seal positioned on a sealing surface of either the first cover or the second cover, wherein the seal is positioned to inhibit the passage of fluid or gas into or out of the enclosed interior region of the enclosure in the closed state of the enclosure;
- and
- a hinge connecting the first cover to the second cover that is configured to accommodate translation of the second cover with respect to the first cover in two different, perpendicular directions ‘X’ and ‘Y’ upon pivoting the second cover to a closed state to achieve uniform compression of the seal along its circumference.
A waterproof, clam-shell style enclosure comprising:
- a first cover;
- a second cover that is hingedly coupled to the first cover to pivot about an axis of rotation between an open state and a closed state, wherein, in a closed state, the first cover and the second cover define an enclosed interior region of the enclosure;
- a seal positioned on a sealing surface of either the first cover or the second cover, wherein the seal is positioned to inhibit the passage of fluid into the enclosed interior region of the enclosure in the closed state of the enclosure;
- a hinge connecting the first cover to the second cover that includes a knuckle extending from either the first cover or the second cover and a pin positioned within a recess formed in the knuckle, wherein the knuckle is configured to rotate about the pin;
- and
- a gap, having a pre-determined size, defined between an exterior surface of the pin and the recess of the knuckle, wherein, upon pivoting the second cover to the closed state, the gap accommodates translation of the second cover with respect to the first cover in a direction that is orthogonal to both the axis of rotation and the sealing surface to achieve uniform compression of the seal along its circumference.
A waterproof, clam-shell style enclosure comprising:
- a first cover;
- a second cover that is hingedly coupled to the first cover to pivot about an axis of rotation between an open state and a closed state, wherein, in a closed state, the first cover and the second cover define an enclosed interior region of the enclosure;
- a seal positioned on a surface of either the first cover or the second cover, wherein the seal is positioned to inhibit the passage of fluid into the enclosed interior region of the enclosure in the closed state;
- and
- a gap, having a pre-determined size, defined between a hinge component of the first cover and a hinge component of the second cover, wherein, upon pivoting the second cover to the closed state, the gap accommodates translation of the second cover with respect to the first cover in a direction that is parallel to the axis of rotation to achieve uniform compression of the seal along its circumference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.