Tubular insulating curtain and method of manufacture

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a selectively collapsible and expandable curtain having thermal insulating characteristics in its expanded state, said curtain having in its expanded state a predetermined width and a predetermined height and comprising a plurality of expandable tubes each extending along the width of the curtain, said method comprising the steps of: a. winding about a forming member a continuous sheet of a flexible thin film material so as to form on said member a plurality of superimposed strips of said material, the forming member being chosen to have a peripheral length at least as long as said predetermined curtain width; b. adheringly securing each said strip to the adjacent contacting strip on the forming member along a plurality of uniformly spaced longitudinally extending bands, said bands on successive adjoining layers being in staggered relationship such that a plurality of superimposed tubes are formed one atop the other on said forming member and a plurality of sets of said superimposed tubes are formed adjacent one another transversely across said forming member, each tube when fully expanded having a width substantially defined by a pair of opposing bands on upper and lower adjoining layers and a height substantially defined by upper and lower side sections comprised of the portions of said thin film material lying between said pair of opposing bands and a pair of transversely spaced bands joining said upper and lower adjoining layers on either side of said opposing bands; c. continuing said winding step until the combined heights of said superimposed tubes in their fully expanded state are sufficient to provide substantially said predetermined curtain height, each of said tubes when fully expanded having a substantially rectangular cross-section with top and bottom walls defined by said opposing bands and sidewalls defined by said upper and lower side sections; d. transversely cutting said superimposed strips to permit removal thereof from said forming member; and e. cutting at least one intermediate set of said superimposed tubes longitudinally along said opposing bands to form at least two separate curtains each having said predetermined width and said predetermined height in its expanded state.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing a selectively collapsible and expandable curtain having thermal insulating characteristics in its expanded state, said curtain having in its expanded state a predetermined width and a predetermined height and comprising a plurality of expandable tubes each extending along the width of the curtain, said method comprising the steps of: a. winding about a forming member a continuous sheet of a flexible thin film material so as to form on said member a plurality of superimposed strips of said material, the forming member being chosen to have a peripheral length at least as long as said predetermined curtain width; b. adheringly securing each said strip to the adjacent contacting strip on the forming member along a plurality of uniformly spaced longitudinally extending bands, said bands on successive adjoining layers being in staggered relationship such that a plurality of superimposed tubes are formed one atop the other on said forming member and a plurality of sets of said superimposed tubes are formed adjacent one another transversely across said forming member, each tube when fully expanded having a width substantially defined by a pair of opposing bands on upper and lower adjoining layers and a height substantially defined by upper and lower side sections comprised of the portions of said thin film material lying between said pair of opposing bands and a pair of transversely spaced bands joining said upper and lower adjoining layers on either side of said opposing bands; c. continuing said winding step until the combined heights of said superimposed tubes in their fully expanded state are sufficient to provide substantially said predetermined curtain height, each of said tubes when fully expanded having a substantially rectangular cross-section with top and bottom walls defined by said opposing bands and sidewalls defined by said upper and lower side sections; d. transversely cutting said superimposed strips to permit removal thereof from said forming member; and e. cutting at least one intermediate set of said superimposed tubes longitudinally along said opposing bands to form at least two separate curtains each having said predetermined width and said predetermined height in its expanded state.