Insulation element for an electrical appliance such as a dishwasher
First Claim
1. An insulation element for installation in a gap of thickness G provided between a housing wall of an electrical appliance and a cabinet, said insulation element comprising:
- a body made from an expandable material;
said body being characterized by a semi permanently fixed pre-installation thickness of T1 where T1 is less than G, said body being configured to swell in response to heat generated by said electrical appliance during normal operation of the appliance to a thickness T2 where T2 is greater than or equal to G;
so that said insulation element bridges said gap to engage the housing wall of the electrical appliance and the cabinet.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An insulation element is provided for installation in a gap of thickness G provided between two objects. The insulation element includes a body made from a thermoplastic polymer material. The body has a first face, a second face and a thickness defined between the first and second faces. The body is characterized by a semi permanently pre-installation thickness T1 where T1 is less than G. The body swells upon heating to a thickness T2 where T2 is greater than or equal to G so that the insulation element bridges the gap, engages the two objects and provides a spring rate of between 4.0 and 275.0 grams per square inch.
-
Citations
23 Claims
-
1. An insulation element for installation in a gap of thickness G provided between a housing wall of an electrical appliance and a cabinet, said insulation element comprising:
a body made from an expandable material;
said body being characterized by a semi permanently fixed pre-installation thickness of T1 where T1 is less than G, said body being configured to swell in response to heat generated by said electrical appliance during normal operation of the appliance to a thickness T2 where T2 is greater than or equal to G;
so that said insulation element bridges said gap to engage the housing wall of the electrical appliance and the cabinet.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
12. A method of suppressing noise generated by an electrical appliance held in a cabinet wherein a gap of thickness G is provided between a housing wall of said electrical appliance and said cabinet, said method comprising:
-
selecting an expandable material capable of (a) swelling in response to heat generated by said electrical appliance during normal operation of said electrical appliance and (b) providing a spring rate of between about 4.0 and about 275.0 grams per square inch when bridging said gap and engaging said housing wall and said cabinet; forming an insulation element from said thermoplastic polymer material wherein said insulation element is compressed to a semi permanent thickness T1 where T1 is less than G; and
installing said insulation element between said housing wall of said electrical appliance and the cabinet;whereby after installation of said electrical appliance in said cabinet, operation of said electrical appliance heats said insulation element causing said insulation element to swell to a thickness T2 where T2 is equal to or greater than G so that said insulation element bridges the gap and engages said housing wall and said cabinet. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A dishwasher, comprising:
-
a tub including an access door;
a washing nozzle inside said tub for directing a fluid stream against dishes held in said tub;a circulation pump for circulating fluid under pressure through said washing nozzle; and an insulation element for installation in a gap of thickness G provided between said tub and a cabinet that receives said tub, said insulation element comprising;
a body made from an expandable material;
said body being characterized by a semi permanently fixed pre-installation thickness of T1 and where T1 is less than G, said body swelling in response to heat generated by said electrical appliance during normal operation of the appliance to a thickness T2 where T2 is greater than or equal to G so that said insulation element bridges said gap, engages the tub and the cabinet and provides a spring rate of between about 4.0 and about 275.0 grams per square inch. - View Dependent Claims (22)
-
-
23. A dishwasher, comprising:
-
a tub including an access door; a washing nozzle inside said tub for directing a fluid stream against dishes held in said tub; a circulation pump for circulating fluid under pressure through said washing nozzle; and an insulation element for installation in a gap of thickness G provided between said tub and a cabinet that receives said tub, said insulation element comprising;
a body made from an expandable material;
said body being characterized by a semi permanently fixed pre-installation thickness of T1 and where T1 is less than G, said body swelling in response to heat generated by said electrical appliance during normal operating of the appliance upon heating to a thickness T2 where T2 is greater than or equal to G so that said insulation element bridges said gap, engages the tub and the cabinet and provides a spring rate of between about 4.0 and about 275.0 grams per square inch;said insulation element being used in substantial absence of a mass dampener material.
-
Specification