US 5,183,672 AGranted

Apparatus for forming at least one fold line pattern in a rigid plastic material

AssigneesGary W. Fetterhoff, James M. Park

InventorsGary W. Fetterhoff, William R. Blake

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Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for making a substantially rigid plastic material having at least one fold line pattern with a series of generally parallel grooves, wherein preferably groove depth increases from the outside to the middle of the pattern. The apparatus includes a frame, a conveyor system for moving the plastic material along a linear path, a feeder situated at an upstream end of the conveyor system and adapted to position the plastic material on the conveyor system, a heater situated downstream of the feeder adapted to heat the area to be embossed with the fold line pattern to a temperature sufficient to form the fold line pattern, and an embosser having a knurled flat roller and a cooperating embossing roller having a series of ridges suitable for embossing the fold pattern.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An apparatus for embossing onto a length of material moving along a linear path at least one fold line pattern comprising a series of generally parallel grooves, the apparatus comprising:

a frame;
a means for moving said material along a linear path;
a means for feeding said material, said feeding means being situated at an upstream end of the conveyor system and located to position the said material on the moving means;
a means for heating said material, said heating means being situated downstream of the feeding means and located to heat the area to be embossed with the fold line pattern to a temperature sufficient to form the fold line pattern;
and
a means for embossing said plastic material, said embossing means comprising a knurled flat roller and a cooperating embossing roller comprising a series of ridges suitable for embossing the fold pattern.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.