Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Processes – Including mixing or combining with air – gas or steam
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-27
2004-11-23
Evans, Robin O. (Department: 3742)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Processes
Including mixing or combining with air, gas or steam
C239S011000, C239S418000, C239S419000, C239S423000, C239S430000, C239S433000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06820819
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to installing wet insulation and, in particular, supplying insulation to an area being insulated using a mixing device that can control insulation density.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
According to one well-established way of installing insulation, insulation particles are output from a nozzle using the force of pressurized air. In one category of installing insulation using such a nozzle and pressurized air, the insulation particles are wetted before they are output from the nozzle. The wetting material can include a binder or adhesive that is useful in maintaining positions of the insulation particles relative to each other after drying of the wetting material. The wetting material can also be a foamable material that is in a foamed state when insulation particles are combined with such wetting material. The combination of insulation particles and foam material, including binder, is held in place in the cavity being insulated using the binder and the foamed insulation subsequently dries in the cavity.
Although the equipment and method of installing foamed insulation are satisfactory for their intended purposes, it would be beneficial to incorporate additional features. When installing insulation, it is desirable to provide a predetermined insulation density. Depending on the building or other object being insulated, it may be that different buildings or different areas of the same building might require greater or lesser insulation density. It would be, therefore, worthwhile to be able to adjust the insulation density while using the same, or essentially the same, equipment. Some installations of insulation may require a greater application of force in delivery of the wet insulation. The degree or amount of force may be a function of the location and/or type of object or cavity being insulated. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a mixing device and method of applying wet insulation that achieves at least these further objectives.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a mixing device is provided for delivery of wet insulation to a building cavity or other object or item that is to be insulated. The mixing device includes a nozzle and a plurality of control apertures through which wetting material (e.g., a binder that is foamed and/or includes another material that is foamed) passes and penetrates into insulation particles, as they are being forcibly moved using pressurized air. The control apertures are located relative to the insulation particles so that the wetting material sufficiently penetrates them. In one embodiment, the control apertures are formed in a primary conduit or adjustable connector. When sufficient penetration occurs, density of the resulting wet insulation is better controlled and a more forceful wet insulation passes from the outlet of the nozzle. A more forceful wet insulation can result in a spray thereof escaping from the nozzle. In certain applications, it is beneficial for the cavity, building unit or other object being insulated to be contacted with a spray of wet insulation. These applications might include difficult-to-access pipes, cavities or items located at a relatively greater distance from the nozzle and/or objects that require that the wet insulation strike it with greater force to achieve better holding action of the wet insulation to the object being insulated. The insulation particles can include one or more of a variety of well-known materials or fibers, such as mineral fibers, paper and fiberglass. Insulation particles that include ceramic fibers provide desired fireproofing attributes. Related to achieving the desired insulation density, the pressure of the wetting material as it exits through the control apertures substantially increases over its pressure before entry into the control apertures. In one embodiment, such exit pressure is at least 50 psi and preferably greater than about 75 psi. This increased pressure of the wetting material enhances penetration thereof into the insulation particles as they move through the adjustable connector and exit the outlet end of the nozzle. The control apertures optimize, or at least facilitate, proper combining of the wetting material and the insulation particles. Proper combining can be measured or determined by the amount of wetting material required to achieve two important objectives: (i) sufficient penetration or wetting of the dry insulation particles so that desired or appropriate sticking or holding of the wet insulation to the object being insulated occurs and (ii) none, or substantially none, of the dry insulation particles is airborne after escaping the nozzle; instead, all, or substantially all, of the insulation particles are part of the wet insulation that outputs the nozzle.
In one embodiment in which the control apertures are part of the hollow adjustable connector, this connector or primary conduit or a tube is joined to the nozzle, with at least portions thereof held in the receiver space of the nozzle, which is the volume defined or bounded by the inner surfaces or walls of the nozzle. The primary conduit carries the insulation particles that are to be wetted. The control apertures are formed adjacent to the end of the primary conduit that is inserted into the receiver space. The control apertures can be formed in one or more circumferential sets of apertures. Each circumferential set of apertures is defined as being positioned about one circumferential section of the adjustable connector. The number, sizes and/or positions of the control apertures can vary. The adjustable connector can be moved inwardly/outwardly relative to the receiver space, as well as rotatably moved, so that the control apertures are adjustably positioned in the receiver space. Depending upon their positions, penetration of the wetting material, which is transported using a secondary conduit, into the insulation particles can be controlled. In one embodiment, more inward movement of the control apertures into the receiver space results in greater insulation density being achieved, as at least some, if not a majority or all, of the wetting material passes from the secondary conduit to the primary conduit through the control apertures. Conversely, relatively more outward positioning of the control apertures results in relatively less insulation density. When the adjustable connector is located further inward of the receiver space, in one embodiment, there is less, if any, space or gap between the inner surface of the nozzle and the outer surface of the adjustable connector that would permit wetting material to by-pass the control apertures and pass through any such gap. This results in more, if not all, of the wetting material being forced to pass through the control apertures and penetrate the insulation particles that are being forcibly moved through the hollow of the adjustable connector. In another embodiment or alternative, the receiver space of the nozzle may be configured such that one or some control apertures, in whole or in part, may be blocked by portions of the inner surface of the nozzle thereby reducing the number of control apertures through which the wetting material can pass into the hollow of the adjustable connector.
In the embodiment that has the adjustable connector, it is preferred that it include one or more marks or indicia that identify for the operator or user predetermined positions of the adjustable connector that correspond to a desired penetration of wetting material into the insulation particles and/or correlate with a predetermined insulation density. Each such mark on the adjustable connector, when positioned relative to the nozzle, results in the predetermined or desired insulation density based on the wet insulation that is output from the nozzle.
Based on the foregoing summary, a number of advantages of the present invention can be identified. A mixing device is disclosed that can output sprayed wet insulation for insulating desired objects, such as buildings including portions th
Ark Seal, LLC
Evans Robin O.
Sheridan & Ross P.C.
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