Patent Abstract:
A sealing mechanism for use in protective garments, such as hazard suits and the like, enables components of the protective garments, such as gas masks, hoses, respirators and the like to be removably attached to the garment material. The sealing mechanism includes a framing ring which may be attached to an object to be sealed to the garment material and a locking ring. The framing ring and the locking ring are adapted to engage each other in a snap fit type connection while trapping a portion of the garment material therebetween to thereby form an airtight seal between the object and the protective garment.

Full Description:
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS 
     This invention was made with U.S. Government support under contract number W91CRB-04-C-0012 awarded by the Technical Support Working Group, TSWG task number 1985, administered by the U.S. Army RDECOM Acquisition Center-W91CBR, 4118 Susqueharma Ave, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21005-3013. The U.S. Government has certain rights in this invention. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to a seal for use in protective garments and, more particularly, to a seal mechanism adapted to bridge the connection between a protective garment and an object removably connected to the protective garment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Protective garments, such as hazard or chemical suits are well known in the art, and are typically worn by a user for protection from a potentially hazardous environment. One type of protective garment is self-contained and wholly encapsulates the user, such that potential leak paths or openings are minimized. For example, a one-piece protective garment may include a zipper or other closing mechanism that allows the user to step into the garment and then close the garment, thereby encapsulating the user. Another such example may be a two-piece protective garment, wherein a lower piece includes a feet and legs portion of the suit, while an upper piece includes a torso, a head, arms, and hands portions of the protective garment. The user may attach the upper and lower portions together via a closing mechanism to thereby, encapsulate the user. 
     Self-contained or wholly encapsulating garments, however, have some undesirable limitations. For example, a rip or a tear in the garment typically requires that the entire garment, or a large portion of the garment be replaced. Also, if the user is already wearing a gas mask, the user either has to remove the gas mask to wear the protective garment, which may expose the user to a hazardous environment, or the user has to wear the hazard suit over the gas mask, which may be cumbersome and may obstruct the view of the user as the user has to look through both a visor of the gas mask and a viewing window in the protective garment. 
     There are, however, multi-piece protective garments having a protective material or a suit portion that includes holes, openings, or gaps intentionally made for connecting other portions of the protective garment or objects to the protective garment. For example, a multi-piece protective garment may have boots, gloves, a hood, a mask or other features that may be removably connected to a body portion of the protective garment before use in hazardous conditions. Similarly, protective garments may have features that enable hoses, cables, or other objects to be connected to the protective garment so as to allow these other devices to be used in combination with the protective garment. These multi-piece type garments, however, require a strong and continuous seal between the garment and the objects attached to the garment. Still further, to be of maximum utility, the sealing mechanism used in these multi-piece garments should be easy to manipulate while the user is wearing the protective garment. 
     Some seals and sealing mechanisms that connect protective garment components together are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,609 discloses a garment having a protective over-garment, gloves, and over-boots and a sealing mechanism that produces an air tight barrier between the gloves and the over-garment or between the over-boots and the over-garment. In this garment arrangement, each connection point or interface between the gloves, the over-boots and the over-garment includes an annular drawstring interface and a dilating elastomeric sheath. An airtight seal between the various components is made by first drawing-up and tightening one of the components, such as the over-garment, onto or over a portion of another component, such as the gloves. The elastomeric sheath is then extended or stretched over the connection between the over-garment and gloves, for example, to thereby constrict the elastomeric sheath over the interface, which causes the elastomeric sheath to compressively engage the interface and the user&#39;s body and create an air-tight barrier at the interface. 
     While known seals and sealing mechanisms typically work well for their intended purpose, these and other sealing Mechanisms have limitations and problems that make their adaptation for certain uses difficult, if not impossible. For example, some of the seals or sealing mechanisms lack a positive locking mechanism that provides the user with the knowledge that a proper seal has been made. This positive locking feature is important in particularly hazardous environments and in environments in which the user may not be able to detect a leak in the garment during use. Similarly, some of the known seals or sealing mechanisms are unable to create the necessary quality of seal required for certain hazardous or potentially hazardous environments. Still further, some known sealing mechanisms, such as the sealing mechanism of U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,609, require the user to perform multiple and different sealing steps, which makes it more likely that an airtight seal will not be obtained during assembly of the garment. Additionally, such seals may be compromised during use by movements of the wearer, resulting in slow leaks during use of the garment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     A protective garment, such as a hazard suit, includes a main body portion that is constructed from at least one pliable or flexible sheet of material and which includes openings or apertures designed to allow objects such as a visor or a respirator of a gas mask, gloves, boots, hoses, and the like to be attached to the material. A removable seal or sealing mechanism that is easy to operate connects or attaches one or more of the objects to the sheet of material in an airtight manner. In one embodiment, the seal or sealing mechanism includes a framing ring and a locking ring that operate together to form the seal between the material and one of the objects. The framing ring includes a first channel that operatively engages a ridge on the object to be attached to the suit, thereby securing the framing ring to the object in an airtight manner. The framing ring additionally includes a second channel that receives an edge of the sheet of material and the locking ring includes a wall member that fits snugly into the second channel of the framing ring. During use, the wall member on the locking ring is snap fit or otherwise disposed in the second channel of the framing ring along with the edge of the sheet of material to secure the edge of the sheet of material between the framing ring and the locking ring and thereby produce an airtight seal between the material and the object. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a person in a hazard suit which includes protective seals that removably connect or attach a body portion of the hazard suit to other portions or objects associated with the hazard suit; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a hood portion of the hazard suit of  FIG. 1  in which a gas mask is removably attached to hood material via a first embodiment of a protective seal; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the gas mask, the hood and the protective seal of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a disassembled cross-sectional view of the protective seal, a portion of the visor and a portion of the hood material generally taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed cross-sectional view of the protective seal of  FIG. 2  when the protective seal operates to seal the visor of  FIG. 2  to the hood of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 1  illustrating a second embodiment of a sealing mechanism used on the hazard suit of  FIG. 1  to connect a circular hose member to the hazard suit of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     While the methods and devices described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed. To the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a protective garment in the form of a hazard suit  10 , having a main body portion  11  connected to a hood  12 , gloves  14 , and boots  15 . Additionally, a gas mask  13  and a respirator  19  are removably connected to the hood  12  while a hose or an air supply connection  18  is removably connected to the main body portion  11  of the hazard suit  10 . A ventilator  21  is also illustrated as being connected to the hazard suit  10  and the ventilator  21  may be either removably or fixedly attached to the hazard suit  10 . As is generally known, the hazard suit  10 , the hood  12 , the gloves  14 , and the boots  15  may be constructed from, or may include a flexible non-permeable sheet of material that protects a wearer or a user from a hazardous environment, with the type or nature of the material differing depending on the type of hazardous environment in which the suit  10  is intended to be used. As examples only, the protective garment  10  may be constructed of plastic, rubber, any of a number of known polymer materials or any other suitable material. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate the interconnection of the hood  12  and the gas mask  13  in more detail to illustrate one manner in which a sealing mechanism  20  can be used to removably connect the gas mask  13  to the hood  12 . Generally speaking, the gas mask  13  may be any desired type of mask commonly used to protect a user from airborne contaminants and may be, for example, a gas mask typically used in any of many environments including, but limited to, military, medical, and hazardous waste environments. As such, the term gas mask is used herein to include or refer to any type of mask used with any type of breathing apparatus, such as fire or contaminant protection masks, and is not intended to be limited to traditional gas masks having filters for filtering gas in the environment. While the gas mask  13  illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  includes the respirator  19  for filtering air delivered into the gas mask  13 , the gas mask  13  may instead or in addition be connected to a separate source of air such as, for example, a compressed tank of air (not shown) via a hose or the like. If desired, the gas mask  13  may be constructed from a pliable or flexible rubber material for forming around the head and/or facial area of the user, and may include a window, such as a visor  17 . As is typical, the visor  17  may have a generally rectangular shape that is outwardly curving and that is constructed from a generally thin and transparent material such as plastic, glass or any other clear or see-through material. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  as being connected to the hood  12  of the hazard suit  10  by a combination of a framing ring  24  and a locking ring  28  which together form the sealing mechanism  20 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the framing ring  24  is connected to or around the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  while the locking ring  28  traps a portion of the hood  12  between one or more surfaces of the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  to thereby provide an airtight seal between the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  and the hood  12 . As will be described in more detail below, the locking ring  28  preferably fits into the framing ring  24  using a snap-fit type connection that is easy to manipulate and that provides the wearer or user with a positive or tactile indication that the seal is complete. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded view of the combination of the gas mask  13 , a cut-away portion of the hood  12  and the sealing mechanism  20 . From  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that the framing ring  24  is generally disposed between the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  and an aperture  16  within the hood  12 , while the locking ring  28  is generally disposed outside of the hood  12 . More particularly, the locking ring  28  operates to trap edge material  22  of the hood  12  around the aperture  16  between the locking ring  28  and the framing ring  24  to produce the seal between the visor  17  and the hood  12 . Because the aperture  16  of the hood  12  receives the gas mask  13  and, more specifically, the visor  17  for the gas mask  13 , the aperture  16  has a generally rectangular shape that may correspond to the shape of the visor  17 . Furthermore, to produce a better seal between the hood  12  and the visor  17 , the hood  12  may include a rim  85  having an outwardly extending lip  84  disposed continuously around the aperture  16  with the lip  84  sized and shaped to fit into a channel formed in the framing ring  24  without substantially overlapping or folding onto itself. As will be seen from  FIG. 3 , the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  are substantially complementary in shape, so that the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  define essentially the same aperture and have portions that fit into one another around the entire edge or circumference of the aperture. While  FIG. 3  illustrates the that rings  24  and  28  are generally rectangular in shape, these rings could take on any other general shape, such as oval, circular, triangular, etc. depending on the shape of the object being attached to the protective garment  10 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates in more detail the various components used to create the seal between the gas mask  13  and the hood  12 . In particular, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the visor  17  is held in the gas mask  13  by inserting an edge  44  of the visor  17  into a groove  46  integrally formed in the gas mask  13 . In particular, the groove  46  is defined by an inner wall  48 , an upper wall  50  and an outer wall  52 , wherein the inner and outer walls  48  and  52  are oriented generally parallel to one another. As a result, at least portions of an outer surface  54  and an inner surface  56  of the visor  17  are in contact with and abut the inner wall  48  and the outer wall  52  of the groove  46 , respectively. As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the walls  48 ,  50  and  52  of the gas mask  13  define a ridge  36  that receives the framing ring  24  and define a groove  46  that receives the visor  17 . 
     The framing ring  24  illustrated in  FIG. 4  includes first and second channels  34  and  38  which form continuous channels around the aperture formed by the framing ring  24  and which are generally U-shaped in cross section. In particular, the framing ring  24  includes a vertically oriented center wall member  70 , an upper wall member  72  that extends inwardly or towards the user from a top of the center wall member  70  and that is oriented generally perpendicular to the center wall member  70  and an inner wall member  74  that extends downwardly from the upper wall member  72 . The inner wall member  74  in combination with the upper wall member  72  and the center wall member  70 , defines the first channel  34 , which includes a downwardly facing opening  76  for receiving the ridge  36  of the gas mask  13 . Additionally, the framing member  24  includes a lower wall member  78  that extends outwardly or away from the user from a bottom of the center wall member  70  and that is oriented generally perpendicular to the center wall  70  and an outer wall member  80  that extends upwardly from the lower wall member  78 . The outer wall member  80 , in combination with the lower wall member  78  and the center wall member  70 , defines the second channel  38  which includes an upwardly facing opening  82  for receiving a portion of the locking ring  28  as will be described in more detail later. As will be understood, the first channel  34  of the framing ring  24  is sized and shaped to engage the ridge  36  on the gas mask  13  in an airtight and possibly permanent manner, while the second channel  38  is sized and shaped to receive the edge material  22  of the aperture  16  and a locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28  in a removable manner. It will be understood that, while the first channel  34  is illustrated as being disposed on the framing ring  24  and the ridge  36  is illustrated as being disposed on the visor  17  of the gas mask  13 , the channel  34  or a similar channel could instead, be disposed on the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  and the ridge  36  or a similar ridge could be disposed on the framing ring  24  so that a ridge on the framing ring  24  engages a channel on the visor  17  in a sealable manner. Alternatively, any other suitable sealable connection structure could be used on the visor  17  and the framing ring  24  to enable these two elements to be permanently or removably connected to one another. 
     As also illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the locking ring  28  includes the locking wall member  26  that extends downwardly from an end of an upper wall member  88  and further includes an outer wall member  90  that extends vertically between a lower wall member  92  and the upper wall member  88 . A first end  94  of the lower wall member  92  is located beneath or adjacent the locking wall member  26  and the locking wall member  26  is shorter in height (when viewed in cross section) than the outer wall member  90  so a gap or an opening  96  is formed between the locking wall member  26  and the lower wall member  92 . Additionally, the lower wall member  92  extends generally to a plane shared by an outer surface  95  of the locking wall member  26 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a space or locking channel  97  is formed by the wall members  26 ,  90 ,  92  and  88  and this locking channel  97  is generally sized to accept the wall member  80  of the framing ring  24  in a snug or tight but removable manner. As will be seen in  FIG. 4 , the locking channel  97  which forms a continuous channel or path around the aperture defined by the locking ring  28  is generally L-shaped in cross section. Additionally, the gap or opening  96  is sized to accept the wall member  78  and the lip  84  of the edge material  22  in a tight or snug manner and, in fact, the gap  96  may be slightly more narrow than the wall member  78  or than the combination of the wall member  78  and the lip  84  to cause the locking ring  28  to provide a positive force to the lip  84  and the wall member  78  when the locking ring  28  engages the framing ring  24 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . Additionally, the locking ring  28  and, more specifically, the locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28  is sized and shaped to engage the second channel  38  of the framing ring  24  in a tight or snap-fit manner with the rim material  85  disposed therein. If desired, the locking wall member  26  may be the same thickness as or slightly thicker than the width of channel  38  (as defined by the distance between the wall members  70  and  80 ) to cause the wall members  70 ,  78  and  80  forming the channel  38  to provide a positive force to the rim  85  and the locking wall member  26  when the locking ring  28  engages the framing ring  24 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , to thereby provide a better or more complete seal. In some cases, however, depending on the thickness of the material at the rim  85 , the locking wall member  26  may be somewhat less than the width of the channel  38 , with the material at the rim  85  filling in the extra space to cause the locking wall member  26  to interact with the channel  38  to provide a positive sealing force on the material of the hood  12 . Of course, in any event, the locking wall member  26  has a thickness that is small enough to allow the locking wall member  26  to be inserted into the channel  38  along with the portion of the garment edge disposed in the channel  38 , and large enough to provide positive pressure against the portion of the garment edge and the two wall members  70  and  80  when the locking wall member  26  is inserted into the channel  38 . Of course, the wall member  80  of the framing ring  24  interacts with the locking channel  97  in a similar manner, although the material from the hood  12  need not be (but can be) disposed between these elements during the sealing process. 
     As will be understood, to form a seal using the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28 , the edge material  22  and, in particular, the lip  84  of the edge material  22  disposed around the aperture  16  of the hood  12  is placed in the second channel  38  of the framing ring  24  such that a bottom surface  98  of the lip  84  is oriented generally parallel to the lower wall member  78  of the locking ring  28 , and such that at least a portion of the rim  85  is oriented generally parallel to and abutting the central wall member  70  of the locking ring  28 . In this exemplary embodiment, the lip  84  may be shaped and sized to fit within the second channel  38  without having to bend, deform or fold onto itself, so that a majority of the bottom surface  98  of the lip  84  contacts the lower wall member  78 . The preshaping of the lip  84  to fit within the channel  38  provides a better seal when the locking ring  28  is disposed to engage the framing ring  24  because this preshaping reduces or prevents folds or gaps forming in the sealing area. In some cases, if desired, the lip  84  may be long enough to wind its way around the wall member  80  of the framing ring  24  and may stick out of or beyond the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  when these rings are engaging one another. In this case, however, it is considered that a portion of the lip or a portion of the edge of the garment  10  is still disposed within the channel  38  and the locking channel  97 . 
     In any event, the material of the lip  84  is secured in the channel  38  by engaging or snapping the locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28  into the second channel  38  of the framing ring  28 . This seal is formed all the way around the framing and locking rings  24  and  28  which form continuous channels around the aperture defined by the lip  84  to thereby cause a continuous seal between the edge of the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  and the hood  12 . As will be understood and as best illustrated in  FIG. 5 , during use the locking ring  28  operatively connects, clips or snaps onto the framing ring  24  and in doing so secures the lip  84  between the locking ring  28  and the framing ring  24 . More specifically, the locking ring  28  secures the lip  84  by engaging the locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28  with the second channel  38 , in which the lip  84  is disposed. Thus, as will be understood, the seal mechanism  20  operates as a simple snapping mechanism that connects the visor  17  of the gas mask  13  to the hood  12  using the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28 , to thereby create an airtight seal between the gas mask  13  and the hood  12 . 
     In order to enhance the sealing action, the material forming lip  84  may be thicker then the material forming the rim  85  and/or the majority of the sheet of material of which the hood  12  is constructed. Still further, the lip  84  may be oriented generally perpendicular relative to the rim  85  and/or may be oriented generally parallel to the lower wall  78  of the framing ring  24 . Both of these features, while not necessary, tend to provide a better or stronger seal when the lip  84  is disposed between the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  and may help prevent the lip  84  from tearing or splitting during use repeated use. 
     While the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  are illustrated in  FIG. 3  as being constructed from a single integrally formed piece of material, either or both of the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  may instead be constructed from more than one piece of material. Furthermore, the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28  may be constructed from any suitable material, but are preferably constructed from a rigid or a semi-rigid material such as stiff or pliable rubber. 
     The above exemplary embodiment may be varied, to achieve and/or create additional or alternative features. For example, the framing ring  24  need not be separate from the gas mask  13  or the ridge  36 , but may be, for example, an integral part or integrally formed with the gas mask  13  or the ridge  36 . Similarly, the edge  22  need not include the lip  84  and/or may include a lip  84  that has a shape or structure other than described herein. For example, the lip  84  may be L-shaped, U-shaped or any other shape in cross section, and may be formed to fit around a circular, an oval or any other shaped object. Additionally, the lip  84  may be separate from the hood  12 , the rim  85  or the protective garment  10 , and may be constructed from a material that is the same as or that is different than the remainder of the protective garment  10 . Still further, the framing ring  24  may simply include a wall (instead of a channel made up of two or more walls) that engages a channel within the locking ring  23  with the material of the protective garment disposed between these two members. 
     Because of the construction of the sealing mechanism  20 , a user may don or wear the gas mask  13  prior to donning the hazard suit  10  and thus, may put on the hazard suit without needing to remove the gas mask  13 , which may be beneficial in many instances. In this case, the user may first attach the framing ring  24  to the outer edge of the gas mask  13  by placing the first channel  34  of the framing ring  24  onto the ridge  36  of the gas mask  13 . Of course, currently available gas masks may already include the ridge  36 , such that the sealing mechanism  20  can be used with the gas mask without alteration of the gas mask. Alternatively, the gas mask  13  may be retrofitted with the ridge  36  or a ridge-like structure for use with the sealing mechanism  20 . In any event, with the ridge  36  disposed on the gas mask  13 , the user may engage or snap the framing ring  24  on the ridge  36  and, more specifically, may engage the first channel  34  of the framing ring  24  with the ridge  36  on the gas mask  13 , as generally illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . In this exemplary embodiment, the first channel  34  and the ridge  36  may be engaged such that the walls  70 ,  72 ,  74  of the first channel  34  abut the respective walls  52 ,  50 ,  48  of the ridge  36 , or until the framing ring  24  is fully engaged and seated on the gas mask  13 . Of course, if desired, the gas mask  13  may be constructed to include the framing ring  24  permanently or integrally attached thereto, in which case, the first channel  34  on the framing ring  28  is not necessary. 
     Like the ridge  36 , the inverted U-shaped portion of the framing ring  24  which includes the first channel  34  defined by the center wall member  70 , the upper wall member  72 , and the inner wall member  74  may already exist on current gas masks. As such, the gas mask  13  may be retrofitted to be used with the sealing mechanism  20 , by removing some of the already existing hardware such as the inverted U-shaped portion, and replacing it with the framing ring  24  as previously described. 
     With the first channel  34  of the framing ring  24  engaged with the gas mask  13 , the second channel  38  will be facing upwardly away from the visor  17 , ready to receive the sheet of material from which the hood  12  is constructed and the locking ring  28 . As a result, in this example, the user may put on the hazard suit  10  while wearing the gas mask  13 , and in doing so may align the orifice  16  with the visor  17  of the gas mask  13 . The user may then press, insert, or lay the edge  22  of the aperture  16  and, more specifically, may place the lip  84  toward the bottom of the second channel  38  of the framing ring  24  attached to the gas mask  13 . The lip  84  may be placed in the second channel  38  so that the bottom surface  98  of the lip  84  abuts the lower wall  78  of the locking ring  28  and so that at least a portion of the rim  85  abuts the central wall  70  of the locking ring  28 . In this exemplary embodiment, the lip  84  is be shaped and sized to fit within the second channel  38  without having to bend or deform the lip  84 , such that a majority of the bottom surface  98  of the lip  84  contacts the lower wall  78 . Additionally and/or alternatively, the lip  84  may be shaped and sized such that, upon compression of the lip  84  by the locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28 , the lip  84  has sufficient room to expand without compromising the seal between the framing ring  24  and the locking ring  28 . 
     The edge  22  and, more specifically, the lip  84  of the hood  12  may then be secured in the second channel  38  by engaging or snapping the locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28  into the second channel  38 . More specifically, the user may guide the opening  96  of the locking ring  28  toward a top of the outer wall member  80  of the framing ring  24 , such that the locking wall member  26  of the locking ring  28  engages the second channel  38 , and such that the lower wall member  92  of the locking ring  28  slidingly engages the outer wall member  80  of the framing ring  24 . As the locking ring  28  is further pressed or snapped onto the framing ring  24 , the locking wall member  26  abuts the rim  85  and the outer wall member  80 , thereby securing the locking wall member  26  and the lip  84  in the second channel  38 . Additionally, as the locking ring  28  is further pressed or snapped into the framing ring  24 , the lower wall member  92  overcomes a corner created by the connection of the lower and outer wall members  78  and  80  of the framing ring  24 , resulting in the lower wall member  92  of the locking ring  28  abutting and being oriented generally parallel to the lower wall member  78  of the framing ring  24 . As a result, the engagement of the locking ring  28  with the framing ring  24  prevents the locking ring  28  from becoming dislodged from the framing ring  24  unintentionally, while securing the hood  12  to the gas mask  13 . Still further, because of the snap-fit connection and the tactile sensation resulting from the placement of the locking ring  28  into the framing ring  24 , the user can easily determine that the proper seal has been attained between the locking ring  28  and the framing ring  24 . 
     Of course, if desired, the user may alternatively don the gas mask  13  at the same time as the hazard suit  10 , by pre-attaching the gas mask  13  to the hood  12  of the hazard suit  10 . As will also be understood, the user may remove the hazard suit  10  without removing the gas mask  13  by simply pulling the locking ring  28  out of connection with the framing ring  24  and then removing the hazard suit  10 . 
     While, for sake of brevity and clarity, the seal or seal mechanism  20  is described herein as being used to connect the gas mask  13  to the hood  12  of the hazard suit  10 , the seal mechanism  20  is not limited to this use. Instead, a similar seal mechanism may be used to connect other elements to the hazard suit  10 , including, for example, to connect a respirator filter  19  of the gas mask  13  to an aperture  30  within the hood  12 , to connect the hose  18  shown in  FIG. 1  to the hazard suit  10 , to connect the respirator  21  shown in  FIG. 1  to the hazard suit  10 , etc. In these cases, of course, the framing and locking rings used with the seal will be sized and shaped to fit the particular object or element being attached to the suit and thus, may be circular, oval, rectangular or any other desired shape. Furthermore, while illustrated and described as a hazard suit, the protective garment  10  may be any of many different types of covers or devices while the objects that can be connected to the garment  10  via the seal or seal mechanism  20  may be any of many different types of objects. For example, the protective garment  10  may be any other type of covering or material, such a tent, a blanket, a vehicle cover, etc. and the seal mechanism  20  may be used to enable any other types of objects or structure, such as windows, tools, etc. to be removably attached to a protective garment  10 . Of course, the seal mechanism  20  is not limited to the uses identified above or elsewhere herein, but may adapted for any number of other uses. 
     As an example, in another exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a molded polymer edge  99 , similar to the edge  22 , may be utilized in conjunction with other sealing mechanisms to form a seal between the protective garment  10  and a tube or hose  102 . In this case, a sealing mechanism  101  may include a compression nut  100  that engages an externally threaded surface  104  on the connecting tube  102  at one end and that engages a flange  106  at the other end. The connecting tube  102  may then be placed into an aperture  108  in the protective garment  10 , such that the flange  106  of the tube  102  is disposed on the interior of the garment  10  while the compression nut  100  is disposed on the exterior of the garment  10 . The compression nut  100  may then be rotated on the externally threaded surface  104  toward the flange  106 , eventually compressing an edge or lip  99  of the garment  10  between the flange  106  and the compression nut  100 , thereby, creating a seal between the garment  10  and the tube  102 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the edge or lip  99  of the garment  10  may be thicker than the rest of the garment material and/or may include or comprise a lip defining the aperture  108  to provide a better seal when the compression nut  100  forces the garment material against the flange  106  and/or to prevent tearing or ripping of the garment material at this location as a result of repeated connection and disconnection of the hose or tube  102  to the garment  10 . 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not to be limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention

Technology Classification (CPC): 0