Foam core spacer assembly
OwnerLuc Lafondinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is disclosed a soft and compliant spacer body wherein the body is provided with modified substrate engaging surfaces to accommodate transverse dimensional changes when the spacer is bent about a corner or otherwise flexed in an insulated assembly. In one embodiment, the corners are cut to reduce the thickness of the strip as the same is bent or flexed about a corner. Other embodiments are disclosed. The advantage is that when the transverse dimension is maintained relatively constant about the bent corner, the result is a more effective seal between the substrate engaging surfaces and the substrates. This is augmented by the use of cellular materials and selected sealants to provide multiple sealing surfaces in a high efficiency spacer body.
Claims30
An insulated assembly having an interior atmosphere, comprising:
- a pair of substrates;
- a composite cellular body having a front face and a rear face and a pair of opposed substrate engaging surfaces, each substrate engaged with one of said pair of opposed substrate engaging surfaces, to define said interior atmosphere, said front face facing towards said interior atmosphere;
- a portion of said composite cellular body removed proximate said substrate engaging surfaces at said front face for substantially reducing an increase in a transverse dimension of said composite cellular body when said body is flexed about corners of the insulated assembly;
- vapour barrier means associated with said front face directed toward said interior atmosphere of said assembly;
- a desiccated matrix associated with said vapour barrier means;
- and
- sealant means associated with each substrate engaging surface for sealing each substrate to one of said pair of substrate engaging surfaces of said composite cellular body.
An insulated substrate assembly having an interior atmosphere and corners, comprising:
- a pair of substrates;
- a spacer spacing said substrates in spaced relation, said spacer comprising a flexible cellular body having a front face facing towards said interior atmosphere and a rear face in spaced relation, a first substrate engaging surface and a second substrate engaging surface in transverse spaced relation with said first substrate engaging surface, each substrate engaging surface having a substrate engaged therewith, said front face having a portion of said cellular body removed adjacent each corner formed between said front face and one of said substrate engaging surfaces for substantially reducing a transverse increase in dimension of said body when said body is flexed about said corners of said assembly.
An insulated substrate assembly having an interior atmosphere and corners, comprising:
- a pair of substrates;
- a composite spacer spacing said substrates in spaced relation, said composite spacer comprising:
- (a) a flexible cellular body having a transverse dimension defined by lateral surfaces each disposed in opposing relationship to one of said substrates, said cellular body also having a front face facing said interior atmosphere of said assembly, said cellular body having portions removed proximate each of said lateral surfaces at said front face to define angular surfaces disposed between said front face and each one of said lateral surfaces, whereby any transverse dimension increase of said composite spacer, when flexed at said corners, is reduced, and
- (b) a substantially C-shaped body of first sealant material in contact with said front face and said angular and lateral surfaces of said cellular body, said first sealant material having a front face directed towards said interior atmosphere of said assembly and lateral portions disposed between one of said substrates and one of said lateral surfaces of said cellular body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.