Patents by Inventor Robert J. Allwein

Robert J. Allwein has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7243484
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for loading insulation batts into a packaging station of a batt-packaging machine includes: an up-stacking station for receiving a plurality of the insulation batts to form a vertical stack of the insulation batts; a staging station from which the insulation batts are elevated into the up-stacking station of the batt-packaging machine; batt engaging members of a first endless conveyor on the first side of the staging station for successively feeding batts into the staging station; batt engaging members of a second endless conveyor on the second side of the staging station for successively engaging the bottom major surfaces of the insulation batts as the insulation batts are successively fed into the staging station and in cooperation with the batt engaging members of the first endless conveyor for vertically raising the insulation batts from the staging station into the up-stacking station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Johns Manville
    Inventor: Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 7243479
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for loading insulation batts into a packaging station of a batt-packaging machine includes: an up-stacking station for receiving a plurality of the insulation batts to form a vertical stack of the insulation batts; a staging station from which the insulation batts are elevated into the up-stacking station of the batt-packaging machine; batt engaging members of a first endless conveyor on the first side of the staging station for successively feeding batts into the staging station; batt engaging members of a second endless conveyor on the second side of the staging station for successively engaging the bottom major surfaces of the insulation batts as the insulation batts are successively fed into the staging station and in cooperation with the batt engaging members of the first endless conveyor for vertically raising the insulation batts from the staging station into the up-stacking station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Johns Manville
    Inventor: Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 7066065
    Abstract: At least one longitudinally extending series of cuts and separable connectors is formed in a fibrous insulation blanket with one or more rotating compression-cutting blades and a cooperating anvil to form separable blanket sections in the insulation blanket. The size and configuration of the teeth and notches in the compression-cutting blade, which may be determined through the use of an empirical equation, insure that the insulation blanket has the integrity to be handled and installed as a unit, but can be separated by hand into the blanket sections. The anvil has a moving surface that drives the compression-cutting blade at the velocity blanket is being fed between the cutting blade and the anvil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Johns Manville
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Blake B. Bogrett, Larry J. Weinstein
  • Patent number: 7041353
    Abstract: An insulation package contains a plurality of unfaced or faced, uncut and pre-cut fibrous insulation batts of a pre-selected width enveloped within a covering in a compressed condition. Each of the pre-cut fibrous insulation batts has a plurality of longitudinally extending batt sections separably joined to adjacent batt sections by separable connectors. The separable connectors hold the pre-cut fibrous insulation batt together for handling but can be separated along the lengths of the batt sections by hand to separate adjacent batt sections. Preferably, between 20% and 70% of the fibrous insulation batts in each of the insulation packages are pre-cut fibrous insulation batts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Johns Manville
    Inventors: John Brooks Smith, Blake Boyd Bogrett, Dennis Robert Larratt, Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 7029739
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has at least one, preferably two or three, series of cuts extending between major surfaces of the blanket with successive cuts of each series of cuts being separated by a series of separable connectors located intermediate the major surfaces of the blanket. Each series of separable connectors hold together adjacent sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at one or more of the series of separable connectors for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Johns Manville
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 6935080
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has one or more cuts extending for the length of the blanket which separate the blanket into two or more longitudinally extending sections. Adjacent sections of the blanket are joined together along the cut(s) by separable adhesive connectors which hold together the sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand along the cut(s) so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at a cut for insulating a cavity having a lesser width. The pre-cut insulation blanket may have a facing sheet, overlaying and bonded to a major surface of the blanket, that is separable by hand along the cut(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Larry J. Weinstein
  • Patent number: 6929839
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has at least one, preferably two or three, series of cuts extending between major surfaces of the blanket with successive cuts of each series of cuts being separated by a series of separable connectors located intermediate the major surfaces of the blanket. Each series of separable connectors hold together adjacent sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at one or more of the series of separable connectors for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 6854369
    Abstract: At least one longitudinally extending series of cuts and separable connectors is formed in a fibrous insulation blanket with one or more rotating compression-cutting blades and a cooperating anvil to form separable blanket sections in the insulation blanket. The size and configuration of the teeth and notches in the compression-cutting blade, which may be determined through the use of an empirical equation, insure that the insulation blanket has the integrity to be handled and installed as a unit, but can be separated by hand into the blanket sections. The anvil has a moving surface that drives the compression-cutting blade at the velocity blanket is being fed between the cutting blade and the anvil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Blake B. Bogrett, Larry J. Weinstein
  • Publication number: 20040109971
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has at least one, preferably two or three, series of cuts extending between major surfaces of the blanket with successive cuts of each series of cuts being separated by a series of separable connectors located intermediate the major surfaces of the blanket. Each series of separable connectors hold together adjacent sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at one or more of the series of separable connectors for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Applicant: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 6740188
    Abstract: A resilient fibrous insulation blanket is compression-cut longitudinally at one and typically a plurality of laterally spaced apart locations to form a form a pre-cut fibrous insulation blanket having a plurality of blanket sections that can be separated from each other by hand. The compression cutting of the blanket to form the blanket sections causes a first major surface of the blanket to become temporarily deformed and destabilized. When the blanket is faced, the facing is applied to the other major surface of the blanket while the first major surface is still deformed. Where the blanket is formed from a wider blanket, the wider blanket is at least partially cut prior to the compression-cutting operation to reduce lateral stresses in the blanket when the blanket is compression-cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Blake Boyd Bogrett
  • Publication number: 20040055227
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has one or more cuts extending for the length of the blanket which separate the blanket into two or more longitudinally extending sections. Adjacent sections of the blanket are joined together along the cut(s) by separable adhesive connectors which hold together the sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand along the cut(s) so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at a cut for insulating a cavity having a lesser width. The pre-cut insulation blanket may have a facing sheet, overlaying and bonded to a major surface of the blanket, that is separable by hand along the cut(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Publication date: March 25, 2004
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Larry J. Weinstein
  • Patent number: 6670011
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has at least one, preferably two or three, series of cuts extending between major surfaces of the blanket with successive cuts of each series of cuts being separated by a series of separable connectors located intermediate the major surfaces of the blanket. Each series of separable connectors hold together adjacent sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at one or more of the series of separable connectors for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Publication number: 20030221772
    Abstract: A resilient fibrous insulation blanket is compression-cut longitudinally at one and typically a plurality of laterally spaced apart locations to form a form a pre-cut fibrous insulation blanket having a plurality of blanket sections that can be separated from each other by hand. The compression cutting of the blanket to form the blanket sections causes a first major surface of the blanket to become temporarily deformed and destabilized. When the blanket is faced, the facing is applied to the other major surface of the blanket while the first major surface is still deformed. Where the blanket is formed from a wider blanket, the wider blanket is at least partially cut prior to the compression-cutting operation to reduce lateral stresses in the blanket when the blanket is compression-cut.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Publication date: December 4, 2003
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Blake Boyd Bogrett
  • Publication number: 20030183055
    Abstract: At least one longitudinally extending series of cuts and separable connectors is formed in a fibrous insulation blanket with one or more rotating compression-cutting blades and a cooperating anvil to form separable blanket sections in the insulation blanket. The size and configuration of the teeth and notches in the compression-cutting blade, which may be determined through the use of an empirical equation, insure that the insulation blanket has the integrity to be handled and installed as a unit, but can be separated by hand into the blanket sections. The anvil has a moving surface that drives the compression-cutting blade at the velocity blanket is being fed between the cutting blade and the anvil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Publication date: October 2, 2003
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Blake B. Bogrett, Larry J. Weinstein
  • Publication number: 20030148686
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has at least one, preferably two or three, series of cuts extending between major surfaces of the blanket with successive cuts of each series of cuts being separated by a series of separable connectors located intermediate the major surfaces of the blanket. Each series of separable connectors hold together adjacent sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at one or more of the series of separable connectors for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Applicant: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Patent number: 6551677
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has at least one, preferably two or three, series of cuts extending between major surfaces of the blanket with successive cuts of each series of cuts being separated by a series of separable connectors located intermediate the major surfaces of the blanket. Each series of separable connectors hold together adjacent sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at one or more of the series of separable connectors for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Publication number: 20030022580
    Abstract: Resilient fibrous insulation batts are formed with the fibers of the batts being randomly oriented and entangled together and predominately lying in planes that extend substantially perpendicular to the major surfaces and the end surfaces of the batts and substantially parallel to the lateral surfaces of the batts to facilitate a widthwise compression of the batts. The batts are formed by collecting fibers into a blanket with the fibers being collected in layers lying in planes extending substantially parallel to the major surfaces of the blanket and the blanket having a thickness equal to the widths of the batts to be formed. The blanket is then cut longitudinally and transversely, in directions perpendicular to the major surfaces of the blanket, into sections having thicknesses and lengths equal to those of the batts to complete the formation of the batts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Blake B. Bogrett, Robert J. Allwein, Larry J. Weinstein
  • Patent number: 6510945
    Abstract: An easy-opening insulation package for containing a stack of resilient insulation batts, such as but not limited to glass fiber insulation batts, is formed from a sheet material. The sheet material completely encircles the batts and has a stress riser that extends longitudinally with respect to the batts for the length of the batts. Preferably, the sheet material has at least one tear line, such as a perforated line, extending generally perpendicular to and crossing the stress riser for creating an opening in the package through the rupture of the sheet material by hand along the perforated line and for permitting the stress riser to be separated by hand from the opening created along the perforated line to gain access to the batts within the package. Preferably, the ends of the package are closed and the perforated line completely encircles the package to permit the package to be separated into two sections by rupturing the perforated line along its entire length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Allwein, Larry J. Weinstein, John A Fry, Vern C. Plotts, Jo M. Teague, William H. Olbert
  • Patent number: 6468615
    Abstract: An elongated fibrous insulation blanket is pre-cut for custom fitting the insulation blanket into wall, floor, ceiling and roof cavities of different widths formed by the framework of a building. The blanket has one or more cuts extending for the length of the blanket which separate the blanket into two or more longitudinally extending sections. Adjacent sections of the blanket are joined together along the cut(s) by separable connectors which hold together the sections of the blanket for handling, but are separable by hand along the cut(s) so that the blanket can be handled as a unit for insulating a cavity having a predetermined width or easily separated by hand into two or more sections at a cut for insulating a cavity having a lesser width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Johns Manville International, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein
  • Publication number: 20020136854
    Abstract: An insulation package contains a plurality of unfaced or faced, uncut and pre-cut fibrous insulation batts of a pre-selected width enveloped within a covering in a compressed condition. Each of the pre-cut fibrous insulation batts has a plurality of longitudinally extending batt sections separably joined to adjacent batt sections by separable connectors. The separable connectors hold the pre-cut fibrous insulation batt together for handling but can be separated along the lengths of the batt sections by hand to separate adjacent batt sections. Preferably, between 20% and 70% of the fibrous insulation batts in each of the insulation packages are pre-cut fibrous insulation batts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventors: John Brooks Smith, Blake Boyd Bogrett, Dennis Robert Larratt, Larry J. Weinstein, Robert J. Allwein