WO2014171905A1

WO2014171905A1 - A coated and foamed sealing member

Info

Publication number: WO2014171905A1
Application number: PCT/TR2014/000128
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alper MIZRAKLI
Original assignee: Conta Elastik Urunler San. Ve Tic. A.S.
Priority date: 2013-04-18
Filing date: 2014-04-18
Publication date: 2014-10-23

Abstract

The present invention is related to a coated and foamed sealing member (1, 2, 3) that has been developed in order to be used in household appliances and is easy to use and mount, long-lasting and durable. Said gasket contributes to liquid, sound and gas sealing thanks to its chamber-structure (1.2), foaming technology and double-layered coating (1.3) within the special design thereof, which consists of two main body embodiments.

Description

DESCRIPTION

A COATED AND FOAMED SEALING MEMBER

The Related Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to a coated and foamed sealing member that has been developed in order to be used in household appliances and is easy to use and mount, long- lasting and durable.

State of the Art:

The gaskets used in mechanical and electronic household appliances utilized in houses, offices, schools and similar indoor areas, are necessary sealing members.

Liquid sealing becomes prominent as the most important usa characteristic in said devices. Therefore, ensuring liquid a gas sealing is both a challenging and obligatory requirement.

The sealing levels are controlled in said devices and machines produced during the production by means of several tests; while majority of devices cause problems during the trial tests, some other devices pass said stage, but their sealing tendencies are short-termed. Thus, it becomes prominent as the biggest user problem.

Especially, EPDM gaskets are used in kitchen appliances and the doors of white appliances. EPDM gaskets can be produced as single component. EPDM gaskets lead to a great amount of bacteria to grow in long-term uses due to the raw materials thereof. Since, EPDM is a material suitable for bacterial growth. Therefore, using said gasket in house and kitchen appliances, especially in the white appliances has many disadvantages.

Furthermore, the gaskets produced by using EPDM and PVC begin to emit gas and odor in time as they are subjected to moisture and heat in their usage areas. This condition, in turn, leads to problems while using in household appliances.

In the state of art, another disadvantage of the gaskets used in white appliances is that mounting thereof requires longer periods and intensive labor.

On the other hand, the bacteria can grow on said gaskets in a fast and easy manner. Thus, when they are used in the places requiring hygiene, they lead to growth of a great amount of bacteria and similar living creatures. For example, use of said gaskets for kitchen appliances is not healthy.

In the patent application numbered W09819118 and titled "Heat- insulating case for domestic-type cooler or freezer", it is stated that "The present invention is related to a heat- insulating body for domestic-type cooler or freezer, which comprises a synthetic inner coating and an outer coating at a certain distance from thereof. Heat-insulating foam layer is filled between the coatings, where electricity, liquid and similar lines pass through. Said lines pass into the intermediate section through the passages at the outer coating. The passages are sealed with appropriate means in order to prevent the foam from leaking out. The passages are in the shape of casing-type additional part, into which the lines are placed, and are surrounded by compressible gasket materials in order to prevent foam from leaking out. The gasket materials are kept within the casing-type additional part so as to be appropriate for the shape or in a non-slip manner . "

In the utility model application numbered TR 2001/034650 and titled "Foam-layered, induction heat-sealed compatible gasket", it is stated that "The present invention is a gasket used for sealing the mouth in order to protect the materials placed therein and for enhancing the mouth insulation in the caps serving as external insulation. The gasket is mounted between the mouths of present caps and containers (carrier receptacles) mounted via close fit. The. gasket sticks to the mouth of container (carrier receptacle) by means of electromagnetic wave application and fills the gap between the cap and mouth. Therefore, sealing and hygienic efficiency are increased."

Object of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to disclose a coated and foamed gasket that is healthier, more useful, flexible, and long-lasting and is used in household appliances.

Another object of the present invention is to minimize the deformations occurring in the gaskets by means of coating and foaming technology. Another object of the present invention is to make the gaskets lighter by using foaming technology and to achieve saving on costs.

Another object of the present invention is to enhance the internal sound and heat insulation thanks to foaming and coating technology.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy cleaning thanks to the fact that the surface of gasket is flat and smooth.

A further object of the present invention is to ensure high level of insulation and sealing thanks to the fact that the gasket comprises foamed components.

A further object, of the present invention is to prevent surface stains occurring on the surface due to wastes and detergent in time, because the gasket is TP.E.

A still further object of the present invention is to prevent the problem of shortening the lives of gaskets used in the doors by means of foaming process when they are subjected to force and pressure.

Description of the Figures

Figure 1. The lateral sectional view of the coated and foamed gasket Figure 2. The alternative type of foamed gasket Figure 3. The alternative type of foamed gasket Figure 4. The alternative type of foamed gasket

The parts shown in the figures above are individually enumerated and the part descriptions corresponding to those numerals are given below;

1. Gasket main body

1.1. Foam structure

1.2. Chamber

1.3. Double-layered coating

2. Carrier legs

2.1. Insulation chamber

2.2. Joining surface

2.3. Locking wall

3. Gasket secondary member

3.1. Secondary chamber

3.2. Holder legs

3.3. Mounting curve

Description of the Invention

The present invention is a gasket used as sealing member in all kinds of household appliances and made of coated and foamed TPE material, and it comprises a circular body member (1) , the inner structure of which is made of completely foamed material in order to make the product lighter by lowering the raw material density and to ensure the sound insulation, and which comprises at least one sealing enhancing chamber (1.2) in the form of four-leaf clover on said inner foam structure (1.1), and double-layered coating (1.3) at the outside thereof, which enhances sealing, minimizes the possibility of bacterial growth by making the surface smooth and flat, and makes the structure easy to clean, carrier legs (2) parallel to each other, which are located at the lower surface of main body by having a distance more than the width of secondary body member (3) there between in order to create at ^: least one insulation chamber (2.1) in the shape of a gap, which interconnects both the main body member (1) and gasket secondary member (3) and ensures sound insulation between said two structures, locking wall (2.3) creating the open surface that cannot be covered by secondary member (3) by being present in alignment with a single carrier leg on the joining surface (2.2) that joins the carrier legs (2) and gasket secondary member (3) so as to enable the gasket to be. fixed to the surface, in which it will fit, gasket secondary member (3) that comprises secondary chamber (3.1) enhancing sealing by being provided in the form of a . gap at the center of lower body, at least one pair of holding legs (3.2) in the form of protrusion, which are positioned reciprocally at both sides of the entire structure in an upwards manner to maintain the balance of the structure by holding the chambers (3.1), at least one mounting curve (3.3) enabling the gasket to be mounted in a durable manner by being provided between both holding legs (3.2) and having a bevel increasing upwards, and is designed in a cylindrical form in order to prevent deformations and creasing during/after the mounting. The number of the chambers (1.2) ensuring sealing and insulation herein can be more than one. Thus, sealing can be enhanced in desired manner.

The main body (1) of the gasket can be not only circular but also in different geometrical shapes in accordance with the household appliances used. Thus, the number of the usage areas thereof is varied.

The present invention is flexible and tolerates deformation, as . it is cylindrical, comprises double-layered coating and is made of TPE. As it -is flexible, it can turn the corners and be mounted easily in the places where it is . used. Therefore, the gasket can be used in different household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and fridges with higher efficiency and for longer times.

While the upper circular body (1) of the gasket is made of foamed relatively softer material, the gasket secondary member (3) is made of relatively harder TPE material; therefore, the mounting is performed in a more durable manner and the gasket is prevented from being deformed and being dislocated as a result of long-term uses.

The reason for double-layered coating on the foamed gasket according to the present invention is to prevent the direct liquid contact with the foam material provided under said coating. Therefore, both the sealing is enhanced by using foam materials and the deformation of foamed material is prevented thanks to said coating. The reason for preferring TPE material in the present invention is that TPE materials are not suitable for bacterial growth and are not affected from the heat and vapor within the household appliances. Therefore, unhealthy conditions or disturbing odors occurring due to long-term uses of sealing members for especially household appliances are prevented.

As foamed material is used within the gasket structure, the gasket is made lighter and sealing is enhanced thanks to the air gaps occurring during the foaming. Since, the air molecules show outstanding performance in ensuring sealing and heat insulation. On the other hand, it increases the durability thanks to soft structure thereof. Thus, the deformations occurring as the gasket is subjected to heat and moisture for longer periods are minimized and the lives of the gaskets used in the doors of said appliances are prevented from being shorter when they are subjected . to force and pressure.

The surface of the gasket according to the present invention is cleaned easily via surface coating technology thanks to the fact that the surface thereof is flat and smooth. At the same time, water bubbles occurring on the gasket flow over the gasket surface thanks to the structure formed as cylinder.

Extrusion method has been used for the production of gasket according to the present invention and the members of said gasket have been joined in this way. A single product can be obtained from two or more different resins via said method. Producing one of the components of the gasket from foamed material contributes to the sealing of gaskets. Therefore, ensuring sealing and enhancing present sealing by means of foaming process can be achieved in such a manner that each gasket consisting of one or more component/s comprises at least one foamed component (1.1) or at least one component is coated .

Claims

1. A gasket used as sealing enhancer in all kinds of household appliances and made of TPE material, characterized in that it comprises a circular body member (1), the inner structure of which is made of completely foamed material in order to make the product lighter by lowering the raw material density and to ensure the sound insulation, and which comprises at least one sealing enhancing chamber (1.2) in the form of four-leaf clover on said inner foam structure (1.1), and double-layered coating (1.3) at the outside thereof, which enhances sealing, minimizes the possibility of bacterial growth by making the surface smooth and flat, and makes the structure easy to clean, carrier legs (2) parallel to each other, which are located at the lower surface of main body by having a distance more than the width of secondary body member (3) there between in order to create at least one insulation chamber (2.1) in the shape of a gap, which interconnects both the main body member (1) and gasket secondary member (3) and ensures sound insulation between said two structures, locking wall (2.3) creating the open surface that cannot be covered by secondary member (3) by being present in : alignment with a single carrier leg on the joining surface (2.2) that joins the carrier legs (2) and gasket secondary member (3) so as to enable the gasket to be fixed to the surface, . in which it will fit, gasket secondary member (3) that comprises secondary chamber

(3.1) enhancing sealing by being provided in the form of a gap at the center of lower body, at least one pair of holding legs

(3.2) in the form of protrusion, which are positioned reciprocally at both sides of the entire structure in an upwards manner to maintain the balance of the structure by holding the chambers (3.1), at least one mounting curve (3.3) enabling the gasket to be mounted in a durable manner by being provided between both holding legs (3.2) and having a bevel increasing upwards, and is designed in a cylindrical form in order to prevent deformations and creasing during/after the mounting.

2. Gasket according to Claim 1, characterized in that the main body (1) of the gasket can be in different geometrical forms and be positioned in different places.

3. Gasket according to Claim 1, characterized in that while the upper circular body (1) of the gasket is made of foamed and relatively softer material, the gasket secondary member (3) is made of relatively harder TPE material.