Adjustable Circumferential Seal With Cord Limiters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable neck seals for diving suits can lead to over-tightening, posing a choking hazard, and lack effective drainage and inspection mechanisms, making them unsafe and difficult to use, especially in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable circumference seal with a conical configuration, featuring a band with cord guides and limiters to prevent over-tightening, drainage openings for water accumulation, and inspection openings for cord condition monitoring, ensuring safe and adaptable sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the cord is made adjustable to fit different neck sizes, then the adaptability is improved, but the risk of over-tightening and choking hazard increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates limiters that are pre-positioned within the cord channel to prevent the cord from being pulled beyond a safe tension point. This preliminary safety mechanism is built into the structure before use, automatically preventing over-tightening regardless of user action.
Solution Approach 2:
The limiters act as intermediary elements between the cord and the sealing surface. These limiters interfere with the cord's movement to prevent excessive tightening, serving as a mediating safety component that protects the wearer from the harmful effect of over-tightening.
2Ease of operation
If the seal structure is simplified for ease of use, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ability to provide drainage and inspection functions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (sealing, drainage, and inspection) into a single integrated cord channel structure. The cord channel serves as the primary structural element while incorporating limiters for safety, drainage holes for water removal, and inspection capabilities, thereby merging multiple functions without increasing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cord channel is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides cord guidance, safety limiting, drainage pathways, and inspection access. This universal design allows a single structure to perform multiple functions, maintaining ease of operation while ensuring reliability through integrated drainage and inspection capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If the cord channel is designed to allow full cord movement for adjustment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ability to limit maximum tension is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The limiters are pre-positioned within the cord channel at specific locations that correspond to safe maximum tension points. This preliminary placement of limiting structures allows the cord to move freely within safe boundaries while automatically preventing movement beyond those boundaries, maintaining ease of adjustment within the safe range.
Solution Approach 2:
The limiters serve as intermediary structures within the cord channel that mediate between the cord's movement freedom and the need for tension control. These limiters allow the cord to move freely for adjustment purposes while interfering with movement only when tension approaches dangerous levels, thus balancing ease of operation with safety.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a safe, easy-to-use, and reliable adjustable seal that prevents over-tightening, facilitates drainage, and allows for easy inspection, enhancing user safety and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a cord threaded from a cord hole in the outer layer of the envelope through the at least one cord channel, such that, by pulling the cord, the circumference of the inner layer of the envelope is reduced until the sealing surface is brought into a sealing engagement
Data Source
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AI summary
An adjustable circumference seal includes an envelope having an outer layer and an inner layer, with die inner layer defining a sealing surface. A circumferential closure is provided for constricting the inner layer of the envelope and thereby adjusting a circumference of the inner layer of the envelope. The closure includes a band having a first end and a second end, with a first cord guide at the first end and a second cord guide at the second end. A cord is threaded from the outer layer through a cord channel in the envelope, through the first cord guide of the band, through the second cord guide of the band and back through die cord channel. By pulling die cord, die circumference of die inner layer of die envelope is reduced until the sealing surface is brought into a sealing engagement. A cord lock for maintains the cord in a selected position.