SOLAR THERMAL PANEL
First Claim
1. A solar thermal panel, comprising:
- an integrally formed base including a substantially rectangular bottom portion, four walls, four corners, and a top lip;
four corner brackets, each corner bracket having a leg portion coupled to adjacent walls and a foot portion extending outwardly from the leg portion;
a spacer disposed atop the top lip;
a cover disposed atop the spacer;
a trim strip having a first leg that abuts a top edge of the corner bracket and a second leg that overlaps an outer edge of the cover;
an adhesive sealant disposed within a space defined at least partially by the trim strip, the cover, the spacer, and the top lip, the adhesive sealant configured to seal and secure the cover to the base;
a supply header and a return header disposed substantially parallel to one another and extending through an enclosure defined at least partially by the base and the cover; and
a plurality of fin-tubes extending between the supply header and the return header.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A solar thermal panel includes an integrally formed base including a rectangular bottom, four walls, four corners, and a top lip. Four corner brackets each have a leg portion coupled to adjacent walls and a foot portion extending outwardly from the leg portion. A spacer is disposed atop the top lip and a cover is disposed atop the spacer. A trim strip has a first leg that abuts a top edge of the corner bracket and a second leg that overlaps an outer edge of the cover. A layer of sealant is disposed within a space at least partially defined by the trim strip, the cover, the spacer, and the top lip. Parallel supply and return headers extend through an enclosure defined at least partially by the base and the cover, and a plurality of fin-tubes extend between the supply and return headers.
76 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A solar thermal panel, comprising:
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an integrally formed base including a substantially rectangular bottom portion, four walls, four corners, and a top lip; four corner brackets, each corner bracket having a leg portion coupled to adjacent walls and a foot portion extending outwardly from the leg portion; a spacer disposed atop the top lip; a cover disposed atop the spacer; a trim strip having a first leg that abuts a top edge of the corner bracket and a second leg that overlaps an outer edge of the cover; an adhesive sealant disposed within a space defined at least partially by the trim strip, the cover, the spacer, and the top lip, the adhesive sealant configured to seal and secure the cover to the base; a supply header and a return header disposed substantially parallel to one another and extending through an enclosure defined at least partially by the base and the cover; and a plurality of fin-tubes extending between the supply header and the return header. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A solar thermal panel, comprising:
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an integrally formed base including a substantially rectangular bottom portion, four walls, four corners, and a top lip; a spacer disposed atop the top lip; a cover disposed atop the spacer; a supply header and a return header disposed substantially parallel to one another and extending through an enclosure defined at least partially by the base and the cover; a plurality of fin-tubes extending between the supply header and the return header; a first spool piece having a first face seal flange coupled to an end of at least one the headers; a second spool piece having a second face seal flange coupled to the first spool piece; and a bellows coupled to the second spool piece. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of making a solar thermal panel, comprising:
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forming a piece of sheet material into a base having a bottom, walls and a top lip; installing a thermal insulation material on the bottom and at least partially along the walls to a predetermined height that provides a gap between the insulation and the top lip; installing an edge holder at least partially within the gap; forming corner brackets having a foot portion and a leg portion; applying a sealant to an inside surface of the corner brackets and securing the corner brackets to the walls of the base; installing a fin-tube and header assembly within the base and supporting the headers within openings in the corner brackets; mounting a spacer atop the top lip; placing a cover atop the spacer; applying an adhesive sealant proximate an outer edge of the cover and extending substantially about the perimeter of the cover; installing a trim strip along the outer edge of the cover so that a bottom leg of the trim strip abuts a top surface of the corner bracket, and so that an upper leg of the trim strip overlaps the outer edge of the cover and the adhesive sealant is conformed into the space surrounding the outer edge of the cover. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification