Method of gasketing the mating surface of housing parts and entryways for electrical conductors

Claim 2

That method of gasketing a protective conductor splice housing having separable parts for electrical conductors extending between the interior and exterior through an opening in the housing wall which comprises: coating opposed surfaces of a strip of closed-cell spongy elastomeric material with permanently non-setting, non-conductive gel-like potting compound, placing said coated strip between the mating surface of the separable parts of said housing so as to partially compress said strip as said housing parts are clamped together, wrapping another similarly coated strip of said spongy material about said conductors with the number of convolutions required to provide a thickness in excess of the gap between the conductors and the housing opening through which the conductors extend, and holding the wrapped strip in place while assembling the same in said housing opening.

Claim 3

That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of placing a ring of non-conductive material against the opposite axial ends of said wrapping about the conductors, and securing said rings in place in the housing opening.

Claim 4

That method of gasketing the two halves of a cable splice housing with reusable and reformable gasketing material which comprises preparing separate strips of closed-cell resilient elastomeric material in appropriate lengths and widths to form gaskets between the two halves of the splice housing and between the cables entering the ends thereof, coating said strips with non-setting moisture-proof gel-like potting compound, placing certain of said coated strips along either lateral edge of the housing halves, wrapping other of said coated strips about a portion of the cable juxtaposed to the ends of the housing halves with the number of convolutions required to provide a thickness in excess of the gap being gasketed, holding said wrapped stripping in place as the housing halves are assembled to the opposite sides of the wrapped cable, and securing said housing halves together to compress the intervening strips of elastomeric material.

Claim 5

That method of gasketing the two halves of a cable splice housing with reusable and reformable gasketing material which comprises preparing separate strips of closed-cell resilient elastomeric material in appropriate lengths and widths to form gaskets between the two halves of the splice housing and between the cables entering the ends thereof, coating said strips with non-setting moisture-proof gel-like potting compound, placing certain of said coated strips along either lateral edge of the housing halves, wrapping other of said coated strips about a portion of the cable juxtaposed to the ends of the housing halves with the number of convolutions required to provide a thickness in excess of the gap being gasketed, holding said wrapped stripping in place as the housing halves are assembled to the opposite sides of the wrapped cable, and securing said housing halves together to compress the intervening strips of elastomeric material.

Claim 6

That method defined in claim 3 characterized in the steps of reusing said strips of elastomeric material during repeated openings and reclosings of said splice housing using renewed coatings of said gel-like potting compound.

Claim 7

That method defined in claim 3 characterized in the step of wrapping the cable with said spongy strip between rings of non-conductive material spaced apart by the width of said strip and sealing the rims of said rings in recesses formed in the juxtaposed surfaces at the opposite ends of said housing halves.