Insulation for spherical surfaces

Claim 1

INSULATION FOR SPHERICAL SURFACES COMPRISING A UNITARY BLOCK OF FORM-RETAINING, NON-COMPRESSIBLE INSULATING MATERIAL, A SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ADHERED TO ONE FACE OF SAID BLOCK, SAID BLOCK HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF MEMBERS FORMED BY INTERSECTING GROOVES IN THE OTHER FACE THEREOF EXTENDING PARTLY THROUGH THE ENTIRE THICKNESS OF THE BLOCK AND THROUGH THE GREATER PORTION OF THE THICKNESS EACH SAID GROOVE EXTENDING IN A STRAIGHT LINE TO THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID BLOCK, THE INTERSECTING GREOOVES DEFINING ANGLES OF APPROXIMATELY 60* WITH EACH OTHER, SAID GROOVES FORMING LINES OF WEAKNESS IN SAID BLOCK WHEREBY, WHEN THE BLOCK IS PLACE ON A CURVED SURFACE WITH THE GROOVES ADJACENT TO THE SURFACE AND PRESSURE IS APPLIED THERETO, THE BLOCK WILL FLEX ALONG SAID GROOVES AND WILL CONFORM TO THE SURFACE, SAID GROOVES HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WALLS SPACED APART AT SUCH DISTANCE THAT WHEN THE BLOCK IS SO FLEXED THE SAID SURFACES ARE CONVERGENT WITH THE EDGES OF THE GROOVES BROUGHT TOGETHER AT THE FACE OF THE BLOCK OPPOSITE FROM THAT TO WHICH THE SAID SHEET IS ADHERED, SAID SHEET RETAINING THE BLOCK AS A SINGLE, INTEGRATED UNIT WHEN IT IS FLEXED ALONG THE GROOVES WITH ENTRAPPED AIR IN SAID GROOVES FORMING DEAD AIR SPACES, AND A LAYER OF THE BLOCK MATERIAL SEPARATING THE GROOVES FROM THE SAID SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.