US3020183A - Protective insulating mat - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1962 A. cALvAREsl PROTECTIVE INSULATING-MAT Filed May 13, 1959 &

INVENTOR. Archie Ca/vares B/ M ATTORNEY United States Patent() 3,020,183 PROTECTIVE INSULATING MAT Archie Calvaresi, 3075 W. 61st Ave., Denver, Colo. Filed May 13, 1959, Ser. No. 812,879 1 Claim. (Cl. 154-44) This invention relates to thermal insulating members selectively applicable to and removable from protective relation with areas of diverse particularity, and more especially to thermal insulating members formed as mats adapted for manual usage, and has anA object to provide a novel and improved organization of lelements constituting a practical and operatively-efficient protective insulat-l and convenient manipulability in relation to effective area' and protective properties.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and unitary correlatiorrof elements constituting a protective insulating mat of pronounced use ef'rlciency and wide practical adaptability.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved protective insulating mat4 particularly adapted for advantageous use by commercial' gardeners and truck farmers. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved protective insulating mat, that is durable under rigorous andvadverse use conditions, that is amenable to quick and inexpensive repair, and that applies with practical advantage the properties of material products forms recently become available. Y

n With the foregoing` and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and operative combination of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which- FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a typical embodiment of the invention as organized and extended for practical use.

FIGURE 2 is a transverse section, on a relatively enlarged scale and with an intermediate portion broke away to conserve space, through and taken substantially on the indicated line 2--2 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, detail section, on a further enlarged scale, through the structural arrangement shown at the right-hand end of FIGURE 2 FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, detail section, on the same scale as FIGURE 3, taken subsantially on the indicated line 4-4 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic representation of an alternative structural arrangement appropriate to give elect to the principles of the invention.

It is, in many and diverse activities, occasionally imperative to protect exposed surfaces and areas from the effect of temporary alterations in temperature. Incident to the techniques of raising vegetables for the commercial market it is economically essential that seedlings propagated in hot beds, and the equivalent, be protected from damaging reaction to lowered temperatures accompanying belated winter storms and from the chill frequently characterizing nights during the spring season. The exigencies of many other activities, such as the installation of cement and concrete walks, pavements, aprons, and foundations, are attended by the occasional necessity for protectively covering exposed surfaces to obviate or to minimize damaging effect thereon deriving from an inopportune change of temperature in either ice s direction. The conditions establishing occasion for the use of protective insulating covers have been long prevalent and have inspired the development and use of various expedients attended by variable practical success, and it is hence to the provision of a novel, improved, practical, efficient, and economical protective insulating mat adapted for production in desired sizes and particular embodiments suited to specific uses that the instant invention is directed. l

As typified by FIGURES 1-4, inclusive, the principles o f the invention may be applied to and given effect in a rectangular mat unit of substantial area adapted to be rolled and folded to compact form and expedient of manipulation by a single individual in consequence of the' light weight in proportion to size resulting from its novel construction. Significant to attainment of its purposes and realization of its advantages, the mat unit of the invention is enclosed within and completely covered by strong, flexible, substantially non-extensible, air and water impermeable sheet material of expedient nature, such as the synthetic'resins and so-called plastics commercially available, organized in any appropriate manner to constitute an envelope of a preferred area having coextensive, complementary, exposed surfaces 10 and 11. The mat surfaces 10 and 11 may be initially separate and subsequently united at their corresponding long margins in any practical manner to complete a at envelope open at its ends, or, alternatively, when suitable material is available in tubular form *ofv acceptable size, the envelope may Abe constituted as an open-end length of tubular material flattened to develop the surfaces 10 and 11 in closely# spaced relationship, as is indicated by FIGURES 2 and 3 of the drawing. However particularly constituted, the envelope characterized by the surfaces 10 and 11 houses a filler runit 12 of uniform'thickness and of an area ade.-

' quate to substantially filll the envelope with the surfaces 10 and 11 thereby smoothly'extended. As a feature of the invention', the filler 12 is a readily-flexible unit having a low coefficient of heat conductivity and hence advantageous insulating properties, and is resilient to a degree resistive of permanent deformation under compression, all of which properties are found to be evidenced by glass fiber webs of nominal cost and ready availability. Matted or felted glass fiber material having normally exposed surfaces tending to lacerate and damage non-rigid surfaces wherewith they are engaged, it is a further feature of the invention that the parallel exposed faces of the filler 12 coactable with the surfaces 10 and 11 wherebetween the filler is introduced be covered by protective sheets 13, of tough, heavy paper, or the equivalent, functioning to separate the material of the filler 12 from direct lacerating contact with the surfaces 10 and 11 when the assembly of filler and envelope is completed.

The mat unit comprised from the envelope typified by the surfaces 10, 11, and the filler 12 therebetween, is organized for its intended use in a practical and convenient manner through the provision of stiff rods 14 of lightweight material disposed longitudinally of and within the envelope in engagement with and between the long side margins of the ller 12 and envelope, to which latter said rods are desirably secured by means of an adhesive coating 15A disposed to interbond contacting areas of each rod and the envelope portion embracing the same. As will be apparent, the rods 14 may be solid, as represented, tubular, or of any other appropriate structural form and particularity, the function of the rods 14 being to maintain length extension of the mat and to serve as spreaders useful in the placing and manipulation of the mat unit.

The filler 12 is inserted within the envelope and between the surfaces 10 and 11 thereof in association with rods 14 as shown and described in a length of filler and rods slightly less than that of the envelope, Whereafter the otherwise open ends of the envelope are closed and sealed, as at 16, to complete the mat unit ready for its intended service; such sealing of the envelope ends being readily accomplished through the application of heat in a usual and well-known manner when the material of the envelope is of thermo-plastic nature,

Constituted as shown and described, the improved mat unit is a practical facility employable` in multiple to tem-- porarily cover and protect areas subject to transient or intermittent temperature variations. Conveniently foldable or rollable parallel to and by means of the rods 14, the unit is compact for storage, transportation, and handling, and -is marked by pronounced facility of use resulting from the presence of the rods 14 and Jtheir extending end stiffeningelect upon the mat wherevvith they serve as grips permitting a single individual to place and position the unit. The nature and properties of the glass fiber ller promote high insulating performance of the unit while preserving a desirable degree of flexibility therein, and such properties of the filler are preserved for use by the impermeable nature of the envelope confining the same; it being quite impossible for moisture to collect within the ller whereV it might adversely increase the weight of the unit, lessen the insulating properties of the ller, and be subject to freezing at low temperatures. Should the surfaces and 11 of the envelope be torn or damaged, repair is a simple operation performable at the site of mat use through the agency of available patching means or facilities, and with ordinary care the mat units exemplifying the principles of the invention are characterized bylogenduring life of repef titious practical use. v

As typified by FIGURE V5., the principles of the invention may be given effect in an elongated sheet unit ap-` propriate for certain specific uses, such as the covering of freshly-laid; cement or concrete. Instead of a single envelope. comprised from the surfaces 10 and 11, complementar'y sheets 10 and 11' of any preferred Widthand length and` of lmaterial they same as that distinguishing the surfaces 10 and 11 may be marginally conjoined at: their long sides in any suitable manner to. envelope a succession of marginallyfjuxtaposed ller's 12 sandwiched between their protective sheets 13 and separated one from the other by means of rods 14', in all respects equivalent to the rods 14, transverse of the resulting assembly in a preferably-uniform, spaced parallelism. Manifestly, the embodiment of the invention according to FIGURE 5 functions as a protective insulation cover exactly as explained in connection with the single unit mat as above set forth and is characterized byfacility of handling and placement resulting from the provision of the rods 14' and is amenable to rolling or folding on lines transverse of its length to develop the obvious and corresponding advantages.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solelyby the scope of the appended claim, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

A protective insulating mat comprising aat, rectangular, marginally-sealed envelope of tough wearand waterresistant, flexible, air and water impermeable material, a flat, exible, brousfiller unit of high heat-insulating capacity covextensively within said envelope, means exibly inhibiting lacerating contact ofradjacent envelope and filler unit surfaces, and operatively-rigid rods secured in spaced parallelism interiorly along opposite outer edges of said envelope, whereinsaid rods are smoothly cylindrical Vin adhesively-bonded coaction with envelope edge zones thereby extended.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,637,497 vODowd g l Aug. 2, 19,27 1,691,783 Mot, eiler et al. g Nov. 13, 1928 2,113,068 McLaughlin ;g Apr. 5, 1938 2,278,732 Parsons .Y Apr. 7, 1942A 2,501,540 Ryan j .f. Mar. 21, 1950 2,779,066 Gaugler et al; Ian. 29, 1,957' 2,867,035 Patterson Ian. 6, 1,959

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