Process for insulating recreational vehicles with recycled material

Previously used packing and shipping material, including foam based packaging and support products, may be recycled in a manner so as to reduce the manufacturing costs associated with insulating the structural enclosures of recreational vehicles. By finely shredding pieces of recycled packing material, an adaptive insulation material may be produced such that, when introduced into spatial cavities within structural enclosures of recreational vehicles using, for example, forced air, the adaptive insulation material substantially conforms to regular and irregular contoured structures. Utilizing recycled packing materials as insulation provides many advantages which result in an effective and valuable means for reducing production costs, reducing adverse environmental impact, and maintaining insulation efficiency of recreational vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to recreational vehicles and, in particular, relates to a process for insulating recreational vehicles with recycled material.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recreational vehicles (RVs) typically provide users with the comforts and amenities of home while travelling. RVs typically comprise an enclosed living quarters mounted on wheels for mobility, and includes, but is not limited to, a motorhome, a fifth wheel trailer, a trailer, or a tent trailer. Motorhomes are generally self-propelled while travel trailers are towed by a towing vehicle.

One comfort feature provided by RVs includes shielding of the occupants inside the RV from the exterior environment outside the RV. The level of shielding, as well as the comfort and amenities level in general, typically increases with the size of the RV. For example, a small, foldable tent trailer provides minimal thermal insulation, and is intended to be used in mild climates. Larger RVs, such as fifth wheel trailers and motorhomes, have fixed walls and roofs that provide a much greater level of protection from the exterior environment and thus may be used in a greater range of climates. In one aspect, the thermal insulation provided by larger RVs, in conjunction with heating and air conditioning units, provide the occupants with a climate controlled interior living space within the RV that may be substantially different than the exterior climate.

Thermal insulation for RVs is typically provided by positioning insulating materials sandwiched between an outer structural panel member and an inner structural panel member so as to form an insulated structure, such as the wall, roof, and/or floor. One popular insulating material is fiberglass that has a thermal resistance, commonly referred to as an R-value, of approximately 3 for a thickness of approximately 1 inch. Commonly referred to as an R-3 insulation value, the units are implied to be in ft2° F. h/Btu. While the fiberglass may easily conform to the shape of the insulated structures, fiberglass, unfortunately, does not necessarily provide sufficient insulation in areas having relatively thin structures, such as found in many RVs.

Another popular thermal insulator is a foam material that has an R-value of approximately 5 to 6 per inch of thickness, almost twice that of the fiberglass. One method of using the foam as a thermal insulator is to sandwich a pre-formed solid block of foam within the structures. In structures that are generally flat, such as the wall structures, flat blocks of foam may be applied to the flat structures in a cost efficient manner. In structures that include curves or irregular shapes, such as in many roof structures and rounded structural components, the shape of the foam may need to be either molded or shaped in a process that is directly tied to the design of the curved structure. Thus, if the design of the curved structure is modified, the shaping process for the foam also needs to be modified, which increases manufacturing costs associated with most structural products. In some cases, if shaping of the foam for a plurality of small curved structures are found to significantly increase manufacturing costs, then such areas of the RV may not be insulated for cost savings, which, unfortunately, reduces the overall insulating performance of the RV.

Hence, commonly used types of insulation, fiberglass and foam cannot be used easily to insulate some areas of the recreational vehicle. Small enclosed spaces often cannot be adequately insulated, as the sheets of fiberglass or foam are difficult to be positioned within the enclosed space. A further difficulty with commonly used types of insulation is the cost factor. To provide insulation to a small enclosed space, a larger piece of insulation material may have to be cut up to provide the small piece of insulation for the small space. This can result in wastage of the remaining sheet of insulative material which increases the cost of manufacture of the recreational vehicle. Moreover, there is increased labor costs associated with spending the time to shape the fiberglass sheet or the foam sheet to match the enclosed space. Thus, there is a need for an improved way of providing insulation to small, hard to reach spaces in recreational vehicles.

An unrelated expense that occurs during the manufacture of a recreational vehicle is the cost of disposing of extraneous packing material. Recreational vehicles come equipped with appliances and fixtures that are generally provided by outside vendors. Large numbers of packing boxes and materials have to be disposed of by the recreational vehicle manufacturer. These boxes and materials often include cardboard and foam materials that are bulky requiring large trash facilities and have a detrimental environmental effect. These factors also represent a cost to the manufacturer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned needs may be satisfied by a recreational vehicle comprising a carriage assembly having a plurality of wheels and a plurality of wall enclosures mounted on the carriage assembly, where the wall enclosures define an interior living space having a floor, and where at least one wall enclosure comprises at least one inner spatial cavity. In one embodiment, the recreational vehicle may further comprise an insulation barrier adapted to conform to the at least one inner spatial cavity of the at least one wall enclosure in a manner so as to shield the interior living space from the exterior environment, where the insulation barrier comprises shredded packing material.

The aforementioned needs may also be satisfied by a method of insulating a recreational vehicle having a carriage assembly with a plurality of wheels. In one embodiment, the method may comprise forming a plurality of structural components on the carriage assembly of the vehicle in a manner so as to form spatial cavities within the structural components of the vehicle, where the structural components when assembled define an enclosed living space having a floor. In addition the method may further comprise shredding packing material and filling the spatial cavities with the shredded packing material in a manner such that the shredded packing material adapts to the contour of the spatial cavities and forms an insulation barrier between the interior and the exterior of the vehicle.

In another aspect, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a method of insulating a recreational vehicle. The method comprises shredding packing material and blowing the shredded packing material into spatial cavities within the vehicle.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.FIG. 1Aillustrates one embodiment of a recreational vehicle (RV)100comprising a motorhome having a generally rectangular carriage assembly102attached to a plurality of wheels104so as to permit rolling movement of the RV100over the ground.FIG. 1Afurther illustrates a main housing106that may be mounted above the carriage assembly102. In one aspect, the main housing106may comprise a plurality of planar enclosures that may be joined together and mounted to the carriage assembly102in a known manner so as to define an interior living space110. In addition the plurality of planar enclosures may include a plurality of sidewall structures120,122,124,126, a roof structure130, and a floor structure132(shown inFIG. 1B). It should be appreciated that the plurality of planar enclosures of the RV100may be utilized as insulative barriers between the interior living space110and an exterior area112outside the RV100. Therefore, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of planar enclosures of the RV100may comprise adaptive insulation in a manner that will be described in greater detail herein below.

In one aspect, one of the plurality of planar enclosures may comprise a first fixed sidewall120having a main entry door128, which provides an RV user with a first point of entry into the RV100from the exterior area112of the RV100. Also, a horizontal axis, which may parallel the floor, extends in a first direction from a front portion140(FIG. 1B) adjacent a front fixed sidewall124of the RV100to a rear portion142(FIG. 1B) adjacent a rear fixed sidewall126of the RV100. It should be appreciated that the RV100described herein represents any movable coach on wheels, such as, but not limited to, the motorhome, a fifth wheel trailer, a trailer, or a tent trailer.

In one embodiment, the RV100permits occupants to travel and live inside the illustrated motorhome in a comfortable manner such that the indoor climate in the interior living space110may be substantially different from the outdoor climate in the exterior area112outside the RV100. In one aspect, the controlled interior climate may be achieved by a heating and/or air conditioning device, wherein the efficiency of climate control may be greatly enhanced by providing thermal insulation in the sidewall, roof, and floor structures interposed as, for example, a barrier between the interior living space110and the exterior environment112to the RV100. Therefore, it should be appreciated that an insulated recreational vehicle may require less energy to heat or cool the interior living spaces, which may reduce energy consumption by the RV100.

Reference will now be made toFIG. 1B, which provides one exemplary embodiment of a detailed plan view of the interior living space110within the RV100ofFIG. 1. In particular,FIG. 1Billustrates the RV100ofFIG. 1with the interior living space110arranged in a manner so as to provide comfort and functionality to one or more users. In one aspect, the interior living space110of the RV100, as shown inFIG. 1Amay be sub-divided into designated living spaces, including a living room area150, a kitchen area152, a dining area154, a bathroom area156, and a bedroom area158.

In addition, the RV100may be equipped with an expandable slide-out section160attached to a second fixed side wall122that may be used to increase the interior living space110of the RV100in a manner as described in the Applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/595,144 entitled “Recreational Vehicles with Expandable Room” (Inventor: Johnnie R. Crean), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Moreover, the front portion140of the RV100may serve as a riding and/or driving area for the driver and passengers when the RV100is in a traveling motion. It will be appreciated that the layout of the interior living area110as illustrated herein is simply one illustrative embodiment and that a number of variations to this layout may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Moreover, the illustrated embodiment of the RV100shown here comprises a motorhome. It will be appreciated, however, that recreational vehicle is a term not specifically limited to self-propelled motorhomes but can include buses, cab over campers, and trailers such as travel trailers and recreational vehicles and that the insulation method described herein can be applied to any of these recreational vehicles without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

FIG. 2Aillustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the first fixed sidewall and roof structures or enclosures120,130forming a sidewall panel cavity200and a roof panel cavity210that may be filled with adaptive insulation230in a manner that will be described in greater detail herein below with reference toFIG. 3A. As illustrated in FIG.2A, the distal ends of the first fixed sidewall and roof structures120,130may be interconnected together in a substantially perpendicular manner using an attaching mechanism218, wherein a first corner cap structure222may be attached to form a seal at the intersection of the first fixed sidewall and the roof structures120,130so as to form a first corner cavity220. Advantageously, the irregular shape of the first corner cavity220may also be filled with the adaptive insulation230. It should be appreciated that additional disclosure relating to the attaching mechanism218is described in the Applicant's co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/965,463 entitled “Method for Fabricating a Motorhome” (Inventor: Johnnie R. Crean), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In one embodiment, the sidewall cavity200of the first fixed sidewall120may be configured to comprise adaptive insulation230interposed between an outer sidewall layer202and an inner sidewall layer204. The adaptive insulation230in the first fixed sidewall120may comprise a thickness of approximately 2 inches, which may provide a desirable R-value. It should be appreciated that the R-value of the adaptive insulation230may vary depending on the particular application. In one aspect, the adaptive insulation230may comprise component parts or pieces of packing and/or shipping material ranging in size and shape. In one aspect, packing and shipping material comprising various sizes and shapes may be finely torn to pieces by a generally known shredding device so as to produce the adaptive insulation material. Preferably, the component parts of the adaptive insulation230may be shredded from foam based packaging material, such as polystyrene loosefill elements including foam packing fillers, spacers, and bracers, and cardboard materials, such as boxes and the like.

In general, R-value may be defined as the thickness (L) of an insulation barrier, such as the thickness of the adaptive insulation230divided by thermal conductivity (k) of the material in the insulation barrier. Thus, in one embodiment, a good thermal insulator has a relatively higher R-value, and can generally insulate better than a barrier with a relatively low R-value. The R-value of an insulation barrier can be to increases with increasing the thickness (L) of the insulation barrier. Another way is to select a insulative material with a relatively low thermal conductivity (k). Additionally, in one aspect, low weighted material with low thermal conductivity (k) forms a relatively thin barrier so as to yield a relatively high R-value. For example, foam has a relatively high R-value of approximately 5 to 6 for a section that is 1 inch thick. Moreover, the R-value is usually expressed in units of ft2° F. h/Btu. For example, an R-value, such as 5, may be expressed simply as R-5, and the above stated units are implied. Furthermore, the R-values are additive when insulating materials are placed in sequence. Thus, for example, a 2 inch thick foam may yield an R-value of approximately 10 to 12.

The adaptive insulation material is preferably obtained from various packing materials that accompany various components of the RV100during shipping. For example, appliances to be installed in the RV100may be purchased from an outside vendor, and arrive at the RV100manufacturing facility in boxes, typically packed using some sort of foam based packing material. Advantageously, the cardboard and foam based packing material may be shredded and used as adaptive insulation material for the RV100. In addition, recycling the cardboard and foam based packaging material in the manner described herein is beneficial not only from a manufacturing point of view, but also benefits the environment in a manner such that the packing material is not thrown away in a landfill or garbage dump. It should be appreciated that use of other various types of packing materials, including card board boxes and various paper fillers, may be used as insulation for the RV100by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, the shredded packing material may be introduced into the inner spatial cavities of the plurality of planar enclosures using, for example, forced air from an air compressor or various types of fans. In one aspect, the velocity of the forced air may be selected so as to control the packing density of the shredded packing material within the spatial cavities. As illustrated inFIG. 2A, the adaptive insulation230may comprise component pieces of shredded packing material, varying in size and shape, that may be tightly packed in the inner spatial cavities of the planar enclosures so as to produce an efficient barrier layer that is capable of shielding the interior110of the RV100from the external environment112outside the RV100. In one embodiment, the component pieces of shredded packing material may vary in size from small to large, and the shape may comprise regular and/or irregular contours without departing from the scope of the present teachings. Moreover, it should be appreciated that the shredded component pieces in packed form may also comprise voids of air between neighboring component pieces depending on the deformable elasticity of the component pieces and the velocity at which the component pieces were packed.

The outer sidewall layer202may comprise a plurality of structural layers, including, for example, a plywood layer attached to a fiberglass layer, wherein the fiberglass layer may be oriented towards the exterior area112of the RV100so as to provide generally known protection from the exterior environment and adverse weather conditions. The inner sidewall layer204may also comprise a plurality of structural layers, including an aluminum frame layer and a decor panel layer, wherein the decor panel layer may be oriented towards the interior living space110of the RV100.

It should be appreciated that the first fixed sidewall120may comprise additional layers of material without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should also be appreciated that the second fixed sidewall122, the front fixed wall124, and the rear fixed wall126may also comprise adaptive insulation230interposed between outer and inner sidewall layers202,204in a manner as previously described with reference to the first fixed sidewall120.

In general, areas of the sidewalls120,122,124,126and roof and floor structures130,132that are generally planar and relatively large can be readily equipped with sheets of insulation positioned in between the outer sidewall layer202and the inner side wall layer204. However, the presence of windows, vents, passageways, and conduits results in the creation of smaller less uniformly shaped voids or compartments in the sidewalls120,122,124,126and roof and floor structures130,132. Adaptive insulation comprising, in one embodiment, shredded packing material can be used to fill these voids or compartments so as to conform to the contour of the irregular shapes.

For example, as illustrated inFIG. 2A, the distal ends of the first fixed sidewall and roof structures120,130may be joined together with the first corner cap structure222to thereby form the first corner cavity220, which defines a void with an irregular shape. Advantageously, the irregular shape of the first corner cavity220may be filled with the adaptive insulation230so as to provide insulation to the first corner cap structure222. It should be appreciated that the process of filling the first corner cavity with adaptive insulation230will be described in greater detail herein below.

In addition, the roof cavity210of the roof structure130may be configured to comprise adaptive insulation230interposed between an outer roof layer212and an inner roof layer214. As illustrated inFIG. 2A, the outer roof layer212may be curved in a manner so as to form a crown towards the center portion of the roof structure130, and the inner roof layer214may comprise a substantially planar orientation as compared to the curvature of the upper roof layer212. As such, the adaptive insulation230may be shaped in a manner so as to conform to the curvature of the roof structure130and to the substantially planar inner roof layer214in a manner as will be described in greater detail herein below.

As further illustrated inFIG. 2A, the adaptive insulation230of the roof cavity210may comprise a thickness of at least greater at the center portion of the roof structure130, adjacent the crown, than the thickness at the distal ends of the roof structure130, which may be approximately 2 inches. Similar to the adaptive insulation230in the sidewall cavity200, the adaptive insulation230in the roof cavity210may provide a desirable R-value. It should be appreciated that the R-value of the adaptive insulation230may vary depending on the particular application. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the configuration of the roof structure130, including the curvature of the outer roof layer212may be altered by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further scope and functionality of the adaptive insulation230will be described in greater detail herein below.

FIG. 2Billustrates one embodiment of the floor frame270of the RV100, wherein the floor frame270may be mounted to the chassis102. The floor frame270may comprise a plurality of cross support members272that may be interconnected in a manner so as to form a substantially planar and horizontal sub-floor132having a plurality of sub-floor spatial cavities274. In one aspect, the adaptive insulation230may be formulated with an adhesive slurry material that may be used to coat the sub-floor surfaces including the chassis102, the floor frame270, and the cross support members272so as to permit build-up of the adaptive insulation/adhesive slurry in and around the sub-floor spatial cavities274. The scope of this process will be described in greater detail herein below with reference toFIG. 3B.

It should be appreciated that coating the sub-floor surfaces of the RV100may be performed during various manufacturing stages in a known manner by those of ordinary skill in the art. It should also be appreciated that additional description relating to the structural framework of the RV100is disclosed in the Applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application entitled “Method of Fabricating a Motorhome” (Inventor: Johnnie R. Crean).

FIG. 3Aillustrates one embodiment of filling the sidewall structures120,122, corner cap structures220,250, and the roof structure130of the RV100with adaptive insulation230. In a manner as previously described, the first fixed sidewall structure120may comprise a first sidewall cavity200and the roof structure130may comprise a roof cavity210. Similarly, the second sidewall structure122may comprise a second sidewall cavity242. Although not shown inFIG. 3A, it should be appreciated that the front sidewall structure124may comprise a front sidewall cavity, and the rear sidewall structure may comprise a rear sidewall cavity. In a manner as previously illustrated with reference toFIG. 2A, the distal ends of the first fixed sidewall and roof structures120,130may be joined together with the first corner cap structure222to form the first corner cavity220. Similarly, in a manner as illustrated inFIG. 3A, the distal ends of the second fixed sidewall and roof structures122,130may be joined together with a second corner cap structure252to form the second corner cavity250.

In this particular embodiment, the outer layers of the sidewall structures120,122, the corner cap structures220,250and the roof structure130may comprise couplers300adapted to receive conduits302so as to allow the adaptive insulation230to be pumped into the spatial cavities200,210,220,242,250via the conduits302. The couplers300may be attached in various locations on the structures120,122,130,220,250without departing from thee scope of the present invention. The outer layers may further comprise a plurality of relief valves304that allow passage of displaced air and runoff insulation material as the wall cavity is being filled. It should be appreciated that, once the spatial cavities200,210,220,242,250are filled with adaptive insulation230, the couplers300may be removed and the coupler openings sealed using, for example, a sealing cap and an adhesive sealing component, such as a liquid epoxy or glue.

In one aspect, the adaptive insulation230may be pumped into the spatial cavities200,210,220,242,250using, for example, forced air from an air compressor, wherein the amount of component compression may vary depending of the velocity of the forced air. Advantageously, the velocity of the forced air may be used to compact and conform the adaptive insulation material into the voids of the spatial cavities200,210,220,242,250including irregular structural shapes.

FIG. 3Billustrates one embodiment of filling/coating the sub-floor spatial cavities274of the floor frame270of the RV100with adaptive insulation230. As previously described with reference toFIG. 2B, the floor frame270is mounted to the chassis102of the RV100. As illustrated inFIGS. 2B,3B, the floor frame270may comprise a plurality of cross support members272that may be interconnected in a manner so as to form a substantially planar and horizontal sub-floor132having a plurality of sub-floor spatial cavities274that can be regular or irregular in shape. The sub-floor132may also be supported by additional support members280, such as Z-bars. Also, the sidewall120can be attached to the floor frame270with the attaching mechanism218in a manner as previously described with reference toFIG. 2A.

In one embodiment, sub-floor spatial cavities274may be insulated in a manner as follows. The conduit302may be positioned proximate to the sub-floor spatial cavities274so that adhesive slurry material231may be pumped into the cavities274using, for example, forced air in a manner as previously described with reference toFIG. 3A. The adhesive slurry material231coats the sub-floor surfaces including the chassis102, the floor frame270, the cross support members272, and the additional support members280so as to permit build-up of the adhesive slurry material in and around the sub-floor spatial cavities274. The adhesive slurry material231can then cure overtime and solidify so as to provide insulation. The adhesive slurry material231may be formed with a combination of the adaptive insulation230and a generally known adhesive or binding material, such as glue, resin, or various other binding agents.

Advantageously, coating the sub-floor surfaces with the adhesive slurry material231may insulate the floor frame270so as to improve the insulation performance of the RV100. Also, insulating the floor frame270may also reduce road noise during travel. It should be appreciated that the adhesive slurry material231may also be pumped into the sidewall structures120,122,124,126, corner cap structures220,250, and the roof structure130of the RV100so as to cure and solidify and provide insulation without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4illustrates one embodiment of an adaptive insulation process, whereby the adaptive insulation230may be manufactured and installed into the spatial cavities200,210,220,242,250of the corresponding structures120,122,130,220,250of the RV100. In one aspect, the adaptive insulation process utilizes previously received packing and shipping materials as insulation material in a manner so as to reduce the manufacturing costs associated with insulating the wall enclosures of the RV100. In addition, the adaptive insulation process shreds used packing material to produce an adaptive insulation material that may be pumped into spatial cavities between the wall enclosures of the RV100using compressed air. The shredded insulation material advantageously conforms to regular and irregular enclosed spatial cavities that may otherwise be costly to insulate using conventionally known insulation methods.

The adaptive insulation process initiates in a start state400and then advances to a state402. In the state402, packing material is compiled in a manner as previously described and then shredded in a state404. In the state404, packing material of various sizes and shapes may be finely torn to pieces by a generally known shredding device so as to produce the adaptive insulation material.

Optionally, in a state405, a curable slurry comprising an adhesive or binder may be added to the shredded insulation material. In the process, packing material of various sizes and shapes are shredded by a generally known shredder to produce the adaptive insulation. An adhesive or binder is then mixed with the adaptive insulation in a mixer, which results in the adhesive slurry material that can be pumped into an enclosed space or sprayed onto surfaces so as to cure and solidify and provide insulation. As previously described, the packing material can be obtained from various packing materials that are used deliver various components of the RV during manufacturing. For example, appliances to be installed in the RV are typically purchased from a vendor, and arrive at the manufacturing facility in packed boxes. It will be appreciated that recycling of the packing material in the manner as previously described above is advantageous from a manufacturing point of view, but also benefits the environment in a manner that is generally well known.

In a state406, the fabricated structures120,122,130,220,250,274of the RV100are prepared for installation of the adaptive insulation material or the adhesive slurry material, wherein one or more of the conduits302may be attached to the couplers300and the relief valve openings304may be checked for obstructions. Next, in a state408, the adaptive insulation material or the adhesive slurry material may be pumped into the spatial cavities200,210,220,242,250of the corresponding structures120,122,130,220,250of the RV100in a manner as previously described. In a state410, the conduits302may be removed from the couplers300. In one aspect, the couplers300may also be removed and the coupler openings of the structures120,122,130,220,250sealed in a manner as previously described with reference toFIG. 3A. Following the state412, the adaptive insulation process terminates in an end state414.

Beneficially, the compiled packing material may be shredded and introduced into the spatial cavities of the planar enclosures using, for example, forced air from an air compressor or various types of fans. The adaptive insulation230may comprise component pieces of shredded packing material, varying in size and shape, that may be tightly packed in the inner spatial cavities of the planar enclosures so as to produce an efficient barrier layer that is capable of shielding the interior110of the RV100from the external environment112outside the RV100. Also, the adaptive insulation230may be mixed with a binding agent to form the adhesive slurry material231that may also be pumped into the inner spatial cavities of the planar enclosures, wherein cured adhesive slurry material231can also produce an efficient barrier layer. The velocity of the forced air may be selected so as to control the packing density of the shredded packing material within the spatial cavities. Therefore, depending on the contoured shape, overall size, deformable elasticity, and the velocity at which the component pieces were packed, the insulation density of the adaptive insulation in packed form may be selected in a manner so as to provide increased insulation efficiency for the RV100.

Advantageously, previously used packing and shipping material, including foam based packaging and support products, may be recycled in a manner so as to reduce the manufacturing costs associated with insulating the planar enclosures of recreational vehicles. By finely shredding pieces of used packing material, an adaptive insulation material may be produced such that, when introduced into spatial cavities of the structural enclosures of recreational vehicles using, for example, compressed and/or forced air, the adaptive insulation material substantially conforms to regular and irregular contoured shapes. Beneficially, the adaptive and conforming insulation fills in the regular and irregular spatial cavities of structural enclosures that may otherwise be expensive to conventionally insulate. In addition, implementing the above-mentioned adaptive insulation process provides a useful mechanism for recycling packing materials such that the utilization of adaptive insulation results in an effective and valuable means for reducing production costs, reducing adverse environmental impact, and maintaining insulation efficiency of recreational vehicles.

Although the following description exemplifies one embodiment of the present invention, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the detail of the apparatus, system, and/or method as illustrated as well as the uses thereof, may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims.