Dual shot one-way drain hole plug
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsMingher Fred Shen, Brandon W. Letcher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A one-way drain hole plug that affords for easy, quick, and proper installation into a panel having drain hole. The one-way drain hole plug includes a seal portion made from a first material and a hollow bulb portion made from a second material that is harder and/or stronger than the first material. The hardness or strength of the second material prevents the hollow bulb portion and the base attached thereto from collapsing during installation of the one-way drain hole plug into the drain hole. However, the first material is soft or pliable enough to allow sufficient deformation of the drain hole insert as it is pushed through the drain hole and provide a liquid-tight fit with the panel.
Claims13
A one-way drain hole plug comprising:
- a seal portion made from a first material and a hollow bulb portion made from a second material that is harder than said first material;
- said seal portion having a base with a panel flange and a drain hole insert, said drain hole insert having a truncated-cone shape with an inner bore and a bottom edge that is spaced apart from said panel flange, said drain hole insert also having an inclined outer sidewall extending from said bottom edge to a top edge and a sidewall channel extending through said inclined outer sidewall to said inner bore;
- said hollow bulb portion extending from said seal portion and in fluid communication with said seal portion via said inner bore, said hollow bulb portion having a bottom opening;
- and
- a hollow flange with a liquid exit slot, said hollow flange extending from said hollow bulb portion and in fluid communication with said bottom opening of said hollow bulb portion such that liquid flows through said sidewall channel of said seal portion into said hollow bulb portion, and through said hollow flange.
A process for installing a one-way drain hole plug into a panel having a drain hole, the process comprising:
- providing a panel having a thickness of t1 and a drain hole with a diameter of dh;
- providing a one-way drain hole plug having:
- a seal made from a first material and a hollow bulb made from a second material, the second material having a second material hardness that is greater than a first material hardness of the first material;
- the seal having a base attached to the hollow bulb, the base having a panel flange and a drain hole insert, the drain hole insert having a truncated-cone shape with an inner bore and a bottom edge that is spaced apart from the panel flange by a distance t1, the drain hole insert also having an inclined outer sidewall extending from the bottom edge to a top edge and a sidewall channel extending through the inclined outer sidewall to the inner bore;
- the hollow bulb extending from the base of the seal and in fluid communication with the seal via the inner bore, the hollow bulb having a bottom opening that liquid can flow through;
- and
- a hollow flange with a liquid exit slot, the hollow flange extending from the hollow bulb and in fluid communication with the bottom opening of the hollow bulb such that liquid flows through the sidewall channel of the seal into the hollow bulb, and through the hollow flange;
- installing the one-way drain hole plug by grasping the hollow bulb with at least two fingers and pushing the seal into the drain hole until the bottom edge of the drain hole insert passes through the drain hole and is located on one side of the panel and the panel flange of the base is located on an opposite side of the panel, the second material hardness of the second material preventing the hollow bulb and the seal base attached to the hollow bulb from collapsing during installation of the one-way drain hole plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.