Patent ID: 11911950
Assignee: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 8:
9. A method of forming a vacuum insulated structure, the method comprising steps of:
forming a structural envelope;
attaching an expanding device to an outer surface of the structural envelope;
expanding an interior cavity of the structural envelope by pulling portions of the outer surface away from the interior cavity to define an expanded interior volume of the structural envelope;
disposing an insulating material within the expanded interior volume of the interior cavity to define an insulating cavity, wherein the insulating material occupies substantially all of the expanded interior volume;
expressing gas from the insulating cavity via a vacuum port of the structural envelope, wherein expression of the gas at least partially draws the portions of the outer surface inward and toward the insulating material to define a final state of the structural envelope, the final state defined by a contracted interior volume that is less than the expanded interior volume and corresponds to a densified state of the insulating material within the insulating cavity; and
closing the vacuum port to seal the insulating cavity.