INVENTORS: STANLEY SWITLIK, PAMELA MARTIN, JOHN MAYER,

TIMOTHY REID, KELLY P. SVIHLA

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is an international application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/655, 173 filed June 4, 2012, which is incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH [0002] This invention was made with government support under Grant No. SBIR N68335-12-C-0033 awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Accordingly, the Government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE [0003] The present disclosure relates to self-actuating seals for use in protective suits. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a spring loaded, self-actuated neck seal tension relief ring for use in dry suits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0004] Protective suits, for example, dry suits worn by naval aviators during missions over water, typically have seals comprising tight fitting neoprene or latex. These seals are effective at preventing water from entering the suit, but are not comfortable to wear when the seal is not needed. The seals, for example, prevent free movement of the head and neck and compress against the throat.

[0005] The most commonly used solution is the insertion of a ring into the neck of the suit around which the seal material is wrapped providing a comfortable space between the seal and the neck. In a particular example, United Kingdom Patent Application GB 2 350 774 A to Cleaver ("Cleaver") discloses an anti-choke collar worn around the neck providing a comfortable gap between the seal material and the wearer's neck. However, as with most conventional devices, Cleaver requires that the wearer remove the collar to seal the suit prior to entering water. The neck seal is, therefore, not self-actuated and requires affirmative action by the wearer.

[0006] U.S. Patent No. 5,647,059 to Uglene et al. ("Uglene") discloses a sealable closure, such as a neck band or collar, made of a band of compressible material interposed between a three-layer inflatable band at the neck of the user. The sealable closure provides a neck seal by inflation of the inflatable band positioned between the compressible material and a substantially non-extendable outer wall. Inflation of the inflatable band deforms the compressible material to conform with and surround the neck of the wearer preventing the ingress of water past the neck seal so formed. Again, the neck seal disclosed in Uglene is not self-actuating and requires the wearer to inflate the collar before entering the water.

[0007] U.S. Patent No. 2,411,830 to Krupp ("Krupp") discloses neck opening and sealing arrangement that includes a pad element including tapered ends that may be molded to form a split annular ring of sufficient extent to completely embrace the neck of the wearer. The tapered ends are in overlapping relationship when the neck sealing arrangement is closed. U.S. Patent No. 3,958,275 to Morgan et al. ("Morgan") discloses a helmet seal that includes a tapered neck dam that includes a large diameter end portion folded outwardly over a split anchoring ring. The split anchoring ring of Morgan includes an over-center toggle latch securing the opposite end portions of the anchoring ring. Both Krupp and Morgan also do not include any self-actuating mechanisms and still require affirmative action from the wearer to effect a seal.

[0008] U.S. Patent No. 7,313,829 to Serra et al. ("Serra") discloses a sealing device for a body suit and a sealing method that utilizes a reactive seal that incorporates a swelling polymer activated upon contact with water. The reactive seal can be embodied in a neck seal, wrist seal, or ankle seal of the body suit and is designed to be loose and comfortable to wear, exerting sealing pressure when needed. The sealing device of Serra, however, requires 10-15 seconds to effectively seal a suit under working conditions. In very cold water emergency situations, this length of time may allow dangerously cold water to enter the suit, endangering the life of the wearer.

[0009] Other references of general relevance include U.S. Patent No. 8,011,017; U.S. Patent No. 7,062,786; U.S. Patent No. 6,219,641; U.S. Patent No. 5,978,960; U.S. Patent No. 5,802,609; U.S. Patent No. 4,547,904; U.S. Patent No. 4,015,295; U.S. Patent No. 3,731,319; U.S. Patent No. 3,534,408; U.S. Patent No. 3,488,771 ; U.S. Patent No. 2,394,078; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0314839; and Japanese Patent Application No. 3193591. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A method, apparatus, and system for relieving the tension caused by a latex neck seal that automatically activates when in contact with water forming a seal around a neck of a user are described. The system includes a liner, such as that of a protective suit, and an actuator disposed within the liner. The actuator includes a resilient member and a coupling, the coupling including a body configured to receive a first and a second portion of the resilient member. The liner, body and resilient member define a substantially circular opening. A restraint is mounted on the body and configured to restrain the second portion of the resilient member in relation to the body to maintain the resilient member in a first position at which the opening has a first diameter. The restraint is configured to release the second portion of the resilient member when the restraint is exposed to water. The resilient member, upon release of the second portion, is configured to deflect to a second position at which the opening has a second diameter less than the first diameter.

[0011] The method includes providing the sealing system and placing the sealing system around the neck of a user while the resilient member is in the first position. After immersing the sealing system in water, the second portion is released and thereby causes the liner to be urged against the neck of the user to form a seal between the liner and the neck of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Embodiments will be described with reference to the following drawing figures, in which like numerals represent like items throughout the figures, and in which: [0013] FIGS. 1A-1B are diagrams of a first embodiment of a neck seal tension relief ring in accordance with the present disclosure in the open (FIG. 1A) and closed (FIG. IB) positions;

[0014] FIGS. 2A-B are diagrams of a second embodiment of a neck seal tension relief ring in accordance with the present disclosure in the open (FIG. 2A) and closed (FIG. 2B) positions;

[0015] FIGS. 3A-B are diagrams of a third embodiment of a neck seal tension relief ring in accordance with the present disclosure in the open (FIG. 3A) and closed (FIG. 3B) positions;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a neck seal tension relief ring in an open position in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a neck seal tension relief ring in a closed position in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 6A is a plan perspective of a coupling illustrating a bending radius;

[0019] FIG. 6B is a front perspective of a coupling;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the basic geometry of the neck seal tension relief ring;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment of a neck seal tension relief ring; and

[0022] FIG. 9 is an illustration of a self-actuating sealing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices and methods described, as these may vary. The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

[0024] As used in this document, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Nothing in this disclosure is to be construed as an admission that the embodiments described in this disclosure are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. As used in this document, the term "comprising" means "including, but not limited to."

[0025] There has been a long felt need, as evidenced by SBIR N68335-12-C-0033 titled Self-Actuating Seals for Barrier-Fabric Protective Coveralls, to develop a garment seal design that will allow for a non-constricted fit to the neck and wrist seals to maintain air exchange during routine ambient conditions that can self-actuate upon immersion to exclude the influx of cold water. To meet this long felt need, the present disclosure describes a rigid (yet collapsible) standoff ring for use on existing, proven neck or wrist seals on anti-exposure suits (e.g., CWU-86/P suits used by the United States Navy). This standoff ring can greatly improve comfort and airflow by relieving the constricting pressure on the wearer's neck and wrists until such time that it becomes absolutely necessary to positively seal these areas against the influx of water. This self-actuating system may benefit the end user by addressing well documented comfort issues inherent to existing neck and wrist seals.

[0026] Any risk in utilizing this design is substantially mitigated through continued use of the very effective sealing means as provided by today's latex and/or neoprene seals, already present on conventional anti-exposure suits. Therefore, a further benefit of this design is that the device can be retrofitted to existing fleets of garments that incorporate latex seals rather than requiring outright replacement.

[0027] The design evaluation focused on two primary neck ring geometries. A first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1A and IB, is a tube-style neck ring, similar to the existing commercially available styles, except that the ring would collapse upon immersion into water. Referring to FIG. 1A, self-actuating ring 100 is shown in an "armed" state. Armed state means that the actuator 102 of the ring is held in an open position where the spring force in the ring is held at a relatively high potential until the actuator is triggered by some external event, e.g. being immersed in water. Referring now to FIG. IB, self-actuating ring 150 is shown in a "collapsed" state. Collapsed state means that the actuator 152 has been triggered allowing the ring 150 to collapse following the release of the potential spring force of the ring. The geometry described and shown in reference to FIGS. 1A and IB is not preferred because frictional forces due to the differing diameters of the components are higher than the spring forces required to ensure collapse and function as intended.

[0028] In a second, preferred embodiment, shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the ring 200 is a flat band, similar to a constant force spring, where the inherent shape of the ring in its collapsed state is smaller in diameter then when in its armed state. This enables the latex to seal against the skin, creating a water-tight barrier. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the armed state, the potential spring force of the ring 200 is kept high. At the point where the ends of the spring meet, i.e. at 202, a joining body or coupling (not shown in FIG. 2A) provides at least one restraint to hold the ring 200 in an armed position. Referring now to FIG. 2B, upon the release of the restraint (not shown in FIG. 2B), the ring 250 collapses into a collapsed state and the ends are allowed to overlap at point 252. Ring 200, 250 may be comprised of spring steel or any other resilient material (e.g. a plastic polymer and the like).

[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, one of skill in the art may observe that there are three key factors in the design of the collapsing ring: 1) the coupling 304 (including restraint 308); 2) the spring force provided by the ring 302; and 3) the tension relief tongue portion 306 of ring 302. Ring 302 also includes a sizing portion 310 for selecting the diameter of ring 302 as needed.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3A, the coupling 304 includes restraint 308 that holds tension relief tongue portion 306 of ring 302 in an armed position. It is restraint 308 that ultimately activates the ring collapse. The other key element in the collapsing ring design is the force applied to ensure that the ring 302 collapses. There are two contributing factors that contribute to this force: the natural shape of the ring 302 and the additional force applied by the seal rolled over the ring 302. The neck ring itself is naturally a spring that will re-coil on itself. As illustrated and described above in relation to FIG. 2B, ring 302 has a shape that provides a natural, constant spring force. Neck seals included in conventional anti-exposure suits are made of a resilient material, such as latex, that provides additional force that tends to cause the tension relief tongue portion 306 to deflect to a collapsed position.

[0031] Sizing portion 310 of ring 302 allows the wearer to resize the ring to comfort. In a preferred embodiment, restraint 308 may be a water-soluble cellulose based tablet of the type typically used in water activated safety equipment. For example, the water- soluble tablet may be a Stearns automatic inflation replacement tablet, model number 1701 SPI. A water-soluble tablet can dissolve within one to two seconds after coming in contact with water and is capable of faster actuation than other conventional mechanisms. As shown in FIG. 3B, after the restraint 308 is triggered, e.g. after a water-soluble tablet comes in contact with water and begins to dissolve, tension relief tongue portion 306 is allowed to travel from the armed position to the collapsed position. As explained above, this has the effect of reducing the diameter of the ring 302, enabling the seal of the suit to close.

[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, schematic views are provided of a ring and coupling in armed and collapsed positions, respectively. Referring to FIG. 4, armed ring 400 includes coupling 402. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, coupling 402 is formed into a curved body having a radius of curvature 404. In a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature 404 is smaller than the radius of the ring 400 in the armed state but is larger than the radius of the ring in the collapsed state. Restraint 414 is included on one end of the coupling 402 to hold ring 400 in the armed state. Coupling 402 includes a channel 406 (illustrated in FIG. 4 as the space between dotted lines) that receives tension relief tongue portion 412. Tension relief tongue portion 412 is inserted in the end of the coupling 402 proximate to the restraint 414. The sizing portion 408 is inserted into the end of the coupling distal to the restraint 414. Restraint 414 holds the ring 400 in the armed position. When the restraint 414 is removed, tension relief tongue portion 412 moves, or deflects through travel distance 410 to the collapsed position (shown in FIG. 5). The radius of curvature of the coupling 402 and the tension relief tongue portion 412 should be substantially the same to allow for smooth deflection of the tension relief tongue portion 412.

[0033] Referring now to FIG. 5, ring 500 is shown in a collapsed position after the restraint has been removed from the coupling 502, leaving an empty aperture 510. Without a restraint, tension relief tongue portion 504 is allowed to deflect through channel 506 to the distal end of the coupling 502. As explained above, this movement of the tension relief tongue portion 504 of the ring 500 reduces the diameter of the ring and allows the seal on a suit worn with the ring to close thereby preventing ingress of water into the suit. Similar to ring 400 shown in FIG. 4, ring 500 also includes a resizing portion 508 inserted into the distal end of the coupling to allow sizing of the ring 500.

[0034] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a side view of the coupling 600 is shown. In a preferred embodiment coupling 600 includes two halves that are machined flat and bent to achieve the correct curvature for the collapsing ring geometry and anatomical features of the ring portions. As shown in FIG. 6A, the coupling 600 has a generally circular curvature with a thickness defined by an outer radius 602 and an inner radius 604. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A, coupling 600 forms an arc with an angle 606. Aperture 608, into which a restraint is inserted (not shown in FIG. 6A is situated from the proximate end of the coupling 600 at a distance defined by angle 610. Channel 612 runs the length of coupling 600 and is adapted to receive a sealing portion of a spring loaded ring. A second channel may also be included to receive a resizing portion (not shown in FIG. 6A). FIG. 6B shows front view of joining mechanism 600. Aperture 608 and channel 612 are shown. The coupling 600 includes a width 614 and a height 616.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the dimensions of coupling 600 can be selected to allow for self-actuation. Importantly, the length dimension, defined by angle 606, along with radii 602, 604, may be selected to allow for free deflection of the tension-relief tongue portion from the restraint to the distal end of the coupling 600. In an example embodiment, the thickness of coupling 600 may be 0.125 to 0.250 inches and the length of the coupling may be 1.500 to 3.000 inches. In this embodiment, for example, the distance from the proximate end of the coupling 600 to the center of aperture 608 may be 0.75 to 1.000 inch. Also in the example embodiment, dimension 614 may be 0.750 to 1.250 inches and dimension 616 is 0.250 to 0.500 inches.

[0036] Referring now to FIG 7, the geometry of the collapsing ring is shown. Ring 702 shows the ring in an armed state. One of ordinary skill will recognize that the armed state embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is a slight ellipse. In this state, the ring has dimensions 704 (major axis) and 706 (minor axis). Ring 708 shows the ring in a collapsed state. In this state, the ring is substantially circular having dimensions 710 and 712. The relative differences between dimensions 710, 712 may be much closer to each other in value, but ring 708 may still be slightly elliptical. The ring 702, or the ring in the armed position, can be resized to comfortably fit the user so that the ring allows for displacement of the seal from the user's neck. Ring 708, or the ring in the collapsed position, may define a ring size approximately equal to or less than the user's neck. Thus, when ring 702 collapses into ring 708, the ring will conform its size to that of the user's neck, thereby allowing the seal to close.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 8, a diagram is shown of a preferred embodiment of a self-actuating neck seal 800. Coupling 802 includes two channels 814 and 816 for receiving the sizing portion 810 and the tension relief tongue portion 808, respectively. Also included is restraint 804 which holds tension relief tongue portion 808 in an armed position. In an embodiment, restraint 804 is a water-soluble tablet or other fast acting device that allows for prompt sealing when immersed in water.

[0038] As explained above, the ring may comprise spring steel or other resilient material. The ring 800 may have a spring loaded portion 806 that is shaped to provide a constant spring force that tends to reduce the diameter of ring 800. Spring loaded portion 806 supplies the spring force that deflects tension relief tongue portion 808 into channel 816, after restraint 804 has been removed. As explained above, the tension relief tongue portion 808 should have a substantially similar radius of curvature to channel 816 within coupling 802. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the tension relief tongue portion 808 includes an aperture 818. Restraint 804 is inserted into both coupling 802 and tension relief tongue portion 808. This configuration adds stability and prevents unwanted movement of the relief tongue portion 808 prior to removing restraint 804.

[0039] Ring 800 also may include a sizing portion 810 adapted to be inserted into channel 814. As shown in the inset diagram, channel 814 includes a sizing restraint 812 for selecting the size of the ring 800. Sizing restraint 812 may be a ratcheting mechanism, as shown in FIG. 8, or some other mechanism adapted for holding and releasing resizing portion 810.

[0040] In an embodiment, ring 800 may be placed around the neck of a wearer and disposed within a liner of the wearer's protective suit. For example, the liner may be wrapped around the ring 800 while the ring 800 is in an armed state. In an emergency, the wearer may be suddenly immersed in water. The restraint 804 may be a water-soluble tablet that quickly dissolves upon immersion. After the restraint 804 dissolves, the tension relief tongue portion 808 is deflects into channel 816 to a collapsed state.

[0041] Referring now to FIG. 9, a self-actuating sealing system 900 is shown. Liner 902 is part of an anti-exposure suit. Ring 904, similar to ring 800 described above, is shown wrapped within portions of liner 902. Joining mechanism 906 including restraint 908, both highlighted for clarity, is shown on the side of the user's neck. The ring 904 is shown in an armed state. When restraint 908 is removed, for example, by dissolving upon contact with water, the ring 904 collapses into a collapsed state. The liner 902 is then allowed to close around the neck of the user to seal the anti-exposure suit. [0042] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.