Abstract:
An inexpensive lightweight reusable detachable insulating cover device for residential and commercial dwellings and similar heated structures. The inner-portion of the insulating pad ( 02 ) will fit inside of a typical entrance or window unit ( 21 ) framing. The outer-portion of the insulating pad ( 01 ) will overlap the window unit or entrance framing. The outer portion of the insulating pad shall be secured to the building wall structure ( 20 ) surrounding the window or entrance framing by using Velcro Fasteners ( 06 ). During cold weather months, the present invention will greatly restrict warm air from escaping between small crevices in inept window systems by fitting firmly into window framing using a insulating material, whereby creating a thermal barrier and improving the efficiency of the furnace thus creating a decrease in electricity or fuel consumption.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to detachable insulating covers that are particularly suited for use in connection with windows and entrances of residential and commercial dwellings.  
           [0003]    2. Prior Art  
           [0004]    It is known from prior art that heat transfer through the windows and entrances of residential and commercial dwellings can be greatly reduced through the use of insulating covers.  
           [0005]    Prior art has shown application of thin sheets of transparent plastic-like material affixed to the windows and entrances. This method does offer some thermal insulation properties however; in older dwellings with inept windows and entrances this method will have very little if any effect. In addition this application has problems with condensation build-up when in use.  
           [0006]    Another solution of prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,292 (1986) suggested the use of insulated window shades and curtains. In this method window shades have a separate or detachable insulating layer behind the cloth fabric of shade or curtain. The insulating layer could be added during winter months and removed during the warmer months. This method did offer a portable way of insulating window areas however; this method did very little for drafty inept window systems for older dwellings. In cold weather months if an furnace is used to heat the dwelling, the produced warm air will rapidly escape through the drafty windows making it uncomfortable and thereby lowering the efficiency of the furnace or requiring a greater increase in fuel consumption to warrant eliminating the problem.  
           [0007]    Another solution of prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,150 (1978) suggested the use of a window enclosure that is permanently mounted inside of window framing, the window enclosure used siding panels to remove or add insulating material. This method required a permanent alternation to the window framing.  
           [0008]    These methods listed above are known to suffer from the following disadvantages:  
           [0009]    (a) Poor thermal protections during cold weather months, by permitting warm air to escape between small crevices in inept window systems.  
           [0010]    (b) Either system is designed to have an insulating layer fit firmly inside the window framing while utilizing surrounding wall element for fastening without altering the window and/or framing itself.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION—OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES  
         [0011]    A need for a long period of time has existed for a portable window insulating system that is simple and cost effective to install at first application, which will not alter the current window or entrance framing.  
           [0012]    A important object of the present invention is to enable a person to remove the cover from the window framing is a simple manner.  
           [0013]    Another important object of this invention is to provide a thermal barrier which seals around the edges of the window framing with a insulating layer and which may be adjusted to overlap around window framing edges onto the adjacent wall area.  
           [0014]    During cold weather months the present invention, when installed inside a dwelling, will greatly restrict warm air and radiant heat from escaping between small crevices in inept window systems by fitting firmly into window framing using an insulating material.  
           [0015]    This lightweight portable and removable insulating cover is placed over the interior-side generally (or the exterior) of typical commercial and residential building windows and entrances, providing added thermal protection inside of the dwelling, whereby creating a thermal barrier.  
           [0016]    The present invention could be modified to have a viewer&#39;s opening for viewing out of the window/entrance when cover is installed. The present invention can also be modified to have decorative designs or embroidery on the exterior of device that is attractive and decorative to the eye of the beholder on the interior or exterior of the house.  
           [0017]    This insulating cover can also be fabricated as a solid one-piece pre-molded insulating material using various molding/casting manufacturing techniques or using various fibrous felt-type insulating materials.  
           [0018]    It is still another object of this invention to provide a complete window assembly that is simple, reusable, easy and economical to maintain.  
           [0019]    This invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a partial elevation view showing the installation of present invention covering the interior side of a window unit  21  inside a building.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2A is a modified version of FIG. 2 showing a Viewer&#39;s Opening option for the present invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional transverse view of window unit showing Insulating Cover insertion taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 is detailed orthographic embodiment of the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad of FIG. 1  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5 is a Typical Installation and Application Method for the present invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the thermal insulating cover insertion along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6A is an alternative method of installing the present invention by using an Extension Adapter, whereby permitting the present invention to be installed over irregular, large and over-sized window units.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the Extension Adapter identified in FIG. 6A.  
         [0029]    Reference Numerals In Drawings  
                                         Reference Numerals In Drawings                                    01 Outer Portion of Pad           02 Inner Portion of Pad           03 Fabric Material           04 Heavy Duty Nylon Threading Material           05 Buttons with Threading Holes           06 Velcro Fasteners           07 Polyester Filler Batting (Fibrous)           08 Aluminum Foil (General-use Grade)           09 Fiberglass Felt-type Insulation           10 Extension Adapter           20 Building Wall Structure           21 Window Unit           22 Viewer&#39;s Opening                      
 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]    [0030]FIG. 1 shows Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad which comprises a insulating core-element fabricated utilizing two functional sections which are the Outer Portion of Pad  01  and the Inner Portion of Pad  02 . Both Pads are completely encased in a Fabric Material  03 . All seams, corners, and edges of the Fabric Material  03  are bound together using Heavy-duty nylon threading material  04 . Spaced uniform along topside of the Inner Portion of Pad  02  are Buttons with Threading Holes  05 . Another set Buttons with Threading Holes  05  are placed on the backside of the Outer Portion of Pad  01 , which is spaced in a manner in that they are directly aligned with Buttons with Threading Holes  05  of the Inner Portion of Pad  02 . The Buttons with Threading Holes  05  on both the Outer Portion of Pad  01  and the Inner Portion of Pad  02  are laced together by tightly drawn Heavy-duty Nylon Threading Material  04 . The tightly drawn lacing passes through both the Outer Portion of Pad  01  and the Inner Portion of Pad  02 . Along the topside perimeter of the Outer Portion of Pad are uniformly spaced Velcro Fasteners  06 .  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2 is a partial elevation view showing a inside Building Wall Structure  20  with the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad installed over a Window Unit  21 . The Inner Portion of Pad  02  is fitted inside of window framing area The Outer Portion of Pad  01  overlaps onto Building Wall Structure  20  along the edges of the window framing.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 2A is a modified version of FIG. 2, which is a partial elevation view showing a Building Wall Structure  20  with the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad installed over a Window Unit  21 . The Inner Portion of Pad  02  is fitted inside of window framing area. The Outer Portion of Pad  01  overlaps onto Building Wall Structure  20  along the edges of the window framing.  
         [0033]    This drawing also shows a Viewer&#39;s Opening  22  which allows the viewer inside a dwelling to view the environment on the outside of the dwelling when the present invention is installed. The Viewer&#39;s Opening  22  shall be fabricated cuffing a opening completely through the insulating cover then sealing the exposed Fiberglass Insulation  09  and Polyester Filler Batting  07  by encasing them with fabric material  03 , all seams shall be bound together by using Heavy Duty Nylon Threading Material  04 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional transverse view of Window Unit  21  and the Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad taken along 3-3 of FIG. 2. The Inner Portion of Pad  02  is fitted inside of window framing area. The Outer Portion of Pad  01  overlaps onto Building Wall Structure  20  along the edges of the window unit  21  framing. Along the perimeter of the Building Wall Structure  20  encircling the window unit  21  are mounted Velcro Fasteners  06 . These Velcro Fasteners  06  are firmly attached using matching spacing to Velcro Fasteners  06  attached the topside of the Outer Portion of Pad  01 . All sides and corners of Outer Portion of Pad  01  are checked to make sure that all Velcro Fasteners  06  are attached to Velcro fasteners  06  mounted to Building Wall Structure  20  encircling the Window Unit  21 .  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4 is detailed orthographic and cross-sectional embodiment of the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad. The orthographic embodiment shows the relationship and arrangement of the Outer Portion of Pad  01  to the Inner Portion of Pad  02 .  
         [0036]    Cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 show the internal features of the present Invention. The Inner Portion of Pad  02  internally is fabricated mostly comprising of Polyester Filler Batting  07 . A sheet of General-Use grade Aluminum Foil  08  is sandwiched between the Polyester Filler Batting  07  and the Fiberglass Felt-type Insulation  09 . The Outer Portion Of Pad  01  internally is fabricated comprising Fiberglass Felt-type Insulation  09 . The outer surfaces of both the Outer Portion of Pad  01  and Inner Portion of Pad are completely encased in a Fabric Material  03 . Spaced uniform along topside of the Inner Portion of Pad  02  are Buttons with Threading Holes  05 . A second set of Buttons with Threading Holes  05  are placed on the backside of the Outer Portion of Pad  01 , which is spaced in a manner in that they are directly aligned with Buttons with Threading Holes  05  of the Inner portion of Pad  02 . The Buttons with Threading Holes  05  on both the Outer Portion of Pad  01  and the Inner Portion of Pad  02  are laced together by tightly drawn Heavy-duty Nylon Threading Material  04 . This sectional view shows the tightly drawn lacing passing through both the Outer Portion of Pad  01  and the Inner Portion of Pad  02 . Along the topside perimeter of the Outer Portion of Pad  01  are uniformly spaced Velcro Fasteners  06 .  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 5 shows the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance portable Cover/Pad&#39;s typical installation method. The present invention is mounted over the Window Unit  21  with the Inner Portion of Pad  02  fitting inside Window Unit  21  framing. This Embodiment shows an elevation view of Velcro Fasteners  06  installed on the Building wall structure  20  which surround the Window Unit  21 .  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the building wall structure  20  and Window Unit  21  taken along 6-6 of FIG. 2. This view shows the insertion of the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad into the framing of Window Unit  21 . This cross-sectional view also shows the alignment of the Velcro fasteners  06  surrounding the Window Unit  21  framing and Velcro fasteners  06  attached to the top-side of outer portion of pad  01 .  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 6A is a modified version of FIG. 6 which is a longitudinal cross-section view of the building wall structure  20  and Window Unit  21  taken along 6-6 of FIG. 2. This view shows the insertion of the Thermal Insulating Window and Entrance Portable Cover/Pad into the framing of Window Unit  21 . In addition to the features explained in FIG. 6, this modified version shows the present invention insertion for an over-sized window unit  21  using the Extension Adapter  10 . This is a bridging device to attach two insulating covers, whereby permitting the present invention to be expandable and extendable for installation over irregular, large or over-sized window unit  21 . The Extension Adapter  10  is rectangular and elongated in proportion with one elongated side having a Velcro Fastener  06  attached to its exterior surface. The general length of the Extension Adapter  10  shall be proportional to the length of the joining Inner Portion of Pads  02  of the present invention. The general width of the Extension Adapter  10  shall be proportional to general distance between the joining Inner Portion of Pads  02  of the present invention while the joining Outer Portion of Pads  01  of the present invention are directly in contact. The elongated side of Extension Adapter  10  with the attaching Velcro Fastener  06  shall be firmly connected to the Velcro Fastener  06  attached along the common perimeter on the topside of the joining Outer Portion of Pads  01  of the present invention.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the Extension Adapter  10  identified in FIG. 6A. The Extension Adapter  10  is comprised of Fiberglass Felt-type Insulation  09  core element, which is encased in Fabric Material  03 . All seam, corners, and edges of the Fabric Material  03  are bound together using Heavy-duty nylon threading material  04 . The Extension Adapter  10  is rectangular and elongated in proportion with one elongated side having a Velcro Fastener  06  attached to its outer surface along its length.  
         [0041]    Summary, Ramifications, and Scope  
         [0042]    As previously mentioned the following reference part numerals have additional advantages in that;  
         [0043]    Fabric material  03  may be made of any suitable material such as flame-retardant material, cotton, plastic, polyester, paper with aluminum foil backing, nylon, and the like.  
         [0044]    The fiberglass felt-type insulation  09  may be any conventional type of insulation such as fiberglass, fiberglass sheets with aluminum foil or its equivalent, various plastic foams, foam rubber, and any conventional insulation material including flame retardant material, which can control the transfer of heat and prevent the escape of warm air from the interior of the dwelling.  
         [0045]    In addition to Velcro fasteners  06 , snaps, hooks, or any other types of conventional fastening means could be used.  
         [0046]    While Nylon threading material  04  has been mentioned, it will be obvious that in addition to nylon threading material  04 , snap fasteners, staples, epoxy or other glue-like material or heat seals can be used.  
         [0047]    A particular advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that edge portion of the outer pad  01  proficiently seals around the edges of the window unit  21 . This seal greatly restricts the passage of warm air from inside the dwelling and is easily removable. If the fasteners  06  are appropriately spaced along the window unit framing  21 , the insulating section of the present invention will greatly improve the air tightness of the space between the window unit  21  and the insulating cover.  
         [0048]    Referring to FIG. 5 Velcro fasteners  06  are shown attached to the wall area surrounding window unit  21 . These fasteners could also be mounted directly to the window unit  21  framing. This method could benefit fixed sash commercial window units with metal framing.  
         [0049]    The Outer Portion of Pad  01  could be constructed omitting the Fiberglass Insulation  09  shown in FIG. 4, thus just using a layer of fabric material  03  or vinyl and plastic-like materials. This method would provide a smooth, flush and sleek appearance inside of the dwelling, thus lending itself to various decorative and ornamental designs, patterns, pictures, textures, writings and embroidery.  
         [0050]    Also an additional advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that the materials selected to manufacture this device; when used in combination could produce stain resistant, water-resistant and moisture-resistant properties which would improve the effectiveness of the device. This could include the Fabric Material  03 , Fibrous Polyester Filler Batting  07 , and Fiberglass Insulation  09 .  
         [0051]    Also an additional advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that the materials selected to manufacture this device; when used in combination could make the device a bullet-proof or resistant barrier when installed at windows and entrances. T his ramification could have great law enforcement and military potential.  
         [0052]    Although the description above contains many specifics, these should not construed as limiting the scope of the present invention but as merely providing illustrations of the presently preferred embodiments.  
         [0053]    Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.