Methods and systems for insulating a building

• US 9,309,663 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Manville Corporation (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Johns Manville Corporation (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fay, Ralph Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): FERENCE, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US14/496,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 524/80, 524/041, 524/043, 524/044, 524/071, 524/072, 524/073, 524/075, 527/421.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/386 using a movable, elongate nozzle, e.g. to reach deep into the mould
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/62 Insulation or other protection; Elements or use of specified material therefor chemical compositions C01 - C11; implements for applying insulation or sealings E04F21/00; buildings to withstand, or to provide protection against, external undesired influences E04H9/00; sealing pipes in walls or partitions F16L5/02; shielding against dangerous radiation G21F
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/74 Heat, sound or noise insulation, absorption, or reflection forms of, or arrangements in, rooms for influencing or directing sound E04B1/99; Other building methods affording favourable thermal or acoustical conditions, e.g. accumulating of heat within walls fire protection E04B1/94; elements chiefly adapted for structural purposes E04C1/00 - E04C3/00; chiefly adapted for surface coverings E04F13/00; as underlayers for floor coverings E04F15/18; closures for wall or like openings E06B
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/7604 fillings for cavity walls
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 13/1631 the means deriving from the nature or the shape of the insulating material itself
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 13/1675 on saddle-roofs or inclined roof surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/00 Adapting or protecting infrastructure or their operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/90 Passive houses; Double facade technology
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23 Sheet including cover or casing

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for insulating a component of a home or building. An insulated component may include a generally planar surface and a frame positioned atop one side of the generally planar surface. The frame may include a plurality of outer studs coupled together to form an outer periphery and inner studs that divide the frame into one or more sections. One or more of the sections may include a cavity or hollow space. The insulated component may also include a first layer of insulation within one or more of the cavities. The first layer of insulation may include a pour insulation material that transitions from a liquid state or phase to a solid state or phase.

Claims

1. A system for applying pour insulation material to one or more cavities of a prefabricated component of a building or home, the system comprising:

a workstation that receives the prefabricated component, the prefabricated component comprising;

a generally planar surface; and

a frame comprising a plurality of outer studs coupled together to define an outer periphery and one or more interior studs that divide the frame into a plurality of sections, the frame being positioned atop one side of the generally planar surface so that the plurality of sections define a plurality of cavities; and

an injection mechanism comprising;

a main body positioned outside of the outer periphery of the frame, the main body being moveable laterally along a side of the frame; and

at least one injection tube that is coupled with the main body and that extends from outside the periphery of the frame to inside the periphery of the frame so as to be positionable above one cavity of the plurality of cavities, the injection tube including a plurality of nozzles positioned along a longitudinal length of the injection tube and fluidly coupled therewith, the injection mechanism being operable to inject a pour insulation material into the one cavity via the plurality of nozzles of the at least one injection tube to a defined level to insulate the one cavity;

wherein the pour insulation material transitions from a liquid state to a solid state after an amount of time, and wherein the pour insulation material comprises an insulation R-value of between about R-4 and about R-7 per inch of the insulation.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computing device communicatively coupled with the injection mechanism, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory device having a set of instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor causes the computing device to perform the following operations:

receive data associated with the prefabricated component, the data comprising dimensions for each of the plurality of cavities; and

transmit instructions to the injection mechanism to inject the pour insulation material within the one cavity to the defined level, the amount of pour insulation material injected into the one cavity being based on the dimensions of the one cavity.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data further comprises information about components positioned within the one cavity.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor transmits the instructions to the injection mechanism based on the components positioned within the one cavity so that the pour insulation is only delivered from selected nozzles to thereby accommodate the component positioned within the one cavity.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein, based on the dimensions of the one cavity, the computing device is configured to inject the pour insulation material into the one cavity in the liquid state so that a top surface of the pour insulation material in the solid state after expansion of the pour insulation material is roughly equal with the top surface of studs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nozzles of the injection tube are individually controllable so that the pour insulation material is deliverable from one or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the pour insulation material comprises two components, and wherein the injection mechanism is configured to mix the two components at a pour head of the injection tube.

8. A system for applying pour insulation material to cavities of a prefabricated component of a building or home, the system comprising:

an injection mechanism;

a first injection tube having a proximal end that is coupled with the injection mechanism, a longitudinal body that extends laterally away from the injection mechanism, and a distal end, the first injection tube being longitudinally alienable with and positionable above a respective cavity of the cavities of the prefabricated component so that the longitudinal body and the distal end of the first injection tube are disposed above the respective cavity;

a first plurality of nozzles positioned along the longitudinal body of the first injection tube so that the plurality of nozzles are disposed longitudinally along and above the respective cavity, the plurality of nozzles being operable to inject a pour insulation material into the respective cavity to a defined level to insulate the respective cavity;

a second injection tube having a proximal end that is coupled with the injection mechanism, a longitudinal body that extends laterally away from the injection mechanism, and a distal end, the second injection tube being longitudinally alienable with and positionable above a different respective cavity of the cavities of the prefabricated component so that the longitudinal body and the distal end of the second injection tube are disposed above the different respective cavity; and

a second plurality of nozzles positioned along the longitudinal body of the second injection tube so that the plurality of nozzles are disposed longitudinally along and above the different respective cavity, the plurality of nozzles being operable to inject the pour insulation material into the different respective cavity to a defined level to insulate the different respective cavity;

wherein the injection mechanism is configured to traverse laterally along a length of the prefabricated component during application of the pour insulation material so that the first injection tube and the first plurality of nozzles and the second injection tube and the second plurality of nozzles are repositioned above other cavities; and

wherein the pour insulation material transitions from a liquid state to a solid state after an amount of time, the pour insulation material comprising an insulation R-value of between about R-4 and about R-7 per inch of the insulation.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a computing device communicatively coupled with the injection mechanism, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory device having a set of instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor causes the computing device to perform the following operations:

receive data associated with the prefabricated component, the data comprising dimensions for each of the cavities; and

transmit instructions to the injection mechanism to inject the pour insulation material within the respective cavity and the different respective cavity to the defined level, the amount of pour insulation material injected into the respective cavity and the different respective cavity being based on the dimensions of the respective cavity and the different respective cavity.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data further comprises information about components positioned within the respective cavity and the different respective cavity.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein, based on the dimensions of each of the cavities, the computing device is configured to inject the pour insulation material into the respective cavity and the different respective cavity in the liquid state so that a top surface of the pour insulation material in the solid state after expansion of the pour insulation material is roughly equal with the respective cavity and the different respective cavity.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of nozzles of the first injection tube and the second plurality of nozzles of the second injection tube are individually controllable so that the pour insulation material is selectively deliverable from one or more nozzles of the first plurality of nozzles and the second plurality of nozzles.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the pour insulation material comprises two components, and wherein the injection mechanism is configured to mix the two components at a pour head of the first injection tube and the second injection tube.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the distal end of the first injection tube and the second injection tube is connected with a rail or a second injection mechanism that is positioned on a side of the prefabricated component opposite the injection mechanism.