Patent ID: 7650055

Claim:
An environmentally sealed closure through which one or more input members are passed, the closure comprising: a housing having a opening therethrough defining an edge and a longitudinal axis, the housing further including a wall defining an interior therein, the wall including an internal shoulder portion and an external shoulder portion, the internal shoulder portion delimiting an interior area within the interior; a first plate disposed within the interior proximate the interior area in floating contact with the internal shoulder portion, the first plate being urged against the internal shoulder portion in a first pressure state and being urged in a direction of the opening in a second pressure state; a seal disposed within the interior, the seal having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a peripheral area, the second side in contact with the first plate, the peripheral area in contact with an interior portion of the housing; a second plate disposed at least partially within the interior ad in contact with the first side of the seal, the second plate having a flange portion in floating contact with the edge of the housing, the flange portion being urged against the edge in the first pressure state; a plurality of respective openings defined in the first plate, the second plate and the seal member, wherein the respective openings are generally axially aligned and sized to selectively sealingly receive the input member therethrough; and a compression member disposed about the housing and connected to the second plate to compress the seal with a preloaded pressure between the first plate and the second plate and to urge the peripheral area in a direction of the interior portion of the housing to seal the closure, the compression member further including a lip in floating contact with the external shoulder portion, the lip being urged away from the external shoulder portion in the first pressure state and being urged against the external shoulder portion in the second pressure state, the first pressure state and the second pressure state creating a pressure differential between the interior area and an ambient pressure level to cause independent movement of the first and second plates to further compress the seal and increase the preloaded pressure of the seal.