Abstract:
A process for manufacturing a dual layer building seal comprising a series of steps including providing a first roll of material, placing a second material in a region adjacent to the first material so that an open end of the first material matches with an open end of the second material. In addition this process can include coupling the first material to a spindle. There can be also a three ply sheet of copper, polyethylene and adhesive, and also a system for manufacturing the three ply layer. This system can include at least one spindle and also a compression mechanism wherein the spindle can be in the form of a mechanized spindle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Applicant claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/707,453 filed on Aug. 11, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention generally relates to a building seal or a flashingseal, and also a method for making a building seal or a flashingseal. In addition, the invention relates to a system for making a building seal or a flashingseal. A building seal or a flashingseal can be essentially a seal formed from a waterproof layer and a copper layer or a layer made substantially or at least partially from copper coupled together.  
         [0003]     The following references generally relate to some form of a building seal: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,979,123; 5,070,216; 3,852,931; 2,859,486; 2,235,758; and 2,165,500, wherein the disclosures of these patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The invention generally relates to a process for manufacturing a dual layer building seal comprises a series of steps including providing a first roll of material such as laying foam on a table, and placing a second material in a region adjacent to the first material so that an open end of the first material matches with an open end of the second material. In addition this process can include coupling the first material to a spindle.  
         [0005]     Furthermore, this process can include coupling either the first material or a second material to a spindle which has a sprayed on glue and then starting and rotating the spindle to pull the first material. This process can also include continuously coupling the first material to the second material while the spindle is pulling both of the materials. Next, the process can include detaching a portion of the first material from the second material, and then coupling an inside region of the first material to a rolled up outside region of the first material on the spindle to form a closed roll.  
         [0006]     In this case, the step of continuously coupling the first material to the second material occurs by using at least one adhesive.  
         [0007]     This process can also include the step of continuously coupling the first material to the second material. This process can include spraying an adhesive onto either the first material or the second material.  
         [0008]     This process can also include the step of continuously coupling the first material to the second material for a period of time and can further comprise compressing the first material and the second material together to form a joined material.  
         [0009]     This process can further comprise the step of heating up the adhesive before using the adhesive for coupling the first material to the second material. In this case, this first material can be in the form of copper. This second material can be in the form of polyethylene.  
         [0010]     As an option, the step of continuously compressing the first material together with the second material can comprise feeding the first material together with the second material through a compression block to press the first and the second material together.  
         [0011]     This process can also include the step of cutting an uncoupled end of at least one of the first material or the second material together once either of the first material or the second material has run out.  
         [0012]     In one embodiment, the adhesive is sprayed onto the second material.  
         [0013]     The invention can also relate to a seal for a building comprising a first material made all, substantially all or at least partially from copper; a second material made all, substantially all or at least partially from polyethylene; and an adhesive for binding the copper sheet and the polyethylene sheet together.  
         [0014]     As an option the second sheet or polyethylene sheet can be in the form of a ⅜″ thick sheet. In addition, this second sheet can be in the form of blown polyethylene.  
         [0015]     The adhesive can be in the form of a thermal setting adhesive.  
         [0016]     A system for manufacturing this product can include a spindle for winding material. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.  
         [0018]     In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows a system for making the sealing barrier;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  shows a flow chart for a process for making a sealing barrier;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3A  shows a side view of the sealing barrier;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3B  shows a side view of the sealing barrier disposed between two building posts;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3C  shows a side view of a sealing barrier disposed between a foundation and a building post;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4A  shows a top view of a first stage of placing the sealing barrier on a foundation; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 4B  shows a cross sectional view of the sealing barrier on the foundation. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]      FIG. 1  shows a system for forming a building seal, or a flashing seal in an automated manner. In this case, the building or flashing seal can be in the form of first material which can be in the form of a strip comprising all, substantially all or at least partially copper. The first material can be formed in the form of a roll  12  which can be rolled out in a single thin strip  24 . Roll  12  can be optionally placed on a spindle  13  for unraveling. In addition, a second material which can be in the form of an insulation material  22  can be formed as a polyurethane or polyethylene-type material or a material comprising at least some polyurethane or at least some polyethylene, that can be in the form of a foam type material. This second material can also be presented in the form of a roll  21  which is positioned around a spindle or axle  23 . The flashing seal can be formed in the form of a final roll  30 , which is formed as a combination of the copper sheet  24 , and the insulation material  22 . These rolls of material can be passed through a clamping mechanism in the form of a clamping station which can include clamping blocks  16  and  18  and then attached to an axle or spindle  33  which is driven by a motor  35 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  shows a process for producing a building or flashing seal. The process occurs as follows: a user can lay foam on a table as shown in step  1  this foam can form the second sheet as disclosed above. For example, this foam may comprise ⅜″ inch thick polyethylene. Previously, the installation of a waterproofing shield between a house side and a foundation would include a waterproof barrier which can be in the form of a ¼″ barrier. With the present embodiment, this foam or second sheet can be passed through a pressing or binding station which can be used to press the copper strip onto the foam.  
         [0028]     Next in step  2 , a user can spray a glue on the foam. This glue can be in the form of a hot melt glue wherein the glue is heated up in a hot melt chamber  27  as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0029]     Next, as shown in step  3 , a user can place a copper roll or first material as disclosed above on the foam. Next, as shown in step  4 , the copper strip can be coupled to the second material or foam. This can be achieved by spraying on or otherwise applying a thermal adhesive or glue to either the inside surface of the copper strip or the foam strip or both.  
         [0030]     Next, as shown in step  5  the first material or copper can be run through the binding station past binding blocks  16  and  18  to the spindle. Next, as shown in step  6 , the first material or copper strip can be attached to spindle  33 . This can occur via a thermal adhesive that can be sprayed onto the spindle. At this point, a free end of the first material or copper strip can be wrapped around the spindle which retains a thermal adhesive or glue. In step  7 , the user can start the spindle thus causing the copper strip to wrap around the spindle and also pull the remaining portion of copper strip which is coupled to the foam. During step  8 , the spindle keeps running, such that the first material or copper roll which is sitting on top of the second material foam unravels or unrolls. At this point, at a point just before this copper strip unrolls, a user can continuously apply the thermal adhesive or glue to the second material or foam or first material or copper such that as the first material or copper roll unravels, it is pressed or is applied to the second material or foam when it passes through the pressing or binding mechanism or station.  
         [0031]     As stated above, the pressing or binding mechanism or station can be in the form of blocks  16  and  18  which create a gap or opening which may be a thinner opening than the uncompressed three layers of the second sheet or material or foam, adhesive and first sheet or material or copper strip. When this three-ply strip passes this station, it presses this copper strip down onto the foam layer, compressing the foam layer and thereby applying pressure to this foam layer.  
         [0032]     This pressing of the first material or copper strip into the second material or foam while the adhesive, or glue is cooling, drying, or fixing creates a uniform adhesion of the second material or foam into the first material or copper for a layered product.  
         [0033]     In step  9 , as most of the roll becomes unraveled, a user can detach a portion of either the first material or copper or the second material or foam from each other such that there is a strip of exposed copper strip. The user can then spray or otherwise apply the adhesive to the first material or copper strip and in step  10 , tighten the roll and place the label on the roll to allow the first material or copper strip to wrap around the roll and form a closed end roll.  
         [0034]     Next, in step  11 , the user can cut the free end of the foam and/or the copper and then wrap the exposed end of copper having the adhesive on it around the remaining portion of the rod.  
         [0035]     In step  11 , the user can remove the spindle from the roll, apply a label and wrap this label around a roll for safe storage before shipment.  
         [0036]     A cross-section of this final end product is shown in  FIG. 3A  which shows a three-layer system including a metallic termite barrier  100  which can be in the form of a first material or copper sheet, an adhesive layer  200  which as described above, can be for example in the form of a thermal adhesive known as a spray adhesive hot melt glue  702 . This third layer  300  or second sheet can be in the form of a polyethylene foam which can be ⅜″ thick.  FIG. 3B  shows a cross-sectional view of this three layer system which can be used such that it is placed in between two components such as a foundation  500  and a beam  402  (see  FIG. 3C ).  
         [0037]      FIG. 4A  shows this three layer system which is placed on top of a foundation  500 . Foundation  500  can have a plurality of metal rods  502  which extend up out from this foundation. These metal rods  502  can be in the form of iron or steel bars that can be cemented into foundation  500 . Under previous circumstances, prior to the present invention, a user would have to first place down a water proofing barrier which could be in the form of a polyethylene sheet such as a ¼″ polyethylene sheet. This polyethylene sheet could be relatively low in density and thus light for its size, and as such, be susceptible to blowing away. Thus, under these normal circumstances, a user may have a hard time inserting or applying just this polyethylene layer.  
         [0038]     Instead, the user can apply the three-part product all at once so that the first material or copper layer  300  on top of the second material or polyethylene layer  100  keeps the second material or polyethylene layer from blowing away.  
         [0039]     When a user is actually applying the three layer product, he or she can press this product down over rods  502 . The act of pressing this three-layer sheet over rods  502  causes a break or hole in the sheet, wherein these rods punch through a relatively central region of this sheet to secure it against any lateral motion. The punching action, in most, if not all cases forces the second material or polyethylene layer up and against the copper layer to keep the first material or copper layer away from metal rods  502 . This break in the three layer system keeps the copper layer from forming any kind of reaction with the metal foundation rods  502  as shown in  FIG. 4B .  
         [0040]     Accordingly, while a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.