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US RE42,689 E1Granted
Flexible material
AssigneeStirling Mouldings Limited
InventorDavid Stirling Taylor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible material includes a plurality of separate resilient elements joined to a flexible, resiliently stretchable substrate. Such a material is suitable for providing protective war for human and animal bodies. Preferably, the elements includes a foam material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam and the substrate includes a knitted fabric. In an advantageous embodiment, a second flexible substrate is bonded over the elements to sandwich them between the two layers of substrate.
Claims40
A method of manufacturing a flexible material comprising the steps of
- providing a sheet of a resilient material;
- cutting the sheet into a plurality of spaced separate elements using a cutter which is pressed into the sheet to cut therethrough;
- making one side of the plurality of spaced separate elements to stand proud of a surface of a jig provided to hold the elements in place;
- and
- bonding a flexible resiliently stretchable substrate to one side of the separate elements by heating the substrate either to activate an adhesive applied between said one side of the separate elements and the substrate or to weld the separate elements to the substrate.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material, the method comprising:
- providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- cutting a sheet of resiliently compressible foam with a cutter that goes completely through the foam to provide an array of a plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible elements in a spaced apart relationship, the individual elements having a top surface and bottom surface in an array of top surfaces and bottom surfaces;
- providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- contacting the top surfaces and the bottom surfaces of the plurality of resiliently compressible elements with the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates;
- and
- bonding the top and bottom surfaces of compressible elements to the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates while the elements are held in a spaced apart relation with spaces of about 2 mm between the elements, the bonding selected from the group consisting of adhesively bonding and welding, the fabric substrates not bonded to each other in the spaces of about 2 mm and to provide the flexible resiliently compressible material with the elements being distributed between the substrates at a density of from about 250 to about 8000 elements/m2.
3 more elements
A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material, the method comprising:
- providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- cutting a sheet of resiliently compressible foam with a cutting grid that goes completely through the foam to provide an array of a plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible elements in a spaced apart relationship, the individual elements having a top surface and a bottom surface in an array of top surfaces and bottom surfaces and which top surfaces and bottom surfaces are flat;
- providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- contacting the top surfaces and the bottom surfaces of the plurality of resiliently compressible elements with the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates;
- holding the resiliently compressible elements in spaced relation in an array created by the cutting grid after the cutting grid cuts the resiliently compressible foam;
- and
- bonding the top and bottom surfaces of compressible elements to the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates while the elements are held in a spaced apart relation with spaces of about 2 mm between the elements, the bonding selected from the group consisting of adhesively bonding and welding, the fabric substrates not bonded to each other in the spaces of about 2 mm and to provide the flexible resiliently compressible material with the elements being distributed between the substrates at a density of from about 250 to about 8000 elements/m2.
4 more elements
A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material, the method comprising:
- providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- cutting a sheet of resiliently compressible foam with a cutting grid that goes completely through the foam to provide an array of a plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible elements in a spaced apart relationship, the individual elements having a top surface and a bottom surface in an array of top surfaces and bottom surfaces, the array of compressible elements standing proud with the top surfaces above a grid created by the cutting grid that went through the elements;
- providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- holding the resiliently compressible elements in spaced relation in the array of the plurality of separate spaced apart elements after cutting the resiliently compressible foam such that the elements stand proud;
- and
- bonding the top surfaces of the compressible elements to one of the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates while the elements stand proud and are held in a spaced apart relation with spaces of about 2 mm between the elements to provide a fabric/element combination, bonding one of the first and second fabric substrates to the fabric/element combination to provide the resiliently compressible material, the bonding selected from the group consisting of adhesively bonding and welding, the fabric substrates of the resiliently compressible material not bonded to each other in the spaces of about 2 mm and the elements being distributed between the substrates at a density of from about 250 to about 8000 elements/m2.
3 more elements
A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material, the method comprising:
- providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- cutting a sheet of resiliently compressible foam with a cutter that goes completely through the foam to provide an array of a plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible elements in a spaced apart relationship, the individual elements having a top surface and a bottom surface in an array of top surfaces and an array of bottom surfaces, the array of compressible elements standing proud in a grid which acts as a jig;
- holding the resiliently compressible elements in spaced relation in the array of the plurality of separate spaced apart elements after cutting the resiliently compressible foam such that the elements stand proud;
- providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;
- and
- bonding one of the top and bottom arrays of surfaces of the compressible elements to one of the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates while the elements stand proud in the grid and are held in a spaced apart relation with spaces of about 2 mm between the elements to provide a fabric/element combination, bonding one of the fabric substrates to the fabric/element combination to provide the resiliently compressible material, the bonding selected from the group consisting of adhesively bonding and welding, the fabric substrates of the resiliently compressible material not bonded to each other in the spaces of about 2 mm and with the elements being distributed between the substrates at a density of from about 250 to about 8000 elements/m2.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.