Inflatable Garage Door Seal for Irregular Floors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing overhead garage door seals fail to effectively seal against irregular or sloped floors and door frames due to material brittleness, improper installation, and thermal effects, leading to air, water, and debris infiltration.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable seal apparatus comprising a plurality of inflatable members with inflation valves, arranged within the conventional bottom seal or trim seal, to provide adaptive sealing across the garage door opening, accommodating floor irregularities and door frame gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional rubber sealing members are used at the bottom of overhead garage doors, then they provide basic sealing against the floor, but they become brittle over time and fail to accommodate irregular or sloped floors, leading to sealing failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an inflatable tube positioned within the U-shaped bottom seal, which can be inflated to press the seal against the floor. This pneumatic mechanism allows the seal to adapt to irregular or sloped floors by adjusting inflation pressure, thereby maintaining reliable sealing performance while accommodating various floor conditions.
2Reliability
If trim seals are installed along the door frame to seal against the garage door perimeter, then they reduce air and water infiltration, but they buckle or bow during installation or over time due to weather and thermal effects, compromising the seal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an inflatable tube within the trim seal body that can be inflated to provide outward pressure, counteracting buckling or bowing forces. This dynamic adjustment allows the trim seal to maintain its structural integrity and sealing performance despite weather and thermal effects that would otherwise cause deformation.
3Ease of operation
If the garage door is spaced inwardly from the door frame opening to ensure unrestricted movement, then the door operates smoothly, but gaps are created between the door perimeter and the door frame that allow air, water, and debris infiltration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible inflatable tubes within both the bottom seal and trim seal that can be inflated to extend into the gaps between the door and door frame. These flexible inflatable elements maintain the necessary clearance for door operation while providing a adaptable barrier that prevents air, water, and debris infiltration.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a single inflatable tube is used within the bottom seal, then it provides adaptive sealing, but it cannot adequately handle sloped or uneven floors with high spots or low spots across the width of the door
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bottom seal into multiple separate inflatable tubes positioned at different locations across the width of the door. Each tube can be independently inflated to accommodate local variations in floor height, ensuring reliable sealing effectiveness across sloped or uneven floors with high spots or low spots.
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 inflatable seal apparatus effectively seals the gap between the garage door and the floor or door frame, maintaining sealing performance over time and across various conditions, including sloped or uneven surfaces, while being cost-effective and easy to install.
Implementation Method 1
each inflatable member having one or more of an inflatable member side wall and an inflatable member end wall and having an inflation valve operably installed within the inflatable member side wall or the inflatable member end wall
Data Source
AI summary
An inflatable seal apparatus for selectively sealing a garage door within an opening, the apparatus having a plurality of inflatable members arranged with a seal body configured for selectively sealing the garage door opening, each inflatable member having one or more of an inflatable member side wall and an inflatable member end wall and having an inflation valve operably installed within the inflatable member side wall or the inflatable member end wall so as to be accessible through the seal body.