Information
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Patent Grant
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6804836
-
Patent Number
6,804,836
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Date Filed
Monday, May 20, 200222 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, October 19, 200419 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Calvert; John J.
- Muromoto, Jr.; Robert H.
Agents
- Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 002 455
- 002 456
- 002 457
- 002 84
- 002 1713
- 002 1715
- 002 901
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A fluid-impervious sheet has two expansive surfaces, to one of which an elastomeric grommet adheres. The elastomeric grommet, which is annular when unstressed, outlines a region on the fluid-impervious sheet. The elastic grommet is adapted to provide a fluid-impervious seal around an object penetrating the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fitting tightly through the elastomeric grommet. A protective garment for a hazardous environment is made from the fluid-impervious sheet and has a breathing apparatus, which comprises elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements. The tube penetrates the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fits tightly through the elastomeric grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Generally, this invention pertains to a sheet, which is fluid-impervious where not penetrated. This invention provides a grommet, which adheres to one expansive surface of the sheet, which may be an elastomeric grommet, and which is adapted to provide a fluid-tight seal around an object penetrating the sheet, in a region outlined by the elastomeric grommet. In a specific application, this invention pertains to a protective garment, which is made from such a sheet, for a firefighter, a rescue worker, a chemical worker, or another worker working in a hazardous environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Commonly, when working in a hazardous environment, which may be oxygen-deficient or which may expose occupants to toxins, pathogens, or other hazards, a worker wears a protective garment, which is made from sheets of fluid-impervious films or from sheets of fluid-impervious fabrics. Such protective garments are exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,272,851, 4,864,654, and 6,364,980, which disclose suitable films, fabrics, and laminates and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,654, it is known for a worker wearing a protective garment, as described above, to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus, which comprises an air bottle, among other elements, and all elements of which are worn within the protective garment. Various closures are provided, which enable the wearer to don the self-contained breathing apparatus, to doff it, and to change its air bottle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention begins with a sheet, which is fluid-impervious where not penetrated, which may be made from any suitable film, fabric, or laminate, as discussed above, and which has two expansive surfaces. This invention provides a grommet, which adheres to one of the expansive surfaces of the sheet and which may be an elastomeric grommet made from neoprene or from any other, suitable, elastomeric material. The grommet, which outlines a region on the fluid-impervious sheet, is adapted to provide a fluid-impervious seal around an object penetrating the region outlined by the grommet and fitting tightly through the grommet. Preferably, the grommet is annular and, when flattened and before being penetrated, the region outlined by the grommet is circular.
This invention can be advantageously embodied in a protective garment, a portion of which is made from such a sheet, for a firefighter, a rescue worker, a chemical worker, or another worker working in a hazardous environment, which may be oxygen-deficient or which may expose occupants to toxins, pathogens, or other hazards, particularly but not exclusively if the protective garment is combined with a breathing or air-filtering apparatus comprising elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements. Thus, if the tube penetrates the region outlined by the grommet and fits tightly through the grommet, the grommet provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a fragmentary, perspective view of a worker wearing a protective garment, a portion of which is made from a sheet having an elastomeric grommet, as provided by this invention, and wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus comprising, among other elements, a flexible tube, around which the elastomeric grommet provides a fluid-impervious seal.
FIG. 2
, on a larger scale, is a fragmentary cross-sectional detail of the elastomeric grommet, the flexible tube, and a coupler on a proximal end of the flexible tube, as illustrated before a region outlined by the elastomeric grommet is penetrated by the tube, which is preceded by the coupler. A blade is illustrated fragmentarily, which is useful to cut into said region, whereby to facilitate said region being penetrated.
FIG. 3
is a similar detail, as illustrated after the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet has been penetrated by the flexible tube, as preceded by the coupler, the elastomeric grommet providing a fluid-tight seal around the flexible tube.
FIG. 4
is a view, which is similar to
FIG. 1
, except that
FIG. 4
illustrates that this invention can be advantageously used with an air-filtering apparatus, as well as with a breathing apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a wearer is wearing a protective garment
10
, a portion of which is made from a sheet
20
having an elastomeric grommet
30
, as provided by this invention, and wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus
40
, as contemplated by this invention.
The sheet
20
, which is made from any suitable film, fabric, or laminate, as discussed above, such as a laminate of non-woven, spun-bonded olefin and polyethylene, e.g. TYVEK™ material, so as to be fluid-impervious where not penetrated. The sheet
20
has two expansive surfaces, i.e., an outer surface
22
and an inner surface
24
. The elastomeric grommet
30
, which is made from neoprene or any other, suitable, elastomeric material, adheres to the outer surface
22
of the sheet
20
. The elastomeric grommet
30
is caused to adhere to the outer surface
22
of the sheet
20
adhesively, via heat bonding or chemical bonding, or in any other suitable manner considering materials used for the sheet
20
and for the elastomeric grommet
30
. The elastomeric grommet
30
, which is annular when unstressed, outlines a region
26
of the sheet
20
. The outlined region
26
, when flattened and before being penetrated, is circular.
The self-contained breathing apparatus
40
, which per se is conventional, comprises an air bottle, which is not illustrated and which is slung over the wearer's back, outside the protective garment
10
when the protective garment
10
and the self-contained breathing apparatus
40
are worn together. Advantageously, because of this invention, the wearer is not required to wear the air bottle inside the protective garment
10
.
The self-contained breathing apparatus
40
further comprises other elements
50
, which are inside the protective garment
10
when the protective garment
10
and the self-contained breathing apparatus
40
are worn together. The self-contained breathing apparatus
40
further comprises other elements
60
, which besides the air bottle are outside the protective garment
40
when the protective garment
10
and the self-contained breathing apparatus
40
are worn together. The self-contained breathing apparatus
40
further comprises a flexible tube
70
, which connects the inside elements
50
and the outside elements
60
and which is connected to the outside elements
60
via a coupler
72
at one end of the flexible tube
70
, i.e., a the end that becomes the outside end when connected to the outside elements
70
.
As illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the sheet
20
is fluid-impervious when and where not penetrated. As further illustrated in
FIG. 2
, it is convenient to us a blade
80
to cut into the region
26
outlined by the elastomeric grommet
30
. As illustrated in
FIG. 3
, when the region
26
outlined by the elastomeric grommet
30
is penetrated by the flexible tube
70
, as preceded by the coupler
72
, the elastomeric grommet
30
stretches to enable the coupler
72
and a leading portion of the flexible tube
70
to pass through the elastomeric grommet
30
, whereupon the flexible tube
70
fits tightly through the elastomeric grommet
30
, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the flexible tube
70
.
As illustrated in
FIG. 4
, the elastomeric grommet
30
can be advantageously used with an air-filtering apparatus
80
comprising elements
90
inside the protective garment
10
, elements
100
outside the protective garment
10
and a short, rigid tube
110
, which is similar to the aforesaid tube
70
, except for its length and its rigidity, and which connects the inside elements
90
and the outside elements
100
.
Claims
- 1. A sheet having two expansive surfaces and being fluid-impervious where not penetrated, a elastomeric grommet adhering to one of the expansive surfaces of the sheet but not penetrating the sheet, the elastomeric grommet outlining a region on the sheet, wherein the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet is fluid-impervious before being penetrated and wherein the elastomeric grommet is adapted, if an object penetrates the sheet and fits tightly through the elastomeric grommet, to provide a fluid-impervious seal around the object.
- 2. The sheet of claim 1, as combined with an object penetrating the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fitting tightly through the elastomeric grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the object.
- 3. For a hazardous environment, a protective garment having the sheet of claim 1, as combined with a breathing or air-filtering apparatus comprising elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements, penetrating the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet, and fitting tightly through the elastomeric grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.
US Referenced Citations (12)