CN111278678A

CN111278678A - Combined splash seal and wear strip

Info

Publication number: CN111278678A
Application number: CN201880069159.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: E·E·克兹查波斯基; K·J·克兹查波斯基
Original assignee: Lifetime Industries Inc
Current assignee: Lifetime Industries Inc
Priority date: 2017-10-23
Filing date: 2018-05-18
Publication date: 2020-06-12
Also published as: DE112018004681B4; WO2019083562A1; AU2018353994A1; DE112018004681T5; MX2020004606A; CA3079659A1

Abstract

A seal assembly is secured to a floor portion of an RV having a slide-out room. The slide out room has walls and a floor separate from the RV floor. The seal assembly has a bottom plate portion, a separate wear strip, and a separate bubble seal. The bottom plate portion has: a fixed portion that receives a wear strip; and an outer leg connecting the bubble seal using a tongue and groove. Fasteners connect the wear strip and the base plate portion to the RV base plate. The floor portion includes a wiper extending upwardly from the inner edge. The catch wall extends adjacent to and cooperates with the wiper to form a trough for draining water. The capture wall may receive an angle feature to direct the discharged water outside the RV.

Description

Combined splash seal and wear strip

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application is a national phase application of PCT/US2018/033313 filed on day 5, month 18, 2018, claiming priority of U.S. application serial No. 15/791,288 filed on day 23, month 10, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Slide-out rooms are commonly used to expand the available space inside recreational vehicles ("RVs"). It is important to seal the slide out room from the outside of the vehicle. An insufficiently sealed slide-out room causes a perception in the mind of the end user that the vehicle is of low quality. The gap between the components of the slide out room and the RV creates an opportunity for wind, rodents, insects, water, debris or other undesirable elements to enter the interior of the RV. Evidence of an insufficiently sealed slide out room may be a four shot of light near the interface of the slide out room with the interior of the main RV, wind around the slide out room, or water entering the RV from around the slide out room.

It is particularly difficult to effectively seal the lower part of a slide-out room. There is a substantial chance that light, air or water will break the seal near this area of the slide-out room. While traveling along the road, water may be thrown up into the room. During travel, it is desirable to prevent water from splashing or slinging from below into the slide-out room.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure describes a seal assembly composed of individual sheets. The first sheet is designed to seal the main floor of the RV with the upper to the floor of the slide out room, with the resilient wiper sliding along the bottom of the slide out room floor. The first sheet includes a higher hardness wear strip that also slides along the slide out room floor. The second leaf is designed to seal the bottom panel of the RV against the side wall of the slide out room by having sealing feet that engage the side wall when the slide out room is in the retracted position. Another alternative embodiment of the seal assembly uses three sheets. The floor section has an outer foot and a wiper. Between the outer foot and the wiper is a fixed part that receives a separate wear strip, which is a separate, replaceable part attached to the floor part. The outer leg receives a bubble-seal that is connected to the first panel by a tongue and groove connection. The catch wall extends upwardly adjacent the wiper to form a trough for guiding water.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an RV having a slide out room;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view taken at area 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view above the main floor of the slide out room in a retracted position;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the bottom plate portion of the seal shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the splash portion of the seal shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom plate portion of the seal shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a splash portion of the seal shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side view above the main floor of the slide out room in a retracted position;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the bottom plate portion of the seal shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom plate portion of the seal shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a side view of a slide out room in an extended position;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the seal shown in FIG. 4 with the bridge added;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the inclined floor section;

FIG. 14 is a side view of an inclined floor section with individual support members under the wear strip;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the seal under the floor of a roll-out room of the RV;

FIG. 15A is an exploded view of the wear strip of the seal shown in FIG. 15 above its stationary portion;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the seal under the floor of a roll-out room of the RV;

FIG. 16A is an exploded view of the wear strip of the seal shown in FIG. 16 above its stationary portion;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the seal under the floor of a roll-out room of the RV;

FIG. 17A is an exploded view of the wear strip of the seal shown in FIG. 17 above its stationary portion;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the seal under the floor of the RV's slide-out room; and

FIG. 18A is an exploded view of the wear strip of the seal shown in FIG. 18 above its stationary portion;

FIG. 19 is an end view of the wear strip and seal; and

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the wear strip and seal shown in FIG. 19 in use below the RV baseplate;

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of the seal shown in FIGS. 19-20;

FIG. 22 is a view of the seal shown in FIGS. 19-21 assembled into a corner of a roll-out room of an RV; and

fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view 23-23 of the wear strip and seal shown in fig. 22.

Detailed Description

The present invention is a seal 10 for sealing under a slide-out room 12 in an entertainment vehicle ("RV") 14. The slide out room 12 is slidably retained in an opening in the side wall 13 of RV 14. Slide out room 12 has an end wall 16 facing outwardly of RV14 and overlapping side wall 13 of RV 14. The end wall 16 is shown in fig. 2. The end walls 16 are attached to a slide out room floor 20 that slides over a main floor 22 that serves as the floor of the entertainment vehicle. The main bottom panel 22 has an outermost edge 23 defining the outermost portion of the bottom panel 20. The end walls 16 are also connected to slide-out room side walls and roof (which are not shown) to form the slide-out room 12. The slide out room 12 is slidable from the retracted position shown in fig. 1 and 2 to an extended position that positions the end wall 16a distance spaced further from the side wall 13 of the entertainment vehicle. The extended position is not shown.

When the slide out room floor 20 is slid on the main floor 22 to switch between extended and retracted positions, the slide out room floor 20 is spaced apart from the main floor 22. Figures 2 and 4 show the space 25 between the main floor 22 and the slide out room floor 20. The seal 10 of the present invention is positioned at least partially in the space 25.

Fig. 4 shows the bottom plate portion 34 of the seal 10 secured to the main bottom plate 22. The sole plate portion 34 has an inner flange 36 and an outer flange 38 that are integral and joined to a wear strip 48. Inner flange 36 has a lower surface 37 that is coplanar with a lower surface 39 of outer flange 38. Both

flanges

36, 38 are mutually collinear and the

lower surfaces

37, 39 are coplanar. The flange 36 has a first terminal end 41 and a second terminal end 43. The flange 38 has a first terminal end 47 and a second terminal end 49. The outer leg 40, which is attached to the second terminal end 49 of the outer flange 38, has a lower portion 42 adapted to locate the floor section 34 along the outermost edge 23 of the main floor 22. The lower portion 42 is made of a relatively high durometer elastomeric material and is the same material as the inner and

outer flanges

36, 38. The upper portion 44 of the outer leg 40 extends upwardly and is opposite the lower portion 42. The upper portion 44 is coplanar with the lower portion 42 and collinear where the two meet. As will be discussed further below, it is not necessary to have upper portion 44 and lower portion 42 of outer leg portion 40 be collinear. The upper portion 44 has a thinned section 45 near the distal end 46. The thinned section 45 near the distal end 46 provides a very flexible tip that is adapted to rub in a sealed manner against the slide out room floor 20. The upper portion 44 of the outer leg 40 is resilient and more flexible than the lower portion 42. In addition to being thinned, the upper portion 44 may also be made of a lower durometer material, as is the case in the floor section 34 shown in FIG. 4.

The inner flange 36 and outer flange 38 are separated by a wear strip 48. The wear strip 48 has an inwardly upstanding member 50 and an outwardly upstanding member 52. The inwardly and outwardly

upstanding members

50, 52 are perpendicular to the inner and

outer flanges

36, 38 and extend upwardly opposite the

lower surfaces

37, 39. The inner flange 36 and outer flange 38 are integrally joined at their respective terminal ends 41, 47 to the

upright members

50, 52 such that no portion of the

flanges

36, 38 extends beyond the

upright members

50, 52.

Upright members

50, 52 terminate in an arcuate top 54 that is integrally joined to

upright members

50, 52. The arcuate top 54 has an upper surface 56 and a lower surface 58. The lower surface 58 of the arcuate top 54 is spaced from the

lower surfaces

37, 39 of the

flanges

36, 38. Thus, there is a predetermined distance D1 between the lower surface 58 of the arcuate top 54 and the plane formed by the coplanar

lower surfaces

37, 39. The coplanar

lower surfaces

37, 39 lie in a plane which is the main floor 22. Thus, the lower surface 58 of the curved top 54 is spaced apart from the main floor 22 by a predetermined distance D1 when installed. The arcuate top 54 has peaks 60 evenly spaced between the

upright members

50, 52. When installed as shown in fig. 3, the peak 60 forms the furthest point of the wear strip 48 above the main floor 22. The peak 60 is the position on the wear strip 48 that is furthest from the

lower surfaces

37, 39 and is located at the approximate midpoint of the arcuate top 54.

Wear strip 48 includes a post 64 that extends from lower surface 58 toward

lower surfaces

37, 39 of

flanges

36, 38. Fig. 4 shows the strut 64. The post 64 has a distal end 66 furthest from the lower surface 58, the post 64 being attached to the lower surface 58. Distal end 66 is a predetermined distance D2 from lower surface 58. Because the distal end 66 is closer to the lower surface of the arcuate apex 58 than the

lower surfaces

37, 39, the strut 64 does not contact the main floor 22 when the wear strip 48 is in the undeformed state as shown in fig. 4. That is, the posts 66 are shorter than the height of the lower surface 58 of the curved top 54 above the main floor 22. With sufficient force, the wear strip 48 may be deformed such that the posts 66 contact the main floor 22. The posts 64 may provide some additional support for the base plate 20 when it is sufficiently deformed such that the posts 64 contact the main base plate 22. In the case of the wear strip 48 shown in fig. 12, the bridge 59 spans between the inner flange 36 and the outer flange 38. The wear strip 48 shown in fig. 12 has struts 64 connected to the bridge 59. Thus, the wear strip 48 shown in FIG. 12 is more rigid than that shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the strut 64 provides constant support for the top of the wear strip 48.

In addition to the floor portion 34, the seal 10 has a splash guard portion 70 adapted to seal against the end wall 16. The splash guard portion 70 is L-shaped with a mounting leg 72 integrally joined to a sealing leg 74. Approximately half of the fixing leg 72 and the sealing leg 74 are made of the same rigid material. The fixing feet 72 are adapted to be fixed to the outermost edges 23 of the main floor 22. The sealing leg 74 is made of a lower durometer material near its distal end 78. The portion of the sealing leg 74 nearest the distal end 78 is resilient and more flexible than the portion of the sealing leg 74 nearest the anchor leg 72. Fig. 5 shows different hatched portions indicating the above-mentioned parts of the sealing foot 74. The distal end 78 is adapted to flexibly seal the end wall 16 of the slide out room 12 when the slide out room 12 is in its retracted position as shown in fig. 2.

The seal 10 is installed as shown in figure 3. The lower surfaces 37, 39 of the inner flange 36 and outer flange 38 rest on the main floor 22. Splash guard portion 70 of seal 10 is positioned such that mounting feet 72 are between lower portion 42 of floor section 34 and edge 23 of main floor 22. As shown in fig. 3, a separate fastener 88 may extend through both the lower portion 42 and the fixing leg 72 to retain the seal 10 to the RV. The clamping of the retention legs 72 allows the weight of the seal leg 74 and any force applied to the distal end 78 to be distributed over the lower portion 42 and not directly to the fastener 88. Additional fasteners 90 may be directed through the inner flange 36 and into the main floor 22. The

fasteners

88, 90 may be screws, nails, staples, or other suitable fasteners. In its installed position, splash guard 70 seals against end wall 16 to prevent water or other debris from entering slide out room 12 from below.

An alternative embodiment of the floor section 34 has an inclined floor section 68 shown in fig. 9-10, 13 and 14. The inclined floor section 68 is well suited for use in flush floor slide-out spaces where the floor 20 of the slide-out space falls when fully extended, removing the step-up area when a user moves between the main floor and the fully extended slide-out space floor. The inclined floor portion 68 has an inner flange 86 and an outer flange 85 that are continuous with and integral with the outer leg 83 as shown in fig. 10. The inner flange 86 has a lower surface 87 that is coplanar with the lower surface 89 of the outer flange 85. The

flanges

86, 85 are co-linear with one another and the

lower surfaces

87, 89 are coplanar. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the

flanges

86, 85 need not be collinear. Flange 86 has a first terminal end 91 and a second terminal end 93. The flange 85 has a first terminal end 97 and a second terminal end 99 as shown in fig. 9. As shown in fig. 8, the outer leg 83 attached to the second terminal end 99 of the outer flange 85 has a lower portion 92 adapted to locate the inclined floor section 68 along the outermost edge 23 of the main floor 22.

Lower portion 92 is made of a relatively high durometer elastomeric material, similar to lower portion 92. An upper portion 94 of the outer leg 83 extends upwardly and is opposite the lower portion 92. The upper portion 94 is more flexible than the lower portion 92 and is coplanar with the lower portion 92 and collinear at the intersection of the two. As previously mentioned, the upper portion 94 and the lower portion 92 need not be collinear. As shown in fig. 9, the upper portion 94 has a thinned section 95 near the distal end 96. The thinned section 95 near the distal end 96 provides a very flexible tip that is adapted to rub in a sealed manner against the slide out room floor 20. The upper portion 94 of the outer leg 83 is resilient and more flexible than the lower portion 92.

As shown in fig. 9, the inner flange 86 and outer flange 85 are separated by a wear strip 98. The wear strip 98 has an inwardly upstanding member 100 and an outwardly inclined member 102. The outwardly inclined member 102 has an inclined surface 110. The inwardly upstanding member 100 and the outwardly inclined member 102 are angled (inclined) relative to the

flanges

86, 85 and project outwardly opposite the

lower surfaces

87, 89. The inner flange 86 and outer flange 85 are integrally joined at their respective terminal ends 91, 97 to the inward and

outward members

100, 102 such that no portion of the

flanges

86, 85 extends beyond the

members

100, 102. The inward and

outward members

100, 102 terminate in a flat top 104 that is integrally joined to the

members

100, 102. The flat top 104 has an upper surface 106 and a lower surface 108. The lower surface 108 of the flat top 104 is spaced from the

lower surfaces

87, 89 of the flanges. As shown in fig. 9, inwardly upstanding member 100 is at an acute angle relative to inner flange 86, but it is contemplated that it may be vertical. The outwardly inclined member 102 as shown in fig. 10 is at an obtuse angle relative to the outer flange 85. Due to the angle of the outwardly pitched member 102 and the inwardly upstanding member 100, they tend to flex inwardly when pressure is placed on the top portion 104. Additional fasteners 90, as shown in fig. 8, may be directed through the inner flange 86 to enter the main floor 22. The

fasteners

The inclined floor section 68 as shown in fig. 13 includes a support rib 115 extending integrally from the lower surface 108 of the wear strip. The support ribs support the upper surface 106 of the wear strip 98. The support ribs 115 are angled (inclined) parallel to the inwardly upstanding member 100. As such, the downward force that may deflect wear strip 98 may tend to bend wear strip 98 inward toward inner flange 86.

In some cases, it may be desirable to have a bearing for the wear strip 98 that is not integrally attached to the wear strip 98. In this case, a separate bearing member 120 may be inserted under the wear strip 98 as shown in fig. 14. The separate support member 120 is a press-out that extends longitudinally in a complementary manner below the wear strip 98 and includes its own support rib 122, the support rib 122 effectively rigidifying the wear strip 98 of the inclined floor section 68. The individual support members 120 include support ledges 126 that can receive fasteners 128, such as screws, that hold the support members 120 in place when the inclined floor portion 68 is placed thereover. The lower surface 127 of the support ledge 126 is adapted to rest on the main living area floor 22. The distal ends 132 of the support ribs 122 extend to align with the lower surface 127 of the support ledge.

The inclined floor section 68 shown in fig. 14 includes an outer leg having an offset upper portion 44, a lower portion 42 thereof, and functions the same as the upper portion shown in fig. 8-13.

In some cases, it may be desirable to have

wear strips

136, 138, 140, 142 that may be attached to the top of the floor portion 150, respectively. The floor section 150 as shown in fig. 15-18 houses the wear strips 136, 138, 140, 142, which are attached to the top of their respective floor sections 150. In the embodiment shown in fig. 15-18, the floor portion 150 has an inner flange 156 and an outer flange 158, the inner and

outer flanges

156, 158 being integral and joined to a securing portion 160 having a securing surface 162. The inner flange 156 has a lower surface 164, an upper surface 166, a first terminal 168 and a second terminal 170. The outer flange 158 has a first terminal end 172, a second terminal end 174, an upper surface 176, and a lower surface 178. In the embodiment shown in fig. 15-18, the

lower surfaces

164, 178 are parallel to each other. An outer leg 180 is attached to the second terminal end 174 of the outer flange 158. The outer leg 180 has an upper portion 182 and a lower portion 184. The upper portion 182 extends upwardly opposite the lower portion 184, which extends below the

flanges

156, 158 opposite the fixing surface 162. As shown in fig. 15-18, the upper portion 182 and the lower portion 184 of the outer leg 180 are not collinear. As in the previous embodiment, lower portion 184 is adapted to locate floor section 150 along the outermost edge 23 of main floor 22.

The inner and

outer flanges

156, 158 are spaced apart by a fixed portion 160. In fig. 17 and 18, the securing portion 160 is aligned with the inner and

outer flanges

156, 158. In fig. 15 and 16, the securing portion 160 is raised above the inner and

outer flanges

156, 158. In fig. 17 and 18, the first terminal end 168 of the inner flange 156 transitions directly to the fixed portion 160, while the first terminal end 172 of the outer flange 158 transitions directly to the fixed portion 160. In the configuration shown in fig. 15 and 16, the

first terminals

172, 168 are connected to an upwardly extending rib 190, the rib 190 supporting a raised fixing portion 192 spaced above the inner and

outer flanges

156, 158.

Returning to the embodiment shown in fig. 17 and 18, the wear strips 140, 142 each have a downwardly extending leg 198, wherein each leg 198 has a terminal end 200. The terminal end 200 of each leg 198 is rounded in fig. 17 and 18. The securing surface 162 of the securing portion 160 includes a stop 202, the stop 202 being adapted to complementarily receive the terminal end 200 of the leg 198, the stop 202 being best shown in exploded views 17A, 18B. This complementary fit between the feet 198 and the detents (pawl portions) 202 provides lateral stability, which effectively positions the wear strips 140, 142 on their respective fixed portions 160. In addition, the securing surface 162 includes a foot 204 that extends upwardly to complementarily engage a stop 206 in a lower surface 208 of the wear strips 140, 142, and this further provides effective positioning of the wear strips 140, 142. Wear strip 140 includes a screw pocket 195 (not shown in fig. 17 and 17A) that receives a screw that passes through wear strip 140 and through securing surface 162 to secure wear strip 140 to its securing surface 162. The wear strip 142 shown in fig. 18 and 18A receives a screw 209 that is guided between the intermediate legs 198' and into the fixing surface 162, and this is best shown in fig. 18A.

Returning to the embodiment shown in fig. 15 and 16, the securing portion 160 is spaced above the inner and

outer flanges

156, 158 by ribs 190. The outermost ribs 190 integrally join the first terminal end 168 of their respective inner flange 156 and the first terminal end 172 of the respective outer flange 158. The intermediate ribs 210 provide centrally located support for the fixed portion 160. In the embodiment shown in fig. 15, the stop 214 is a notch located opposite the outermost upwardly extending rib 190. A foot 216 extends downwardly from the wear strip 136 to complementarily engage the stop 214. A foot 218 extends upwardly from the fixed surface 162 to engage a lower surface 220 of the wear strip 136. A screw pocket (recess) 224 is centrally located in the wear strip 136 and may receive a screw or nail (not shown) to secure the wear strip 136 to the stationary portion 160. In the embodiment shown in fig. 16 and 16A, the lower surface 225 of the wear strip 138 includes a wide stop 230. Legs 232 extend upwardly from the fixed surface 162 and fit within the stops 230. The legs 232 are more centrally located within the stop 230 and, although they do not contact both sides of the stop 230, provide a good lateral position due to their inwardly biased position. The feet 236 extend downward from the wear strip 138 to rest on the fixed surface 162. As shown in fig. 16A, screws 237 may pass through wear bar 138 to secure it to floor portion 150. In each of the embodiments shown in fig. 15-18, the second terminal end 170 of the inner flange 156 is joined to a rear wall 240 that extends above the inner flange 156. The wear strips 136, 138, 140, 142 and floor portion 150 shown in fig. 15-18 are all elongate members of intermediate length (indeterminate length) as shown in fig. 6, cut to length by the end user.

When the slide out room 12 is moved between the extended and retracted positions, the floor 20 slides over the upper portion 44 as shown in FIG. 2 to form a seal. If the slide-out room 12 has a drop-down floor, as shown in fig. 11, the inclined surface 110 allows the floor 20 to smoothly transition from a position where it overlies the main floor 22 to a position where the upper surface of the floor 20 is aligned with the main floor 22. When the slide out room is retracted, the inclined surface 110 allows the floor 20 to smoothly transition to a position where it covers the main floor 22.

In the case of using the slide out room 12 with a seal as shown in fig. 15-18, the slide out room floor 20 of the slide out room 12 slides over the respective wear strips 136, 138, 140, 142 and is sealed against the floor by the upper portion 182 of the floor section 150 which contacts the floor 20 as the floor moves.

An alternative embodiment of the seal 250 is shown in fig. 19-23. The seal 250 has a bottom portion 252, a separate wear strip 254 and a separate bubble seal 256. The base plate portion 252 is formed of a continuous extruded material of varying hardness and has a flat fixing portion 260. The fixed portion 260 has an upper surface 262 and a lower surface 264. The lower surface 264 is designed to directly contact the main floor 22 as shown in fig. 20. The fixation section 260 is defined by and located between a lateral edge 266 and a medial edge 268. At the outboard edge 266 is an outer leg 270 that extends away from the fixed portion 260 in the same direction as the lower surface 264. The outer foot 270 has a floor-facing surface 272 that is designed to contact the outermost edge 23 of the main floor 22. Located opposite the floor-facing surface 272 is a connector 274 designed to receive the bubble-seal 256. The connector 274 has

upstanding walls

278, 280 and depending

walls

282, 284 facing away from each other. The

upstanding walls

278, 280 and depending

walls

282, 284 cooperate to form L-shaped tabs that form the connector 274. Located at the inboard edge 268 is a wiper 290 having a flexible portion 292 terminating in a terminal edge 294. As shown, the wiper 290 has a more rigid portion 293 formed from the same material as the floor portion 252, but it is contemplated that the flexible portion 292 extends down to the inboard edge 268. The flexible portion 292 is made of a more flexible material than the rest of the base plate portion 252. This is typically achieved by co-extruding two materials having different hardnesses. As shown in fig. 20, the terminal edge 294 contacts the slide out room floor 20 to form a seal as the slide out room 12 transitions between the open and closed positions. The flexible portion 292 allows the wiper to flex as shown in fig. 20. As shown in fig. 19, the terminal edge 294 of the wiper extends upward more than the wear strip 254. Because it is tall, the wiper 290 remains in contact with the bottom of the sole plate 20. When the slide out room 12 is moved to the closed position, the wiper 290 switches to the position shown in fig. 20. When the slide out room 12 is moved to the open position, the flexible portion 294, the wiper, switches in the opposite direction. The catch portion 296 is affixed at or near the inboard edge 268 and is adjacent to the wiper 290. The catch portion 296 and the wiper 290 cooperate to form the slot 316. The groove 316 provides a passage for water to drain to one end of the seal 250. The catch portion 296 includes a catch wall 328 having an upper edge 330. The catch wall 328 is angled away from the wiper 290 with the upper edge 330 furthest away. The upper edge 330 of the catch wall 328 extends to a hook wall 332. Hook wall 332 is spaced from and parallel to capture wall 328. The capture portion 296 is shown as terminating at or near the wiper 290 and the inboard edge 268, but it is contemplated that the fixed portion 260 extends beyond the wiper 290 and a portion of the slot 316 has a flat area that is coplanar with the fixed portion 260.

As shown in fig. 20, the individual wear strips 254 are designed to be attached to the floor portion using fasteners 298. The wear strip 254 is an elongated member that is typically extruded and formed from a single material that is relatively rigid but still retains some elastic properties. The wear strip 254 has an inner fixed flange 297 and an outer fixed flange 300 aligned with the base wall 295 and continues into a flat lower surface 302 defining the bottom of the wear strip 254. The securing flange has an upper surface 304 and side edges 301, 303. Side edge 303 is the outer edge and side edge 301 is the inner edge. The outboard edge 303 and the inboard edge 301 define the outermost lateral boundaries of the wear strip. The wear strip 254 includes an upper wall 306 having an arcuate top surface 308. The upper wall 306 is located between the mounting

flanges

297, 300 by three

walls

310, 312, 314. The mounting flange 300 extends beyond the

walls

310, 312. The upper wall 306 is shown to be thicker than the

walls

310, 312, 314. The extra thickness in this region provides a longer wear life of the wear strip 254. The movement of the slide out room 12 over the wear bar 254 wears material off the arcuate top surface 308. It is contemplated that the thickness of the upper wall 306 and the

walls

310, 312, 314 may be matched. The

outer walls

310, 312 extend continuously from the upper wall 306. Strut walls 314 are support walls that extend between the centers of base wall 295 and upper wall 306. As shown, it is located directly below the center of the arcuate top surface 308. It is contemplated that the wear strip 254 may have walls offset from the center of the top surface 308 or additional strut walls. It is further contemplated that the arcuate top surface 308 is connected to the fixed flange 300 by a solid wall, wherein the individual wear strips 254 are solid components. Much like the cavities created between the

walls

310, 32, 314, other material saving features, such as coring, may be implemented.

Bubble-seal 256 is also formed from a continuously extruded material of varying hardness. There are inwardly facing

tabs

320, 322 of higher durometer forming a connector 323. The connector 323 is formed from an L-shaped tab and mates with the connector 274 using a tongue and groove. The tongue and groove connection allows the bubble-seal 256 to slide along its length onto the bottom plate portion 252. The L-shaped tab has an offset wall and a depending wall. As shown, the depending walls of the L-shaped tabs face each other, but it is contemplated that the depending walls face away from each other and that the depending walls facing each other are located on the connecting member 274. The thin sheet (web) 324 is formed of a similar higher stiffness. Bubble portion 326 is formed of a lower durometer such that bubble portion 326 is able to deform when pressure is applied. Since the tab 324 is formed of a higher durometer, it resists deformation compared to the bubble portion 326. The higher durometer tabs 324 may extend partially into the bubble portion 326 to provide increased resistance to deformation or crushing, or to direct the seal to a particular shape in the compressed position. Fig. 20 shows bubble portion 326 partially compressed when contacting end wall 16.

As shown in fig. 22, the seal 250 is designed to mate with the corner 350 at its terminal end. Corner 350 has a front wall 352, a horizontal wall 354, a vertical wall 356, a rear wall 358, and an angled wall 360. These walls join and intersect as shown in fig. 22 and cooperate with floor portion 252 to form a drain path. The capture portion 296 receives the angled wall 360 while the horizontal wall 354 is located below the lower surface 264. Any gap between vertical wall 356 and wiper 290 allows water to flow from trough 316 to the exterior of RV 14. A secondary channel 362 is formed between the wiper 290 and the wear strip 254. The secondary channel 362 also discharges any water to the corner 350 where it may flow to the outside of the RV14 at the corner 350.

To install the seal 250, the user first aligns the bottom plate portion 252 with the outer rim 23 of the main bottom plate 22 and the lower surface 264 of the stationary portion on the top surface (upper surface) of the main bottom plate 22. The ends are mated with the corners 350 prior to the wear strip 254 being attached to the stationary portion 260 and the main base plate 22 by the fasteners 298. Ideally, a gap is left between the terminal end of the bottom plate portion 252 and the vertical wall 356. The fixed portion 260 covers the horizontal wall 354 and the inclined wall 360 slides within the capture portion 296. Angled wall 360 is located between capture wall 328 and hook wall 332. The front wall 352 is covered by the outer leg 270. Sealant can be added where the seal 250 meets the corner 350. The wear strip 254 is then positioned on the upper surface 262, and the fixture 298 passes over the stationary flange wall 300, the stationary portion 260, and into the main floor 22. Upper surface 262 may include additional stop walls or other features that will provide a reference against inside edge 301. The stop wall is short, but high enough to provide a stop for the installer to slide the wear strip 254 into one position prior to installing the fastener 298. Additional fasteners 299 pass over the outer leg 270 and into the outer edge 23 of the main floor 22. The bubble-seal 256 is then slid into

place using connectors

274 and 323 and secured using screws, nails, or other attachment methods. Attaching the bubble-seal 256 to the outer leg 270 prevents it from sliding off. The structure of the various surfaces and components is shown in fig. 23.

It should be understood that while certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter are illustrated and described, the disclosed subject matter is not limited thereto but includes various other embodiments and aspects. No particular limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. Modifications may be made to the disclosed subject matter as described in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A seal for a living area having a main living area wall and a main living area floor defining a main living area, the main living area floor having: a side edge; an aperture in one of the main living section walls and slidably receiving a slide out room having slide out room walls; an end wall; and a second floor defining an auxiliary living space, the slide-out room being movable between a retracted position and an extended position, the second floor being adapted to slidably cover and be spaced from the primary living area floor, the seal comprising:

a bubble-seal having a bubble portion and a connector;

a wear strip having a securing flange with a substantially planar lower surface and an oppositely positioned upper surface, the securing flange connected to and integrally joined with an arcuate top portion having an upper surface;

a base portion having a fixing portion including an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface of the fixing portion adapted to receive the wear strip, the base portion having an outer leg integrally attached to an outer edge of the fixing portion, the outer leg extending away from and beyond the lower surface of the fixing portion, the outer leg including a connector adapted to receive the bubble seal, the fixing portion having a wiper extending away from and beyond the upper surface of the fixing portion and in an opposite direction to the outer leg; and

a catch wall extending from the fixed portion in a direction opposite the outer foot and having an upper end opposite the fixed portion, the upper end of the catch wall extending away from and beyond the upper surface at an oblique angle, the catch wall and the wiper cooperating to form a recess therebetween.

2. The seal of claim 1, wherein the capture wall includes a flat between the upper end and the stationary portion, the flat being substantially parallel to the stationary portion.

3. The seal of claim 1, wherein said outer leg is orthogonally angled relative to said stationary portion.

4. The seal of claim 1, wherein the wear strip includes an outer upstanding member extending between the upper surface and the retention flange.

5. The seal of claim 4, wherein the wear strip includes a strut wall extending between the upper surface and the retention flange, the strut wall being located at a midpoint between the outer upstanding members.

6. The seal of claim 1, wherein one of the outer leg and the bubble-seal comprises a tongue connection and the other of the outer leg and the bubble-seal comprises a groove connection.

7. The seal of claim 6, wherein the groove connection comprises an L-shaped tab.

8. The seal of claim 6, wherein the bubble portion of the bubble-seal is formed of a material having a lower durometer than the connector of the bubble-seal.

9. The seal of claim 6, wherein said wiper includes a portion formed of a more flexible material than said stationary portion.

10. The seal of claim 6 wherein said upper end of said catch wall is connected to a hook wall, said hook wall being substantially parallel to and spaced from a portion of said catch wall.

11. The seal of claim 10, wherein the groove connection comprises an L-shaped tab.