U.S. patent application number 13/749349 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-25 for inflatable panel and method of manufacturing same.
This patent application is currently assigned to PACKAGINGPRICE.COM., INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is PACKAGINGPRICE.COM., INC.. Invention is credited to Mark A. Whitaker.
Application Number | 20130189479 13/749349 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48797447 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130189479 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Whitaker; Mark A. |
July 25, 2013 |
INFLATABLE PANEL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME
Abstract
An inflatable panel including a first layer formed of a material
of low gas permeability and a second layer formed of a material of
low gas permeability. The first and second layers are
intermittently sealed together via a plurality of first elongated
seals, thereby defining a plurality of first tubes between adjacent
pairs of the first elongated seals. The panel also includes a third
layer of material of low gas permeability. The third and second
layers are intermittently sealed together via a plurality of second
elongated seals, thereby defining a plurality of second tubes
between adjacent pairs of the second elongated seals. Also, the
first and second tubes are sealed at front and rear ends thereof,
and a gas is provided within each of the tubes, whereby the gas
within each of the tubes is prevented from flowing between
tubes.
Inventors: |
Whitaker; Mark A.;
(Barrington, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
PACKAGINGPRICE.COM., INC.; |
Barrington |
IL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
PACKAGINGPRICE.COM., INC.
Barrington
IL
|
Family ID: |
48797447 |
Appl. No.: |
13/749349 |
Filed: |
January 24, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61589979 |
Jan 24, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/116 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B31D 2205/0023 20130101;
B65D 81/052 20130101; Y10T 428/24149 20150115; B31D 5/0073
20130101; B65D 81/03 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/116 |
International
Class: |
B65D 81/03 20060101
B65D081/03 |
Claims
1. An inflatable panel comprising: a first layer of a material of
low gas permeability; a second layer of a material of low gas
permeability, wherein said first and second layers are
intermittently sealed together via a plurality of first elongated
seals, thereby defining a plurality of first tubes between adjacent
pairs of said first elongated seals; and a third layer of material
of low gas permeability, wherein said third and second layers are
intermittently sealed together via a plurality of second elongated
seals, thereby defining a plurality of second tubes between
adjacent pairs of said second elongated seals, wherein said first
and second tubes are sealed at front and rear ends thereof, and a
gas is provided within each of said first and said second tubes,
whereby the gas within each of said tubes is prevented from flowing
between said first tubes, between said second tubes, and between
said first and said second tubes.
Description
[0001] The present utility application claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/589,979, which was filed on
Jan. 24, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
[0002] This application is directed to an inflatable panel, which
is preferably gas filled, and which may function as an insulator
and/or as a cushion, as well as to methods of forming such panels.
The panel described herein may be used to insulate a building
structure, food, medicines, etc. When used to insulate food,
medicines or other goods, it may be used within a package of any
known type (such as a box, envelope, etc.) or the panel may be
manufactured in such a configuration that it forms the package.
[0003] The panel described herein may be also used to cushion or
protect goods, for example, during shipment as well as during
storage. The panel described herein has various benefits including
the fact that it may be stored in rolled-up and/or un-inflated
form, cut to a desired length and inflated "on location" at the
time of intended use. Another benefit of the panel described herein
is that if part of the panel should be punctured or otherwise
damaged, it will not lose all of its insulation or cushioning
qualities.
[0004] The present application also includes various methods of
manufacturing such panels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described
herein with reference to the drawings wherein:
[0006] FIG. 1 is an illustrative, expanded view of one embodiment
of the panel;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a front view of the panel of FIG. 1 after being
inflated and sealed;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a side view of the panel of FIG. 1 after being
inflated and sealed;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a top view of the panel of FIG. 1 after being
inflated and sealed;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of a pair of rollers, which
can be utilized to make heat seals along each of the layers of the
panel;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of one process for creating
a laminate for use in a panel;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of one method of inflating
the tubes of the panel;
[0013] FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of another method of
inflating the tubes of the panel; and
[0014] FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of a portion of the machine
of FIG. 8;
[0015] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of the machine of FIG. 8;
and
[0016] FIG. 11 is partial front view of another embodiment of a
procedure for making the panel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The various objects and advantages of the panel and its
method of formation and use will be better understood upon
considering the following detailed description taken in conjunction
with the drawings.
[0018] In the following detailed description, all dimensions,
shapes and configurations are for explanatory purposes only, and
are to be considered non-limiting.
[0019] With reference to the drawings, the panel 10 is illustrated
as formed of a plurality of layers (12, 14, 16, 17, . . . 18),
which are preferably generally rectangular in shape, when
considered in plan view. However, it also contemplated that other
shapes may be used instead. In this example, ten layers are shown,
although for clarity and ease of understanding of the drawings,
only five of the ten layers are provided with reference numerals
(12, 14, 16, 17, . . . 18). In this embodiment, the layers are
preferably aligned vertically. Each of the layers could be made of
any desired thin, flexible material that has low air permeability
(or low inflation gas permeability). For example, each sheet could
be made of thin films of any of the following materials, depending
upon the desired attributes: polyester, metalized polyester,
polyethylene, metalized polypropylene, polypropylene, etc. Further,
the thickness of each sheet could be any desired standard
thickness, depending upon the desired qualities, such as any
standard thicknesses between 0.001 inch and 0.004 inch. Of course,
all of the layers need not be made of the same material. For
example, the materials of each particular layer could be chosen for
the desired properties of that particular layer, such as by having
the two outermost layers be more puncture resistant than the
interior layers, or by having the two outermost layers of a
reflective material to reduce heat transfer through radiation.
[0020] Adjacent layers, such as layers 12 and 14, layers 16 and 17,
etc., are sealed together at spaced intervals along their entire
length from front 20 to back 22. The elongated seal may be a heat
seal, adhesive seal or any other form of seal that can create a
continuous, hermetic seal in the desired area. One of the features
of such a seal is that it prevents air, or other gas, from passing
from one side of it to the other. For example, in one preferred
embodiment, the seal 24 is a series of one-eighth inch wide
elongated heat seals 24 that are spaced apart from each other by
one-half inch, as shown in FIG. 1 (wherein the sum of the width of
upper three segments of the hexagon is one-half inch). The
preferred range of the width of the seal is between 1/16 of an inch
to 1/4 of an inch, and the preferred spacing is between 1/4 inch
and 2 inches, but more preferably, the spacing is between 1/2 inch
and one inch. Further, in an embodiment with spacing between seals
of 1/2 inch, the height of each tube is about 0.325 inches. Of
course, such height is dependent upon the spacing between seals
(with greater spacing allowing for greater height), and it is
unlikely that all tubes will be of a uniform height. Additionally,
as noted above, such dimensions are being given only for
explanatory purposes, and should not be construed as limiting the
scope of the invention. Further, although the embodiments depicted
in the drawings show the seals 24 being equally spaced from each
other, it is contemplated that the width between seals could be
varied in any desired pattern, such as by having smaller spaces
(such as 1/2 inch) alternating with larger spaces (such as 1 inch),
or by having a series of two or more larger spaces interspersed
with a single small space, or vice versa.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the seals 24 are spaced apart from each
other from one side 26 of the layers to the other side 28 of the
layers, such that a series of gaps are formed between adjacent
seals 24. As mentioned above, the gaps may be one-half inch in
width, but other widths are also contemplated.
[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, reference numeral 12
identifies the bottom layer, reference number 14 identifies the
layer immediately above layer 12, reference numerals 16 and 17
identify the next two layers immediately above layer 14 and
reference numeral 18 identifies the top layer.
[0023] Thus, in this embodiment, the panel 10 as formed includes a
series of elongated tubes 30, 32, 34, 36, . . . 40 defined between
adjacent seals 24. Although many tubes are formed, only five such
tubes are provided with reference numerals for ease of explanation.
More specifically, each tube (30, 32, 34, 36, . . . 40, etc.) is
created between adjacent seals 24 (on the sides) and between
adjacent (i.e., top and bottom) layers. As explained below, in the
preferred embodiment, such tubes will be inflated with air or other
gas (such as argon, carbon dioxide, xenon, and krypton), depending
upon the intended use of the panel. For example, if the panel is
intended to only provide cushioning properties, such as in
packaging applications, air is the most likely choice for an
inflation gas. On the other hand, if high insulation properties are
desired, gases other than air should be considered.
[0024] The tubes may take on any desired shape in cross-section
when inflated. Additionally, the shape of the tubes need not be
uniform along their length, nor equilateral, nor the same in
cross-section as among the various tubes. In the drawings, the
inflated tubes of this embodiment are shown as being hexagonal in
shape, with sharp corners. However, in actual practice, it has been
found that in this embodiment, such corners are rounded, thereby
forming a bi-convex shape, such as that of a double convex lens
(such as the shape of tubes 30, 32 of FIG. 5). The manner of
forming these tubes will now be explained.
[0025] When layers 12 and 14 are sealed together along their
length, with lateral spaces or gaps between the seals, these two
layers form the series of elongated, spaced apart tubes, such as
tubes 30 and 32, which are illustrated as horizontally spaced
apart, with the horizontal direction extending from side 26 to side
28. When layers 16 and 17 are intermittently heat sealed together
along seals 24 (or otherwise adhered to each other), they also form
a series of tubes, one of which is designated as tube 36. Tube 36
is illustrated as being aligned vertically above tube 32. When the
panel 10 is formed, there is a vertically positioned gap between
adjacent layers and thus a tube 34 is created which is offset
laterally and offset vertically from the tube 32 and from the tube
36. Tube 36 is created by the intermittent seals 24 between layers
16 and 17. Having the tubes in one row offset laterally from the
tubes in the adjacent vertical row is optional, although it does
provide the benefit of less volume (and less height in a vertical
direction) than non-offset rows which may be a benefit both when
the panel is inflated and when the panel is collapsed or
non-inflated.
[0026] Thus, each layer is preferably sealed not only to the layer
above it, but also to the layer below it (except, of course, for
the uppermost and lowermost layers). Thus, for purposes of an
example, layer 14 may be intermittently sealed to both layers 12
and 16, where the intermittent seals 24 between layers 14 and 16
are illustrated as the common lines in the drawings, and/or the
contact as between tubes 32 and 36.
[0027] In addition, for illustrative, non-limiting purposes, the
panel is illustrated as being formed of 10 layers (i.e., 5 pairs of
layers intermittently sealed together), thus creating five
vertically oriented rows of tubes. In FIG. 1, one of the lowermost
tubes is identified with numeral 30 and one of the uppermost tubes
40 is vertically aligned above tube 30.
[0028] In addition, solely for illustrative purposes, the panel is
illustrated as having eight horizontally spaced apart tubes.
Furthermore, since there may be rows of tubes offset from an
adjacent row of tubes, there could be seven horizontally spaced
apart tubes in the row in which tube 34 is located, i.e., the row
immediately above the row in which tubes 30 and 32 are located.
Thus, it may be considered that the rows of tubes are in a
honeycomb configuration, with each tube having an open baffle
cross-sectional configuration.
[0029] It should be appreciated and understood that although the
panel 10 is illustrated in an expanded form in FIG. 1, in the
un-expanded form, there would be essentially be no air or gas (or
fluid) within the various tubes and, therefore, the panel would be
essentially flat but for the thickness of the layers themselves and
thus may be stored in a rolled up or otherwise un-inflated form.
The width of the panel 10 between sides 26 and 28 may be selected
based upon the potential intended use of the panel, or the panel
may be cut to the desired width at the time of intended use. In
addition, the panel may be in a rolled-up or un-inflated form, and
cut to the desired length from front 20 to back 22, at the time of
intended use, or may be pre-cut to the desired length.
[0030] The formation of the panel 10 as an insulation and/or
cushioning panel will now be described. Preliminarily, it should be
understood that each of the previously described layers 12, 14, 16,
etc. may itself be a single ply film or a multi-ply film and
uniformity as between layers 12, 14 in this regard is not required.
For example, and for illustration only, a layer may be a multi-ply
film with a total thickness of 0.0015 inch with a top polyethylene
ply, an intermediate polyester ply with a reflective coating (e.g.,
aluminum), and a bottom polyethylene ply. The layers are intended
to provide a gas barrier, with or without the reflective coating.
Additionally, the layers are also intended to have some degree of
flexibility so as to accommodate irregularly shaped products, i.e.,
a product may be "wrapped" or covered with a panel or panels in
addition to the panel being used in a flat orientation. The
flexibility of the layers also facilitates the ability of the
panels to be rolled up and/or collapsed when not inflated.
[0031] The formation of the completed panel 10 will now be
described. For illustrative purposes, the layers and the tubes may
be thought of as having the front 20 and the rear 22, and two
opposing sides 26, 28.
[0032] As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the layers are sealed
together at the rear 22 and, for illustrative purposes, this is
identified by reference number 44. The layers are sealed together
at the front 20 and, again for illustrative purposes, this is
identified by reference number 46.
[0033] However, prior to sealing the front (or the rear) of the
layers together, the individual tubes are filled, or substantially
filled, with air, argon, or other gaseous, liquid or fluid
material. There may be uses where the tubes should be completely
filled and other uses where the tubes should only be substantially
filled, depending upon the intended use of the panel and the
desirability of some physical flexibility of the panel. When all
the tubes are filled to their desired degree of inflation, the
front of the tubes (or the rear of the tubes) are sealed as at 46
(or 44) as previously described.
[0034] As may be appreciated, each of the tubes is distinct and
independent from all immediately adjacent tubes such that if any
one tube is punctured or otherwise damaged, the integrity of the
panel 10 is not compromised i.e., fluid/gas should not be lost from
adjacent tubes. It is beneficial in sealing the front edge 20 as at
46 and the rear edge 22 as at 44 that there is no fluid
communication between the tubes, i.e., each of the tubes is
preferably independent and isolated from all other tubes.
[0035] Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 6, one example of a method for
creating the multi-ply layer that is used to form the panel will be
described. The method shown and described relates to forming the
multi-ply layer with heat seals provided at seals 24. However, it
is contemplated that one of ordinary skill in the art could adapt
the method for creating other types of seals, such as adhesive
seals, pressure seals, etc.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a schematic of a pair of rollers, including upper
roller 70 and lower roller 72. As can be seen in FIG. 5, upper
roller 70 includes a series of spaced projections 71, which extend
around the full circumference of the roller. In this example, the
upper roller 70 is heated, and thus the spaced projections 71 are
used to form the heat seals 24 when two layers are feed between
rollers 70 and 72. More specifically, FIG. 6 shows how feed roller
74 includes the raw material (i.e., a thin sheet) for an upper
layer 114, and feed roller 76 includes the raw material (i.e., a
thin sheet) for a lower layer 112, and roller 80 is a collection
roller for collecting the multi-ply laminate 116. For example, feed
rollers 74 and 76 may each include a roll of aluminum, polyester,
polyethylene, or other thin layer (or multi-layer laminated film)
intended to be used as one of the layers (12, 14, 16, 17, 18) of
the panel.
[0037] In operation, each of the rollers 70, 72, 74, 76 and 80
rotates in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 6. In
particular, rollers 70 and 72 are rotated in opposite directions,
whereby heated upper roller 70 provided localized heat, via
projections 71 (FIG. 5), to bond layers 112 and 114 together by
forming the elongated seals 24 (FIG. 1). The two-ply laminate 116
(formed of layers 112 and 114), is rolled upon collection roller
80. In one example, only rollers 72 and 80 are driven, with the
other rollers being rotated by the force of the moving layer.
However, as known in the art, any or all of the rollers can be
driven and controlled for tension by various means such as
clutches, air brakes, etc.
[0038] In order to add a third ply to the laminate, the two-ply
laminate 116 that has been rolled upon collection roller 80 is
moved to lower feed roller 76, while maintaining the single ply
layer 114 on upper feed roller 74. During the second lamination
step, rollers 70 and 72 are shifted one way in the horizontal
direction (i.e., leftwards or rightwards in the x direction of FIG.
5) such that the projections 71 of roller 70 are aligned midway
between the heat seals 24 of two-ply laminate 116. Accordingly, the
heat seals of the next layer (layer 16 of FIG. 1) will be located
midway between adjacent heat seals 24 of bonded layer 12/14. After
the alignment of the rollers 70 and 72 is adjusted, the second
lamination step is conducted, resulting in a three-ply laminate
being collected on collection roller 80. If a fourth ply (such as
layer 17 of FIG. 1) is desired, the rollers 70 and 72 are shifted
back to their original position of the first lamination step, the
rolled laminate from the collection roller is moved to roller 76,
and a third lamination step is performed whereby the heat seals 24
are aligned above those between layers 12 and 14. Such a process is
continued, including the necessary shifting of the rollers 70 and
72, until the desired number of layers is achieved.
[0039] One of the features of the present method of manufacturing
the laminate is that the temperature of roller 70, the rotational
speed of the rollers 70/72, and the pressure applied between the
rollers 70 and 72 must be carefully controlled to avoid having the
projections 71 heat seal additional layers below the desired
layers, especially when not using the heat barrier strips 58 (the
method of using such strips is described below with reference to
FIG. 11). In other words, referring briefly to FIG. 11, when
creating heat seals 24' between layer 16 and layer 14, care must be
taken to avoid sealing layer 14 to layer 12. Similarly, when
creating the heat seals 24'' between layer 17 and layer 16, care
must be taken to avoid sealing layer 16 to layer 14. As just one
example, Applicant has successfully created a laminate with 1/8
inch wide seals (without heat barrier strips) under the following
conditions: having the heated roller 70 at a temperature of 285
degrees Fahrenheit, having the film travel at a speed of eight feet
per minute through rollers 70/72, with a pressure between the
rollers of 12.75 psi. Of course, these parameters can be varied as
desired, and the specific values provided are by way of example
only.
[0040] Once the laminate is created, one open end (20 or 22) of the
tubes (such as tubes 30, 32, 34, 36 and 40) can be sealed in areas
44 or 46, then the tubes can be inflated and finally the remaining
open ends of the tubes can be sealed in either area 44 or 44,
depending upon which area was sealed first (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4).
Areas 44 and 46 can be sealed in any desired manner (such as with
heat, adhesive, pressure, folding, clips, etc.) as long as such
seals prevent the air or other gas from escaping from the inflated
tubes into the atmosphere as well as into other tubes. Two
different methods of inflating and sealing the laminate will be
described next with reference to FIGS. 8-10.
[0041] Turning now to FIG. 7, a schematic view of a first method of
inflating and sealing the tubes of the laminate is shown. During
the rolling process of creating the laminate, the side edges 26 and
28 of the laminate are sealed by heat seals (or other desired
method) when creating the other elongated seals 24, as described
above. After the laminate is removed from the roll and cut to the
desired length, the front end 46 is sealed by a heat seal (or other
desired method). Accordingly, three edges (edges 26, 28 and 46) of
the laminate are sealed at this point.
[0042] Next, two additional sheets of material 88 are placed on the
open end of the laminate, with one sheet being placed under the
laminate and the other sheet being placed over the laminate. These
additional sheets may be any desired material that can be heat
sealed (or otherwise easily sealed in a hermetic manner), such as
the materials used for the layers of the laminate (such as
polyester, metalized polyester, polyethylene, metalized
polypropylene, polypropylene, etc.). Sheets 88 are sealed to each
other at their side edges 90, 92 in any known (such as heat seal or
adhesive), and the additional sheets are also sealed to each other
and to the laminate at their first end 94 to be attached to and
surround the end 44' of the laminate, which still includes open,
un-inflated tubes at this point.
[0043] An inflating device 100 with a nozzle 104 (for injecting air
or other gas) is securely clamped (preferably via upper and lower
gaskets, with upper gasket 103 being shown in FIG. 8) to both sides
of the unsealed edge 102 of the additional sheets 88 in manner that
allows air (or other gas) to be pumped into the laminate through
nozzle 104 (which is now positioned between additional sheets 88,
and extends past the upper and lower gaskets in the area between
the gaskets and the front of the multi-ply laminate) while
preventing air from escaping along the edges adjacent the nozzle.
The inflating device may be a modified version of a tabletop vacuum
sealer (such as Gramatech Model No. GVS2100R), or any other device
that can perform the desired functions described herein. The air,
or other desired gas, is then pumped into the laminate to inflate
the tubes to the desired pressure. For example, the tubes could be
inflated to between about 5 and about 10 psi of pressure. Once the
desired pressure is reached, a pair of heat seal bars 106 seal the
laminate, and the excess laminate between the heat seal bars 106
and the sheets 88 is cut away, resulting in a finished panel 10.
Optionally, for certain applications, such as if an envelope is to
be created, the excess laminate may be retained on the panel, for
use as a foldable flap.
[0044] Turning now to FIGS. 8-10, schematic drawings of a
clam-shell type of inflating and sealing machine 110 is shown, with
FIG. 8 showing a schematic top view of machine 110, FIG. 9 showing
a schematic front view of machine 110 (with the heat seal bars 106
removed for ease of explanation), and FIG. 10 showing a side
schematic view. With machine 110, as with machine 100, panels 10 of
any desired length can easily be created. Additionally, machines
100 and 110 are both relatively portable, and thus have the
additional benefit of being capable of being used on-site, such as
at a construction site or at any permanent or temporary packaging
facility, to create panels of the desired lengths. Further, the
method of using either machine 100 or machine 110 is relatively
simple, and thus it can easily be used with relatively minimal
training.
[0045] FIG. 8 shows the laminate about to be inserted into machine
110. In this method, as with the method using device 100, the
laminate is sealed on three sides. More specifically, side edges 26
and 28 of the laminate are sealed by heat seals (or other desired
method) at seals 24 during manufacture of the laminate, as
described above. After the laminate is removed from the roll and
cut to the desired length, the front end 46 is sealed by a heat
seal (or other desired method). Accordingly, three edges (edges 26,
28 and 46) are sealed at this point.
[0046] The machine 110 is configured as a clam-shell design, with
two structures (an upper structure 112 and a lower structure 114)
being connected to each other via a joining structure that includes
a hinge 117. The upper structure 112 includes a flexible bladder
126, which is made of any desired elastomeric material of low gas
permeability. There is a gas insertion port, such as port 118, for
providing air or other gas to a hollow interior defined between the
upper and lower structures, as described below.
[0047] As can be seen in FIG. 8, the upper structure is composed of
a back frame member 119, frame side members 120 and 122, and a
front frame bar 123. As can be determined by viewing FIGS. 8 and
10, the front frame bar 123 is hinged with respect to frame side
members 120 and 122 at hinges 116. Accordingly, front frame bar 123
is configured for limited rotational movement with respect to frame
side members 120 and 122. The bladder 126 is sealed on three sides
thereof with respect to frame side members 120 and 122 and frame
back member 119. Preferably, the bladder 126 is not sealed with
respect to front frame bar 123. The lower structure 114 includes a
bottom wall 146, as can be seen in FIGS. 9 and 10. The joining
structure includes a pair of members 115 that are rigidly attached
to bottom wall 146, and are configured for hinges 117, for
attaching the upper structure 112 to the lower structure 114.
[0048] When the upper structure 112 is closed upon the lower
structure 114, the hollow interior therebetween is sealed, such as
via mating gaskets 140 at the sides. Mating gaskets are also
provided below the frame back member 119. The manner in which front
portion is sealed will be described below. Finally, the outside
edge of the front portion 123 also includes a pair of heat seal
bars 138 (i.e., an upper bar associated with the upper structure
112 and a lower bar associated with the lower structure 114).
[0049] Turning now to FIG. 9 this figure shows a schematic front
view of upper frame member 112 and lower frame member 114. The
upper structure includes the hinged front frame bar 123, the
bladder 126, a compressible strip 144, and an adhesive layer 130.
The front frame bar 123 may be made of any desired rigid material,
such as rigid plastic, or of a metal, such as aluminum, or other
lightweight material. The compressible strip 144 is made of any
compressible foam or rubber, such as polyethylene, polyurethane,
silicone, neoprene, or other flexible compressible material. The
adhesive layer 130 is also only a thin strip made of tape or
adhesive material, which will be described in more detail
below.
[0050] The lower structure 114 includes the bottom wall 146, a
compressible strip 144 and an adhesive layer 130. The lower
compressible strip and the lower adhesive layer are similar to the
upper compressible strip and the upper adhesive layer,
respectively. In selecting the adhesive layer 130, care should be
taken to provide a layer which can provide a seal at the front edge
of the machine (in areas with the laminate inserted therein and
without such laminate), but that is not so strong that the laminate
cannot be removed therefrom. Further, it is also desirable that
such adhesive maintains it sealing and adhesive properties for
multiple iterations of use of the machine. The present inventor has
found that one example of such an adhesive is a tape known as "3M
restickable film" which is manufactured by the 3M Corporation, and
sold as part number 44004639660. Additionally, it is also
contemplated that other types of adhesives and/or tapes could also
be utilized. Two examples of such tapes, which are currently under
development, are a class of tapes known as "gecko" tapes, as well
as tapes in which the adhesive properties can be activated or
de-activated with the use of electricity. Any known, or later
developed, tape or adhesive in which the adhesive properties can be
activated or de-activated at will could be used as adhesive
130.
[0051] In use, the front of the clam-shell type of machine 110 is
opened (via hinge 117) and the laminate is inserted into the front
of the machine, in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 8.
The front edge 44' of the laminate should be inserted past the
front portion of the machine (i.e., past the mating adhesives 130
and the mating compressible strips 144). The front of the machine
is then closed tightly by applying pressure to frame sides 120 and
122, as well as to front frame bar 123. After a sufficient time has
elapsed for the adhesive layers 130 to adhere to the upper and
lower surfaces of the laminate (as well as to the opposite adhesive
layer in areas lacking the laminate), the pressure on the front
frame bar 123 is removed, which allows for a slight separation
between the uppermost layer 18 (FIG. 1) of the laminate and the
lowermost layer 12 (FIG. 1), such that the tubes can be inflated
(such as tubes 30, 32, 34, 36, . . . 40 of FIG. 1).
[0052] Next, the port 118 is utilized to pump air, or another gas,
into the hollow interior of the machine 110, which gas then passes
into the tubes of the laminate to inflate them. It should be noted
that since the laminate is hermetically sealed to the front of the
machine (via the adhesive), any gas within the hollow interior of
the machine does not escape into the atmosphere, but instead passes
into the tubes of the laminate.
[0053] Once the tubes reach the desired amount of inflation, the
pair of heat seal bars 138 are utilized to close the fourth edge of
the laminate. Finally, any excess laminate is cut away, resulting
in a finished panel 10. Optionally, for certain applications, such
as if an envelope is to be created, the excess laminate may be
retained on the panel, for use as a foldable flap.
[0054] Although numerous different configurations of the panel are
contemplated as being within the scope of the invention, Applicant
has conducted numerical simulations of the properties of certain
embodiments of the panels, the results of which are depicted below
in the following table:
TABLE-US-00001 Height Thermal Inflation Hexagons (thickness)
conductivity R value (per Gas Tall of panel (w/m-c) inch thickness)
Air 3 .974 inches 0.029 4.97 Air 7 2.273 inches 0.0254 5.67 Argon 3
.974 inches 0.022 6.55
[0055] In the table above, the heat seals were each 1/8 inch wide,
and the space between seals was 1/2 inch. Additionally, the
following structure was used for each of the layers of the
laminate: a 0.00036 inch thick metalized polyester layer was
sandwiched between two 0.0006 inch thick layers of polyethylene via
0.00022 thick adhesive layers, resulting in a total film thickness
for each layer of 0.002 inches. Further, in the table above, the
designation "hexagons tall" refers to the maximum number of stacked
hexagons. For example, FIG. 1 shows a panel that is 5 hexagons
tall. As can be seen from the table above, relatively high R values
and relatively low thermal conductivity can be achieved with panels
made as described herein.
[0056] Turning now to FIG. 11, a modification of the method of
forming the laminate will be described. In this method, a plurality
of strips 58 of a material with heat barrier properties, such as
strips made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is commonly
sold under the brand name Teflon.RTM., are provided between each
the layers at spaced intervals. Preferably, such strips 58 are
provided in the appropriate positions between layers during a
process similar to that described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
However, during such a modified process, one feed roll is provided
for each layer of the laminate, and the full multi-layer laminate
results from a single iteration of the rolling process (i.e.,
without the need to build the laminate layer by layer by moving a
multi-layer laminate to the feed roll for multiple iterations).
Further, the thin films of laminate move past the strips 58, so
such strips are not maintained in the resulting multi-ply
laminate.
[0057] Such strips 58 are believed to be useful in situations where
seals 24 are heat seals in order to prevent the heat from the
sealing bar, or other heating apparatus, from sealing more than a
single layer at a time. For example, in an initial heat sealing
step, a plurality of spaced heat seal bars are pressed upon stacked
layers 12 and 14 to form seals 24. Next, layer 16 is placed upon
multi-ply layer 12/14, and the heat seal bars form seals 24'. The
inclusion of heat barrier strips 58 minimize the amount of heat
travelling below seals 24', thereby preventing an additional heat
seal from being created below each seal 24', which would reduce the
width of tubes 30, 32, etc. from their desired width to one half of
the desired width. Likewise, when forming the heat seals 24'' (only
one of which is shown) between layers 16 and 17, after layer 17 is
stacked upon the multi-ply layer 12/14/16, heat barrier strip 58'
minimizes the amount of heat travelling below seals 24'', thereby
preventing an additional heat seal from being created below each
seal 24''. Such operation is continued for each additional layer of
the panel. Although FIG. 11 is a cross-section, strips 58 extend
for the entire length of each layer between the front 20 and the
rear 22.
[0058] The foregoing is a complete description of the inflatable
panel and the method of making such a panel. It should be
understood that the panel may be heat sealed and inflated as part
of the manufacturing process or may be heat sealed and inflated "on
location" after the panel has been cut to the desired size. Many
changes and modifications may be made to the foregoing without
departing from the spirit and scope encompassed by the foregoing
description.
* * * * *