Thermally insulating sheet formed from a down core structure and method of fabrication
OwnerRonie Reubeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure which is comprised solely of down feather material mixed with binding material which is heat fused together to form a homogeneous sheet core. The method of fabricating the homogeneous thermally insulating sheet to form the down core structure is described. This novel method restrains the down clusters and binding material during the process of mixing, depositing, conveying and heat fusing to form a homogeneous down core sheet. The down core structure is subjected to two separate heat treatments which produces a down core sheet having at least some of its outer surfaces being of higher bond density than the inside of the core.
Claims20
A thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure comprising down feathers mixed with binding material which when subjected to heat is capable of bonding together and with said down feathers to form a homogeneous core, said down feathers being down clusters each having a central quill with fluffy tentacles projecting therefrom in all directions creating a three dimensional cluster structure which traps air, said clusters attaching to one another by said tentacles and said binder material, said binding material being comprised of glue particles and/or polymer fibers, said polymer fibers having a low melting point in the range of from about 80 degrees C. to 160 degrees C., said down core structure having at least some of its outer surfaces bonded at a higher density than the internal core thereof.
A method of fabricating a homogeneous thermally insulating sheet formed by a down core structure, said method comprising the steps of:
- i) mixing in a mixing chamber down feather material with a binding material in predetermined proportions, said binding material being comprised of glue particles and/or polymer fibers having a low melting point in the range of from about 80 degrees C. to 160 degrees C.;
- ii) displacing a conveyor belt having a non-stick outer surface under an outlet opening of said mixing chamber;
- iii) releasing predetermined quantities of said mixture of down feather material and binding material from said outlet opening onto said non-stick surface of said conveyor belt when said conveyor belt is in motion to form a sheet layer of said mixture;
- iv) restraining said sheet layer of said mixture as it is conveyed from said outlet opening to a thermal chamber to subject said mixture to a temperature sufficient to heat fuse at least some of the surfaces of said mixture, and
- v) releasing said restrainment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.