Abstract:
A method of enveloping a building in a weather resistant wrap is disclosed. A weather resistant building or house wrap is disclosed. The wrap is of a thin flexible web or sheet of material having multiple layers. The layers include a metallized polymeric layer (e.g. polyester metallized with aluminum) adhered to a closed cell foam layer. The metallized portion preferably faces the adhesive layer. The polymeric layer is an outside surface layer as is the closed cell foam layer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Priority of my U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/805,798, filed 26 Jun. 2006, hereby incorporated herein by reference, is hereby claimed.  
         [0002]     Incorporated herein by reference is my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/297,111, filed 7 Dec. 2005, and published on 6 Jul. 2006 as publication no. US 2006/0147696 A1.  
         [0003]     This is not a continuation, divisional, or continuation-in-part of any patent application. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0004]     Not applicable  
       REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
       [0005]     Not applicable  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0007]     The present invention relates to the construction of buildings or homes, and more particularly, to a weather resistant barrier or “wrap” for buildings that combats water, moisture, or air infiltration, important for those structures that are constructed of a wooden or like framing.  
         [0008]     2. General Background of the Invention  
         [0009]     Moisture can be one of the worst enemies of a home or building. Water or moisture or humid air infiltration if allowed to penetrate behind siding or brick can saturate the wood of a building structure, thereby creating an environment that encourages mildew or rot.  
         [0010]     A weather resistant barrier has for many years been applied to the wood studs of buildings and homes in order to resist the moisture or water generated by weather. Such material is typically flexible and in a film or sheet form. Typically, this weather resistant barrier or “house wrap” is applied to the wooden stud frame before the application of a final siding or veneer (e.g. brick, metal, painted wood). Many such “wrap” products are commercially available such as, for example: Dupont Tyvek®, Typar® Housewrap (www.typarhousewrap.com), and Barricade® building wrap (www.ludlowcp.com).  
         [0011]     The following U.S. patents are possibly relevant, each hereby incorporated herein by reference:  
                       TABLE                       PATENT       DATE       DOC. NO.   TITLE   (MM-DD-YYYY)                   4,271,218   Pipe Insulating Jacket   06-02-1981       4,401,104   Thermal Gain Sensor   08-30-1983       4,508,776   Metallised Fabric   04-02-1985       4,537,313   Flexible Insulated Container   08-27-1985       4,657,807   Bright Metalized Fabric and   04-14-1987           Method of Producing such a           Fabric       4,668,555   Heat Insulating Body   05-26-1987       4,686,152   Packaging Material   08-11-1987           Comprising Iron Foil, and           Container and Container Lid           Composed Thereof       4,813,210   Radiation-Sterilized,   03-21-1989           Packaged Medical Device       4,871,597   Light-Weight Multi-Layer   10-03-1989           Insulating Enclosure       4,916,016   Metal or Plastic-Clad   04-10-1990           Polyvinyl Resin Laminates       4,985,106   Insulation Structure for   01-15-1991           Appliances       5,105,970   Freight Container Insulating   04-21-1992           System and Method       5,108,821   Self-Extinguishing Blanket   04-28-1992           enclosed with Plastic Films       5,143,245   Leak-Proof Insulating System   09-01-1992           for Freight Containers       5,324,467   Process for Preparation of   06-28-1994           Oriented Multilayer Laminate           Film       5,451,367   Method of Sterilizing the   09-19-1995           Inside Layer in a Packaging           Material       5,585,154   Flexible and Non-Water   12-17-1996           Absorbing Insulation System       US   Metallized heat resistant   03-17-2005       200500587   material with thermal       90   barrier       JP6-   Aluminum Vapor-Deposited   05-17-1994       134928   Heat-Sealable Resin Film       JP-   Heat Resistance Container   09-28-1994       08090689   Transfusion Liquid made           Composite Film Comprise           Polyolefin Film Bond Vapour           Deposit Laminate Film           Forming Polyester Film           Aluminum Oxide Film Modified           Polypropylene Layer                  
 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The present invention provides an improved weather resistant barrier or house wrap for enveloping a framed building.  
         [0013]     The present invention provides a flexible wrapping material that includes a sheet of flexible material that is thin enough to be wound upon a roll. The sheet of material is of a multilayer construction that includes a base layer of polymer (e.g. polyester) that is metalized and that has a closed cell foam layer or carbon foam layer or carbonized foam layer adhered to it using a selected layer of adhesive.  
         [0014]     This sheet of flexible material is provided with a matrix of small openings that are preferably spaced over the sheet of material, each opening being for example between about 0.1 and 1.5 millimeters in diameter. The openings are preferably spaced apart a distance of between about 0.25″ and 1.5″ (0.64 and 3.8 cm).  
         [0015]     In the preferred embodiment, the polyester layer is metalized on a surface area of the polyester layer that is next to the adhesive layer.  
         [0016]     In the preferred embodiment, the layer of adhesive is a thermoplastic adhesive layer.  
         [0017]     In the preferred embodiment, the foam layer is a closed cell foam layer. The foam layer for example can be a polyethylene foam layer or a carbon foam layer or a carbonized foam layer.  
         [0018]     The openings are preferably between about 0.3 and 0.7 millimeters in diameter, and preferably about 0.5 millimeters in diameter.  
         [0019]     The layer that is metalized is preferably aluminum.  
         [0020]     The aluminum metalized layer is preferably an aluminum having an optical density of at least about 2.7, and more preferably at least about 4.0.  
         [0021]     The metalized layer preferably has an emissivity of no more than about 0.03.  
         [0022]     The present invention provides a method of wrapping a framed building (i.e. wooden stud frame) that includes at least partially enveloping the studs of the building with a flexible sheet of material, the sheet being a multilayer sheet that includes an inner layer of foam, an outer layer of polyester having inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface being a metalized surface.  
         [0023]     An adhesive layer is placed in between the foam layer and the outer layer of polyester wherein the adhesive layer contacts the metalized surface.  
         [0024]     The method includes perforating the sheet of material and then securing the perforated sheet to the wooden framing (e.g. studs) of the framed building. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]     For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein:  
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a fragmentary view of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention;  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 4  is a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown installed on a wall portion of a building; and  
         [0030]      FIG. 5  is a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown installed on a roof portion of a building. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]      FIGS. 1-5  show the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention designated generally by the number  10  in  FIGS. 1-5 .  
         [0032]     Flexible house wrap  10  is preferably provided in roll  11  form wherein a web or sheet  12  of material is wound upon the roll  11 . The web or sheet  12  has spaced apart generally parallel edges  13 ,  14  and end portions such as the end  15  shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0033]     The web or sheet of material  12  is preferably perforated generally in a matrix pattern as shown in  FIG. 2 . The perforations  16  are preferably spaced apart a dimension designated by arrows  17  in  FIG. 2 . Additionally, a spacing indicated by arrows  18  is provided as a minimal spacing between edge  13 , edge  14  or end  15  and a perforation  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0034]     In  FIG. 3 , the web or sheet of material  12  is shown in section. The sectional view shown of  FIG. 3  reveals a multilayered web or sheet  12 . The layers of the web or sheet  12  include an upper layer  19  which is a polymeric layer. The polymeric layer  19  can for example be a polyester layer.  
         [0035]     A metal foil layer  20  is preferably a metalized layer that is applied to the polymeric layer  19 . An adhesive  21  layer joins the polymeric metalized layer  19 ,  20  to a foam layer  22 , preferably a closed cell foam such as polyethylene foam.  
         [0036]     The foam layer can be a carbon or carbonized foam layer. Examples of carbon foam or carbonized foam can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,334 entitled “Foam Carbonization and Resulting Foam Structures”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,469 entitled “Method of Making a Carbon Foam Material and Resultant Product”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,506 entitled “Process for Making Carbon Foam”; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,183,854 and 6,346,226, each entitled “Method of Making a Reinforced Carbon Foam Material and Related Product,” each hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0037]     In  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a building frame  23  is shown, and particularly wall  24  and roof  25  frame portions. The wall  23  can be formed using wooden studs such as the horizontal  26  beams and the vertical  27  beams in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0038]     Roof  25  can be formed of a plurality of beams such as the beam  28  that extends horizontally at the apex of the roof  25  and the diagonally extending beams  29 .  
         [0039]     In  FIG. 4 , the web  12  of material can be applied to the outer surface of the wall  24 . In  FIG. 5 , the web  12  of the material is preferably attached to the underside of the beams  28 ,  29 .  
         [0040]     To the extent not inconsistent with information in the present specification, thicknesses of materials, types of materials, and amounts of adhesive can be as in published application no. US 2005/0058790 A1, published 17 Mar. 2005 for “Metallized heat resistant material with thermal barrier”, with layer  19  of the present application corresponding to layer  2  of the published application, layer  20  of the present application corresponding to layer  1  of the published application, layer  21  of the present application corresponding to layer  5  of the published application, and layer  22  of the present application corresponding to layer  4  of the published application. Sheeting  12  of the present invention can be made in the manner that metallized heat resistant material  6  is made in the published application.  
         [0041]     The total thickness of the sheeting  12  of the present invention can be, for example, 0.1-1.5 mm, preferably 0.3-1.3 mm, and more preferably 0.8-1.0 mm.  
         [0042]     The optical density is preferably greater than 2.7, more preferably greater than 3.0, even more preferably greater than 3.5, and most preferably greater than 4.0.  
         [0043]     The emissivity is preferably less than 0.06, more preferably less than 0.04, and even more preferably less than 0.03.  
         [0044]     The diameter of the perforations  16  is preferably around 0.1-1.5 mm, more preferably around 0.3-0.7 mm, and even more preferably around 0.4-0.6 mm. The diameter can be, for example, around 0.5 mm.  
         [0045]     The spacing  17  between perforations  16  can be 1/16″-1.5″ (0.16-3.8 cm), preferably ⅛″-1.0″ (0.32-2.5 cm), more preferably 3/16″-⅞″ (0.48-2.2 cm), and for example ¼″ (0.64 cm).  
         [0046]     The spacing  18  from the closest perforations  16  to edge  13 , edge  14  or end  15  of web or sheet  12  can be 0 or it can be 1/16″-1.5″ (0.16-3.8 cm), preferably ⅛″-1.0″ (0.32-2.5 cm), more preferably 3/16″-⅞″ (0.48-2.2 cm), and for example ¼″ (0.64 cm).  
         [0047]     The following is a list of parts and materials suitable for use in the present invention.  
                                         PARTS LIST            Part Number   Description               10   flexible house wrap       11   roll       12   web or sheet of material       13   edge       14   edge       15   end       16   perforation       17   spacing arrow       18   spacing arrow       19   upper polymeric layer       20   metal foil layer       21   adhesive layer       22   foam layer       23   building frame       24   wall       25   roof       26   horizontal beam       27   vertical beam       28   beam       29   beam                  
 
         [0048]     All measurements disclosed herein are at standard temperature and pressure, at sea level on Earth, unless indicated otherwise. All materials used or intended to be used in a human being are biocompatible, unless indicated otherwise.  
         [0049]     The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.