Controlled self-locking sealing device for the tightly locked junction between two parts or structures and the various applications thereof

Claim 1

A SIMULTANEOUSLY SEALING AND LOCKING DEVICE FOR MAKING, BETWEEN A FIRST PART AND A SECOND PART WHICH ARE RESPECTIVELY MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, A TEMPORARY LOCKED FLUID TIGHT SEAL WHEN SAID TWO PARTS ARE IN A GIVEN RELATIVE POSITION WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE, DEFORMABLE TUBULAR PACKING WITH A CHAMBER INFLATABLE BY INTRODUCTION OF A PRESSURE FLUID, CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID PARTS AND INTERPOSED, AT LEAST IN SAID RELATIVE POSITION, BETWEEN A PORTION OF SAID FIRST PART AND A PORTION OF SAID SECOND PART, BOTH IN TIGHT ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TUBULAR PACKING IN ITS INFLATED STATE, SAID PORTION OF SAID FIRST PART COMPRISING AT LEAST A FIRST WALL IN TIGHT ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TUBULAR PACKING IN ITS INFLATED STATE AND SAID PORTION OF SAID SECOND PART COMPRISING A MEMBER HAVING A WALL PARALLELLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST WALL AND IN TIGHT ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TUBULAR PACKING IN ITS INFLATED STATE, ONE WALL HAVING SECURED THERETO A FACE OF SAID TUBULAR PACKING, SAID PORTIONS ALSO COMPRISING BEARING SURFACES ALLOWING A DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TWO PARTS ALONG SAID BEARING SURFACES WHEN SAID TUBULAR PACKING IS IN ITS INFLATED STATE, SAID DEVICE BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID MEMBER UNDERLIES A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID FIRST WALL AND IS INTERPOSED IN THE AFORESAID RELATIVE POSITION BETWEEN SAID FIRST WALL AND A STOP ELEMENT OF SAID PORTION OF SAID FIRST PART, A FIRST OF SAID BEARING SURFACES PERTAINING TO SAID STOP ELEMENT AND A SECOND OF SAID BEARING SURFACES PERTAINING TO SAID MEMBER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST WALL AND SAID STOP ELEMENT BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE MAXIMUM DIMENSION OF SAID TUBULAR PACKING IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID PARALLELLY-DISPOSED WALL AND SAID FIRST WALL.