Elastomeric sealing gasket assembly and its method of manufacture

Claim 2

A substantially flat sealing gasket consisting essentially of: a permanently elastic elastomeric sealing layer; a flexible cover film disposed on one flat surface of said sealing layer; a removable carrier sheet disposed on the opposing flat surface of said sealing layer; and a plurality of substantially incompressible solid spacers of approximately equal size within said sealing layer sufficient to afford limited compressibility to said gasket said spacers being arranged in single unit thickness in uniform spacing parallel to the plane of said gasket.

Claim 3

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said cover film is a thermoplastic film.

Claim 4

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said carrier sheet is a silicone paper, siliconized metal foil, plastic film, textile webbing, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 5

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said carrier sheet is a silicone paper.

Claim 6

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said spacers do not have sharp edges, corners, or projections likely to tear said sealing layer.

Claim 7

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said spacers are of relatively uniform thickness and of rounded form.

Claim 8

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said spacers are spherical, ovoid, or ellipsoid.

Claim 9

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said spacers are spheres of relatively uniform size.

Claim 10

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said spacers are glass, metal, ceramic, quartz, or plastic.

Claim 11

The gasket of claim 1 wherein the thickness of said spacers is about 0.25 to 0.8 times the thickness of said sealing layer.

Claim 12

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said sealing layer is about 0.20 to 0.50 mm thick.

Claim 13

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said spacers are located a sufficient distance from the edge of said gasket and from any gasket holes or cut-outs, so that they are not extruded laterally from said gasket upon the application of pressure to said sealing layer and are not capable of moving laterally under such pressure a sufficient distance to tear said sealing layer.

Claim 14

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said sealing layer is natural rubber, butyl rubber, polyisobutylene, styrenebutadiene rubber, polychloroprene, polyvinylchloride, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 15

The gasket of claim 13 wherein said carrier sheet is a silicone paper, siliconized metal foil, plastic film, textile webbing, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 16

The gasket of claim 13 wherein said cover film is a plastic, textile webbing, metal foil, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 17

The gasket of claim 15 wherein said carrier sheet is a silicone paper, siliconized metal foil, plastic film, textile webbing, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 18

The gasket of claim 1 wherein said cover film is a plastic, textile webbing, metal foil, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 19

The gasket of claim 17 wherein siad carrier sheet is a silicone paper, siliconized metal foil, plastic film, textile webbing, or any mixture thereof.

Claim 20

The gasket of claim 1 wherein the thickness of said spacers is about 0.5 to 0.75 times the thickness of said sealing layer.

Claim 21

The gasket of claim 19 wherein said sealing layer is about 0.4 to 0.20 mm thick.

Claim 22

The gasket of claim 1 wherein the thickness of said spacers is about 0.50 to 0.67 times the thickness of said sealing layer.

Claim 23

The gasket of claim 21 wherein said sealing layer is about 0.60 to 0.10 mm thick.

Claim 24

The gasket of claim 1 wherein: said sealing layer is a vulcanizable plastic rubber mixture or a permanently plastic rubber mixture and is about 0.60 to 0.10 mm thick; said cover film is a thermoplastic film; said carrier sheet is a silicone paper; and said spacers are relatively uniform spheres of glass having a diameter of about 0.50 to 0.67 times the thickness of said sealing layer.

Claim 25

The gasket of claim 23 wherein said spacers are located a sufficient distance from the edge of said gasket and from any gasket holes or cut-outs, so that they are not extruded laterally from said gasket upon the application of pressure to said sealing layer and are not capable of moving laterally under such pressure a sufficient distance to tear said sealing layer.

Claim 26

An assembly of the gaskets according to claim 24, each said gasket being rectangular, said gaskets being arranged in at least one elongated strip wherein abutting gaskets are separated by a cutting line, and said assembly being located on a single carrier sheet.

Claim 27

The assembly of claim 25 wherein said spacers are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows running in the elongation direction of said strip.

Claim 28

The assembly of claim 26 wherein said rows are sufficiently separated to afford at least one elongated spacer-free zone in each said gasket and a cutting line for at least one gasket hole is provided in each said at least one elongated space-free zone.

Claim 29

A method for manufacturing the substantially flat sealing gasket of claim 1 comprising: applying at least one elongated strip of said permanently elastic elastomeric sealing layer to said carrier sheet; inserting a plurality of rows of spacers of relatively uniform size and of rounded form within each said strip running on the elongation direction of each said strip, said rows being sufficiently separated to afford at least one elongated spacer-free zone in each said gasket, each said row of spacers being interrupted periodically to afford a narrow space, said narrow spaces being aligned perpendicularly to said elongation direction so as to afford perpendicularly narrow spacer-free zones and said spacers being arranged in single unit thickness in uniform spacing parallel to the plane of said gasket; attaching a flexible cover film on top of each of said strip and inserted spacers; and forming a perpendicular cutting line through each narrow spacer-free zone and at least one cutting line for a gasket hole in each said elongated spacer-free zone between adjacent perpendicular cutting lines.

Claim 30

The method of claim 28 wherein said spacers are disposed within said sealing layer by: depositing said spacers on the surface of each said strip; covering each said strip and disposed spacers with a flexible cover film; and pressing said spacers into each said sealing layer strip.

Claim 31

The method of claim 28 wherein said spacers are disposed within said sealing layer by: providing a cover film with an electrostatically or chemically adhesive surface; covering each said strip with said cover film and adhered spacers; and pressing said spacers into each said sealing layer strip.