US 3,936,984 AGranted

Insulated air inflated structures

OwnerStephen Yandoinventor

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Abstract

An air inflated structure, the outer shell walls of which have a surface geometry consisting of one or more concave sections. Heat flow from or into the enclosed volume is drastically curtailed by thin plastic films, which are secured to the outer boundaries of the concave surface sections, and are joined to the shell wall at locations within the boundaries of its curved surface section by direct attachment or via flexible anchor tie strips. The surface area of each film is less than that of the surface geometry encompassed within the boundary to which it is secured, whereby in its inflated state, the outer shell wall extends the films in a taut fashion across its curved surface geometries to define a thin, uniform and dimensionally stable insulating air space between the shell wall and the plastic films. Additional sets of plastic films, spaced approximately parallel, may be utilized to further curtail the said heat flow.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An air inflated shell-like structure for enclosing a volume of space therein, said structure having insulated walls which curtail heat flow from or into said enclosed volume, comprising:

a flexible outer skin defining the exterior shell of said structure;
means for providing positive air pressure within said enclosed volume of said structure for maintaining said skin in a fully expanded condition, the geometry of said skin being such that in said expanded condition, concavities are formed by said skin defining said shell wall;
and
a thin plastic film secured at the outer surface boundaries of said concavity, and secured to the shell wall within said boundary, said thin film being continuous across said boundary and the surface area of the film being less than surface of said concavity within said boundary, the space between said outer skin and thin plastic film communicating by openings in said plastic film with the said enclosed volume of said structure and being at the pressure of said enclosed volume, whereby said flexible outer skin is expanded by said positive pressure in said enclosed volume, whereby in the inflated structure, the said film is extended in taut fashion across the concavity to define an insulating air space between wall and film.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.