IP Library › Granted Patent US 6,944,885
Granted Patent B2
US 6,944,885 · App. 10/891,265 · Granted Sep 20, 2005

Sheet with grommet to provide fluid-impervious seal around object penetrating sheet

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,944,885
App. No.
10/891,265
Granted
Sep 20, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fluid-impervious sheet has two expansive surfaces, to one of which an elastomeric grommet adheres. The elastomeric grommet, which is annular when unstressed, outlines a region on the fluid-impervious sheet. The elastic grommet is adapted to provide a fluid-impervious seal around an object penetrating the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fitting tightly through the elastomeric grommet. A protective garment for a hazardous environment is made from the fluid-impervious sheet and has a breathing apparatus, which comprises elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements. The tube penetrates the region outlined by the elastomeric grommet and fits tightly through the elastomeric grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.

Claims (4)

1. A sheet having two expansive surfaces and being fluid-impervious where not penetrated, a grommet adhering to one of the expansive surfaces of the sheet but not penetrating the sheet, the grommet outlining a region on the sheet, wherein the region outlined by the grommet is fluid-impervious before being penetrated and wherein the grommet is adapted, if an object penetrates the sheet and fits tightly through the grommet, to provide a fluid-impervious seal around the object.

2. The sheet of claim 1 , as combined with an object penetrating the region outlined by the grommet and fitting tightly through the grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the object.

3. For a hazardous environment, a protective garment having the sheet of claim 1 , as combined with a breathing or air-filtering apparatus comprising elements inside the protective garment, elements outside the protective garment, and a tube connecting the inside and outside elements, penetrating the region outlined by the grommet, and fitting tightly through the grommet, which provides a fluid-impervious seal around the tube.

4. The protective garment of claim 3 , wherein one of the expansive surfaces of the sheet is an outer surface, to which the grommet adheres.