Abstract:
An insulation apparatus is provided that may comprise an insulation member with an inner cavity and an elongated slit, a facing substantially covering the insulation member while permitting access to the slit, a closure member extending from the facing and traversing the slit to prevent access to the inner cavity in a temporarily closed position and a permanently closed position. An adhesive bead may be disposed on the inner surface of the closure member to secure the closure member to hold the closure member in a temporarily closed position, and an adhesive tape secured to the inner surface of the closure member capable of engaging the underlying facing during the permanently closed position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/791,681, entitled: “Temporary Closure for Insulation Facing or Vapor Retarder,” filed on Apr. 13, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/875,763, entitled: “Temporary Closure for Insulation Facing or Vapor Retarder and Method of Producing the Temporary Closure,” filed on Dec. 18, 2006, which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention is generally related to an insulation apparatus, and more particularly to a temporary closure for use on insulation facing and/or vapor retarders and a method of producing the temporary closure.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Conventional pipes for transferring fluids such as refrigeration pipes, hot and cold water pipes, steam pipes, pipes for carrying petroleum products or chemicals, and the like, are commonly encased in insulation tubing. The insulation tubing typically is slit in the middle to form a hinged or clamshell configuration so that each portion may be placed around the pipe during installation. To further protect the insulation and/or to increase the effectiveness of the insulation, a protective insulation facing or vapor retarder is placed around the insulation and an overlapping seam or closure member, is provided for covering the exposed slit and sealing the pipe within the insulation.  
         [0004]     Typically factory-applied facing is adhered to pipe insulation prior to installing the insulation around the pipe. Facings are typically fixedly adhered to insulation using multiple strips of hot-melt adhesive placed in various locations and patterns. For example, one may apply the adhesive in molten form by “guns” or nozzles that are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the insulation section and/or facing. These systems are typically set up to apply various numbers of strips in continuous or intermittent form onto the facing and/or the insulation section.  
         [0005]     However, in order to later position a pipe within the portions of the insulation, known facings are fixedly adhered around only one of the slits of the insulation. Typically, the facing and insulation are permanently secured around the pipe by adhering the closure member to the facing with a strip of adhesive to form the closure. However, during transportation to the installation location these closure members require careful handling and special care. As can be appreciated, the insulation, closure member, and the underlying surface of these facings are frequently damaged or exposed to contamination. Damage to the insulation decreases the effectiveness of the insulation. Damage or contamination of the closure member and/or bonding surface can prevent proper bonding of the closure member and result in “fishmouthing” of the facing. Fishmouthing is a condition in which the protective wrap separates from the insulation thereby exposing the insulation and reducing its effectiveness.  
         [0006]     Accordingly, attempts have been made to temporarily bond the closure member prior to shipment. Such attempts have typically focused on sandwich configurations wherein multiple layers of adhesives with varying degrees of holding strength are provided between the overlap and the bonding surface of the facing. However, such configurations are expensive and complex to manufacture. Additionally, such configurations require multiple steps to selectively remove adhesive layers in order to permanently seal the facing and insulation.  
         [0007]     Therefore, a need exists for a temporary closure that will protect the insulation, closure member, and underlying bonding surface. Still further, a need exists for a temporary closure that can be quickly opened to expose the clamshell and install the pipe within the insulation. The present invention seeks to achieve these purposes in a simple, economical system that can be implemented with the use of the same or similar processes and materials currently used to fasten pipe insulation without a temporary closure.  
         [0008]     Additional information will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention pertains to an insulation apparatus. In one embodiment an insulation apparatus may comprise an insulation member with an inner cavity and an elongated slit permitting access to the inner cavity, a facing substantially covering the insulation member while permitting access to the slit, a closure member extending from the facing and traversing the slit to prevent access to the inner cavity in a temporarily closed position and a permanently closed position. An adhesive bead may be disposed on the inner surface of the closure member to secure the closure member to either the underlying facing or the insulation member to hold the closure member in a temporarily closed position, and an adhesive tape secured to the inner surface of the closure member and adjacent the adhesive bead and capable of engaging the underlying facing during the permanently closed position. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     Operation of the invention may be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the following illustrations, wherein:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic end view of a facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the installation of a pipe in an insulating member in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic view of an unwound facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic end view of a facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic end view of a facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic view of an unwound facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  illustrates a diagrammatic end view of a facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates a method of producing a facing having a temporary closure in an embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     While the present invention is described with reference to the embodiments described herein, it should be clear that the present invention should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore, the description of-the embodiments herein is illustrative of the present invention and should not limit the scope of the invention as claimed.  
         [0020]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying figures. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the insulation apparatus with a temporary closure  10  generally comprises a closure member  50  having one or more adhesive beads  15  thereon. The adhesive bead  15  may be temporarily bonded to an insulation member  20  and/or a facing  25 .  
         [0021]     Insulation member  20  may be a pipe insulation, thermal barrier or the like. As best shown in  FIG. 1 , insulation member  20  is typically split  30   a,b  longitudinally into two substantially symmetrical segments  35   a,b  to facilitate installation around a pipe  40 .  
         [0022]     It is understood that insulation member  20  may be comprised of any material used to insulate a pipe, retain fluids, condensation and/or temperature of the fluids within the pipe. In one embodiment as shown in  FIG. 2 , the insulation member  20  may be a tubular fiberglass based body.  
         [0023]     In one embodiment, the two symmetrical segments  35   a,b  may be joined along at least one common edge  45  by the facing  25 , to form a clamshell configuration. In this manner, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the facing  25  acts like a hinge to allow the insulating member  20  to be fittingly engaged about the outside diameter of pipe  40 . In addition, the facing  25  seals the hinged split  30   b  to maintain the insulating properties of the insulation system. In order to fully maintain the insulating integrity of insulation member  20 , it is necessary to cover and seal the remaining longitudinal split  30   a  upon installation. Accordingly, as best shown in  FIG. 1 , the facing  25  is provided with an closure member  50  which may extend across the split  30   a  to engage the outer bonding surface  90  of the opposite longitudinal end  85  of the facing  25 . It is understood that facing  25  may be any protective liner, such as an All Service Jacket. An illustrative example of an All Service Jacket is an aluminum foil/scrim/bleached paper product.  
         [0024]     Generally, a double adhesive-sided tape  55  is positioned on the underside of closure member  50  as best shown in  FIG. 2 . The tape  55  may be any adhesive tape known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the tape  55  is self-seal lap (“SSL”) tape. The tape  55  may have a release liner  60  that is removeable to adhere the closure member  50  with the tape  55  to the bonding surface to form a permanent closure. The release liner  60  protects the tape  55  from damage and contamination until installation. In some embodiments as shown in  FIG. 2 , the release liner  60  may have a projection  65  that extends beyond the edge of the tape  55  to permit the user to conveniently remove the release liner  60  for permanently sealing the insulation member  20 . It is understood that release liner  60  may be coated with a release coating, such as a silicone coating, in order to permit convenient removal of release liner  60 . It is also understood that the present invention is not deemed as limited to only one piece of tape  25 , and that any number of pieces of tape may be used.  
         [0025]     A temporary closure  10  is utilized that may incorporate one or more adhesives, tapes and/or other adhering substances to temporarily secure the closure member  50  to the facing  25  and/or the insulation member  20  prior to the installation of the pipe  40 . In one embodiment, the temporary closure  10  may have at least one adhesive bead  15 , such as a hot melt adhesive bead. Although one adhesive bead  15  is shown in the illustrated embodiments, any number of such beads may be used as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. Generally, the adhesive bead  15  extends longitudinally substantially the full length of the facing  25  and/or insulating body  20 . However, it is also understood that the location and/or configuration of the adhesive bead  15  may be altered depending on the use of the facing  25 . For example, the adhesive bead  15  may be one or more dots at any point along the facing  25  or a continuous or semi-continuous strip.  
         [0026]     Additional adhesive beads, such as adhesive beads  70  and  75 , may also be provided to fixedly secure the facing  25  to the insulation member  20 . Adhesive beads  70  and  75  may extend substantially the entire length of the facing  25  in an amount sufficient to fixedly secure facing  25  to the insulation member  20 . It is understood that adhesive beads  70  and  75  may be comprised of a different adhesive than adhesive bead  15  or with the same adhesive as adhesive bead  15 . If the adhesive beads  15 ,  70 , and  75  are the same type of adhesive, adhesive bead  15  is distinguished in that the amount applied to the facing  25  and/or insulation member  20  results in a weaker holding strength. Accordingly, when the closure member  50  is pulled, adhesive bead  15  releases while adhesive beads  70  and  75  maintain the bond between the insulation member  20  and facing  25 . It is understood that in some embodiments additional adhesive beads may be used in a variety of positions and configurations to fixedly secure the facing  25  to the insulation body  20 . It is also understood that in some embodiments, adhesive beads  70  and  75  may also be part of the temporary closure  10  and may be capable of detaching from either the facing  25  and/or insulation member  10  prior to installing the pipe  40 .  
         [0027]     In a first embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the tape  55  with release liner  60  is positioned on the closure member  50  to permanently adhere the closure member  50  to the bonding surface  90 . As best shown in  FIG. 3  illustrating the interior surface of an unwound facing  25  without an insulating member  20 , the tape  55  extends substantially along a longitudinal end  80  of the facing  25 . Adhesive bead  15  is positioned inward from longitudinal end  80  and substantially adjacent to the tape  55 . Adhesive bead  75  is positioned farther inward from longitudinal end  80  substantially adjacent to adhesive bead  15 . Adhesive bead  70  is positioned substantially adjacent to longitudinal end  85 . In an alternative embodiment (not shown), adhesive bead  15  may be positioned on the other side (outward facing surface) of the facing  25 , substantially opposite of adhesive bead  70 .  
         [0028]     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , adhesive bead  70  fixedly secures the underlying surface of longitudinal end  85  to segment  35   a , substantially adjacent to split  30   a . Adhesive bead  75  fixedly secures the underlying surface of longitudinal end  80  to segment  35   b , substantially adjacent to split  30   a . Closure member  50  extends from adhesive bead  75  across split  30   a  to overlap part the outward bonding surface  90 . Accordingly, adhesive bead  15  temporarily bonds closure member  50  to the outward surface of longitudinal end  85  adjacent the bonding surface  90 .  
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the temporary closure  10  may be opened with little or no damage to the outward surface of longitudinal end  85 , where adhesive bead  15  is temporarily bonded. More importantly, no damage occurs to the bonding surface  90  that bonds with the tape  55  to form the closure that permanently seals the insulation. Accordingly, the temporary closure  10  protects the insulation member  20  and facing  25  without negatively impacting the performance of either.  
         [0030]     In an alternative embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the longitudinal end  85  is positioned sufficiently offset from slit  30   a  to allow adhesive bead  15  to temporarily bond to insulation segment  35   a . The adhesive bead  15  is applied in a specific amount and/or configuration so that the bond will delaminate with minimal damage to the facing  25  or the surface of insulation segment  35   a . It is preferred that insulation  35   a  delaminates slightly when the temporary closure  10  is opened, leaving adhesive bead  15  attached to closure member  50 . Accordingly, when closure member  50  is permanently sealed with tape  55 , any divot in insulation segment  35   a  resulting from the delamination will be refilled by adhesive bead  15 . Therefore, the temporary closure  10  protects the insulation member  20  and facing  25  without negatively impacting the performance of either.  
         [0031]     In yet another embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5 , facing  25  is positioned so that the underlying longitudinal end  85  spans the full slit  30   a . As shown in  FIG. 6  illustrating an unwound facing  25  without the insulating member  20 , tape  55  is positioned substantially adjacent to longitudinal end  80 . Adhesive bead  75  is positioned inward from longitudinal end  80  substantially adjacent to tape  55 . Adhesive bead  15  is positioned substantially adjacent to longitudinal end  85  and adhesive bead  70  is positioned inward from longitudinal end  85  substantially adjacent to adhesive bead  15 .  
         [0032]     Referring again to  FIG. 5 , the positioning of temporary adhesive bead  15  allows adhesive bead  15  to temporarily bond to segment  35   b , substantially adjacent to slit  30   a . Adhesive bead  70  is fixedly bonded to segment  35   a , substantially adjacent slit  30   a . This configuration keeps insulation member  20  temporarily closed with adhesive bead  15  along longitudinal end  85 , as opposed to along the closure member  50  in the other embodiments. Accordingly, positioning of adhesive bead  75  sufficiently adjacent to adhesive tape  55  prevents overlap seem  50  from freely opening to expose the bonding surface  90 . However, closure member  55  remains flexible enough to access and pull underlying longitudinal end  85  to open the temporary closure  10 . As similarly described above, it is preferred that insulation  35   b  delaminates slightly when the temporary closure  10  is opened, leaving adhesive bead  15  attached to underlying surface of longitudinal end  85 . Accordingly, when closure member  50  is permanently sealed with tape  55 , any divot in insulation segment  35   b  will be refilled by adhesive bead  15 . Therefore, any damage to the facing  25  or insulation segment  35   b  will neither show nor be detrimental to the function of either the facing  25  or insulation member  20 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 7  illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention. Adhesive beads  15 ,  70 , and  75  are positioned similarly to  FIG. 1 . However, instead of being positioned adjacent to tape  55 , adhesive bead  15  is positioned between the release liner  60  and the bonding surface  90 . Accordingly, the adhesive bead  15  is applied in a specific amount and/or configuration so that the bond will delaminate with little or no damage to the bonding surface  90  when the temporary closure  10  is opened. Preferably, the adhesive bead  15  is retained on the release liner  60  and is subsequently removed with the release liner  60  prior to permanently sealing. Any damage to the bonding surface  90  is minimal and does not detract from the closure strength. When the tape  55  is applied, the adhesive fills any divots on the bonding surface  90  and permanently seals the insulation member  20  and facing  25 .  
         [0034]     In at least some embodiments, the tape  55  has a release liner  60  that protects tape  55  prior to installation, but also inhibits or prevents bonding to any type of adhesive. Accordingly, release liner  60  enables the tape  55  to be wound into rolls as supplied for use. In an embodiment, the tape  55  is SSL tape that is double-sided and, thus, prevents bonding to any adhesive, including adhesive bead  15 . In such an embodiment, there are a number of solutions as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, an adhesive that specifically adheres to the release liner  60  and to the facing  25  may be used. In such an embodiment, the release liner  60  may be designed to accept a chosen adhesive, typically, but not necessarily, a hot melt type adhesive.  
         [0035]     In yet another embodiment, a method is provided to solve the problem of adhering the adhesive bead  15  to the release liner  60 . The method may comprise displacing or rendering ineffective at least a portion of the release liner  60  to which adhesive bead  15  will be applied. In one embodiment, a polyethylene coated kraft release liner  60  containing a layer of silicone is positioned on the tape  55 . In such an embodiment, a hot bar, for example, may be dragged along or placed into contact with the release liner  60  to produce an area or band of exposed kraft fiber and/or bare polyethylene to which adhesive bead  15  can be applied. Adhesive bead  15  is then bondable to the release liner  60 . An extending tab  65  may be provided to operate as an easy-lift tab to separate the release liner and adhesive bead from the tape  55  after opening of the temporary closure  10 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 8  illustrates a method of producing the temporary closure  10 . A dispenser  500  provides and/or dispenses the adhesive bead  15  such as a hot melt adhesive. The release liner  60  receives the adhesive bead  15 . A bar  504 , such as aj-bar, contacts and or is dragged across the release liner  60 . In an embodiment, the bar  504  may be heated to render the release coating ineffective. Other methods of altering and/or rendering the release coating ineffective are contemplated in the present invention. For example, a corona discharge, a flame treatment, a laser strike, an abrasion or the like may be applied to and/or implemented to render the release coating ineffective.  
         [0037]     Regardless of the embodiment, the facing  25  and insulation member  20  with the temporary closure  10  are supplied as a unit from the factory or fabrication shop of the insulation maker. It is understood that although adhesive bead  15  may be described as a dot or a continuous or semi-continuous strip of adhesive, other patterns may be used. In one illustrative embodiment, a stitch pattern may be used. It is also understood that adhesive bead  15  may be applied at the same time as the adhesive beads ( 70 ,  75 ) used to bond the facing  25  to the insulation member  20  using the same or similar equipment. Other facing bonding systems, those primarily used in fabrication shops, may be able to use this as well. Additionally, the temporary closure  10 , and more specifically adhesive bead  15  may be used in other applications such as vapor retarders, thermal barriers, or the like.  
         [0038]     In addition, other adhesives may be used for adhesive bead  15 . In one embodiment, adhesive bead  15  may be a pressure sensitive adhesive that is removable and repositionable without damaging the insulation member  20  or facing  25 . For example, glues known in the art may be utilized for adhesive bead  15  that are applied wet but dry to have a tacky outer surface with a liquid glue interior. Accordingly, when the temporary closure  10  is opened and the permanent seal is applied, pressure may then be applied to adhesive bead  15  to release the still liquid adhesive allowing the adhesive bead  15  to re-adhere to the insulation member  20  or facing  25 .  
         [0039]     Turning to the temporary closure  10 , an example of how to use the temporary closure  10  as shown in  FIGS. 1-7  is set forth below. In use, the field installer removes the pipe insulation member  20  with facing  25  and temporary closure  10  in its form as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 4 , and  5  from the box or container in which it was shipped to the job site. The installer merely breaks the temporary closure  10  formed by the adhesive bead  15  by manually pulling the closure member  50  with sufficient force to cause adhesive bead  15  to delaminate and allow the insulation member  20  to hingedly open as shown in  FIG. 2 . The installer can then slip the insulation member  20  over a pipe  40  by virtue of the hinge action as shown in  FIG. 2 . Up to this moment in time, the adhesive tape  55  remains covered by release liner  60 . After the pipe insulation product has been slipped over pipe  40 , the field installer peels away release liner  60  and presses the closure member  50  down onto the bonding surface  90 . Accordingly, tape  55  bonds to the bonding surface  90  to form the closure that permanently seals the insulation member  20  and facing  25  around pipe  40 .  
         [0040]     The invention has been described above and, obviously, modifications and alternations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. The claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.