Damper wind stop and blade seal design

Claim 1

A damper assembly comprising: a frame including two pairs of opposed, substantially parallel frame members; a plurality of spaced-apart substantially parallel rigid blades extending longitudinally between one pair of frame members; pivot means fixed to said blades and connecting said blades to said one pair frame members for rotation of said blades about spaced parallel axes between open and closed positions, said axes being disposed in a common plane; means on said pivot means for applying torque thereto to rotate said blades; a resilient sealing member fixed to each blade at one longitudinal-extending edge thereof, said sealing member having a tubular portion extending beyond said edge, the other longitudinally-extending edge of each blade having a generally flat surface disposed substantially transversely of said common plane and adapted to be contacted by the sealing member of an adjacent blade in the closed position of said blades; said contacting portions of said sealing members and said surfaces lying in said common plane for the application of straight-line force to said blades by the pressure of said sealing members exerted on said blades thereby operatively to maintain said blades in closed position while relieving the application of torque of any substantial magnitude on said pivot means to hold said blades in closed position.