Patent Application
20090047467
1. Field of the Invention
An insulating assembly for insulating an object and methods of manufacturing and using same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many methods of manufacturing insulating clothes are well known in the art. Examples of similar methods include U.S. Patent 2003-0129320 to Yu and U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,280 to Edwards et al.
The most pertinent patent found regarding the method is the Yu patent. The Yu patent discloses a method of spraying a ceramic coating onto a substrate to be old and well known. The ceramic particles are injected into a plasma jet directed toward the substrate. The jet causes the particles to melt, and upon impact on the substrate, form a ceramic layer.
The Edwards patent discloses a method of spraying UV protective particles onto cloth. Thereafter, allowing the cloth to dry is inherent in the patent. The cloth is then cut and sewn into many items including clothes, tents and tarps.
Many insulating clothes are well known in the art. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,313 to Stengle Jr. and the Edwards patent.
The Stengle Jr. patent discloses a heat-resistant woven fabric substrate having a heat-resistant coating thereon. The fabric is flexible prior to the coating being applied and forms a hard condition upon application of the coating.
The Edwards, et al. patent teaches a piece of cloth having UV blocking particles that are bonded to the cloth by a bonding agent. Edwards also teaches a cloth shaped into an article of clothing, a tent, a canvas and the like, also having UV blocking particles and a bonding agent.
Although the prior art operates within its intended use, there is a need for an improved insulating assembly and alternative method of manufacturing an insulating assembly.
An insulating assembly for insulating an object comprises a cloth, a fastener disposed on the cloth for fastening the cloth about the object, and a layer of material having insulating properties disposed on the cloth for insulating the object, wherein the layer of material flexible for allowing the cloth to conform to the object.
A method of manufacturing an insulating cloth includes the step of spraying the cloth with an insulating material. The method also includes the steps of securing a hook portion of a hook and loop fastener at a first edge of the cloth, securing a support loop portion of the hook and loop fastener to a support, and removably securing the cloth to the support by securing the hook portion of the fastener of the cloth to the support loop portion of the fastener of the support.
A method of insulating an object using a cloth comprises the steps of placing a material being aerogel about the object, placing the cloth about the material, and fastening the first edge of the cloth to the second edge of the cloth by securing the hook portion of the fastener to the loop portion of the fastener.
The invention provides an insulating cloth having increased insulating properties and a simplified method of insulating an object using the insulating cloth.
Additionally, the invention reduces the complexity of manufacturing an insulating cloth.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
An insulating assembly for insulating an object 20 is shown alone in
A fastener 36, generally indicated and of the type having a hook portion 38 and a cloth loop portion 40, is disposed on the cloth 22 for fastening the cloth 22 about the object 20. The hook portion 38 of the fastener 36 is disposed adjacent the first edge 32 of the cloth 22 and extends between the sides 24, 26 of the cloth 22. The cloth loop portion 40 is disposed adjacent the second edge 34 of the cloth 22 and extends between the sides 24, 26 of the cloth 22. Both the hook and cloth loop portions 38, 40 of the fastener 36 extend along the entire length of the edge of the cloth 22. The hook and loop fastener 36 may be the product sold under the trademark Velcro(V but one skilled in the art will recognize many other forms of fasteners 36 may be substituted, such as multiple elongated pieces or ties on each edge of the cloth 22. In addition, the hook and cloth loop portions 40, 42 may be reversed, wherein the hook portion 38 is disposed adjacent the first edge 32 and the cloth loop portion 40 is disposed adjacent the second edge 34.
A layer of material 44 is disposed on the cloth 22 and extends between the fibers of the cloth 22 for insulating the object 20. The material 44 surrounds each fiber, is disposed in the pockets between the fibers, and may form a layer of material 44 surrounding the entire cloth. The layer of material 44 has insulating properties, such as ceramic, and is flexible for allowing the cloth 22 to conform to the object 20. The layer of material 44 may also have water resistant properties. The layer of material 44 is preferably a flexible ceramic, for example, the product sold under the trademark CCS-100™.
Threads 46 are disposed along the edges 32, 34 of the cloth 22 and the sides 24, 26 of the cloth 22 for finishing the edges 32, 34 and the sides 24, 26. The threads 46 have a layer of fluoropolymer resins disposed thereabout. The threads 46 are sewn into the material after the cloth 22 has been cut into predetermined patterns.
A method of manufacturing the insulating cloth 22 is illustrated in
As shown in
The cloth loop portion 40 of the hook and loop fastener 36 of the cloth 22 is secured to the second edge 34 of the cloth 22 opposite the first edge 32 of the cloth 22, as best illustrated in
A material, such as a ceramic material that is flexible when dry, e.g., the product sold under the trademark CCS-100™, is sprayed onto the cloth 22 for absorption by the cloth 22. The material-coated cloth 22 is then dried by blowing air over the cloth 22 while the cloth 22 is secured. Drying may be performed using a conventional fan supported on the floor near the hanging cloth 22. The cloth 22 may instead be air dried. Regardless of the method of drying, the cloth 22 absorbs the flexible material as the cloth 22 dries. Multiple layers of ceramic material may be sprayed onto the cloth 22.
After the cloth 22 is dried, the cloth 22 is removed from the support 48 by separating the hook portion 38 of the fastener 36 of the cloth 22 from the support loop portion 42 of the fastener 36 of the support 48. The cloth 22 of the predetermined size is cut and sewn into application-dependant predetermined patterns. These patterns will directly depend on the object 20 being insulated by the cloth 22.
In operation, after the cloth 22 is manufactured, an aerogel material 50 is placed about an object 20 to be insulated. Aerogel is a low-density solid-state material wherein the liquid component of a gel is replaced with gas. The aerogel material 50 may be based on silica, alumina, chromia, tin oxide, carbon, or other known materials. The insulating cloth 22 is then placed over the material 50 and the object 20 such that the cloth 22 encloses both the object 20 and the insulating material 50. The first edge 32 of the cloth 22 is fastened to the second edge 34 of the cloth 22 by securing the hook portion 38 of the fastener 36 of the cloth 22 to the loop portion of the fastener 36 of the cloth 22, as shown in
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. That which is prior art in the claims precedes the novelty set forth in the “characterized by” clause. The novelty is meant to be particularly and distinctly recited in the “characterized by” clause whereas the antecedent recitations merely set forth the old and well-known combination in which the invention resides. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility. The use of the word “said” in the assembly claims refers to an antecedent that is a positive recitation meant to be included in the coverage of the claims whereas the word “the” precedes a word not meant to be included in the coverage of the claims. In addition, the reference numerals in the claims are merely for convenience and are not to be read in any way as limiting.
