Buoyant fiber product and method of manufacturing same
OwnerRichard Fraigeinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A buoyant fiber product and method of manufacturing same. The fiber product includes a quantity of fibers which are bound together with a binder. The binder also secures a quantity of buoyant particles, such as foam beads, to the fibers. The buoyant particles render the product buoyant. The fiber product is manufactured by adding an adhesive and buoyant particles to a quantity of fibrous material. Upon curing of the adhesive, the fibers and particles are bound together.
Claims30
A method of manufacturing a buoyant, readily water-permeable and therefore heat-convection-transparent, but wave-retarding fiber product for use in waterbeds to deter wave action;
- said method comprising the following steps:
- providing a quantity of lofted fibrous material comprising a large multiplicity of fibers, in the form of a matting that is readily water-permeable throughout;
- while maintaining the lofted, readily water-permeable condition of the material, adding to said fibrous material a large multiplicity of particles, said particles being permanently buoyant at least upon or after application of heat and being spaced apart singly or in clusters to maintain the said readily water-permeable condition;
- while maintaining the lofted, readily water-permeable condition of the material, adding a binder;
- said particle-adding and binder-adding steps being performed in such a way that the binder contacts at least part of substantially each of said fibers and at least part of substantially each of said particles, and with substantially each of said particles being positioned adjacent at least one of said fibers, respectively, whereby the binder will set the material in said lofted, readily water-permeable condition;
- and
- then leaving the material in said lofted, readily water-permeable condition for use in such waterbeds to float within and near the top thereof and to retard waves therein, the material being thereby effectively transparent to heat transfer through the water in such a waterbed by means of water convection currents.
A method of manufacturing a buoyant, readily water-permeable and therefore heat-convection-transparent, but wave-retarding fiber product for use in waterbeds to deter wave action;
- said method comprising the following steps:
- providing a quantity of fibrous material comprising a large multiplicity of fibers in a form that is readily water-permeable throughout;
- providing a large multiplicity of unexpanded foam beads;
- providing a quantity of binder of the type which is polymerized by the application of heat;
- while maintaining the readily water-permeable condition of the material, combining said fibrous material, said foam beads and said binder so that substantially each of said foam beads is positioned adjacent at least one of said fibers, respectively, and with the foam beads being spaced apart singly or in clusters in such a way as to maintain the water-permeability of the material;
- and
- curing said binder and expanding said foam beads by the application of heat, whereby the binder will set the material in said readily water-permeable condition with the foam beads spaced apart from each other singly or in clusters but with each foam bead linked by the binder to at least one of the fibers;
- and
- then leaving the material in said readily water-permeable condition for use in such waterbeds to float within and near the top thereof and to retard waves therein, the material being thereby effectively transparent to heat transfer through the water in such a waterbed by means of water convection currents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.