Patent ID: 6349429
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: A47B,E03C

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing an apertured mounting unit comprising the steps of:a) providing a porous deck sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; b) cutting the deck sheet to form a porous cross-sectional edge in the deck sheet defining an aperture and profiling the cross-sectional edge so that in a profiled portion of the cross-sectional edge an upper segment of the cross-sectional edge projects further into the aperture than a lower segment of the cross-sectional edge, such that the profiled portion of the cross-sectional edge restricts the upward movement of the seal member with respect to the deck sheet; c) forming a non-porous seal member having a top surface and a bottom surface, the seal member being dimensioned to fit inside the aperture and abut the cross-sectional edge of the deck sheet, wherein the seal member comprises a solid surface material selected from the group consisting of polyester resins; acrylic resins; cast acrylic resins with inert fillers; mineral filled polyester resins; mineral filled acrylic resins; methylmethacrylate polymers with alumina trihydrate fillers; and, homogeneous, thermoset polymer alloys comprised of polyester and acrylic components and filled with aluminium trihydrate, wherein the step of forming the non-porous seal member comprises: i) cutting a strip of appropriately dimensioned seal member material from sheet stock, so that the strip has two ends; ii) heating the strip of seal member material to a temperature at which the strip is deformable; iii) molding the heated strip to an appropriate shape to fit against the cross-sectional edge of the deck sheet edge; and iv) bonding the two ends of the strip of seal member material together to form the seal member; d) inserting the seal member into the aperture in abutment with the cross-sectional edge of the deck sheet; e) providing a utility member with an outwardly extending circumferential flange; and, f) removably fastening the utillity member to the deck sheet by applying a biasing force to bias the upper circumferential flange of the utility member into sealable engagement with the bottom surface of the seal member as the upper circumferential flange is biased against a stopping surface that is fixed with respect to the bottom surface of the deck sheet, the stopping surface communicating the biasing force to the bottom surface of the deck sheet.