Appliance insulated with protected fiber insulation

• US 6,337,143 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sevex North America Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ATD Corporation (American Tire Distributors Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fairchild, Stephen J., Ragland, G. William
• Primary Examiner(s): DIXON, MERRICK L
• Application Number:
  US09/570,398
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 428/594, 428/603, 428/604, 428/286, 428/302, 428/920, 428/213, 428/75, 428/292.1, 156/296
• US Class Current: 428/594
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4209 Insulation arrangements, e.g. for sound damping or heat insulation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4246 Details of the tub A47L15/4272 takes precedence; insulation arrangements A47L15/4209
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/34 Elements and arrangements for heat storage or insulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12347 Plural layers discontinuously bonded [e.g., spot-weld, mechanical fastener, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12417 Intersecting corrugating or dimples not in a single line [e.g., waffle form, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249924 Noninterengaged fiber-containing paper-free web or sheet which is not of specified porosity
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/3984 Strand is other than glass and is heat or fire resistant

Abstract

An insulated appliance which provides a simple, low cost product and method for containing fiber insulation for application to appliances. A combination of an appliance, fiber insulation layer applied to the exterior surface of a wall of the appliance and a multilayer metal foil adhesively bonded to the outside of the fiber layer. This combination is conveniently formed by adhesively bonding the fiber layer to the multilayer metal foil, then applying the fiber layer to the exterior surface of the wall of the appliance. In the appliance final assembly, the fiber layer is contained between the surface of the wall of the appliance and the multilayer metal foil. Optionally, the fiber is contained between two or more layers of multilayer metal foil, whereby one of the multilayer metal foil is in contact with the wall of the appliance.

Claims

1. An insulated appliance comprising:

an enclosure formed in part by wall sections; and

at least one wall section having positioned on the exterior surface thereof a fibrous insulation mat;

wherein the opposite side of the fiber insulation mat is adhesively bonded to a multilayer metal foil.

2. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the appliance is an oven.

3. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the fiber comprises fiberglass.

4. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the multilayer metal foil comprises aluminum foil.

6. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the appliance is a dishwasher.

7. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the appliance is a refrigerator.

8. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the fiber comprises polyester fiber.

9. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the fiber comprises aramid fiber.

10. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the fiber comprises cellulose fiber.

5. A method of insulating an appliance comprising:

adhesively bonding a fiber insulating mat to a multilayer metal foil; and

positioning the fiber mat on the exterior surface of an appliance enclosure wall whereby the fiber mat is contained in the space between the surface of the enclosure wall and the multilayer metal foil.