Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
LOOSEFILL INSULATION
BLOWING MACHINE HAVING A CHUTE SHAPE
BACKGROUND
100011 When insulating buildings and installations, a frequently used
insulation
product is loosefill insulation material. In contrast to the unitary or
monolithic structure
of insulation materials formed as batts or blankets, loosefill insulation
material is a
multiplicity of discrete, individual tufts, cubes, flakes or nodules.
Loosefill insulation
material is usually applied within buildings and installations by blowing the
loosefill
insulation material into an insulation cavity, such as a wall cavity or an
attic of a building.
Typically loosefill insulation material is made of glass fibers although other
mineral
fibers, organic fibers, and cellulose fibers can be used.
[0002] Loosefill insulation material, also referred to as blowing wool, is
typically
compressed in packages for transport from an insulation manufacturing site to
a building
that is to be insulated. Typically the packages include compressed loosefill
insulation
material encapsulated in a bag. The bags can be made of polypropylene or other
suitable
material. During the packaging of the loosefill insulation material, it is
placed under
compression for storage and transportation efficiencies. Typically, the
loosefill insulation
material is packaged with a compression ratio of at least about 10:1.
[0003] The distribution of loosefill insulation material into an insulation
cavity
typically uses an insulation blowing machine that can condition the loosefill
insulation
material to a desired density and feed the conditioned loosefill insulation
material
pneumatically through a distribution hose. Blowing insulation machines
typically have a
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
funnel-shaped chute or hopper for containing and feeding the blowing
insulation material
after the package is opened and the blowing insulation material is allowed to
expand.
[0004] It would be advantageous if insulation blowing machines could be
improved to
make them easier to use.
SUMMARY
[0005] The above objects as well as other objects not specifically
enumerated are
achieved by a machine for distributing blowing insulation material from a
package of
compressed loosefill insulation material. The machine includes a chute having
an inlet
portion and an upper portion. The inlet portion is configured to receive the
package of
compressed loosefill insulation material. The upper portion extends from the
inlet
portion. The inlet portion and the upper portion have cross-sectional shapes
and sizes that
closely correspond to a cross-sectional shape and size of the package of
compressed
loosefill insulation material. A lower unit is configured to receive the
compressed
loosefill insulation material exiting the chute. The lower unit includes a
plurality of
shredders and a discharge mechanism. The discharge mechanism is configured to
discharge conditioned loosefill insulation material into an airstream. The
cross-sectional
shape and size of the inlet portion and the upper portion are configured to
direct an
expansive force of the compressed loosefill insulation material in a direction
toward the
lower unit.
[0006] There is also provided a machine for distributing blowing insulation
material
from a package of compressed loosefill insulation material. The machine
includes a chute
having an inlet portion, an upper portion and a throat portion. The inlet
portion is
configured to receive the package of compressed loosefill insulation material.
The upper
portion extends from the inlet portion to the throat portion and the throat
portion extends
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
from the upper portion. The inlet portion, the upper portion and the throat
portion have
cross-sectional shapes and sizes that closely correspond to a cross-sectional
shape and
size of the package of compressed loosefill insulation material. The lower
unit is
configured to receive the compressed loosefill insulation material exiting the
chute. The
lower unit includes a plurality of shredders and a discharge mechanism. The
discharge
mechanism is configured to discharge conditioned loosefill insulation material
into an
airstream. The cross-sectional shapes and sizes of the inlet portion, the
upper portion and
the throat portion are configured to direct an expansive force of the
compressed loosefill
insulation material in a direction toward the lower unit.
100071 There is also provided a machine for distributing blowing
insulation. The
machine includes a chute having an inlet portion and an upper portion. The
inlet portion
is configured to receive a package of compressed loosefill insulation
material. The
package includes a body of compressed loosefill insulation material within a
protective
covering. The loosefill insulation material is compressed in a radially inward
direction
toward a longitudinal axis. The upper portion extends from the inlet portion.
The inlet
portion and the upper portion have cross-sectional shapes and sizes that
closely
correspond to a cross-sectional shape and size of the package of compressed
loosefill
insulation material. A lower unit is configured to receive the compressed
loosefill
insulation material exiting the chute. The lower unit includes a plurality of
shredders and
a discharge mechanism. The discharge mechanism is configured to discharge
conditioned
loosefill insulation material into an airstream. The cross-sectional shapes
and sizes of the
inlet portion and the upper portion are configured to constrain expansive
forces of the
compressed loosefill insulation material in radially lateral and upward
directions and
allow expansive forces in a direction toward the lower unit.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
[0008] Various objects and advantages of the loosefill insulation blowing
machine
having a chute shape will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following
detailed description, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Figure 1 is a front view, in elevation, of a loosefill insulation
blowing machine.
[0010] Figure 2 is a front view, in elevation, partially in cross-section,
of the loosefill
insulation blowing machine of Figure 1.
100111 Figure 3 is a side view, in elevation, of the loosefill insulation
blowing machine
of Figure 1.
[0012] Figure 4 is a side view, in elevation, of the inlet portion of the
chute of the
loosefill insulation blowing machine of Figure 1.
[0013] Figure 5 is a front view, in elevation, partially in cross-section,
of the chute of
the loosefill insulation blowing machine of Fig. 1.
[0014] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view, in elevation, taken along the
lines 6--6 of the
chute of Figure 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute shape will
now be
described with occasional reference to specific embodiments. The loosefill
insulation
blowing machine having a chute shape may, however, be embodied in different
forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
Rather, these
embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and
complete, and will
fully convey the scope of the loosefill insulation blowing machine having a
chute shape to
those skilled in the art.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
[0016] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used
herein have
the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to
which the
loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute shape belongs. The
terminology used
in the description of the loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute
shape herein
is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be
limiting of the
loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute shape. As used in the
description of
the loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute shape and the appended
claims,
the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural
forms as well,
unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0017] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of
dimensions
such as length, width, height, and so forth as used in the specification and
claims are to be
understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about."
Accordingly, unless
otherwise indicated, the numerical properties set forth in the specification
and claims are
approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be
obtained
in embodiments of the loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute
shape.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the
broad scope of
the loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute shape are
approximations, the
numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely
as possible.
Any numerical values, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily
resulting
from error found in their respective measurements.
[0018] The description and figures disclose a loosefill insulation blowing
machine
having a chute shape. The chute is configured with a substantially uniform
cross-
sectional shape that closely approximates the cross-sectional size and shape
of a received
package of compressed loosefill insulation material. The substantially uniform
cross-
sectional shape of the chute results in a compact chute size and further
results to direct the
expansive force of compressed loosefill insulation material in a direction
toward a
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
shredding chamber.
100191 The term "loosefill insulation material", as used herein, is defined
to mean any
insulating material configured for distribution in an airstream. The tenn
"finely
conditioned", as used herein, is defined to mean the shredding, picking apart
and
conditioning of loosefill insulation material to a desired density prior to
distribution into
an airstream.
100201 Referring now to Figs. 1-3, a loosefill insulation blowing machine
(hereafter
"blowing machine") is shown generally at 10. The blowing machine 10 is
configured for
conditioning compressed loosefill insulation material and further configured
for
distributing the conditioned loosefill insulation material to desired
locations, such as for
example, insulation cavities. The blowing machine 10 includes a lower unit 12
and a
chute 14. The lower unit 12 is connected to the chute 14 by one or more
fastening
mechanisms 15, configured to readily assemble and disassemble the chute 14 to
the lower
unit 12. The chute 14 has an inlet portion 16 and an outlet portion 18.
100211 Referring again to Figs. 1-3, the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14
is configured
to receive compressed loosefill insulation material typically contained within
a package
(not shown). As the package of compressed loosefill insulation material is
guided within
the interior of the chute 14, the cross-sectional shape and size of the chute
14 relative to
the cross-sectional shape and size of the package of compressed loosefill
insulation
material directs the expansion of the compressed loosefill insulation material
to a
direction toward the outlet portion 18, wherein the loosefill insulation
material is
introduced to a shredding chamber 23 positioned in the lower unit 12.
100221 Referring again to Figs. 1-3, optionally the chute 14 can include
one or more
handle segments 17, configured to facilitate ready movement of the blowing
machine 10
from one location to another. The handle segments 17 can have any desired
structure and
configuration. However, it should be understood that the one or more handle
segments 17
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
are not necessary to the operation of the blowing machine 10.
100231 Referring again to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the chute 14 includes a bail
guide 19,
mounted at the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14. The bail guide 19 is
configured to urge a
package of compressed loosefill insulation material against an optional
cutting
mechanism 20 as the package of compressed loosefill insulation material moves
further
into the interior of the chute 14.
100241 Referring now to Fig. 2, the shredding chamber 23 is mounted in the
lower unit
12 downstream from the outlet portion 18 of the chute 14. The shredding
chamber 23 can
include a plurality of low speed shredders 24a, 24b and one or more agitators
26. The low
speed shredders 24a, 24b are configured to shred, pick apart and condition the
loosefill
insulation material as the loosefill insulation material is discharged into
the shredding
chamber 23 from the outlet portion 18 of the chute 14. The one or more
agitators 26 are
configured to finely condition the loosefill insulation material to a desired
density as the
loosefill insulation material exits the low speed shredders 24a, 24b. It
should be
appreciated that any quantity of low speed shredders and agitators can be
used. Further,
although the blowing machine 10 is described with low speed shredders and
agitators, any
type or combination of separators, such as clump breakers, beater bars or any
other
mechanisms, devices or structures that shred, pick apart, condition and/or
finely condition
the loosefill insulation material can be used.
100251 Referring again to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the agitator 26
is
positioned vertically below the low speed shredders 24a, 24b. Alternatively,
the agitator
26 can be positioned in any location relative to the low speed shredders 24a,
24b, such as
horizontally adjacent to the low speed shredders 24a, 24b, sufficient to
finely condition
the loosefill insulation material to a desired density as the loosefill
insulation material
exits the low speed shredders 24a, 24b.
100261 In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, the low speed shredders
24a, 24b rotate
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown by direction arrows D la, D lb and
the one or
more agitators 26 also rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown by
direction
arrow D2. Rotating the low speed shredders 24a, 24b and the agitators 26 in
the same
counter-clockwise directions, Dia, D lb D2, allows the low speed shredders
24a, 24b and
the agitator 26 to shred and pick apart the loosefill insulation material
while substantially
preventing an accumulation of unshredded or partially shredded loosefill
insulation
material in the shredding chamber 23. However, in other embodiments, the low
speed
shredders 24a, 24b and the agitators 26 could rotate in a clock-wise direction
or the low
speed shredders 24a, 24b and the agitators 26 could rotate in different
directions provided
an accumulation of unshredded or partially shredded loosefill insulation
material does not
occur in the shredding chamber 23.
[0027] Referring again to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the low speed
shredders
24a, 24b rotate at a lower rotational speed than the agitator 26. The low
speed shredders
24a, 24b rotate at a speed of about 40-80 revolutions per minute (rpm) and the
agitator 26
rotates at a speed of about 300-500 rpm. In another embodiment, the low speed
shredders
can rotate at a speed less than about 40-80 rpm, provided the speed is
sufficient to shred
and pick apart the loosefill insulation material. In still other embodiments,
the agitator 26
can rotate at a speed less than or more than 300-500 rpm provided the speed is
sufficient
to finely shred the loosefill insulation material and prepare the loosefill
insulation
material for distribution into an airstream.
[0028] Referring again to Fig. 2, the shredding chamber 23 includes a first
guide shell
120 positioned partially around the low speed shredder 24a. The first guide
shell 120
extends to form an arc of approximately 90 . The first guide shell 120 has an
inner
surface 121. The first guide shell 120 is configured to allow the low speed
shredder 24a
to seal against the inner surface 121 and thereby direct the loosefill
insulation material in
a downstream direction as the low speed shredder 24a rotates.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
100291 Referring again to Fig. 2, the shredding chamber 23 includes a
second guide
shell 122 positioned partially around the low speed shredder 24b. The second
guide shell
122 extends to fonn an arc of approximately 90 . The second guide shell 122
has an
inner surface 123. The second guide shell 122 is configured to allow the low
speed
shredder 24b to seal against the inner surface 123 and thereby direct the
loosefill
insulation material in a downstream direction as the low speed shredder 24b
rotates.
100301 Referring again to Fig. 2, the shredding chamber 23 includes a third
guide shell
124 positioned partially around the agitator 26. The third guide shell 124
extends to form
an approximate semi-circle. The third guide shell 124 has an inner surface
125. The third
guide shell 124 is configured to allow the agitator 26 to seal against the
inner surface 125
and thereby direct the finely conditioned loosefill insulation material in a
downstream
direction as the agitator 26 rotates.
100311 In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the inner surfaces 121, 123 and
125, are
formed from a high density polyethylene (hdpe) configured to provide a
lightweight, low
friction sealing surface and guide for the loosefill insulation material.
Alternatively, the
inner surfaces 121, 123 and 125 can be formed from other materials, such as
aluminum,
sufficient to provide a lightweight, low friction sealing surface and guide
that allows the
low speed shredders 24a, 24b or the agitator 26 to direct the loosefill
insulation material
downstream.
100321 Referring again to Fig. 2, a discharge mechanism, shown
schematically at 28, is
positioned downstream from the one or more agitators 26 and is configured to
distribute
the finely conditioned loosefill insulation material exiting the agitator 26
into an
airstream, shown schematically by arrow 33 in Fig. 3. In the illustrated
embodiment, the
discharge mechanism 28 is a rotary valve. In other embodiments, the discharge
mechanism 28 can be other structures, mechanisms and devices, such as for
example
staging hoppers, metering devices or rotary feeders, sufficient to distribute
the finely
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
conditioned loosefill insulation material into the airstream 33.
[0033] Referring again to Fig. 2, the finely conditioned loosefill
insulation material is
driven through the discharge mechanism 28 and through a machine outlet 32 by
the
airstream 33. The airstream 33 is provided by a blower 34 and associated
ductwork,
shown in phantom at 35. In alternate embodiments, the airstream 33 can be
provided by
other structures and manners, such as by a vacuum, sufficient to provide the
airstream 33
through the discharge mechanism 28.
[0034] Referring again to Fig. 2, the low speed shredders 24a, 24b,
agitator 26 and
discharge mechanism 28 are mounted for rotation. In the illustrated
embodiment, they are
driven by an electric motor 36 and associated drive means (not shown).
However, in
other embodiments, the low speed shredders 24a, 24b, agitator 26 and discharge
mechanism 28 can be driven by any suitable means. In still other embodiments,
each of
the low speed shredders 24a, 24b, agitator 26 and discharge mechanism 28 can
be
provided with its own source of rotation. In the illustrated embodiment, the
electric
motor 36 driving the low speed shredders 24a, 24b, agitator 26 and discharge
mechanism
28 is configured to operate on a single 15 ampere, 110 volt a.c. electrical
power supply.
In other embodiments, other power supplies can be used.
[0035] Referring again to Fig. 2, the discharge mechanism 28 is configured
with a side
inlet 92. The side inlet 92 is configured to receive the finely conditioned
loosefill
insulation material as it is fed in a substantially horizontal direction from
the agitator 26.
In this embodiment, the side inlet 92 of the discharge mechanism 28 is
positioned to be
horizontally adjacent to the agitator 26. In another embodiment, a low speed
shredder
24a or 24b, or a plurality of low speed shredders 24a, 24b or agitators 26, or
other
shredding mechanisms can be horizontally adjacent to the side inlet 92 of the
discharge
mechanism 28 or in other suitable positions.
[0036] Referring again to Fig. 2, a choke 110 is positioned between the
agitator 26 and
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
the discharge mechanism 28. In this position, the choke 110 is configured to
allow finely
conditioned loosefill insulation material to enter the side inlet 92 of the
discharge
mechanism 28 and redirect heavier clumps of conditioned loosefill insulation
material
past the side inlet 92 of the discharge mechanism 28 and back to the low speed
shredders,
24a and 24b, for further conditioning. In the illustrated embodiment, the
choke 110 has a
substantially triangular cross-sectional shape. However, the choke 110 can
have other
cross-sectional shapes sufficient to allow finely conditioned loosefill
insulation material
to enter the side inlet 92 of the discharge mechanism 28 and redirect heavier
clumps of
conditioned loosefill insulation material past the side inlet 92 of the
discharge mechanism
28 and back to the low speed shredders, 24a and 24b, for further conditioning.
100371 Referring again to Fig. 2, in operation, the inlet portion 16 of the
chute 14
receives a package of compressed loosefill insulation material. As the package
of
compressed loosefill insulation material moves into the chute 14, the bale
guide 19 urges
the package against the cutting mechanism 20 thereby cutting an outer
protective
covering and allowing the compressed loosefill insulation within the package
to expand.
As the compressed loosefill insulation material expands from the cut package
within the
chute 14, the chute 14 directs the expanding loosefill insulation material
past the outlet
portion 18 of the chute 14 to the shredding chamber 23. The low speed
shredders 24a,
24b receive the loosefill insulation material and shred, pick apart and
condition the
loosefill insulation material. The loosefill insulation material is directed
by the low speed
shredders 24a, 24b to the agitator 26. The agitator 26 is configured to finely
condition the
loosefill insulation material and prepare the loosefill insulation material
for distribution
into the airstream 33 by further shredding and conditioning the loosefill
insulation
material. The finely conditioned loosefill insulation material exits the
agitator 26 and
enters the discharge mechanism 28 for distribution into the airstream 33
provided by the
blower 34. The airstream 33, entrained with the finely conditioned loosefill
insulation
11
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
material, exits the insulation blowing machine 10 at the machine outlet 32 and
flows
through a distribution hose 38 toward an insulation cavity.
[0038] Referring now to Fig. 4, a simplified view of the inlet portion 16
of the chute
14 is illustrated. The inlet portion 16 has a substantially rounded,
rectangular cross-
sectional shape and size that closely approximates the typical substantially
rounded,
rectangular cross-sectional shape and size of the package of compressed
blowing
insulation material, shown in phantom at 60.
[0039] Referring again to Fig. 4, the package 60 includes a protective
outer covering
62, configured to encapsulate a body of compressed blowing insulation material
63. The
protective outer covering is further configured to compress the blowing
insulation
material 63 in radially inward directions, as shown by direction arrows D3,
with respect to
a longitudinal axis C--C of the package 60.
[0040] Referring again to Fig. 4, the package 60 has a height H1 and a
width W1 . In
the illustrated embodiment, the height H1 is about 19.0 inches and the width
W1 is about
8.0 inches. However, in other embodiments, the height H1 can be more or less
than about
19.0 inches and the width W1 can be more or less than about 8.0 inches. A
package
having a height H1 of about 19.0 inches and width W1 of 8.0 inches might have
a weight
of about 35.0 pounds.
[0041] Referring again to Fig. 4, the inlet portion 16 of the chute has a
height H2 and a
width W2. As noted above, the cross-sectional shape and size of the inlet
portion 16
closely approximates the cross-sectional shape and size of the package of
compressed
blowing insulation material 60. Accordingly, for the package 60 specified
above, the
inlet portion 16 of the chute 14 has a height H2 of about 20.0 inches and a
width W2 of
about 9.0 inches. The substantially similar cross-sectional shape and size of
the inlet
portion 16 of the chute 14 allows the package 60 to be easily received and fed
into the
chute 14. As will be discussed in more detail below, by providing the inlet
portion 16 of
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
the chute 14 with a substantially similar cross-sectional shape and size of
the package 60,
certain expansive forces of the compressed loosefill insulation material
within the
package 60 will be substantially contained when the outer protective covering
62 is cut,
thereby preventing the expansion of the loosefill insulation material in
certain directions.
[0042] Referring again to Fig. 4, the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14
includes
longitudinal sides 64a, 64b and lateral sides 66a, 66b. The longitudinal sides
64a, 64b of
the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14, are configured to be substantially
vertical and
centered about major longitudinal axis A--A. The lateral sides 66, 66b are
configured to
be substantially horizontal and centered about major lateral axis B--B. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the package 60 of compressed loosefill insulation material is fed
into the
inlet portion 16 of the chute 14 in a manner such that the package 60 has a
substantially
vertical orientation. The term "vertical orientation", as used herein, is
defined to mean a
face of the package 60 having a width of 8.0 inches is adjacent to the lateral
side 66b.
Alternatively, the chute 14 can be configured such that the package 60 has a
substantially
horizontal orientation when fed into the inlet end 16 of the chute 14.
[0043] Referring now to Fig. 5, a simplified, partial cross-sectional view
of the chute
14 is illustrated. The chute 14 includes the inlet portion 16 and the cutting
mechanism 20.
The chute 14 also includes an upper portion 40 and a throat portion 42. The
upper portion
40 extends in a horizontal direction from the inlet portion 16 to a side wall
44 and in a
vertical direction from a top wall 72 to the throat portion 42. The throat
portion 42
extends in a horizontal direction from a first throat wall 46 to the side wall
44 and in a
vertical direction from the upper portion 40 to the lower unit 12. The upper
portion 40
forms a first cavity 50 therewithin and the throat portion 42 forms a second
cavity 52
therewithin.
[0044] Referring now to Fig. 6, a cross-sectional view of the chute 14
taken at 6--6 is
illustrated. The chute 14 includes the upper portion 40, throat portion 42,
first cavity 50
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
and second cavity 52 are illustrated. The upper portion 40 is bounded by side
walls 70a,
70b and a top wall 72. The side walls 70a, 70b form a width W3 of the upper
portion 40.
In the illustrated embodiment, the width W3 of the upper portion 40 of the
chute 14 is the
same as the width W2 of the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14. Accordingly,
both of the
widths W2, W3 are sized to closely approximate the cross-sectional shape and
size of the
package 60 of compressed blowing insulation material.
[0045] The throat portion 42 is also bounded by side walls 70a, 70b. The
side walls
70a, 70b form a width W4 of the throat portion 40. In the illustrated
embodiment, the
width W4 of the throat portion 42 of the chute 14 is the same as the width W2
of the inlet
portion 16 of the chute 14 and the width W3 of the upper portion 40 of the
chute.
Accordingly, the widths W2, W3 and W4 are sized to closely approximate the
cross-
sectional shape and size of the package 60 of compressed blowing insulation
material.
[0046] Referring again to Figs. 5 and 6, in operation the package 60 of
compressed
blowing insulation material is urged into the inlet portion 16 of the chute
16. As the
package 60 enters the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14, the blowing insulation
material 65
contained within the protective covering 62 of the package 60 is in a radially
compressed
configuration as shown in Fig. 4. Referring again to Figs. 5 and 6, as the
package 60 is
moved further into the chute 16, the cutting mechanism 20 cuts the outer
protective
covering 62, thereby forming an opening 67 in a lower side of the outer
protective
covering 62 of the package 60. As the opening 67 is fanned, the compressed
blowing
insulation material 65 expands in radial directions, as shown by direction
arrows D4a-
D4h in Fig. 6. Due to the close approximate cross-sectional shape and size of
the package
60 and the inlet and upper portions 16, 40 of the chute 14, the radial
expansion of the
compressed blowing insulation material 65 in horizontal directions D4b, D4c,
D4d, D4f,
D4g and D4h and upwardly vertical direction D4e are contained by side walls
70a, 70b
and the top wall 72 of the upper portion 40 of the chute 14. However, the
expansion of
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
the compressed blowing insulation material 65 in a downward direction D5
toward the
toward a shredding chamber 23, is unconstrained.
[0047] Referring again to Figs. 5 and 6, since the width W4 of the throat
portion 42 is
consistent with the width W3 of the upper portion 40, the constraint of the
expansion of
the compressed blowing insulation material 65 in the horizontal directions
D4b, D4c,
D4d, D4f, D4g and D4h by the side walls 70a, 70b continues as the expanding
blowing
insulation material enters the throat portion 42 of the chute 14. As a result
of the
constrained expansion of the compressed blowing insulation material 65 in
directions
D4b, D4c, D4d, D4f, D4g, D4h and D4e in the upper and throat portions 40, 42,
the
expansion of the compressed blowing insulation material 65 occurs in direction
D5,
toward the shredding chamber 23.
[0048] Without being held to the theories, it is believed that the
combination of the
vertical orientation of the package of compressed loosefill insulation
material 60, as it is
fed into the inlet portion 16 of the chute 14, and the controlled and directed
expansion of
the compressed loosefill insulation material toward the shredding chamber 23
provides
many benefits, although all benefits may not be present in all embodiments.
First, a
desired high throughput can be realized as the directed expansion of the
compressed
loosefill insulation material can be used to increase the feed rate of the
loosefill insulation
material through the blowing machine 10. The term "throughput", as used
herein, is
defined to mean the amount of loosefill insulation material conditioned and
distributed by
the blowing machine 10 per unit of time. Second, a high shredding efficiency
can be
realized. The term "shredding efficiency", as used herein, is defined to mean
the amount
of conditioning incurred by a unit of loosefill insulation material per
rotation of a
shredder. Third, unwanted accumulations of loosefill insulation material in
the chute can
be substantially prevented by directing the expanding loosefill insulation
material in the
desired downward direction. Finally, the substantially uniform cross-sectional
shape of
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
the chute results in a compact chute size and a corresponding reduction in the
overall size
of the blowing machine 10. The reduction in the overall size of the blowing
machine 10
enables ease of transportation by a user and further enables ease of storage.
100491 The principle and mode of operation of the loosefill insulation
blowing
machine having a chute shape have been described in certain embodiments.
However, it
should be noted that the loosefill insulation blowing machine having a chute
shape may
be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without
departing
from its scope.
16
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-07-26
