Patent ID: 7997537

Claim:
A conformal airlock assembly for ingress and egress through a door of a support wall from a relatively high pressure environment on one side of the support wall to a relatively low pressure environment on the other side of the support wall, said airlock assembly including: a flexible, gas impermeable membrane cooperating with the support wall in an airtight manner to form an interior pocket over the door on the one side of the support wall; an airtight resealable seam cooperating with the membrane to form an opening into the interior pocket from the one side of the support wall, said resealable seam selectively operable from an open condition, permitting passage through said opening and into the interior pocket, to a closed condition, forming an airtight seal; a gas displacement system in flow communication with the interior pocket, and selectively operable to flow air into said interior pocket toward a non-collapsed condition for the membrane, and out of said interior pocket toward a collapsed condition for the membrane; and an actuator apparatus coupled to said flexible membrane, and operable to displace said flexible membrane, in the collapsed condition, away from said one side of the support wall toward a displaced condition, creating a low pressure space, until the pressure differential between the low pressure created in the low pressure space and that on the other side of the support wall are sufficiently low so as to enable safe and free opening of the door to permit ingress and egress therethrough.