# US 5,330,290 A · Levee gate and process for the production thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,330,290 A - Document ID: US5330290A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/020,199 - Filed: 1993-02-19 - Granted: 1994-07-19 - Earliest claimed: 1992-03-09 - Inventors: John F. Hogan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5330290A ## CPC - B29C 65/02: by heating, with or without pressure - B29C 48/10: flexible, e.g. blown foils - B29C 65/10: using hot gases {(e.g. combustion gases) or flames coming in contact with at least one of the parts to be joined} - B29C 65/74: by welding and severing {, or by joining and severing, the severing being performed in the area to be joined, next to the area to be joined, in the joint area or next to the joint area} - B29C 66/1122: {Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints (B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence)} - B29C 66/4322: {by joining a single sheet to itself (B29C66/4332 takes precedence)} - B29C 66/836: {Moving relative to and tangentially to the parts to be joined, e.g. transversely to the displacement of the parts to be joined, e.g. using a X-Y table (B29C66/65 takes precedence)} - B29C 69/001: {a shaping technique combined with cutting, e.g. in parts or slices combined with rearranging and joining the cut parts (for reinforced material B29C70/545; B29C49/4278, B29C51/268 take precedence)} - B29C 48/0018: {combined with shaping by orienting, stretching or shrinking, e.g. film blowing (B29C48/0017 takes precedence)} - B29C 48/0019: {combined with shaping by flattening, folding or bending} - B29C 48/0022: {combined with cutting} - B29C 66/71: {characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined (welding bar compositions B29C65/125)} - B29C 2791/00: Shaping characteristics in general - B29C 2793/00: Shaping techniques involving a cutting or machining operation - B29C 2793/0063: Cutting longitudinally - B29L 2023/001: {Tubular films, sleeves} - B29L 2023/005: {Hoses, i.e. flexible} - Y10T 156/1056: Perforating lamina - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A levee gate and the process for the production thereof. The levee gate of the invention includes a rectangular sheet of thermoplastic material with a rectangular sleeve located on one edge of the thermoplastic material, the rectangular sleeve being a portion of the rectangular sheet fused to the rectangular sheet. The process for the production of the levee gate includes extruding a cylindrical tube of thermoplastic material, inflating the cylindrical tube as it is extruded to provide an inflated length of tube, flattening the inflated length of tube without fusing the opposed walls of the tube to each other, and continuously fusing a portion of the opposed walls together to form a seam. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A product produced by the process comprising: a. extruding a cylindrical tube of thermoplastic material, b. inflating said cylindrical tube as it is extruded to provide an inflated length of said cylindrical tube, c. flattening the inflated length of tube without fusing opposed walls of said tube to each other to form two opposed rectangular sheets, d. continuously fusing a portion of the opposed walls of said two rectangular sheets together, said portion which is fused forming a seam, said seam forming a sleeve along one edge of said two rectangular sheets, and e. continuously perforating a plurality of holes in one of said rectangular sheets. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The product of claim 1 wherein said plurality of holes are aligned in a line parallel to said seam. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The product of claim 2 wherein said plurality of holes are made in said rectangular sheet by perforating disc means. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The product of claim 3 wherein said disc means has teeth means thereon for perforating one of said two rectangular sheets. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The product of claim 1 wherein said fusing comprises blowing hot air onto a portion of the opposed walls of said two rectangular sheets to form said seam. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The product of claim 1 wherein said seam is aligned parallel to the direction in which said rectangular sheets are moving. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The product of claim 1 wherein a second portion of the opposed walls of said two rectangular sheets is continuously fused together, said second portion which is fused forming a second seam parallel to said seam, said second seam forming a second sleeve along one edge of said two rectangular sheets. ### Claim 8 A thermoplastic levee gate for preventing soil erosion of earthen levees produced by the process comprising: a. extruding a cylindrical tube of thermoplastic material, b. inflating said cylindrical tube as it is extruded to provided an inflated length of said cylindrical tube, c. flattening the inflated length of tube without fusing opposed walls of said tube to each other to form two opposed rectangular sheets, d. continuously fusing a portion of the opposed walls of said two rectangular sheets together, said portion which is fused forming a seam, said seam forming a sleeve along one edge of said two rectangular sheets, e. continuously fusing a second portion of the opposed walls of said two rectangular sheets together, said second portion which is fused forming a second seam parallel to said seam, said second seam forming a second sleeve along one edge of said two rectangular sheets, and continuously perforating a plurality of holes in each of said rectangular sheets. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The product of claim 8 wherein said fusing comprises blowing hot air onto a portion of the opposed walls of said two rectangular sheets to form said seam. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The product of claim 8 wherein said seam is aligned parallel to the direction in which said rectangular sheets are moving. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The product of claim 8 wherein said plurality of holes in each of said rectangular sheets are aligned in a line parallel to said seam. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The product of claim 11, wherein said plurality of holes are made in said rectangular sheets by two perforating disc means. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The product of claim 12 wherein each of said disc means has teeth means thereon for perforating one of said two rectangular sheets. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The product of claim 13 wherein said thermoplastic material is polyethylene.