Honeycomb structure with band joined folded material and method of making same
AssigneeHunter Douglas Inc.
InventorRichard N. Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A honeycomb structure formed of a continuous length of foldable material having its longitudinal edges folded over one side of the material and secured to a separate strip material. The strip material is also secured to the adjacent cell of the structure. In forming the honeycomb structure, a continuous length of material is fed longitudinally as the edges thereof are folded over onto one side. The strip material is then fed over the folded material and the edges of the strip material are secured to the folded edges of the continuous length of material. The combined structure is then directed into a loop whereby the center portion of the strip material comes into engagement with the other side of the continuous length of material and secured thereto to form the overlying cells.
Claims20
In an expandable honeycomb structure constructed of foldable material and defined by a plurality of longitudinally extending cells, one on top of the other, each pair of adjacent cells being interconnected and each cell having a longitudinally extending front face and a longitudinally extending back face, the improvement wherein:
- (a) the material which interconnects the adjacent cells is a strip of material separate from said foldable material and extending longitudinally of the cells;
- and
- (b) each cell is constructed with the foldable material having its opposite longitudinal edges folded over one side of the material and connected to said strip material.
The method of fabricating an expandable honeycomb structure comprising the steps of:
- (a) continuously feeding a continuous length of foldable material longitudinally of said length;
- (b) progressively folding both longitudinal edges of the length of foldable material over one side thereof;
- (c) progressively feeding a length of strip material in the same direction as the foldable material and into overlying relation with said one side thereof;
- (d) feeding the folded length of material with the overlying strip material into a continuous loop in a stacking area with successive portions thereof overlying preceeding portions to form a plurality of adjacent stacked layers;
- (e) connecting the strip material to the folded over edges of the foldable material;
- (f) connecting the strip material to the overlying layer in said loop to form a unitary stack of closed expandable cells;
- and
- (g) severing the layers of the loop into at least one unitary stack of cells of finite length.
The method of fabricating an expandable honeycomb structure comprising the steps of:
- (a) continuously feeding a continuous length of foldable material longitudinally of said length;
- (b) progressively folding both longitudinal edges of the length of foldable material over one side thereof;
- (c) progressively feeding a length of strip material in the same direction as the foldable material and over said one side thereof;
- (d) progressively aligning both longitudinal edges of the length of foldable material in overlapping alignment with the longitudinal edges of the strip material to leave at least a center longitudinally extending section of the strip material exposed;
- (e) feeding the folded length of foldable material with the strip material into a continuous loop in a stacking area with successive portions thereof overlying preceding portions to form a plurality of adjacent stacked layers;
- (f) connecting the aligned edges of the foldable material and the strip material together;
- (g) connecting the exposed section of the strip material to the overlying layer to form a unitary stack of closed expandable cells;
- and
- (h) severing the layers of the loop into at least one unitary stack of cells of finite length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.