Suction device
OwnerAdam P. Summers, Stanislav Gorbinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A suction device having the ability to adhere to rough surfaces is provided, along with methods for attaching the suction device to a target surface. The suction device includes a body having a suction area and a plurality of micro-rods depending from margins of the suction area. The micro-rods provide sufficient friction when placed against a target surface that a suction seal can be formed by generating negative pressure between the suction area and the target surface. In certain embodiments, the suction device provides suction even on wet or underwater surfaces.
Claims18
A suction device having the ability to adhere to a rough surface, comprising:
- a body formed from a polymer and having a suction area defined by one or more margins configured to rest in close apposition with a target surface, wherein the suction area is flexible and configured to create a suction seal against the target surface with negative pressure between the suction area and the target surface;
- and
- a plurality of elongated micro-rods depending from the one or more margins, wherein each of the plurality of elongated micro-rods is less than 1000 microns in diameter, the plurality of micro-rods have a packing density such that the one or more margins are predominantly bounded with micro-rods, wherein the size, composition, and packing density of the micro-rods provide sufficient friction between the micro-rods and the target surface to maintain the suction seal between the suction area and the target surface;
- wherein the body of the suction device and the plurality of micro-rods are configured to adhere to the target surface through a combination of suction generated by the negative pressure between the suction area and the target surface and friction generated between the plurality of micro-rods and the target surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.