| Claims [Claim 1] 1. A sealing structure, comprising: a container (1) for receiving fluid, and a seal (2) for sealing an opening of the container, characterized in that the seal (2) comprises a plastic body (21) and a flexible sealing body (22) hermetically provided in the plastic body (21). [Claim 2] 2. The sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein the seal (2) has a laminated structure, with the flexible sealing body (22) being packaged in a sealed space formed by two plastic bodies (21). [Claim 3] 3. The sealing structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plastic body (21) is made of a rubber material and is expansible. [Claim 4] 4. The sealing structure according to claim 3, wherein the container (1) is a tube, and the seal (2) is provided at each end of the tube. [Claim 5] 5. The sealing structure of any preceding claim in which the flexible sealing body (22) is a gel, preferably silica gel. |
[I] Technical Field
[2] The present invention relates to the field of sealing technology, and more particularly, to a sealing structure which can be punctured multiple times without being damaged.
[3] Background Art
[4] Traditional sealing structures, such as sealing gaskets in pipelines, are used for preventing leakage of gas or liquid from a container or a closure. On the other hand, in daily life, some sealed products need to be taken out frequently, while the container or the closure is desired to remain being sealed during and after the taking out of the products. For instance, for a container for receiving liquid medicaments, a rubber plug is commonly used for sealing the container and also for facilitating insertion of a needle. In use, a needle (or other injector head) is inserted into the rubber plug to draw liquid from the container, and is pulled out after a desired dosage is obtained. Due to the material property of the rubber, the hole formed by the needle puncture will close as the needle is pulled out, such that air is prevented from entering the container and the liquid is prevented from being polluted.
[5] However, such a sealing structure has some drawbacks. Although the rubber plug can be punctured many times, its rubber body may not be able to recover and voids may be produced when the plug is punctured a significant number of times, because it is impossible to ensure that each puncture occurs at the same point and damage may be caused to the rubber body by the needle. Thus the sealing structure tends to lose its effectiveness.
[6] Summary
[7] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks existing in prior art sealing products by providing a sealing structure which can be punctured multiple times without being damaged. The sealing structure of the present invention is much more durable to punctures than prior art sealing products.
[8] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the sealing structure of the present invention comprises a container for receiving liquid and a seal for sealing an opening of the container. The seal includes plastic bodies and a flexible sealing body hermetically provided in the plastic body.
[9] Preferably the seal has a laminated structure, with the flexible sealing body being packaged in a sealed space formed by two plastic bodies.
[10] Preferably the plastic body is made of a rubber material and is expansible.
[I I] Preferably the container is a tube, and the seal is provided at each end of the tube. [12] The present invention operates as follows. When the seal is punctured by a needle multiple times, the sealing structure of the present invention may retain its sealing function due to the flexible sealing body provided therein. The plastic body at the outer side of the seal serves as a bracket to keep the seal in place, while the flexible sealing body sandwiched therebetween is made of materials which are stretchable and flowable to a certain extent. Thus, during movement of the needle, a gap induced by the movement of the needle may close instantaneously to ensure a good sealing of the whole seal.
[13] Brief Description of the Drawings
[14] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[15] Fig.1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the present invention;
[16] and
[17] Fig.2 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the present invention.
[18] Detailed Description
[19] Referring to Fig.l, a sealing structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a container 1 and a seal 2 fitted in an opening of the container 1 for sealing the opening. The seal 2 comprises two plastic bodies 21 and a flexible sealing body 22 hermetically provided in the plastic bodies 21.
[20] As shown in Fig.l, the seal 2 has a laminated structure, with the flexible sealing body
22 being packaged in a sealing space formed by the two plastic bodies 21. Generally, the plastic bodies 21 may be made of rubber material and are expansible.
[21] In use, a needle 31 of an injector 3 punctures through the whole seal 2 to inject or draw liquid into or from the container. During the process, due to the plastic bodies 21 and the flexible sealing body 22, no gap may be formed between the needle 31 and the seal, and thus air will not enter the container 1 and the liquid in the container 1 will not leak out. A hole formed by the needle puncture will close as the needle 31 is pulled out, and thus air is prevented from entering the container and the liquid in the container is prevented from leaking out.
[22] Due to the flexible sealing body 22 in the seal 2, the seal 2 of the present invention may remain effective after being punctured by the needle 31 a plurality of times. The plastic body 21 at the outer side serves as a bracket to keep the seal 2 in place. The flexible sealing body 22 sandwiched between the two plastic bodies 21 is made of materials which are stretchable and flowable to a certain extent, such that during movement of the needle 31, the gap induced by the movement may close instantaneously to ensure a good sealing of the whole seal 2.
[23] Fig.2 shows a sealing structure according a second embodiment of the present invention which can be used in a paint mixing device. The container 1 is a tube, at each end of which a seal 2 as described above is disposed. The container 1 is communicated with a paint return pipe 6. A paint inlet pipe 4 communicates with a needle body 5 which can move up and down, such that the needle 51 can be inserted into the container 1 or penetrate through the container 1.
[24] In use, although the needle 51 needs to move up and down frequently, the sealing of the container 1 can be ensured and thus paint will not leak.
[25] In use, the tinter is discharged after traveling through the paint inlet pipe 4 and the needle body 5. Since the needle body 5 has an outlet with a very small diameter, the outflow volume of the paint may be controlled accurately. The tinter discharged from the needle has a shape of a standard water droplet, thus the flow rate of the tinter can be accurately calculated and precisely controlled consequently. When it is required to dispense tinter to the outside (for example to a paint container), the needle body 5 is driven downward, and the needle 51 thereof penetrates through the sealed container 1, i.e., the needle 51 punctures through the two seals 2 at both ends of the container 1, such that the paint may flow out from the needle 51. When not used, the needle body 5 is driven upward, and an outlet of the needle 51 is retracted into the container 1. Paint is dispensed continuously to fill the whole container 1 and the excess paint will be returned to a paint reservoir through the paint return pipe 6, thereby to form a circulation path. Since the needle 51 is immersed in the paint within the container 1, the paint in the needle 51 will not get cured. Thus, in next use, paint may be dispensed again by simply driving the needle body 5 downward.
[26] The flexible sealing body 22 of the present invention may be made of silica gel, which is stretchable and flowable to a certain extent. Thus, a good seal is obtained. The gel is in the liquid form, but having a sufficiently high viscosity such that when penetrated by a needle to form a hole, the gel immediately closes the hole when the needle is retracted, thus forming a perfect seal. This contrasts with solid seals, such as rubber, which close to a certain extent when the needle is removed, but not fully.
[27] Hereinbefore are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. All variations or modifications within the spirit of the present invention will be included in the scope of the present invention.
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