Foldable Sealing Profile for Leak-Proof Corner Installation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional sealing tapes used in sanitary installations, such as shower trays and bathtubs, face challenges in achieving optimal tightness in corner areas, requiring complex adjustments and often leading to leaks due to their limited adaptability and coverage of only two surfaces.

Innovation Solution

A foldable sealing tape design with multiple strips and a foldable area that can be adjusted to fit various installation scenarios, allowing seamless coverage of at least three surfaces without the need for on-site adaptation, featuring adhesive surfaces and materials that can be flexible or rigid, with folds that enhance foldability and tear-off edges for easy material management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional sealing tape is used with elastic material, then the sealing tape can conform to the installation object, but it straightens out due to elasticity from the corner edge, compromising sealing tightness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconformability to installation objectVSAvoidsealing tightness in corner areas
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing tape is divided into multiple strips (first strip, second strip, third strip, fourth strip) that can be independently positioned and adhered to different surfaces. This segmentation allows each strip to maintain its position without elastic recovery, while collectively covering the corner area and ensuring reliable sealing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing tape extends into a third dimension by having strips that can be adhered to vertical surfaces (connecting walls) in addition to horizontal surfaces (floor). This multi-surface coverage in different dimensions prevents the elastic straightening problem by distributing the sealing function across multiple planes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of operation

If sealing tape is cut with a knife for adjustment, then adaptation to corner edges is improved, but leakage problems are introduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadjustment to corner edgesVSAvoidsealing integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing tape is pre-configured with multiple strips and adhesive surfaces designed to accommodate various corner configurations without requiring on-site cutting or adjustment. The strips can be positioned and adhered in different arrangements to fit the corner edge, eliminating the need for knife adjustment and preserving sealing integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If sealing tape covers only two surfaces, then the structure remains simple, but seamless sealing of a third surface requires cutting and creates leakage risks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing tape structureVSAvoidsealing continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing tape is designed with multiple strips that can be adhered to different combinations of surfaces (floor and connecting walls), making it universally applicable to various installation situations. The same sealing tape structure can seal two surfaces or three surfaces depending on the configuration, eliminating the need for cutting and ensuring continuous sealing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Adaptability or versatility

If foldable area is added to sealing tape, then adaptability to different installation situations is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveusability for different installation situationsVSAvoidsealing tape structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing tape incorporates a foldable area that allows dynamic adjustment of the strip configurations. The foldable area enables the strips to be folded along a folding edge to accommodate different corner configurations and installation situations, providing adaptability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2604160B1Sealing profile
Publication Date: 2020.07.15 SANIPAT GMBH
  • EP2604160B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2604160B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2604160B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The sealing profile (100) has left lower strips (3) that are connected with an adjacent left upper strip (10). The right bottom strips (6) are connected to an adjacent right upper strips (13). The folding portion (500) is placed between the left upper strips and the right upper strip at different folding positions. An independent claim is included for method for mounting sealing profile.