# US 8,465,617 B2 · Waste-free method of making window treatments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,465,617 B2 - Document ID: US8465617B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/212,260 - Filed: 2008-09-17 - Published: 2010-03-18 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2008-09-17 - Assignees: Comfortex Corporation - Applicants: James Barss - Inventors: James Barss - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465617B2 ## CPC - E06B 9/266: Devices or accessories for making or mounting lamellar blinds or parts thereof {(cleaning of lamellar blinds A47L4/00; joining plastics plates for making venetian blinds B29C66/437)} - B29C 65/483: {Reactive adhesives, e.g. chemically curing adhesives} - B29C 65/524: {by applying the adhesive from an outlet device in contact with, or almost in contact with, the surface of the part to be joined} - B29C 65/7891: {of discontinuously moving sheets or webs} - B29C 66/112: {Single lapped joints} - B29C 66/1122: {Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints (B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence)} - B29C 66/131: {Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area} - B29C 66/1312: {Single flange to flange joints, the parts to be joined being rigid (the parts to be joined being flexible B29C66/133)} - B29C 66/437: {Joining plastics plates for making venetian blinds (making venetian blinds in general E06B9/266)} - B29C 66/729: {Textile or other fibrous material made from plastics} - B29C 66/8242: {Pneumatic or hydraulic drives (using fluid pressure directly acting on the parts to be joined B29C66/8266)} - B29C 66/8322: {Joining or pressing tools reciprocating along one axis} - E06B 9/0692: {comprising flexible sheets as closing screen} - E06B 9/386: Details of lamellae - B29C 65/4835: {Heat curing adhesives} - B29C 66/71: {characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined (welding bar compositions B29C65/125)} - B29C 66/721: {Fibre-reinforced materials (B29C66/729 takes precedence)} - B29C 66/7294: {Non woven mats, e.g. felt} - B29K 2067/00: Use of polyesters {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material - Y10T 156/1052: with cutting, punching, tearing or severing - Y10T 156/1056: Perforating lamina - Y10T 156/1062: Prior to assembly - Y10T 156/1075: of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina - E06B: FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES (shades or blinds for greenhouses A01G9/22; curtains A47H; lids for car boots or bonnets B62D25/10; skylights E04B7/18; sunshades, awnings E04F10/00) - 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) - B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An apparatus and method are disclosed for forming cellular or non-cellular window shades directly from raw stock to the final desired window shade color, height and width to fit a particular window size, with essentially no wasted material. The shade is fabricated from a bonded array of a predetermined number of stacked, identically shaped and sized, elements or preforms of uniform length corresponding to one of the height or width dimensions of the desired window covering. The number of preforms is selected so that the length of the fully expanded array will correspond with the other of the height or width dimensions of the window covering. The raw stock is in the form of a continuously fed narrow strip of uncolored fabric to which the necessary coloring, folding, cutting-to-length, stacking and bonding steps are applied within the disclosed apparatus. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of making a plurality of foldable, collapsible window shades, each shade formed of a plurality of elongated preforms cut from a continuously moving narrow strip of elongated flexible material and subsequently stacked and bonded together to form a respective continuous array, comprising: depositing colorant onto a first portion of said moving continuous strip of flexible material; thereafter cutting said first portion of moving colorant-coated strip into at least one set of preforms, each preform having a first combination of color, pattern and length, and each set of such preforms, when stacked and bonded together, forming a continuous array having the color, pattern, height and width substantially corresponding to a first customer-specified shade; successively stacking at least one individual preform against a temporary support to form a partial set of stacked preforms; transferring said partial set of stacked preforms from said temporary support to a primary support while continuing to successively stack the immediately following preforms against said primary support until said set is complete; removing said completed set from said primary support while successively stacking against said temporary support at least one of the initial individual preforms of the immediately following set that accumulate during said removal step to create a second partial set of stacked preforms; and then transferring said second partial set of preforms from said temporary support to said primary support while continuing to successively stack the next following individual preforms against said primary support until said second set is complete; thereafter, without interruption of the continuous movement of said continuous strip, repeating said depositing and cutting steps on a second portion of said moving strip to produce a second set of preforms, each preform of said second set having a second combination of color, pattern and length different from said first combination, and such second set of preforms, when stacked and bonded together, forming a continuous array having the color, pattern, height and width substantially corresponding to a second customer-specified shade. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second customer-specified shades have different specified widths. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second shades have different specified heights. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second customer-specified shades have different specified combinations of color and pattern. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of wasted strip material is less than about 15% of the total length of colorant-coated strip material cut from said portions of said continuous strip. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the bonding of said preforms to form said arrays is achieved by exposing said arrays to a field of radio frequency energy that cures said bonding material, said radio frequency energy being tuned to selectively heat said bonding material without heating the flexible material sufficiently to cause noticeable distortion thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said strip is a composite of at least two strips of dissimilar materials joined to each other along a longitudinal joint there between. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of wasted strip material is less than about 20% of salable colored cellular material. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein adhesive is deposited on said first and second portions of said moving continuous strip prior to said cutting step. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second customer-specified shades have different specified widths and different specified combinations of color and pattern. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 comprising the additional step of assembling said continuous arrays to top and bottom rails of respective lengths corresponding to the widths of said first and second customer-specified shades to form said respective shades. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein each partial set of stacked preforms is transferred directly from said temporary support to said primary support by withdrawing said temporary support from the partial set after said removal of the preceding completed set from said primary support. ### Claim 13 A method of making a plurality of foldable, collapsible window shades, each shade formed of a plurality of elongated preforms cut from a continuously moving narrow strip of elongated flexible material and subsequently stacked and bonded together to form a respective continuous array, comprising: depositing colorant onto a first portion of said moving continuous strip of flexible material; thereafter cutting said first portion of moving colorant-coated strip into at least one set of preforms, each preform having a first combination of color, pattern and length, and each set of such preforms, when stacked and bonded together, forming a continuous array having the color, pattern, height and width substantially corresponding to a first customer-specified shade; successively stacking at least one individual preform against a temporary support to form a partial set of stacked preforms; transferring said partial set of stacked preforms from said temporary support to a primary support while continuing to successively stack the immediately following preforms against said primary support until said set is complete; removing said completed set from said primary support while successively stacking against said temporary support at least one of the initial individual preforms of the immediately following set that accumulate during said removal step to create a second partial set of stacked preforms; and then transferring said second partial set of preforms from said temporary support to said primary support while continuing to successively stack the next following individual preforms against said primary support until said second set is complete; thereafter, without interruption of the continuous movement of said continuous strip, repeating said depositing and cutting steps on a second portion of said moving strip to produce a second set of preforms, each preform of said second set having a second combination of color, pattern and length which differs from said first combination in both length and at least one of either color and pattern, and such second set of preforms, when stacked and bonded together, forming a continuous array having the color, pattern, height and width substantially corresponding to a second customer-specified shade; and assembling said continuous arrays to top and bottom rails that have been cut to respective lengths corresponding to the widths of said first and second customer-specified shades; whereby said plurality of customer-specified shades are formed with substantially no wasted colorant-coated strip material that is not part of said plurality of shades. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein said first and second customer-specified shades have different specified widths. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein said first and second shades have different specified heights. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein said first and second customer-specified shades have different specified combinations of color and pattern. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein said first and second customer-specified shades have different specified widths and different specified combinations of color and pattern. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein each partial set of stacked preforms is transferred directly from said temporary support to said primary support by withdrawing said temporary support from the partial set after said removal of the preceding completed set from said primary support. ### Claim 19 A method of making a foldable, collapsible window shade having a first customer-specified height and width, and a customer-specified pattern, border or image the completeness of which is only revealed by the fully deployed shade, the shade being formed of a plurality of elongated preforms cut from a continuously moving narrow strip of elongated flexible material and subsequently stacked and bonded together to form a continuous array, and wherein said array comprises at least two preforms whose color or pattern differ from each other, comprising: dividing said pattern, border or image into horizontal segments of uniform height; sequentially depositing colorant corresponding to said respective segments of pattern, border or image onto said moving strip of said flexible material; thereafter cutting said strip to preforms of predetermined lengths; successively stacking at least one individual preform against a temporary support to form a partial set of stacked preforms; transferring said partial set of stacked preforms from said temporary support to a primary support while continuing to successively stack the immediately following preforms against said primary support until said set is complete; removing said completed set from said primary support while successively stacking against said temporary support at least one of the initial individual preforms of the immediately following set that accumulate during said removal step to create a second partial set of stacked preforms; and then transferring said second partial set of preforms from said temporary support to said primary support while continuing to successively stack the next following individual preforms against said primary support until said second set is complete; and wherein stacking said preforms in the sequence necessary to generate the fully integrated customer-specified pattern, border or image, and bonding together all of said preforms to form a single continuous array having height and width substantially corresponding to the customer-specified shade. ### Claim 20 The method of 19 wherein a second foldable, collapsible shade having a second customer-specified pattern, border or image, the completeness of which is only revealed by the fully deployed shade, is produced from said continuously moving strip without interruption of the movement of said strip, by repeating said dividing, depositing, cutting, stacking, and bonding steps on at least one additional portion of said moving strip of said flexible material, to form a second continuous array having a height and width substantially corresponding to a customer-specified shade. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20 wherein the height and width combinations of said first and second shades are different. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20 comprising the additional step of assembling said continuous arrays to top and bottom rails of respective lengths corresponding to the widths of said first and second customer-specified shades to form said respective shades. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 whereby said first and second shades are formed with substantially no wasted colorant-coated strip material that is not part of said shades. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein the quantity of wasted strip material is less than about 15% of the total length of colorant-coated strip material cut from said continuous strip. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein the quantity of wasted strip material is less than about 20% of salable colored cellular material.