Inflatable weather seal for camper-truck combinations

Claim 2

For use in conjunction with a vehicle having a cab and carrying a camper, the cab having an upstanding rear wall and the camper having an upstanding front wall, the walls being spaced apart and having substantially aligned window openings, a weather seal removably positionable between the walls in surrounding relationship to the window openings for providing a weathertight passage between the walls around the window openings, comprising: a. seal means having portions defining expansible chamber means for receiving and retaining compressed fluid therein, said seal means being positionable between spaced cab and camper walls around alinged window openings formed therein to define a passage between the aligned window openings with said chamber means disposed peripherally about said passage; b. said portions being expansible, at least in part, in response to the introduction of compressed fluid within said chamber means; c. said portions being resiliently deformable, at least in part, to conform to the general configuration of such cab and camper wall surfaces as said portions may be forced to engage by the expansion of the seal under the influence of compressed fluid introduced into said chamber means; d. valve means for controlling the retention of fluid within said chamber means; and, e. expansion control means extending through said chamber to connect opposite sides of said expansible portions together to limit the expansion of said seal means to directions which cause said deformable portions to be brought into engagement with the opposed spaced cab and camper walls; f. whereby seal means is positionable in a deflated state between the cab and camper walls around the aligned window openings permitting the establishment of a weathertight passage between the walls by introducing compressed fluid through said valve means and into said chamber to expand said seal and bring it into continuous mating contact with the walls in regions around the aligned window openings.

Claim 3

The weather seal of claim 1 wherein said expansion control means includes a structure formed integrally with said expansible portions and extending through said chamber connecting the expansible portions on opposite sides thereof.

Claim 4

For use in conjunction with a vehicle having a cab and carrying a camper, the cab having an upstanding rear wall and the camper having an upstanding front wall, the walls being spaced apart and having substantially aligned window openings, a weather seal removably positionable between the walls in surrounding relationship to the window openings for providing a weathertight passage between the walls around the window openings, comprising: a. seal means having portions defining expansible chamber means for receiving and retaining compressed fluid therein, said seal means being positionable between spaced cab and camper walls around aligned window openings formed therein to define a passage between the aligned window openings with said chamber means disposed peripherally about said passage; b. said portions being expansible, at least in part, in response to the introduction of compressed fluid within said chamber means; c. said portions being resiliently deformable, at least in part, to conform to the general configuration of such cab and camper wall surfaces as said portions may be forced to engage by the expansion of the seal under the influence of compressed fluid introduced into said chamber means; d. valve means for controlling the retention of fluid within Said chamber means; e. whereby said seal means is positionable in a deflated state between the cab and camper walls around the aligned window openings permitting the establishment of a weathertight passage between the walls by introducing compressed fluid through said valve means and into said chamber to expand said seal and bring it into continuous mating contact with the walls in regions around the aligned window openings; f. said seal means including: i. inner and outer side portions connected by end portions; ii. said end portions comprising such portions as are brought into engagement with said cab and camper walls during inflation of said seal means; iii. said inner and outer side portions defining the inner and outer walls of said seal means when positioned around the aligned window openings; and, iv. reinforcement means extending between said inner and outer side portions to limit the movement of said side portions away from each other during expansion of said seal means during inflation to thereby confine the expansion of said seal means essentially to the moving apart of said end portions.

Claim 5

For use in conjunction with a vehicle having a cab and carrying a camper, the cab having an upstanding rear wall and the camper having an upstanding front wall, the walls being spaced apart and having substantially aligned window openings, a weather seal removably positionable between the walls in surrounding relationship to the window openings for providing a weathertight passage between the walls around the window openings, comprising: a. seal means having portions defining expansible chamber means for receiving and retaining compressed fluid therein, said seal means being positionable between spaced cab and camper walls around aligned window openings formed therein to define a passage between the aligned window openings with said chamber means disposed peripherally about said passage; b. said portions being expansible, at least in part, in response to the introduction of compressed fluid within said chamber means; c. said portions being resiliently deformable, at least in part, to conform to the general configuration of such cab and camper wall surfaces as said portions may be forced to engage by the expansion of the seal under the influence of compressed fluid introduced into said chamber means; d. valve means for controlling the retention of fluid within Said chamber means; e. whereby said seal means is positionable in a deflated state between the cab and camper walls around the aligned window openings permitting the establishment of a weathertight passage between the walls by introducing compressed fluid through said valve means and into said chamber to expand said seal and bring it into continuous mating contact with the walls in regions around the aligned window openings; f. said seal means including: i. inner and outer side portions connected by end portions; ii. said end portions comprising such portions as are brought into engagement with said cab and camper walls during inflation of said seal means; iii. said inner and outer side portions defining the inner and outer walls of said seal means when positioned around the aligned window openings; and, iv. reinforcement means extending between said inner and outer side portions to limit the movement of said side portions away from each other during expansion of said seal means during inflation to thereby confine the expansion of said seal means essentially to the moving apart of said end portions.

Claim 6

The weather seal of claim 3 wherein said reinforcement means is formed integrally with said inner and outer side portions and extends through said chamber to maintain a relative constant spacing between said side portions during inflation of said seal means.

Claim 7

A self-supporting, self-sealing tubular passage structure positionable between opposed upstanding walls of forward and rearward vehicle units to communicate in weathertight fashion substantially aligned openings in the opposed walls, comprising: a. means defining a tubular passage including wall portions disposed peripherally about a central passageway; b. said wall portions including opposed sealing regions disposed peripherally about said central passageway at opposite ends thereof, said sealing regions comprising a resiliently deformable material which, when compressed against a transverse, extending wall surface will deform so as to mate and seal therewith; c. said wall portions additionally defining an expansible chamber for receiving and retaining compressed fluid therein, said chamber being so arranged that its expansion under the influence of compressed fluid introduced therein will cause said opposed sealing regions to move away from each other and into firm supporting, sealing engagement with the opposed upstanding walls between which the passage structure is positioned; d. valve means for controlling the retention of fluid within said chamber; e. said tubular passage structure comprising a length of extruded resilient material closed near opposite end regions having mating engagement formations formed integrally along said opposite end regions such that said opposite end regions can be secured together in such fashion as will provide a seal structure positionable around said aligned wall openings and expansible to form a weathertight passage therebetween; f. said mating engagement formations being assemblable to permit said tubular passage structure to form a seal structure of desired peripheral length.

Claim 8

A self-supporting, self-sealing tubular passage structure positionable between opposed upstanding walls of forward and rearward vehicle units to communicate in weathertight fashion substantially aligned openings in the opposed walls, comprising: a. means defining a tubular passage including wall portions disposed peripherally about a central passageway; b. said wall portions including opposed sealing regions disposed peripherally about said central passageway at opposite ends thereof, said sealing regions comprising a resiliently deformable material which, when compressed against a transverse, extending wall surface will deform so as to mate and seal therewith; c. said wall portions additionally defining an expansible chamber for receiving and retaining compressed fluid therein, said chamber being so arranged that its expansion under the influence of compressed fluid introduced therein will cause said opposed sealing regions to move away from each other and into firm supporting, sealing engagement with the opposed upstanding walls between which the passage structure is positioned; d. valve means for controlling the retention of fluid within said chamber; e. said tubular passage structure comprising a length of extruded resilient material closed near opposite end regions having mating engagement formations formed integrally along said opposite end regions such that said opposite end regions can be secured together in such fashion as will provide a seal structure positionable around said aligned wall openings and expansible to form a weathertight passage therebetween; f. said mating engagement formations being assemblable to permit said tubular passage structure to form a seal structure of desired peripheral length.

Claim 9

The device of claim 5 wherein said mating engagement formations comprise tongue and groove formations formed along opposite side wall portions of said tubular structure.