EP0380271B1 - Sheer fabric honeycomb shade production using release liner material - Google Patents
Sheer fabric honeycomb shade production using release liner material Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0380271B1 EP0380271B1 EP19900300638 EP90300638A EP0380271B1 EP 0380271 B1 EP0380271 B1 EP 0380271B1 EP 19900300638 EP19900300638 EP 19900300638 EP 90300638 A EP90300638 A EP 90300638A EP 0380271 B1 EP0380271 B1 EP 0380271B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- adhesive
- strip
- strips
- sheet material
- cells
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 title claims description 66
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 title claims description 41
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 title claims description 16
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims description 65
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims description 65
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 28
- 230000001413 cellular effect Effects 0.000 claims description 14
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000002243 precursor Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 210000004027 cell Anatomy 0.000 description 26
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000011324 bead Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000005470 impregnation Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004026 adhesive bonding Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000012943 hotmelt Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 2
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 230000003068 static effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004831 Hot glue Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003054 catalyst Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000003850 cellular structure Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000008021 deposition Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005538 encapsulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001747 exhibiting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003292 glue Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000004209 hair Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005304 joining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013008 moisture curing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012466 permeate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920001296 polysiloxane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004447 silicone coating Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012209 synthetic fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920002994 synthetic fiber Polymers 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
- B31D3/00—Making articles of cellular structure, e.g. insulating board
- B31D3/02—Making articles of cellular structure, e.g. insulating board honeycombed structures, i.e. the cells having an essentially hexagonal section
- B31D3/0207—Making articles of cellular structure, e.g. insulating board honeycombed structures, i.e. the cells having an essentially hexagonal section of particular shape or construction
- B31D3/0215—Making articles of cellular structure, e.g. insulating board honeycombed structures, i.e. the cells having an essentially hexagonal section of particular shape or construction for window coverings
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31F—MECHANICAL WORKING OR DEFORMATION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
- B31F5/00—Attaching together sheets, strips or webs; Reinforcing edges
- B31F5/04—Attaching together sheets, strips or webs; Reinforcing edges by exclusive use of adhesives
Definitions
- This invention relates to a method of manufacture of an improved cellular window shade. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of manufacture of an expandable and collapsible material for a cellular window shade, which consists of a number of horizontally-extending cells formed of fabric strips adhesively bonded to one another, according to which sheer fabrics not previously suited for manufacture of such shades may be employed.
- cellular shades in which the body of the shade consists of a number of identical fabric strips, folded and adhesively-bonded to one another so as to define cells.
- the cells extend transversely, but they may also be arranged vertically, or at an angle to the horizontal.
- the shade When the shade is raised, the cells are collapsed; when the shade is lowered, the cells expand.
- Such shades contain essentially static masses of air, and thus provide useful thermal insulation.
- US-A-4677013, 4685986, 4631217, 4677012 and 4676855 show further methods of manufacture of cellular shades.
- the strips may be creased to take a Z-shape, and tabs on either side of the strip are adhesively bonded to the prior and successive strips to form the completed shade structure. See also US-A-4732630 and EP-A-375146.
- the fabrics have had to have been selected such that the adhesive does not penetrate the fabric, so that the tabs from a first strip do not adhere to the strip from which they are formed, but only to the strips to which they are to be bonded; i.e., so that the interiors of the cells are not bonded closed.
- Sheer refers to fabrics which are highly translucent or are substantially transparent to visible light. Such sheer fabrics are normally relatively open weave, and are typically woven or knit of monofilament thread.
- a bead of conventional adhesive sufficient to form a good bond when employed to form cellular blinds of typical non-sheer materials is placed on these open-weave sheer fabrics, the adhesive tends to penetrate the fabric, particularly if pressure is exerted thereon to ensure a good bond.
- sheer materials are used in the normal manufacturing process, the inner walls of the cells tend mutually to adhere, which ultimately prevents the blind from opening properly. This difficulty has in fact prevented manufacture of cellular shades of sheer materials, especially fabrics, permeable to liquid adhesives, which would be highly desirable to many consumers.
- US-A-4673600 addresses this problem, and discloses how sheer materials can be formed into "honeycomb” or cellular shades and adhesively bonded by allowing the adhesive to cure while the cells are in the expanded state. This method is useful if quick-setting adhesives, e.g. hot melt adhesives, are used. However, this method poses certain constraints on the design of the cellular shade thus manufactured, and on the manufacturing processes employed.
- the prior methods may be considered to include the steps of: providing the sheet material in a strip form; folding the strip material along parallel lines in a longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the cells to be formed; applying adhesive in liquid state to one or more areas of the strips of sheet material; stacking said strips so as to bring together the parts of the strips of sheet material to be mutually adhered in direct contact to form the cells; and allowing the adhesive to cure.
- the present invention is characterised by the steps of: positioning a strip of non-bonding material with respect to the folded strip of sheet material so that during subsequent steps said non-bonding material will prevent any portion of a particular strip of sheet material permeated with adhesive from adhering to any other portions of the same strip of sheet material in a manner which would prevent formation of a cell; and removing said strips of non-bonding material after the adhesive has cured.
- the method of the invention can yield a reasonably priced product.
- Figure 1 shows the shade of the invention in the shades-open position, that is, wherein the shade is drawn letting light flow unimpeded through an accompanying window (not shown), while Figure 2 shows the corresponding shades-closed position.
- the shade of the invention comprises a number of cells indicated generally at 10 which extend transversely to the window.
- the cells are expanded, exhibiting a generally polygonal cross-section, while in the Figure 1 condition they are shown having been compressed by drawing a base member 12 upwardly.
- the arrangement of draw cords 14 shown controlling the motion of the base member 12 is strictly schematic and by no means a limitation on the invention.
- the cords pass through the centers of the cells and are invisible.
- the cells In the expanded position of Figure 2 the cells each essentially retain static air masses, which serve as very useful window insulation.
- the open ends of the cells may move within U-shaped vertical end caps to assist in retention of air therein.
- Figure 5 shows a conventional prior art construction, which may be carried out according to the teachings of US-A-4450027, in which successive strips of fabric 20 have been creased to define tabs 20a and central portions 20b.
- the tabs 20a are adhesively bonded to the central portions 20b by conventional adhesives as at 22.
- the fabric used in this prior art embodiment is not sheer and is essentially impermeable or only slightly permeable to the adhesive, such that the shade material can be manufactured simply by putting a bead of adhesive on the tabs 20a and stacking the strips such that they are aligned with the central body portions 20b of successive strips. After the adhesive has set, the material of the shade is essentially completed.
- a sheer fabric material which is typically translucent or transparent in the structure of Figure 5.
- Such materials tend to be of open weave construction to let light pass through freely and are commonly knit of woven of monofilament synthetic fibers.
- Such monofilament fibers are very smooth-surfaced, such that they do not present small hairs or sub-fibers to which the adhesive can bond.
- the open weave fabrics in general comprise relatively few fibers. Therefore, in order to form a suitable bond, the adhesive must penetrate the sheer fabric, such that when it hardens into a mass, it encapsulates the fibers of the fabric.
- a strip 28 of non-bonding material that is, a material which does not bond to the adhesive used, is interposed between the tabs 20a and the central portions 20b of the sheer fabric used.
- the adhesive is then applied as indicated at 32 to the upper surfaces of the tabs, and the assembly made as previously.
- the adhesive will normally penetrate the tabs 20a and central portions 20b, but does not bond to the non-bonding strips 28.
- the non-bonding strips 28 can be removed.
- Figures 7 and 8 show the shade formed of a sheer material according to the invention after removal of the non-bonding strips 28.
- the adhesive 30 tends to penetrate the central portions 20b of the strips but has been prevented from adhering to the corresponding tabs 20a by the presence of the non-bonding material 28 as shown in Figure 6.
- the shade is opened, as shown in Figure 8, the adhesive 30 then extends above the central portion of each strip, but does not interfere with the proper operation of the shade.
- Figure 9 shows an alternative form of "honeycomb” or cellular shade, as described for example in US-A-4676855, which can be manufactured of adhesive-permeable sheer materials according to the method of the invention.
- the basic member of the cell is a strip of material 40 creased to define an overall Z-shape, with tabs 40a on either side of a central section. The tabs of each strip are joined to the central portions of the preceding and succeeding strips. If the strips 40 are formed of a glue-permeable material, adhesive is applied, and the strips stacked, the tabs 40a will tend to be adhesively bonded to the strips from which they are formed; e.g., tab 40a will tend to be bonded to the same strip 40 at a point 40b.
- strips 42 of a non-bonding material are inserted into the interior spaces of the cells before the strips are stacked, to prevent the interiors of the cells from thus being adhesively bonded closed. Strips 42 are removed when the adhesive has at least partially cured.
- the method of the invention is similarly applicable to other honeycomb-configuration cellular shades.
- the principal steps in the practice of the invention are simply the formation of the strips by creasing them to define the tabs and central portions of cell precursors, insertion of the non-bonding material, deposition of beads or droplets of liquid adhesive along the tabs or on the corresponding mating portions of the strips, and stacking a large number of these assemblies to form the shade precursor. After exposure of the shade precursor to suitable conditions for cure of the adhesive, the strips of non-bonding material are simply removed, yielding the completed structure.
- the preferred material for the non-bonding strips may be a polyethylene plastic to which the adhesive does not bond.
- a nonstick silicone coating on the strips may be desirable in connection with certain combinations of adhesives and polyethylenes or other materials for the strip. Numerous other appropriate materials will occur to those of skill in the art.
- Various sorts of adhesives such as water activated catalyst adhesives, hot melt glues, moisture-curing hot melts and various silicones are all suitable. Adhesives applied dry and activated by heating after stacking of the strips, with or without application of pressure, may also prove useful in the future. It will be appreciated that the key is that the adhesive must penetrate the fibers of the fabric to fully encapsulate them, forming a suitable bond, and must be sufficiently viscous to remain in place during the various processing steps.
- Removal of the non-bonding strips 28 can be feasibly accomplished simply by laborers using their fingers, but obviously more mechanized approaches may also be economically feasible in some circumstances. It has been found that certain desirable fabrics are sufficiently permeable to air that it is not satisfactory to simply blow the strips of non-bonding material out from the cells thus formed.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Blinds (AREA)
- Curtains And Furnishings For Windows Or Doors (AREA)
- Decoration Of Textiles (AREA)
- Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
- Laminated Bodies (AREA)
Description
- This invention relates to a method of manufacture of an improved cellular window shade. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of manufacture of an expandable and collapsible material for a cellular window shade, which consists of a number of horizontally-extending cells formed of fabric strips adhesively bonded to one another, according to which sheer fabrics not previously suited for manufacture of such shades may be employed.
- Processes are known for manufacturing of cellular shades, in which the body of the shade consists of a number of identical fabric strips, folded and adhesively-bonded to one another so as to define cells. Typically, the cells extend transversely, but they may also be arranged vertically, or at an angle to the horizontal. When the shade is raised, the cells are collapsed; when the shade is lowered, the cells expand. Such shades contain essentially static masses of air, and thus provide useful thermal insulation.
- Conventionally, such shades are manufactured by creasing strips of fabric lengthwise to define cell precursors, and using a liquid adhesive to bond tabs thus formed on each successive strip to the central body portion of the next strip, completing the cells. US-A-4450027 shows a method of and apparatus for making such shades from continuous fabric strip material. The adhesive bonding techniques employed heretofore in the manufacture of such shades have typically involved the positioning of beads of suitable adhesive on either the tabs or the central body portion of the next strip.
- US-A-4677013, 4685986, 4631217, 4677012 and 4676855 show further methods of manufacture of cellular shades. For example, the strips may be creased to take a Z-shape, and tabs on either side of the strip are adhesively bonded to the prior and successive strips to form the completed shade structure. See also US-A-4732630 and EP-A-375146.
- All of these patents and applications thus teach adhesive bonding of tabs formed on a strip of material to a preceding strip using a liquid adhesive, or in some cases to both preceding and successive strips, to form the cells. This technique is the most practical known, but has effectively limited the types of fabrics from which such shades can be made. Specifically, the material comprising the shade is normally stacked with the cells in the collapsed position while the liquid adhesive cures. In this position, the adhesive on the tabs of each strip is normally juxtaposed to the strip from which the tabs are formed, as well as the strips to which the tabs are to be bonded. Accordingly, the fabrics have had to have been selected such that the adhesive does not penetrate the fabric, so that the tabs from a first strip do not adhere to the strip from which they are formed, but only to the strips to which they are to be bonded; i.e., so that the interiors of the cells are not bonded closed.
- This limitation on the method of forming shades shown in the patents mentioned above has been such that certain highly desirable "sheer" fabrics have not been usable. "Sheer" as used in this specification refers to fabrics which are highly translucent or are substantially transparent to visible light. Such sheer fabrics are normally relatively open weave, and are typically woven or knit of monofilament thread. When a bead of conventional adhesive sufficient to form a good bond when employed to form cellular blinds of typical non-sheer materials is placed on these open-weave sheer fabrics, the adhesive tends to penetrate the fabric, particularly if pressure is exerted thereon to ensure a good bond. Thus, if sheer materials are used in the normal manufacturing process, the inner walls of the cells tend mutually to adhere, which ultimately prevents the blind from opening properly. This difficulty has in fact prevented manufacture of cellular shades of sheer materials, especially fabrics, permeable to liquid adhesives, which would be highly desirable to many consumers.
- Various methods have been tried for adhesive manufacture of such cellular shades using sheer materials. Bands of heavier material have been knit into the sheer material at the locations where the adhesive is applied, to slow passage of the adhesive therethrough. In most cases this material was very difficult to handle and roughly twice as expensive as the plain sheer material. Using a more viscous adhesive which does not penetrate the fabric also has proven unsatisfactory.
- It appears that successful adhesive bonds between open-weave sheer fabrics, particularly those knit or woven of monofilament materials, require impregnation and solidification of the adhesive, wherein the adhesive actually penetrates through the fabric and then solidifies into a more or less solid mass encapsulating the fibers. If the adhesive is made too viscous it cannot penetrate the fabric. This is less of a problem with tightly woven conventional fabrics, where the fibers normally have many small "hairy" sub-fibers, which provide sufficient surface area to which the adhesive adheres that a good bond can be formed without encapsulation. To a considerable extent adhesives which do not permeate the fabric have been successfully employed to form cellular shades, e.g. according to the prior art patents discussed above, of opaque, non-sheer fabrics. Open-weave sheer fabrics do not provide sufficient surface area to allow formation of a strong non-impregnating bond. Particularly where the fabric is knit or woven of monofilament thread which is not "hairy", the impregnation mode of adhesion is required to form an effective bond. In either case, when the impregnation occurs, the tabs tend to be bonded to both their own and the preceding and/or successive strips, preventing the blind from opening properly.
- US-A-4673600 addresses this problem, and discloses how sheer materials can be formed into "honeycomb" or cellular shades and adhesively bonded by allowing the adhesive to cure while the cells are in the expanded state. This method is useful if quick-setting adhesives, e.g. hot melt adhesives, are used. However, this method poses certain constraints on the design of the cellular shade thus manufactured, and on the manufacturing processes employed.
- Thus, the prior methods may be considered to include the steps of:
providing the sheet material in a strip form;
folding the strip material along parallel lines in a longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the cells to be formed;
applying adhesive in liquid state to one or more areas of the strips of sheet material;
stacking said strips so as to bring together the parts of the strips of sheet material to be mutually adhered in direct contact to form the cells; and
allowing the adhesive to cure. - The present invention is characterised by the steps of:
positioning a strip of non-bonding material with respect to the folded strip of sheet material so that during subsequent steps said non-bonding material will prevent any portion of a particular strip of sheet material permeated with adhesive from adhering to any other portions of the same strip of sheet material in a manner which would prevent formation of a cell; and
removing said strips of non-bonding material after the adhesive has cured. - With such a method it is possible to manufacture cellular shade material of sheets or fabrics which are permeable to liquid adhesives, particularly sheer, essentially open-weave fabric materials, which may be knit or woven of monofilamentary thread.
- The method of the invention can yield a reasonably priced product.
- In order that the present invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-
- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a shade according to the invention in the open position;
- Figure 2 shows a corresponding perspective view of the shade according to the invention in the closed position;
- Figure 3 shows a typical problem occurring where insufficient adhesive has been used to form a suitable bond between sheer materials;
- Figure 4 shows a typical problem occurring where excessive adhesive has caused adjacent layers of sheer materials to adhere to one another;
- Figure 5 shows a typical prior art construction using a non-sheer material;
- Figure 6 shows an intermediate stage in the process of the method of the invention;
- Figure 7 shows the shade of the present invention after manufacture in the open position;
- Figure 8 shows the shade of the present invention in the closed position; and
- Figure 9 shows an alternative embodiment of the shade according to the invention.
- As indicated above, Figure 1 shows the shade of the invention in the shades-open position, that is, wherein the shade is drawn letting light flow unimpeded through an accompanying window (not shown), while Figure 2 shows the corresponding shades-closed position. As can be seen, the shade of the invention comprises a number of cells indicated generally at 10 which extend transversely to the window. In the Figure 2 configuration the cells are expanded, exhibiting a generally polygonal cross-section, while in the Figure 1 condition they are shown having been compressed by drawing a
base member 12 upwardly. The arrangement ofdraw cords 14 shown controlling the motion of thebase member 12 is strictly schematic and by no means a limitation on the invention. Preferably, as indicated, the cords pass through the centers of the cells and are invisible. In the expanded position of Figure 2 the cells each essentially retain static air masses, which serve as very useful window insulation. The open ends of the cells may move within U-shaped vertical end caps to assist in retention of air therein. - As can be appreciated, the requirement therefore is for a cellular structure which can be readily expanded from the compressed configuration of Figure 1 to the relatively expanded configuration of Figure 2, all without undue mechanical complexity or expense of manufacture and while retaining a pleasing appearance.
- Economical manufacture of such a shade is best accomplished by adhesively joining tabs formed of the edges of strips of fabric material corresponding to the cells to corresponding portions of preceding and/or succeeding strips.
- Figure 5 shows a conventional prior art construction, which may be carried out according to the teachings of US-A-4450027, in which successive strips of
fabric 20 have been creased to definetabs 20a andcentral portions 20b. Thetabs 20a are adhesively bonded to thecentral portions 20b by conventional adhesives as at 22. The fabric used in this prior art embodiment is not sheer and is essentially impermeable or only slightly permeable to the adhesive, such that the shade material can be manufactured simply by putting a bead of adhesive on thetabs 20a and stacking the strips such that they are aligned with thecentral body portions 20b of successive strips. After the adhesive has set, the material of the shade is essentially completed. - According to the present invention, as described above, it was desired to employ a sheer fabric material which is typically translucent or transparent in the structure of Figure 5. Such materials tend to be of open weave construction to let light pass through freely and are commonly knit of woven of monofilament synthetic fibers. Such monofilament fibers are very smooth-surfaced, such that they do not present small hairs or sub-fibers to which the adhesive can bond. The open weave fabrics in general comprise relatively few fibers. Therefore, in order to form a suitable bond, the adhesive must penetrate the sheer fabric, such that when it hardens into a mass, it encapsulates the fibers of the fabric.
- It has been found that in doing so, using the conventional construction of Figure 5, and using the adhesives used successfully with non-sheer opaque fabrics, the adhesive tends to bond the
tabs 20a of each strip not only to thecentral portions 20b of the successive strip, as desired, but also to the central portion of the same strip, which prevents the shade from being opened. Figure 4 shows this schematically. If an adequate amount of adhesive is provided to form a substantial bond, some of it is extruded through the open weave of the sheer material when the strips are stacked to form the bond. A string of adhesive 26 then tends to join thetabs 20a and thecentral portions 20b of each strip, which prevents the shade from opening properly. Figure 3 shows a typical result when a smaller amount of adhesive is used to try to avoid this problem. Essentially the adhesive bonds which are formed are very narrow, as shown at 24, and tend to break, or are nonexistent; either condition leads to immediate failure of the shade. - For similar reasons, modification of the adhesive viscosity alone is not sufficient to solve this problem. If the adhesive is made thicker, it does not penetrate and encapsulate the fabric, if too thin, it tends to diffuse through the fabric and does not form an adequate bond.
- According to the invention, and as shown in cross-section in Figure 6, a
strip 28 of non-bonding material, that is, a material which does not bond to the adhesive used, is interposed between thetabs 20a and thecentral portions 20b of the sheer fabric used. The adhesive is then applied as indicated at 32 to the upper surfaces of the tabs, and the assembly made as previously. The adhesive will normally penetrate thetabs 20a andcentral portions 20b, but does not bond to the non-bonding strips 28. When the adhesive has cured, the non-bonding strips 28 can be removed. - Figures 7 and 8 show the shade formed of a sheer material according to the invention after removal of the non-bonding strips 28. As can be observed, the adhesive 30 tends to penetrate the
central portions 20b of the strips but has been prevented from adhering to thecorresponding tabs 20a by the presence of thenon-bonding material 28 as shown in Figure 6. When the shade is opened, as shown in Figure 8, the adhesive 30 then extends above the central portion of each strip, but does not interfere with the proper operation of the shade. - Figure 9 shows an alternative form of "honeycomb" or cellular shade, as described for example in US-A-4676855, which can be manufactured of adhesive-permeable sheer materials according to the method of the invention. In this case, the basic member of the cell is a strip of
material 40 creased to define an overall Z-shape, withtabs 40a on either side of a central section. The tabs of each strip are joined to the central portions of the preceding and succeeding strips. If thestrips 40 are formed of a glue-permeable material, adhesive is applied, and the strips stacked, thetabs 40a will tend to be adhesively bonded to the strips from which they are formed; e.g.,tab 40a will tend to be bonded to thesame strip 40 at apoint 40b. According to the invention, strips 42 of a non-bonding material are inserted into the interior spaces of the cells before the strips are stacked, to prevent the interiors of the cells from thus being adhesively bonded closed.Strips 42 are removed when the adhesive has at least partially cured. The method of the invention is similarly applicable to other honeycomb-configuration cellular shades. - The principal steps in the practice of the invention are simply the formation of the strips by creasing them to define the tabs and central portions of cell precursors, insertion of the non-bonding material, deposition of beads or droplets of liquid adhesive along the tabs or on the corresponding mating portions of the strips, and stacking a large number of these assemblies to form the shade precursor. After exposure of the shade precursor to suitable conditions for cure of the adhesive, the strips of non-bonding material are simply removed, yielding the completed structure.
- According to the invention, the preferred material for the non-bonding strips may be a polyethylene plastic to which the adhesive does not bond. A nonstick silicone coating on the strips may be desirable in connection with certain combinations of adhesives and polyethylenes or other materials for the strip. Numerous other appropriate materials will occur to those of skill in the art. Various sorts of adhesives such as water activated catalyst adhesives, hot melt glues, moisture-curing hot melts and various silicones are all suitable. Adhesives applied dry and activated by heating after stacking of the strips, with or without application of pressure, may also prove useful in the future. It will be appreciated that the key is that the adhesive must penetrate the fibers of the fabric to fully encapsulate them, forming a suitable bond, and must be sufficiently viscous to remain in place during the various processing steps.
- Removal of the non-bonding strips 28 can be feasibly accomplished simply by laborers using their fingers, but obviously more mechanized approaches may also be economically feasible in some circumstances. It has been found that certain desirable fabrics are sufficiently permeable to air that it is not satisfactory to simply blow the strips of non-bonding material out from the cells thus formed.
Claims (9)
- A method of manufacture of expandable and collapsible cellular shade material comprising a number of superimposed longitudinal hollow cells, said cells each being formed of sheet material, said method comprising the steps of:
providing the sheet material in a strip form;
folding the strip material along parallel lines in a longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the cells to be formed;
applying adhesive in liquid state to one or more areas of the strips of sheet material;
stacking said strips so as to bring together the parts of the strips of sheet material to be mutually adhered in direct contact to form the cells; and
allowing the adhesive to cure;
characterised by the steps of:-
positioning a strip of non-bonding material (28;42) with respect to the folded strip of sheet material so that during subsequent steps said non-bonding material will prevent any portion of a particular strip of sheet material permeated with adhesive from adhering to any other portions of the same strip of sheet material in a manner which would prevent formation of a cell; and
removing said strips of non-bonding material after the adhesive has cured. - A method according to claim 1, characterised in that said folding step comprises creasing each said strip lengthwise in order to form tabs of fabric on either side of a central portion of the strip, defining a cell precursor, said cell precursors being bonded to one another to form the shade material.
- A method according to claim 2, characterised in that said cell precursors are generally U-shaped in cross-section.
- A method according to claim 2, characterised in that said cell precursors are generally Z-shaped in cross-section.
- A method according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said sheet material is permeable to liquid adhesive.
- A method according to claim 5, characterised in that said sheet material is a sheer fabric.
- A method according to any preceding claim, characterised in that said stacked strips are subjected to pressure to ensure that said adhesive fully bonds said tabs to said adjacent central portions.
- A method according to any preceding claim, characterised in that heat is applied to cure said adhesive.
- A method according to any preceding claim, characterised in that in that the cells are expanded to permit removal of said strips of non-bonding material.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US30108789A | 1989-01-25 | 1989-01-25 | |
US301087 | 1989-01-25 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0380271A2 EP0380271A2 (en) | 1990-08-01 |
EP0380271A3 EP0380271A3 (en) | 1992-03-18 |
EP0380271B1 true EP0380271B1 (en) | 1994-06-08 |
Family
ID=23161886
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19900300638 Expired - Lifetime EP0380271B1 (en) | 1989-01-25 | 1990-01-22 | Sheer fabric honeycomb shade production using release liner material |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0380271B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2580055B2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2008465C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69009507T2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6740389B2 (en) | 2002-10-11 | 2004-05-25 | Teh Yor Industrial Co., Ltd. | Cellular structure with internal limiting member and method for making the cellular structure |
WO2004039585A1 (en) | 2002-10-28 | 2004-05-13 | David Huang | Cellular structure and a method for making a cellular structure |
WO2005062875A2 (en) | 2003-12-22 | 2005-07-14 | Hunter Douglas Inc. | Retractable shade for coverings for architectural openings |
CN102240151B (en) | 2010-05-10 | 2013-08-28 | 德侑股份有限公司 | Double-honeycomb structure for window curtain and manufacturing process thereof |
DE202011050676U1 (en) | 2010-10-06 | 2011-09-09 | Inventex Establishment | Plisseejalousie |
USD764836S1 (en) | 2014-09-08 | 2016-08-30 | Hunter Douglas Inc. | Covering for an architectural opening having multiple columns of double cells |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2440664A (en) * | 1945-07-28 | 1948-04-27 | Dow Chemical Co | Making lap-welded articles from thermoplastic films |
US2745463A (en) * | 1953-05-28 | 1956-05-15 | Rempel Mfg Inc | Press for heat sealing sheet and like multiple part objects |
CH331229A (en) * | 1954-07-14 | 1958-07-15 | Cav Ltd | Machine for the production of paper filters |
GB791988A (en) * | 1955-11-10 | 1958-03-19 | Mining Engineering Co Ltd | Improvements relating to the manufacture of tubing of flexible material |
GB1362952A (en) * | 1970-07-21 | 1974-08-07 | Rasmussen O B | Conjugate fibre and method of manufacturing same |
US3729363A (en) * | 1971-03-05 | 1973-04-24 | C Mollura | Apparatus for edge joining panels |
US4174987A (en) * | 1978-04-07 | 1979-11-20 | The Boeing Company | Method of making heat exchange structure |
US4450027A (en) * | 1982-08-09 | 1984-05-22 | Colson Wendell B | Method and apparatus for fabricating honeycomb insulating material |
US4631217A (en) * | 1985-10-25 | 1986-12-23 | Hunter Douglas Inc. | Honeycomb structure with Z-folded material and method of making same |
-
1990
- 1990-01-22 EP EP19900300638 patent/EP0380271B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-01-22 DE DE1990609507 patent/DE69009507T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1990-01-24 CA CA 2008465 patent/CA2008465C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-01-25 JP JP2015934A patent/JP2580055B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2580055B2 (en) | 1997-02-12 |
DE69009507D1 (en) | 1994-07-14 |
JPH02279892A (en) | 1990-11-15 |
CA2008465A1 (en) | 1990-07-25 |
DE69009507T2 (en) | 1994-09-22 |
CA2008465C (en) | 1994-03-01 |
EP0380271A3 (en) | 1992-03-18 |
EP0380271A2 (en) | 1990-08-01 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US5043039A (en) | Method of manufacture of expandable and collapsible cellular shades of sheer fabric | |
JP2922555B2 (en) | filter | |
KR100441219B1 (en) | FIBER SECTOR FOR BODY SHEET AND METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING THE SAME | |
US5620035A (en) | Material utilizing flexible strands | |
EP0222534B1 (en) | Honeycomb structure with band joined folded material and method of making same | |
US6033504A (en) | Material for venetian type blinds | |
CA2029405C (en) | Roman shades | |
US5090098A (en) | Method of manufacturing a roman shade | |
US7159634B1 (en) | Pleated and cellular materials | |
US6527895B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for making a cellular structure | |
GB2204017A (en) | Reclosable plastics bag and method of making the same | |
DE68914829T2 (en) | MULTICELLULAR FOLDABLE PANEL. | |
DE3227647C2 (en) | ||
EP0380271B1 (en) | Sheer fabric honeycomb shade production using release liner material | |
JPH0659730B2 (en) | Pleated shade manufacturing method | |
KR20080027785A (en) | Recloseable zipper with sealant on inner and outer surfaces of closure members | |
CZ20022765A3 (en) | Gusseted plastic bag | |
US3279330A (en) | Method for making all plastic valved bags | |
US20020043346A1 (en) | Pleated blind | |
US20060174999A1 (en) | Expandable and collapsible window covering and methods for making same | |
US4014252A (en) | Method of manufacturing bags | |
US4490131A (en) | Method of making bags | |
WO2017207253A1 (en) | Sealing strip for sealing joints between elements, and method for producing a sealing strip | |
GB2071721A (en) | Improved filter pleat spacing process | |
WO2006047818A1 (en) | A fabric tube, tube manufacture and tube application |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): DE FR GB IT NL |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19901218 |
|
PUAL | Search report despatched |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): DE FR GB IT NL |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19930809 |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): DE FR GB IT NL |
|
REF | Corresponds to: |
Ref document number: 69009507 Country of ref document: DE Date of ref document: 19940714 |
|
ET | Fr: translation filed | ||
ITF | It: translation for a ep patent filed | ||
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Payment date: 19950110 Year of fee payment: 6 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 19950112 Year of fee payment: 6 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 19950121 Year of fee payment: 6 |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
26N | No opposition filed | ||
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: NL Payment date: 19951230 Year of fee payment: 7 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Effective date: 19960122 |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 19960122 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Effective date: 19960930 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Effective date: 19961101 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: ST |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: NL Effective date: 19970801 |
|
NLV4 | Nl: lapsed or anulled due to non-payment of the annual fee |
Effective date: 19970801 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: IT Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES;WARNING: LAPSES OF ITALIAN PATENTS WITH EFFECTIVE DATE BEFORE 2007 MAY HAVE OCCURRED AT ANY TIME BEFORE 2007. THE CORRECT EFFECTIVE DATE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE RECORDED. Effective date: 20050122 |