Vacuum insulated structures
AssigneeConcept Group LLC
InventorAarne H. Reid
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article includes walls defining an insulating space therebetween and a vent forming an exit for gas molecules during evacuation of the space. A distance separating the walls is variable in a portion adjacent the vent such that gas molecules are directed towards the vent imparting a greater probability of molecule egress than ingress such that deeper vacuum is developed without requiring getter material. The variable-distance portion may be formed by converging walls. Alternatively, a portion of one of the walls may be formed such that a normal line at any location within that portion is directed substantially towards a vent opening in the other wall.
Claims7
A method of insulating an article having first and second walls spaced at a distance from each other to define an insulating space therebetween, the method comprising:
- providing a vent in communication with the insulating space;
- providing an exit pathway for gas molecules to exit from the insulating space through the vent by varying the distance between the first and second walls in a portion of the insulating space proximate to the vent such that gas molecules are guided towards the vent when a vacuum is applied to the vent;
- placing the article in a vacuum chamber to apply a vacuum to the vent, wherein the vacuum applied to the vent is sufficiently low that molecule-to-molecule interactions within the insulating space no longer dominate;
- generating a vacuum within the insulating space that is deeper than the vacuum applied to the vent as a result of the exit pathway increasing the probability of gas molecule egress from the insulating space as compared with the probability of gas molecule ingress into the insulating space;
- and
- sealing the vent to maintain the deeper vacuum within the insulating space.
A method of insulating an article having first and second walls spaced at a distance from each other to define an insulating space therebetween, the method comprising:
- providing a vent in communication with the insulating space;
- providing an exit pathway for gas molecules to exit from the insulating space through the vent by varying the distance between the first and second walls in a portion of the insulating space proximate to the vent such that gas molecules are guided towards the vent when a vacuum is applied to the vent;
- applying a vacuum to the vent;
- generating a vacuum within the insulating space tat is deeper than the vacuum applied to the vent as a result of the exit pathway increasing the probability of gas molecule egress from the insulating space as compared with the probability of gas molecule ingress into the insulating space;
- and
- sealing the vent to maintain the deeper vacuum within the insulating space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.