Appeal No. 1997-3403
Application No. 08/032,889
Claim 1 is reproduced below as representative of the
invention.
1. A grommet for sealing at least one entrance to
an enclosure through each of which is received a length
of cable, each of the entrances being a recess along
an edge of a panel of the enclosure, comprising:
an integral member molded of elastomeric material
and having thick top and bottom edge portions and
including cable-receiving sections associated
with each of said recesses along said edge of a
said panel of said enclosure, each said cable-
receiving section coextending from said top edge
portion to said bottom edge portion and
including a virtual slit extending through and
downwardly from said top edge portion and
concluding at said bottom edge portion; and
thick portions beside each said cable-receiving
section between said top and bottom edge portions,
each said cable-receiving section comprising a pair
of opposed stiff deflectable portions along said top
edge portion adjacent said virtual slit
therebetween, and a diaphragm section downwardly
from and adjacent said opposed stiff deflectable
portions and joined only initially to said stiff
deflectable portions by a frangible section
therebetween, said diaphragm section defined by at
least a first pair of opposed resilient strips
extending from respective thickened portions to free
ends adjacent said virtual slit therebetween, all so
that a cable portion is insertable into a respective
said cable-receiving section from said top edge
portion by being urged along said virtual slit
deflecting apart and moving past said stiff
deflectable portions and at least deflecting apart
adjacent ends of a first said pair of said opposed
resilient strips, with at least said stiff
deflectable portions closing together after said
3
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