Patent Publication Number: US-6221464-B1

Title: Flanged insulation assembly and method of making

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/016,364 filed Jan. 30, 1998 now U.S. Pat No. 6,083,603 hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to insulation products, and in particular those insulation products of the type suitable for insulating buildings. More specifically, this invention pertains to insulation products having flanges that can be used to install the insulation in buildings. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Fibrous insulation is typically formed by fiberizing molten material and depositing the fibers on a collecting conveyor. Most, but not all fibrous insulation products contain a binder material to bond the fibers together, forming a lattice or network. The binder gives the insulation product resiliency for recovery after packaging, and provides stiffness and handleability so that the product can be handled and applied as needed in the insulation cavities of buildings. The fibrous insulation is cut into lengths to form insulation products, and the insulation products are packaged for shipping. 
     One typical insulation product is an insulation batt, usually 8 feet long, and generally suitable for use as wall insulation in residential dwellings, or as insulation in the attic and floor cavities in buildings. In many insulation applications a vapor barrier is needed on one side or face of the insulation to prevent moisture-laden air from the warm interior of the dwelling from entering the insulation. Otherwise, the water vapor in the warm interior air cools and condenses within the insulation, thereby creating a wet insulation product that can have difficulty performing at its designed efficiency. Vapor barriers are typically created with a layer of asphalt in conjunction with a kraft paper or foil facing. The vapor barrier can also be created by applying a film of moisture impervious material, such as a polyethylene film, to an entire wall containing unfaced insulation. In all cases the vapor barrier is positioned on the warm side, i.e., interior, of the insulation cavity. Also, the opposite major face of the insulation product must be vapor pervious to prevent water from being trapped within the insulation product. 
     In the past, insulation products have been manufactured with stapling flanges suitable for enabling the insulation installer to attach the insulation product to the studs for wall insulation or to the joists for ceiling insulation. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,307,306 to Oliver and U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,879 to Franklin both disclose insulation products having flanges with an adhesive material to assist in attaching the insulation product to the studs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,133 to Berdan et al. discloses a ceiling insulation product having reinforced flanges for attachment to joists. 
     In a typical installation of fiberglass insulation into wall cavities, the insulation installer inserts the insulation batt into the wall cavity from the interior of the building, with the vapor barrier oriented toward or facing the installer. Typically, the insulation batt is provided with flanges to enable the installer to staple the batt to the studs. Consequently, typical wall cavity insulation has one side or major face having both a vapor barrier and attachment flanges. Where the installer is insulating the ceiling of a basement or a crawl space, the vapor barrier must be placed away from the installer. This makes it impossible to use the attachment flanges of the typical wall cavity insulation since the flanges are positioned deep within the ceiling cavity. 
     Recent advances in manufacturing insulation products have resulted in insulation materials that rely on encapsulation materials for containing and handling purposes, and do not require any binder material to bond the insulation fibers to each other. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,279 to Hall et al. the insulation material can be encapsulated in an in-line process. The primary use for such encapsulated insulation products is attic insulation since this type of insulation product is difficult to install in wall cavities or in underfloor ceiling cavities. Although attachment flanges could be added to the encapsulated insulation batts, this would not be economically practical. 
     It would be advantageous if there could be developed an insulation product or insulation assembly that could have attachment flanges created in an inexpensive manner. Further, it would be beneficial if there could be developed an insulation product that could be universally applied to either a wall cavity or a ceiling cavity. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above objects as well as other objects not specifically enumerated are achieved by an insulation assembly including an elongated batt of fibrous insulation material having two opposed major surfaces, where the batt has a first facing secured on its first major surface. The first facing extends beyond the side edges of the batt to form opposed flanges suitable for attaching the insulation assembly to a building structure. The batt has a second facing secured on its second major surface, with the second facing extending beyond the side edges of the batt to form opposed flanges suitable for attaching the insulation assembly to a building structure. 
     In a specific embodiment of the invention, the insulation assembly includes an elongated batt of fibrous insulation material having two opposed major surfaces and longitudinal corners at the intersection of the major surfaces and the sides of the batt. The batt has an encapsulation material on a major surface and encapsulation material on the sides of the batt. A flange is positioned at a corner of the batt. The flange is formed from a bonded two part fold of the encapsulation material, and the flange is suitable for attaching the insulation assembly to a building structure. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the method of making an insulation assembly includes moving a pack of fibrous insulation material along a path, where the fibrous insulation material has two opposed major surfaces. A continuous encapsulation material is applied to the pack, and a portion of the encapsulation material is continuously gathered to form a two part fold. The two parts of the fold are bonded together to form a flange suitable for attaching the insulation assembly to a building structure. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the method of making an insulation assembly includes moving a pack of fibrous insulation material along a path, where the fibrous insulation material has two opposed major surfaces. A continuous encapsulation material is applied to the pack, and a portion of the encapsulation material is continuously gathered and drawn through pinch rolls to continuously form a shaped corner in the encapsulation material. 
     In yet another embodiment of the invention, the method of making an insulation assembly includes processing a continuous encapsulation material to form two continuous flanges suitable for being attached to a building structure. A pack of fibrous insulation material is moved along a path, where the fibrous insulation material has two opposed major surfaces. The continuous encapsulation material is applied to the pack to form an encapsulated insulation assembly, wherein one of the major surfaces has the two flanges in an opposed relationship so that the insulation assembly can be attached to the building structure by attaching the flanges to the building structure. 
    
    
     Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of insulation encapsulation equipment for making insulation assemblies according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic view in elevation of insulation assembly of FIG. 1 taken along line  2 — 2 . 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view in elevation of insulation assembly of FIG. 1 taken along line  3 — 3 . 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic view in elevation of insulation assembly of FIG. 1 taken along line  4 — 4 . 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic view in elevation of insulation assembly of the invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of insulation assembly of FIG. 1 applied to a wall cavity in a building. 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of insulation assembly of FIG. 1 applied to a ceiling cavity in a building. 
     FIG. 8 a schematic perspective view of an encapsulated insulation assembly having attachment flanges on both major faces. 
     FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an unencapsulated insulation assembly having attachment flanges on both major faces. 
     FIG. 10 is a schematic view in elevation of an insulation assembly with the corners of the encapsulation material being pinched to form a creased corner. 
     FIG. 11 is a schematic view in elevation of the insulation of FIG. 10 having a creased corner. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     While the description and drawings disclose insulation assemblies of fiberglass insulation, it is to be understood that the insulation material can be any compressible insulation material, such as mineral wool. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a pack  10  of glass fibers is being carried on a conveyor  12 . The manufacture of the glass fiber pack  10  is well known technology, and those skilled in the art will be aware of several conventional methods for producing glass fiber packs. The glass fiber pack is preferably a light density insulation material, having a density within the range of from about 0.3 to about 1.0 pounds per square foot (pcf). Optional pull rolls  14  can be used to pull the glass fiber pack through the apparatus. 
     A sheet of encapsulation material  16  is payed out from roll  18  and fed by a folding apparatus, not shown, to surround or encapsulate the glass fiber pack. Apparatus suitable for directing and guiding the encapsulation material onto the glass fiber pack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,279 to Hall et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The encapsulation material  16  is preferably a polymer film, such as a polyethylene film, although other films such as a polypropylene film can be used. Coextruded films could also be used, with the two layers of the coextruded film having different softening points. The encapsulation material is preferably less than about 1.0 mil in thickness, and more preferably less than about 0.5 mil in thickness. As shown in FIG. 2, the encapsulation material  16  loosely surrounds the pack of glass fibers. The film can be overlapped at overlap joint  20  and bonded together by any means, such as by an adhesive. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates that some of the encapsulation material  16  is gathered into a two part fold  22  consisting of a side part  24  and a top part  26 . The gathering of the encapsulation material into the two part fold  22  can be accomplished by several means, including guide shoes, not shown, a vacuum apparatus, not shown, or a pair of cooperating pinch rolls  28  mounted for rotation. The pinch rolls  28  are driven by means not shown in manner to pull or draw the encapsulation material away from the glass fiber pack  10  to form the two part fold  22 . For purposes of clarity, the spacing between adjacent pinch rolls  28  is exaggerated in FIG.  3 . 
     The pinching of the side part  24  and the top part  26  of the two part fold  22  can be used to form the desired flange, indicated at  32  in FIG. 5, in the ultimate insulation product. This requires a bonding of the two parts  24  and  26  of the fold together to form the flange. This bonding can take place in several ways. As shown in FIG. 2, heaters  34  can be positioned above the sides  36  of the insulation pack  10 . The heating of the encapsulated material  16  prior to the pinching of the two part fold in the rollers  28  enables the pinching of the two part fold  22  to bond the side part  24  to the top part  26  to form the flange  32 . For this purpose, the pinch rollers  28  can be cooled so that the softened encapsulation material will not stick to the pinch rollers. 
     Another method that can be employed to bond the side part  24  to the top part  26  to form the flange  32  is to apply heat to the two part fold after folded material leaves the pinch rollers, but while the material is still maintained in a folded condition. The heating of the encapsulation material will soften the material and bond the two parts  24  and  26  together. This heat can be provided by a radiant heater  40 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Another alternative to binding the two parts together to form the flange  32  is to use ultrasound energy generated from means, not shown, in place of the radiant heaters  40 . 
     An adhesive can be deposited on the encapsulation material  16  that is gathered into the two part fold. The adhesive brings about the bond needed to form the flange  32 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, adhesive nozzles  42  can be positioned to inject an appropriate adhesive. 
     While the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 indicates that the flange  32  is formed in-line during or immediately prior to the encapsulation process, it is to be understood that the forming of the flanges can be carried out in a prior operation. In such a case, the flanged encapsulation material can be supplied in a roll similar to the  18 . The forming of the flanges in the encapsulation material in an off-line process, not shown, can be accomplished by any of the processes described above, or by any other known means. 
     After the bonding of the two parts  24  and  26  to form the flange  32 , the encapsulated, flanged pack of glass fibers  10  is cut by cutting apparatus  44  to form individual encapsulated batts or insulation assemblies  50 . The completed insulation assembly  50 , as shown in FIG. 5, is made of an elongated insulation batt  52  and the encapsulation material  16 . The batt has a top or first major surface  54  and a bottom or second major surface  56 . The two opposed major surfaces  54  and  56  intersect the sides  36  of the batt at longitudinal corners  57 . The first or top facing  60  extends beyond the longitudinal or side edges  36  of the batt to form the two opposed flanges  32  that are suitable for attaching the insulation assembly to a building structure. The bottom facing  62  is secured to the second major surface or bottom surface  56  of the batt  52 . The sides  58  of the batt are covered or faced with side encapsulation material  66 . It is to be understood that a single flange rather than a pair of opposed flanges  32  might be sufficient for some insulation products. 
     As shown in FIG. 8, in another embodiment of the invention the insulation assembly  70  has not only a top facing  60  with flanges  32 , but also a bottom facing  62  that forms opposed flanges  74  extending beyond the side edges  58  of the batt The flanges  74  are suitable for attaching the insulation assembly to a building structure. This insulation assembly  70  can be referred to as a four corners batt or a four flanged batt. The bottom flanges  74  can be formed in a manner similar to the forming of the flanges  32  in the top surface  60  as described above. While the flanges  32  and  74  are shown as being at the corners of a cross section of the insulation assembly, i.e., attached to one of the major surfaces  54  or  56  of the batt, it is to be understood that the flanges could be positioned at mid point of the side  58  of the batt where such a positioning of the flange would be advantageous. 
     One of the principle advantages of forming a four flanged batt such as insulation assembly  70  with flanges ( 32  and  74 ) positioned at each corner of the product is that the batt is much more versatile in its application into a building structure. By providing a flanged facing  60  and  62  on both the first and second major surfaces  54  and  56  of the batt, either of the two major insulation assembly facings  60  or  62  can be initially exposed when the insulation assembly is installed into an insulation cavity. When one of the major surfaces  54  or  56  is provided with vapor barrier properties, the versatility of the four flanged batt enables the batt to be placed in the cavity with the vapor barrier facing being either initially exposed or initially covered up. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, a wall section, indicated at  76 , includes several wall cavities  78  defined by studs  80 , a header, not shown, a footer  82 , and sheathing material  84 . An insulation assembly  70  is placed in one of the wall cavities, with the first facing material  60 , being a water vapor impervious material, directed or oriented toward the interior of the building, and the second facing material  62  being water vapor pervious and oriented toward the exterior of the building. The placement of the batt with the vapor barrier, i.e., facing  60 , toward the interior of the building prevents the moisture-laden air from the interior of the building from entering the insulation material. The insulation assembly is installed by stapling the flanges  32  to the studs. The flanges  74  on the rear or second facing material  62  are superfluous for this application, and are tucked away as shown. 
     In contrast to what is shown in FIG. 6, the floor section  86  shown in FIG. 7 uses the insulation assembly  70  in a reverse orientation. The floor section includes flooring material  88  and a plurality of floor joists  90  that define ceiling cavities  92 . Above the flooring material is the interior of the building, and below the flooring material is the basement or crawl space, which is unheated. The preferred insulation design is to position the vapor barrier on the interior or warm side of the ceiling cavity. Therefore, the insulation assembly is installed with the vapor barrier oriented toward the flooring material, away from the installer. The insulation assembly is attached to the floor joists  90  with the flanges  74  of the bottom or vapor pervious facing  62 . The flanges  32  on the first or top facing material  62 , which is impervious to water vapor, are superfluous for this application, and are tucked away as shown. 
     In a similar manner to the installation shown in FIG. 7, the insulation assembly  70  can be installed as attic insulation in the floor of an attic, not shown, with the vapor barrier oriented away from the installer who is installing the insulation in the attic. The vapor barrier would be away from the installer, on. the bottom or warm side of the attic insulation cavity. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 9, an insulation assembly  94  can be made with no encapsulation material. The sides  58  of the batt  52  are exposed. In all other respects the insulation assembly  96  is the same as insulation assembly  70  in FIG.  8 . 
     In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 1, pinch rollers  96  can be used to pinch the encapsulation material  16  to form creased corners  98 . Optionally, the creasing of the corners can be supplemented with heating or the addition of resinous material, not shown, to reinforce or stiffen the crease. The resulting insulation assembly  100  will exhibit a more stable structure that more easily fills out the corners of a rectangular insulation cavity. In another variation of the invention, the pinching and creasing of the corners of the insulation assembly  100  can include pinching a small portion of the fiberglass insulation material to supplement and reinforce the pinched corner  98 . 
     The principle and mode of operation of this invention have been described in its preferred embodiments. However, it should be noted that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its scope.