Pressurized door for dry cleaning machines and the like

Claim 1

IN A DRY CLEANING MACHINE OR THE LIKE HAVING A TUMBLING CHAMBER AND ALSO HAVING AN OPENING FOR THE TUMBLING CHAMBER WHICH IS FRAMED BY A GENERALLY ANNULAR FLANGE: (A) A DOOR FOR THE OPENING OF SAID TUMBLING CHAMBER, (B) MEANS MOUNTING SAID DOOR ADJACENT SAID OPENING FOR PIVOTAL SWINGING MOVEMENTS BETWEEN AN OPEN CONDITION AND A CLOSED CONDITION, (C) AN ANNULAR RECESS DEFINED BY SAID DOOR AND OPEN ING IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID ANNULAR FLANGE AND DISPOSED SO AS TO BE GENERALLY ALIGNED THEREWITH WHEN THE DOOR IS IN ITS CLOSED CONDITION, SAID ANNULAR RECESS HAVING INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALL PORTIONS AND ALSO HAVING A BOTTOM WALL PORTION, (D) A GENERALLY ANNULAR COMPRESSIBLE SEALING MEMBER RECEIVED IN THE ANNULAR RECESS OF SAID DOOR WITH ONE PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE BOTTOM WALL PORTION OF SAID ANNULAR RECESS SO AS TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR PRESSURE CHAMBER BEHIND SAID SEALING MEMBER AND WITH ANOTHER SIDE PORTION OF SAID SEALING MEMBER DISPOSED SO AS TO ENGAGE SAID ANNULAR FLANGE WHEN SAID DOOR IS IN ITS CLOSED CONDITION, SAID ONE SIDE PORTION OF SAID SEALING MEMBER BEING GENERALLY CROSS-SECTIONALLY V-SHAPED AND DEFINING OPPOSED GENERALLY ANNULAR INNER AND OUTER SEALING LIPS EACH OF WHICH IS DISPOSED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH A DIFFERENT ONE OF THE OPPOSED SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAID ANNULAR RECESS, (E) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE ANNULAR PRESSURE CHAMBER DEFINED BEHIND SAID SEALING MEMBER SO AS TO FORCE SAID ANNULAR SEALING LIPS AGAINST THE SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAID ANNULAR RECESS AND ALSO RELEASABLY COMPRESS SAID SEALING MEMBER AGAINST SAID ANNULAR FLANGE WHEN SAID DOOR IS IN ITS CLOSED CONDITION, AND (F) LATCH MEANS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID DOOR IN ITS CLOSED CONDITION.