Patent ID: 7913470

Claim:
A composite structure comprising: a first frame, a second frame, and at least one insulating strip made of plastic and supporting the first and second frame in a spaced relationship, the insulating strip comprising: a body extending in a longitudinal direction and having at least first and second longitudinal edges separated by a distance in a transverse direction, the first longitudinal edge being fixedly connected with the first frame by one of a crimped connection and a rolled-in connection in a shear-resistant manner and the second longitudinal edge being fixedly connected with the second frame by one of a crimped connection and a rolled-in connection in a shear-resistant manner, wherein a plurality of openings penetrate through one or more walls of the body in a height-direction thereof, the openings being separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the body by one or more struts, the body further comprises at least one attachment structure configured to retain a covering profile, which is an integral part of the insulating strip body, configured to cover the openings and to prevent moisture or dirt from penetrating into a gap defined between the first and second frames, the covering profile is configured to be folded or bent over the insulating strip body so as to cover one side of the openings in the transverse direction and to detachably clip onto the insulating strip body so as to secure the covering profile in the opening-covering position; the covering profile includes a clipping head that elastically-resiliently fits into a clipping retainer formed adjacent the first longitudinal edge of the insulating strip body, the covering profile being integrally connected to the insulating strip body adjacent the second longitudinal edge of the insulating strip body; the insulating strip body has a width in the transverse direction of between 8-100 mm and a thickness across the struts of one of (i) between 1-2 mm for an insulating strip body width less than 22 mm and (ii) between 1.2-2.4 mm for an insulating strip body width greater than or equal to 22 mm and the insulating strip body comprises two or more struts having a width in the longitudinal direction of between 1-3 mm and being spaced at constant intervals of between 1-5 mm.