Gas-permeable plug and method for manufacturing the same
AssigneeTokai Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTatsuya Tamura, Kouichi Hara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas-permeable plug is adapted to be inserted in an insertion hole formed through a part of a casing in an inward-outward direction. The gas-permeable plug has a plug body and a permeable sheet including therein countless minute permeable pores. The plug body is injection molded from a material having rubber-like elasticity and the permeable sheet is integrally bonded to a sheet bonding portion by an anchor operation such that when the plug body is injection molded, at the sheet bonding portion, a part of a heat-melted liquid resin enters the minute permeable pores and/or the permeable gaps in irregular directions by the injection molding pressure and is solidified.
Claims14
A gas-permeable plug for inserting into an insertion hole formed through a part of a casing in an inward-outward direction of the casing, the gas-permeable plug comprising:
- a plug body;
- and
- a gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet including therein a plurality of minute permeable pores having irregular shapes and directed in irregular directions and/or a plurality of fine permeable gaps having irregular shapes and directed in irregular directions, wherein:
- the plug body comprises a material having rubber-like elasticity;
- the plug body has a vent hole formed at a center portion of the plug body in the inward-outward direction of the casing;
- the plug body has a sheet bonding portion formed outside of the vent hole;
- the plug body has a substantially ring shape or a substantially tubular shape having an outer shape slightly larger than an inner shape of the insertion hole;
- the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet is integrally bonded with the sheet bonding portion by mechanical engagement during formation of the plug body such that at least a portion of the minute permeable pores and/or the fine permeable gaps of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet at the sheet bonding portion has the material of the plug body solidified in irregular shapes and irregular directions therein;
- and
- a portion of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet is compressed in a thickness direction over a full area of the sheet bonding portion of the plug body and is thinner than an original thickness of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet,
- wherein the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet has an annular compressed portion located inside of the portion of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet at the sheet bonding portion, the annular compressed portion being compressed in the thickness direction and being thinner than the original thickness of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet.
A gas-permeable plug for inserting into an insertion hole formed through a part of a casing in an inward-outward direction of the casing, the gas-permeable plug comprising:
- a gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet including therein a plurality of minute permeable pores having irregular shapes and directed in irregular directions and/or a plurality of fine permeable gaps having irregular shapes and directed in irregular directions;
- a plug body having a sheet bonding portion to which the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet is integrally bonded;
- and
- a substantially tubular reinforcing body for reinforcing the sheet bonding portion of the plug body, wherein:
- the plug body comprises a material having rubber-like elasticity;
- the plug body has a vent hole formed at a center portion of the plug body in the inward-outward direction of the casing, the sheet bonding portion being formed outside of the vent hole;
- the plug body has an annular groove formed outside of the sheet bonding portion for the substantially tubular reinforcing body;
- the plug body has a substantially ring shape or a substantially tubular shape having an outer shape slightly larger than an inner shape of the insertion hole;
- the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet is integrally bonded with the sheet bonding portion by mechanical engagement during formation of the plug body such that at least a portion of the minute permeable pores and/or the fine permeable gaps of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet at the sheet bonding portion has the material of the plug body solidified in irregular shapes and irregular directions therein;
- the substantially tubular reinforcing body is fitted to an outside of the sheet bonding portion of the plug body and disposed in the annular groove;
- and
- a portion of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet is compressed in a thickness direction over a full area of the sheet bonding portion of the plug body and is thinner than an original thickness of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet,
- wherein the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet has an annular compressed portion located inside of the portion of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet at the sheet bonding portion, the annular compressed portion being compressed in the thickness direction and being thinner than the original thickness of the gas-permeable and liquid impermeable sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.