Claims
- 1. An ice cover panel for use in covering an ice surface which achieves a balance between strength in compression and thermal insulative factor, comprising:
- (a) a polymeric floor member having a dense structural body structure defined by a substantially flat upper wall surface over which a vehicle can travel and an undersurface;
- (b) said floor member undersurface having integral, downwardly projecting load distributing, discrete support pillars extending below said undersurface within a floor member-surrounding, downwardly projecting marginal wall extending below said undersurface, said floor member being formed with space surrounding said pillars and space between said pillars and marginal wall; and
- (c) a polymeric foam insulative layer of substantially lesser density than said floor member, flowed into said spaces and cured within the floor member marginal wall, to substantially fill the space around said pillars and the space between said pillars and marginal wall and adhere to said pillars and marginal wall.
- 2. The panel of claim 1 wherein said panel has a bottom surface defined by bottom surfaces on said pillars and marginal wall and the foam layer, which has a smooth surface unbroken bottom skin extending in a plane flush with said bottom surfaces of said pillars and marginal wall.
- 3. The panel of claim 1 wherein the foam occupies at least about 85% of the space surrounded by said marginal wall.
- 4. The panel of claim 1 wherein a bottom floor member of the character defined in part (a) of claim 1 is thermally welded to the floor member defined in part (a) of claim 1 in an inverted position with its pillars and marginal wall in abutting relation with the pillars and marginal wall of the part (a) floor, and said bottom floor member is filled with the foam of part (b) of claim 1 around its pillars and between its pillars and marginal edge.
- 5. The panel of claim 4 wherein the foam occupies at least about 85% of the space surrounded by the marginal wall of each floor member.
- 6. The panel of claim 1 wherein said pillars cover said floor member and are spaced substantially on one inch centers, one from the other.
- 7. The panel of claim 1 wherein said pillars at their lower ends are generally on the order of a quarter inch in diameter, plus or minus.
- 8. The panel of claim 1 wherein said marginal wall is laterally inset at spaced intervals below said floor upper wall surface to provide hand hold surface portions.
- 9. The panel of claim 1 wherein said pillars are slightly convergent and are filleted at their juncture with said floor upper wall undersurface.
- 10. The panel of claim 1 wherein said floor member is formed of a high density polymer having minute closed cells.
- 11. The panel of claim 10 in which said polymer is polyethylene having at least an 85% resin content by weight.
- 12. The cover panel of claim 1 wherein said marginal wall extends downwardly substantially perpendicularly to said upper wall surface and comprises side and end wall portions which extend relatively perpendicularly.
- 13. An ice cover panel for use in covering an ice surface which achieves a balance between strength in compression and thermal insulative factor, comprising:
- (a) a modular, polymeric floor member having a dense structural body structure defined by a substantially flat upper wall surface over which a vehicle can travel and an undersurface;
- (b) said floor member undersurface having integral, downwardly protecting load distributing, support pillars within a floor member-surrounding, downwardly protecting marginal wall, there being space around said pillars and space between said pillars and marginal wall; and
- (c) a polymeric foam insulative layer of substantially lesser density than said floor member received on the floor member undersurface surrounding said pillars and substantially filling the space around said pillars and the space between said pillars and marginal wall; and
- (d) certain widely spaced pillars having inserts which protrude downwardly to resist panel slippage on the ice.
- 14. The panel of claim 13 wherein certain widely spaced pillars have screw openings receiving screws with screw heads which protrude downwardly below said pillars and marginal wall.
- 15. A drive-over cover member having a bottom surface for contacting ice surfaces used for recreational and athletic purposes and the like comprising:
- (a) a polymeric structural floor module member having a dense body structure with a substantially top flat wall surface over which a vehicle can travel and a downwardly projecting floor member perimetral wall flange, the floor member flat wall having an under surface with integrated, downwardly projecting load distributing support pillars within the floor member downwardly projecting perimetral wall flange, the floor member being molded with unoccupied space around said pillars and unoccupied space between said pillars and perimetral wall flange, and said pillars and flange having substantially horizontally aligned bottom surfaces; and
- (b) a gas trapping, rigidly cured polymeric foam insulative layer of substantially lesser density but substantially greater thermal insulative capacity than said floor member within said perimetral wall flange substantially filling the said unoccupied space around said pillars and between said pillars and the marginal wall flange and having a bottom surface which terminates short of extending below the bottom surfaces of said pillars and marginal wall flange; said bottom surface of the cover member being formed by said bottom surfaces of said perimetral flange and pillars, and by said bottom surface of said foam layer.
- 16. The panel of claim 15 wherein said foam is a substantially rigid foam having a density about or greater than two pounds per cubic foot, and the overall panel has an R value greater than about 2.
- 17. The panel of claim 16 wherein the floor member has an R value of about or greater than 2.75 and the foam layer has an R value of about or greater than 3.
- 18. The cover member of claim 15 wherein said foam is a substantially rigid foam having a density greater than about two pounds per cubic foot with an R value of about or greater than 5 and wherein the foam layer has a smooth unbroken non-porous bottom skin, and occupies at least about 85% or more of the volumetric space surrounded by said marginal flange of the floor member while said pillars occupy about 15% or less.
- 19. The cover member of claim 15 wherein the floor member is constituted by a polymeric resin which by volume occupies at least about 85% of the body structure.
- 20. The cover member of claim 15 wherein said floor member is molded of high density, minutely cellular polyethylene and said insulative foam layer is formed in the floor member as a mold of a polyurethane foam which cures as a self-adhering, substantially rigid, closed cell foam, said foam layer having a smooth unbroken non-porous bottom skin extending flush with said bottom surface of said pillars and perimetral wall.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 08/762,425, filed Dec. 9, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,798, issued Oct. 13, 1998, and claims the priority of provisional application Ser. No. 60/014,913, filed Apr. 5, 1996.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
54-34375 |
Mar 1979 |
JPX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
762425 |
Dec 1996 |
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