Abstract:
A seal assembly is mounted to a floor portion of an RV with a slide out room. The slide out room has a wall and a floor that is separated from the floor of the RV. The seal assembly has a wear bar with a ramped surface extending up from a flange at an obtuse angle, terminating in a flat top surface which then terminates in a wall that extends downwardly to another flange. The seal has a flexible wiper that seals to the slide out room floor. The seal assembly includes a splash shield with a resilient end that seals to the wall of the slide out room.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/563,146, filed Dec. 8, 2014, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional application 61/912,687, filed Dec. 6, 2013, which application hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Slide out rooms are commonly used to expand the usable space within a recreational vehicle (“RV”). It is important that the slide out room be sealed from the exterior of the vehicle. Inadequately sealed slide out rooms create a perception in an end user&#39;s mind that the vehicle is low quality. Gaps between parts of the slide out room and the RV create opportunity for drafts, rodents, insects, water, debris, or other undesirable elements to enter the interior of the RV. Evidence of an inadequately sealed slide out room may be light showing around where the slide out room interfaces with main RV interior, drafts around the slide out room, or water entering the RV from around the slide out room. 
         [0000]    It is particularly difficult to effectively seal the lower portion of a slide out room. There is ample opportunity for seals near this area of the slide out room to be breached by light, air, or water. Water may be thrown up into the room during travel along roads. There is a need to prevent water from being splashed or thrown into the slide out room from below during travel. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present disclosure describes a seal assembly that is made up of two pieces. The first piece is designed to seal the main floor of the RV to the floor of the slide out room with an upper portion where a resilient wiper slides along the bottom of the slide out room floor. The first piece includes a wear bar made from a higher durometer that also slides along the slide out room floor. The second piece is designed to seal the floor of the RV to the side wall of the slide out room by having a sealing leg that mates to the side wall when the slide out room is in the refracted position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an RV having a slide out room; 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a magnified view taken about area  2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the slide out room in a retracted position over the main floor; 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the floor portion of the seal show in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the splash portion of the seal shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the floor portion of the seal shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the splash portion of the seal shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is a side view of the slide out room in a retracted position over the main floor; 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is a side view of the floor portion of the seal shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the floor portion of the seal shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the slide out room in an extended position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the seal shown in  FIG. 4 , with the addition of a bridge; 
           [0016]      FIG. 13  is a side view of a ramped floor portion; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 14  is a side view of a ramped floor portion that has a separate support member beneath the wear bar. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    The present invention is a seal  10  useful for sealing beneath a slide out room  12  in a recreational vehicle (“RV”)  14 . The slide out room  12  is slidably retained in an opening in sidewall  13  of the RV  14 . The slide out room  12  has an end wall  16  that faces the exterior of the RV  14  and overlaps the sidewall  13  of the RV  14 . The end wall  16  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The end wall  16  is attached to a slide out room floor  20  that slides over a main floor  22  that serves as the floor of the recreational vehicle. The main floor  22  has an outermost edge  23  that defines the outermost portion of the floor  20 . The end wall  16  is also connected to slide out room sidewalls and a roof (that are not shown) to form the slide out room  12 . The slide out room  12  is slidable from a retracted position as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  to an extended position that places the end wall  16  at a distance further spaced from the sidewall  13  of the recreational vehicle. The extended position is not shown. 
         [0019]    The slide room floor  20  is spaced from the main floor  22  as the slide out room floor  20  slides over the main floor  22  to shift between the extended and retracted positions.  FIGS. 2 and 4  show the space  25  between the main floor  22  and the slide out room floor  20 . The seal  10  of the present invention is located at least partially in this space  25 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  shows a floor portion  34  of the seal  10  that is mounted to the main floor  22 . The floor portion  34  has an inward flange  36  and an outward flange  38  that are integral and joined to a wear bar  48 . The inward flange  36  has a lower surface  37  that is coplanar with a lower surface  39  on the outward flange  38 . Both of the flanges  36 ,  38  are collinear with each other and the lower surfaces  37 ,  39  are coplanar. Flange  36  has a first terminal end  41  and a second terminal end  43 . Flange  38  has a first terminal end  47  and a second terminal end  49 . The exterior leg  40 , which is attached to the second terminal end  49  of the outward flange  38 , has a lower portion  42  that is adapted for locating the floor portion  34  along the outermost edge  23  of the main floor  22 . The lower portion  42  is made of a relatively high durometer elastomeric material and is the same material as the inward and outward flanges  36 ,  38 . An upper portion  44  of the exterior leg  40  extends upwardly and opposite to the lower portion  42 . The upper portion  44  is coplanar and collinear with the lower portion  42  where the two meet. As will be discussed further, this having the upper portion  44  and lower portion  42  of the exterior leg  40  be collinear is not necessary. The upper portion  44  has a thinned section  45  near the distal end  46 . The thinned section  45  near the distal end  46  provides for a very flexible tip that is suitable for rubbing in a sealing fashion against the slide out room floor  20 . The upper portion  44  of the exterior leg  40  is resilient and more flexible than the lower portion  42 . The upper portion  44 , in addition to being thinned, may also be made of a lower durometer material, as is the case in the floor portion  34  shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0021]    The inward flange  36  and outward flange  38  are separated by the wear bar  48 . The wear bar  48  has an inward upright member  50  and an outward upright member  52 . The inward and outward upright members  50 ,  52  are perpendicular to the inward flange  36  and outward flange  38  and extend upwardly opposite the lower surfaces  37 ,  39 . The inward and outward flanges  36 ,  38  are integrally joined to the upright members  50 ,  52  at their respective terminal ends  41 ,  47  so that no part of the flanges  36 ,  38  extend beyond the upright members  50 ,  52 . The upright members  50 ,  52  terminate in an arcuate top  54  that is integrally joined to the upright members  50  and  52 . The arcuate top  54  has an upper surface  56  and a lower surface  58 . The lower surface  58  of the arcuate top  54  is spaced away from the lower surfaces  37 ,  39  of the flanges  36 ,  38 . Therefore, there is a predetermined distance D 1  between the lower surface  58  of the arcuate top  54  and the plane formed by the coplanar lower surfaces  37 ,  39 . The plane on which the coplanar lower surfaces  37 ,  39  rest is the main floor  22 . Thus, the lower surface  58  of the arcuate top  54  is spaced from the main floor  22  by predetermined distance D 1  when installed. The arcuate top  54  has a peak  60  that is evenly spaced between the upright members  50 ,  52 . The peak  60  forms the farthest point of the wear bar  48  above the main floor  22  when installed as shown in  FIG. 3 . The peak  60  is the farthest location from the lower surfaces  37 ,  39  on the wear bar  48  and is located at the approximate midpoint of the arcuate top  54 . 
         [0022]    The wear bar  48  includes a strut  64  that extends from the lower surface  58  toward the lower surfaces  37 ,  39  of flanges  36 ,  38 .  FIG. 4  shows the strut  64 . The strut  64  has a distal end  66  that is farthest from the lower surface  58  to which the strut  64  is attached. The distal end  66  is a predetermined distance D 2  from the lower surface  58 . Because the distal end  66  is nearer the lower surface of the arcuate top  58  than lower surfaces  37 ,  39 , the strut  64  does not contact the main floor  22  when the wear bar  48  is in an undeformed condition as shown in  FIG. 4 . In other words, the strut  66  is shorter than the height of the lower surface  58  of the arcuate top  54  above the main floor  22 . Under enough force, it may be possible to deform the wear bar  48  so that the strut  66  does touch the main floor  22 . The strut  64  can provide some additional support for the floor  20  when it is deformed sufficiently for the strut  64  to contact the main floor  22 . In the case of the wear bar  48  shown in  FIG. 12 , a bridge  59  spans between the inward and outward flanges  36 ,  38 . The wear bar  48  in  FIG. 12 , has the strut  64  connected to the bridge  59 . As such, the wear bar  48  shown in  FIG. 12  is more rigid than that shown in  FIG. 4 . In this case, the strut  64  provides constant support for the top of the wear bar  48 . 
         [0023]    In addition to a floor portion  34 , the seal  10  has a splash portion  70  that is adapted for sealing against the end wall  16 . The splash portion  70  is L-shaped having a mounting leg  72  integrally joined to a sealing leg  74 . The mounting leg  72  and approximately half of the sealing leg  74  are made of the same durometer material. The mounting leg  72  is adapted for being mounted to the outermost edge  23  of the main floor  22 . The sealing leg  74  is made of a lower durometer material near its distal end  78 . The portion of the sealing leg  74  nearest the distal end  78  is resilient and more flexible than the portion of the sealing leg  74  nearest the mounting leg  72 .  FIG. 5  shows the differently hatched sections indicating the aforementioned portions of the sealing leg  74 . The distal end  78  is adapted for flexibly sealing against the end wall  16  of the slide out room  12  when the slide out room  12  is in its retracted position as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0024]    The seal  10  is installed as shown in  FIG. 3 . The lower surfaces  37 ,  39  of the inward and outward flanges  36 ,  38  rest upon the main floor  22 . The splash portion  70  of the seal  10  is placed so the mounting leg  72  is between the lower portion  42  of the floor portion  34  and the edge  23  of the main floor  22 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , a single fastener  88  can extend through both the lower portion  42  and the mounting leg  72  to hold the seal  10  to the RV. The sandwiching of the mounting leg  72  allows the weight of the sealing leg  74  and any force applied to the distal end  78  to be distributed across the lower portion  42  and not directly to the fastener  88 . An additional fastener  90  may be driven though the inward flange  36  into the main floor  22 . The fasteners  88 ,  90  may be screws, nails, staples, or other suitable fasteners. In its installed position, the splash portion  70  will seal against the end wall  16  to prevent water or other debris from entering the slide out room  12  from below. 
         [0025]    An alternate embodiment of the floor portion  34  has a ramped floor portion  68  in  FIGS. 9-10 ;  13  and  14 . The ramped floor portion  68  is well suited for use with a flush floor slide-out, where the floor  20  of the slide-out drops down when fully extended, removing a step up area when the user moves between the main floor to the fully-extended slide-out floor. The ramped floor portion  68  has an inward flange  86  and an outward flange  85  that are integral and continues with an exterior leg  83  as shown in  FIG. 10 . The inward flange  86  has a lower surface  87  that is coplanar with a lower surface  89  on the outward flange  85 . Both of the flanges  86 ,  85  are collinear with each other and the lower surfaces  87 ,  89  are coplanar. However, it is not necessary that flanges  86  and  85  are collinear, as shown in  FIG. 14 . Flange  86  has a first terminal end  91  and a second terminal end  93 . Flange  85  has a first terminal end  97  and a second terminal end  99  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The exterior leg  83 , which is attached to the second terminal end  99  of the outward flange  85 , has a lower portion  92  that is adapted for locating the ramped floor portion  68  along the outermost edge  23  of the main floor  22  as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0026]    The lower portion  92  is made of a relatively high durometer elastomeric material, similarly to the lower portion  92 . An upper portion  94  of the exterior leg  83  extends upwardly and opposite to the lower portion  92 . The upper portion  94  is more flexible than the lower portion  92  and coplanar and collinear with the lower portion  92  where the two meet. As mentioned before, it is not necessary that the upper portion  94  and lower portion  92  are collinear. The upper portion  94  has a thinned section  95  as shown in  FIG. 9  near the distal end  96 . The thinned section  95  near the distal end  96  provides for a very flexible tip that is suitable for rubbing in a sealing fashion against the slide out room floor  20 . The upper portion  94  of the exterior leg  83  is resilient and more flexible than the lower portion  92 . 
         [0027]    As is shown in  FIG. 9 , the inward flange  86  and outward flange  85  are separated by a wear bar  98 . The wear bar  98  has an inward upright member  100  and an outward ramped member  102 . The outward ramped member  102  had a ramped surface  110 . The inward upright member  100  and outward ramped member  102  are angled with respect to flanges  86 ,  85  and extend upwardly opposite the lower surfaces  87 ,  89 . The inward and outward flanges  86 ,  85  are integrally joined to inward and outward members  100 ,  102  at their respective terminal ends  91 ,  97  so that no part of the flanges  86 ,  85  extend beyond the members  100 ,  102 . The inward and outward members  100 ,  102  terminate in a flat top  104  that is integrally joined to members  100 ,  102 . The flat top  104  has an upper surface  106  and a lower surface  108 . The lower surface  108  of the flat top  104  is spaced away from the lower surfaces  87 ,  89  of the flanges. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the inward upright member  100  is acutely angled with respect to the inward flange  86 , but it is contemplated that it could be perpendicular. The outward ramped member  102  as shown in  FIG. 10 , is obtusely angled with respect to the outward flange  85 . Due to the angles of the outward ramped member  102  and the inward upright member  100 , when pressure is placed on the top  104 , it tends to bend inwardly. An additional fastener  90  as shown in  FIG. 8  may be driven though the inward flange  86  into the main floor  22 . The fasteners  88 ,  90  may be screws, nails, staples, or other suitable fasteners. In its installed position, the splash portion  70  will seal against the end wall  16  to prevent water or other debris from entering the slide out room  12  from below. 
         [0028]    The ramped floor portion  68  as shown in  FIG. 13  includes support ribs  115  integrally extending from the lower surface  108  of the wear bar. The support ribs support the upper surface  106  of the wear bar  98 . The support ribs  115  are angled in parallel with the inward upright member  100 . As such, downward force that may deflect the wear bar  98  will tend to bend the wear bar  98  inwardly toward the inward flange  86 . 
         [0029]    In some cases, it may be desirable to have support for the wear bar  98  that is not integrally attached to the wear bar  98 . In such a case, a separate support member  120  may be inserted beneath the wear bar  98  as shown in  FIG. 14 . The separate support member  120  is an extrusion that extends longitudinally beneath the wear bar  98  in a complementary fashion and includes its own support ribs  122  that effectively rigidify the wear bar  98  of the ramped floor portion  68 . The separate support member  120  includes a support ledge  126  that may receive fasteners  128  such as screws that hold the support member  120  in place while the ramped floor portion  68  is placed over it. A lower surface  127  of said support ledge  126  is adapted to rest upon the main living area floor  22 . A distal end  132  of the support ribs  122  extend to be aligned with the lower surface  127  of the support ledge. 
         [0030]    The ramped floor portion  68  shown in  FIG. 14  includes an outer leg that has an offset upper portion  44  its lower portion  42  and functions in the same way as the upper portion of  FIGS. 8-13 . 
         [0031]    As the slide-out room  12  moves between the extended and retracted position, the floor  20  slides on the upper portion  44  as shown in  FIG. 2 , forming a seal. As is shown in  FIG. 11 , if the slide out room  12  has a drop-down floor, the ramped surface  110  allows the floor  20  to smoothly transition from a position where it overlays the main floor  22  to a position where an upper surface of the floor  20  is aligned with the main floor  22 . When the slide-out room is refracted, the ramped surface  110  allows the floor  20  to smoothly transition to a position where it overlays the main floor  22 . 
         [0032]    It is understood that while certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been shown and described, the disclosed subject matter is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. No specific limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. Modifications may be made to the disclosed subject matter as set forth in the following claims.