Thermoplastic slats for blinds and the manufacturing thereof
OwnerMarco-Carmine Franco, Sandro Francoinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of applying a decorative color to a thermoplastic strip suited for use to produce slats for blinds is characterized by the use of a heat sensitive printing paper of the type normally used to color the fabric material from which valances are generally made. By using that type of color transferring medium to color the thermoplastic slats it becomes possible, for instance, to manufacture blind slats having the same color as the fabric valance to be hung decoratively from the window for which the blind is to be installed. There is also disclosed a blind structure for attenuating the flapping noise produced when the slats enter in contact with each other.
Claims20
A method of reproducing the color of a given fabric product on a thermoplastic substrate, comprising the steps of:
- providing a color transfer medium of a same type as the one used for coloring the fabric product, said color transfer medium including a continuous web of heat sensitive printing paper having a colorant thereon corresponding to the color of the fabric product;
- providing a pair of lamination rollers defining a nip therebetween;
- advancing a continuous thermoplastic substrate and said continuous web of heat sensitive printing paper through said nip to press said heat sensitive printing paper against a first surface of said thermoplastic substrate at a sufficiently elevated temperature to cause transfer of said colorant from said heat sensitive printing paper to said thermoplastic substrate, wherein said web of heat sensitive printing paper supplied to said nip has only a slight tension therein;
- and separating said thermoplastic substrate from said web of heat sensitive printing paper.
A blind comprising a succession of slats, each said slat comprising a structural strip and a layer of soft material applied at a location thereon to act as a damper to reduce the noise resulting from collisions between adjacent ones of said slats.
A blind slat comprising a structural base layer, a decorative layer applied on one side of said structural base layer, and a pair of lateral lips secured on said decorative layer so as to extend over opposed longitudinal sides thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.