Method for manufacturing an expandable collapsible product
AssigneeHunter Douglas Inc.
InventorCraig A. Neff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An expandable collapsible product is made by providing a pleated sheet (8,10) having legs (20) which are made by securing two parts of a fold (17) together. Two sheets are combined by securing the end of a leg (20) to a crease (16) or a leg (20) of an opposite sheet. The sheet material is folded to preferably provide alternating taller folds (17) and shorter folds (16), and the taller folds are modified to provide the legs (20) by gluing parts of the taller folds (17) together. Gluing is accomplished by moving glue heads across the sheet at high velocity through the use of linear motors. The glue lines are heated after being laid down by the use of electro-magnetic radiation, preferably from a high-powered laser. The finished product is used as insulated window coverings, or the like.
Claims11
A method of manufacturing an integral expandable, collapsible product having a row of parallelly arranged, transversely extending hollow cells therein, comprising the steps of:
- folding a first sheet of flexible material to form a folded first sheet having a plurality of transverse folds therein, said plurality of transverse folds of said folded first sheet including a plurality of first folds which project to one side of the folded first sheet and a plurality of second folds which project to the other side of the folded first sheet, wherein the first folds alternate with the second folds such that adjacent ones of said transverse folds of the folded first sheet project to opposite sides of the folded first sheet;
- folding a second sheet of flexible material to form a folded second sheet having a plurality of transverse folds therein, said plurality of transverse folds of said folded second sheet including a plurality of first folds which project to one side of the folded second sheet and a plurality of second folds which project to the other side of the folded second sheet, wherein the first folds alternate with the second folds such that adjacent ones of said transverse folds of the folded second sheet project to opposite sides of the folded second sheet;
- forming a plurality of first legs on said folded first sheet, each of said first legs being formed by securing portions of said folded first sheet together adjacent one of the second folds, whereby each of said first legs projects from the same side of the folded first sheet;
- feeding said folded first sheet and said folded second sheet toward one another such that said first legs of said folded first sheet project toward said folded second sheet and the second folds of said folded second sheet project toward the folded first sheet;
- and then
- securing each of said first legs of said folded first sheet to a respective second fold of said folded second sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.