US 6,712,311 B2Granted

Apparatus for manufacturing an adjustable covering for architectural openings

AssigneeHunter Douglas Inc.

InventorsWendell B. Colson, David Hartman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for fabricating a laminate product having a pair of sheet materials spaced by a plurality of flexible parallel vanes which are secured to the sheet material so that planar movement of the sheet materials in opposite directions cause the vanes to shift between open and closed positions. The vane material is formed from a web of material by dyeing the material, drying the dyed material, applying spaced longitudinally extending lines of adhesive on opposite faces of the material, and cutting the material into a plurality of side-by-side strips with each strip having a bead of adhesive on each face and along opposite side edges. The cut material with adhesive applied thereto is taken up on a transfer roll and moved to a vane/strip handling station where the strips of material are processed and delivered to a laminating station in parallel overlapping relationship with each other. The laminating station feeds the sheets of material above and below the strips to form the laminate before passing it through the laminating station where the adhesive is first heat activated to bond the component parts of the covering product together, and subsequently cooled to cure the adhesive. The resultant product is wrapped around a take-up roller for delivery to a remote location where the product can be cut to size and operably connected to a control system to form the final covering product for an architectural opening.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A system for handling a plurality of continuous strips of flexible material and delivering said strips along paths of travel in parallel partially overlapped relationship to a receiving location, said receiving location defining a first reference line perpendicular to said strips as they are delivered to said receiving location, said system including a frame defining a second reference line that if it were in a horizontal plane with said first reference line would form an acute angle with said first reference line, at least one multi-layer roll of a plurality of said strips with the strips in each layer being disposed in coplanar relationship with each other and positioned along said second reference line, said second reference line having a first end and a second end with the first end being closer to said first reference line than said second end, a first plurality of strip guide members, each strip guide member having a length dimension correlated with the width of each of said strips, the length dimension of said strip guide members being disposed parallel to each other and to said second reference line but disposed relative to each other along a third reference line that if it were in a vertical plane with said second reference line would form an acute angle with said second reference line, the referenced angles between said first and second reference lines and said second and third reference lines being the same, and wherein said third reference line has a first end and a second end with the first end of said second and third reference lines being closer togther than said second ends, and a second plurality of strip guide members having a length dimension correlated with the width of each of said strips, the length dimension of said second plurality of strip guide members being disposed parallel to said first reference line but being disposed relative to each other along a fourth reference line parallel to said second reference line, said second plurality of strip guide members being in partially overlapped relationship with each other so as to partially overlap said strips of material as they pass thereacross, whereby said strips are delivered to said receiving location in overlapped relationship.

a frame defining a second reference line that if it were in a horizontal plane with said first reference line would form an acute angle with said first reference line, at least one multi-layer roll of said strips with the strips in each layer being disposed in coplanar relationship to each other and positioned along and parallel to said second reference line such that successive strips in one direction along said second reference line are horizontally spaced progressively further away from said first reference line,
a first set of guide members having a length dimension on said frame associated individually with said strips, said first set of guide members being disposed along a line for regulating said paths of travel such that each strip travels an equal distance from said supply roll to said receiving location,
a second set of guide members having a length dimension on said frame associated individually with said strips, said second set of guide members including individual guide members whose length dimensions are disposed at an angle relative to the length dimensions of said guide members of the first set such that adjacent strips passing thereover are caused to be overlapped.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/100,799Filed 18 Mar 2002 · division
Priority: 22 Jun 1998
Published: US 2002/0100414 A11 Aug 2002
Granted: 30 Mar 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification32 codes

E06B 9/266
Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds: devices or accessories for making or mounting lamellar blinds or parts thereof
B29C 65/18
By heating, with or without pressure: using heated tools
B29C 65/4815
Non-reactive adhesives, e.g. physically hardening adhesives: hot melt adhesives, e.g. thermoplastic adhesives
B29C 65/5057
Using adhesive tape , e.g. thermoplastic tape; using threads or the like: positioned between the surfaces to be joined

Family

Application09/102,975Parent of this division · filed 22 Jun 1998
Application09/680,769Parent of this division · filed 6 Oct 2000
US 2002/0100414 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Aug 2002
US 6,382,128 B1Parent of this division
US 6,152,068 AParent of this division
US 6,712,311 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.