Mold for producing three-dimensional decorative articles and method of use
AssigneeAlex Toys, LLC
InventorLiah Caspi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Three-dimensional decorative articles are produced from blanks of heat-shrinkable plastic sheet material, using a mold base having an outer surface with a recess over which a blank is placed, and a convex mold insert that moves into the recess by gravity as the blank softens and cooperates with the interior wall of the recess to shape the sheet material into a three-dimensional decorative article. A guide peg extends outward from the bottom of the recess past the outer surface of the mold base and extends through a hole formed in the blank, and through a guide hole in the mold insert to support the mold insert before heating and to guide the mold insert as it moves into the recess of the mold base.
Claims17
A mold for use in producing three-dimensional decorative articles from flat blanks composed of heat-shrinkable plastic sheet material, each said blank having first and second opposite sides and at least one opening extending from said first side to said second side, the mold comprising:
- a mold base having a top surface and at least one concave recess in said top surface, said concave recess having an upwardly facing bottom, said bottom having a lowermost part;
- a guide peg fixed to said upwardly facing bottom at said lowermost part and extending upward from said bottom and beyond said top surface;
- and
- a mold insert having a convex mold portion insertable into said recess, and a guide hole having an opening in said convex mold portion for receiving said guide peg,
- wherein at least a part of said convex mold portion surrounding said opening of the guide hole has a tip surrounding said opening of the guide hole, and is shaped so that it is substantially uniformly spaced from an opposed bottom portion of said concave recess when the convex mold portion is inserted into said recess and said tip is located at a predetermined distance from said lowermost part of the upwardly facing bottom of the recess.
A method of making a three-dimensional decorative article from a flat blank composed of heat-shrinkable plastic sheet material, said blank having first and second opposite sides, the method utilizing a mold comprising:
- a mold base having an outer surface, and a concave recess in said surface, said recess having a bottom;
- and
- a mold insert having a convex mold portion insertable into said recess, at least a part of said convex mold portion being shaped so that it can be substantially uniformly spaced from said bottom of said concave recess when the convex mold portion is inserted into said recess by a predetermined distance;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- positioning said flat blank with a part of its second side in engagement with said outer surface of the mold base and with a part of said flat blank overlying said recess;
- bringing said convex mold portion into contact with said part of the flat blank;
- heating said mold and said flat blank and thereby softening and shrinking said flat blank;
- while heating said mold and said flat blank, causing said convex mold portion to enter said recess and push said flat blank into said recess, and thereby causing said flat blank to be formed to a condition in which its first side becomes concave and conforms to the convex mold portion of the mold insert, while the second side of the flat blank becomes convex and conforms to said bottom of said concave recess of the mold base;
- cooling said mold and said formed blank, thereby allowing the formed blank to harden;
- and
- removing the formed blank from the mold.
A method of making a three-dimensional decorative article from a flat blank composed of heat-shrinkable plastic sheet material, said blank having first and second opposite sides and at least one opening extending from said first side to said second side, the method utilizing a mold comprising:
- a mold base having a top surface and at least one concave recess in said top surface, said concave recess having an upwardly facing bottom, said bottom having a lowermost part;
- a guide peg fixed to said upwardly facing bottom at said lowermost part and extending upward from said bottom and beyond said top surface;
- and
- a mold insert having a convex mold portion insertable into said recess, and a guide hole having an opening in said convex mold portion for receiving said guide peg;
- wherein at least a part of said convex mold portion surrounding said opening of the guide hole has a tip surrounding said opening of the guide hole, and is shaped so that it is substantially uniformly spaced from an opposed bottom portion of said concave recess when the convex mold portion is inserted into said recess and said tip is located at a predetermined distance from said lowermost part of the upwardly facing bottom of the recess;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- forming an assembly from said mold base, said flat blank and said mold insert, by inserting said guide peg through said opening in the flat blank and causing said flat blank to rest on said top surface of the mold base with a part of said second side of the flat blank in contact with the top surface of the mold base whereby an upper part of the guide peg protrudes beyond said first side of the flat blank, causing the guide peg to enter said opening of said guide hole, and causing the mold insert to rest on the first side of the flat blank with the guide peg extending at least part way through said guide hole;
- heating said assembly and thereby causing said flat blank to soften and shrink, whereby said mold insert is moved by gravitational force so that its convex portion enters said recess, and causes said flat blank to be formed to a condition in which its first side becomes concave and conforms to the convex portion of the mold insert, while the second side of the flat blank becomes convex and conforms to the upwardly facing bottom of said concave recess of the mold base;
- cooling said assembly, thereby allowing the formed blank to harden;
- removing said mold insert from the mold base;
- and
- removing the formed blank from the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.