JPH02279892A - Manufacture of elastic shell-shaped blind made of thin texture - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To manufacture expandable cellular shades of sheer fabric by applying adhesive agent after inserting nonadhesive material into the inner part of a cellular material so that no tab may not stick to a strip forming it. CONSTITUTION: Each strip forming cells 10 is folded up so as to form a center part 20b and a tab 20a. Next, after band-shaped non-adhesive material 28 has been inserted into the inner part of the material of each cell 10, adhesive agent 30 is applied to a position where each tab 20a is stuck to a corresponding portion of the material of the other cell 10. Then, the adhesive agent 30 is brought to a position where it touches a corresponding portion of the material of a former or latter cell 10, and the material of one cell 10 is stacked on the other. The tab 20a of the material of each cell 10 is so designed by the non-adhesive material that it is not stuck on the strip in which it is formed. After that, the non-adhesive material 28 is removed after the adhesive agent has been cured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing cellular window coverings. More particularly, the present invention provides a cellular window J! consisting of a number of horizontally extending cells formed from strips of fabric bonded together. ! DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing the stretchable material of the covering, whereby thin woven fabrics are used which were not previously suitable for the manufacture of such window coverings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Processes for manufacturing cellular window coverings consisting of a number of identical strips of fabric that are folded and glued together so that the window covering structure forms cells are known. Typically, the cells extend laterally, but they may also be arranged perpendicular to the horizontal or at an angle; when the window covering is raised, the cells contract; when the window covering is lowered, the cells contract. The cell stretches. Such window coverings contain substantially stationary air masses and thus provide effective thermal insulation.

Conventionally, such window coverings are made by folding strips of woven fabric that serve as the cell material lengthwise and using liquid adhesive to adhere the tabs formed on each successive strip to the center of the next strip. Manufactured by completing cells. Wendell B. Colson U.S. Patent No. 4.450,027
No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, 2006, and 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, 2006, and 2, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 2, and No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, and No. 1, No. 1, No. 10-199999-201999992 to disclose a method and apparatus for forming such window coverings from a continuous strip of woven material. Adhesive bonding techniques traditionally used in the manufacture of such window coverings typically involve placing a suitable bead of adhesive on the tab or center of the next strip. It included:

Related technology from other US patents is shown.

For example, Richard N. Anderson's U.S. Patent No. 467
7, Ot3, No. 4, 685, 986, No. 4,6
No. 31,217, No. 4,677 J12, No. 4,676
．． No. 855 discloses other methods of making cellular window coverings, such as by folding the strips into a figure 2 shape and tabs on either side of the strips being glued to the front and subsequent strips. to form a completed window covering structure. Schnebly U.S. Pat.
Please refer to No./169.832 (filed May 1987L).

These U.S. patents and U.S. patent applications all involve attaching tabs formed in the strip material to the front strip using a liquid adhesive.
In some cases, it is shown that cells are bonded to both the front and trailing strips. Although this approach is the most practical known, it has resulted in limitations on the types of fabrics from which such window coverings can be formed. In particular, the material constituting the shield is typically deposited with the cells collapsed as the liquid adhesive hardens. In the second condition, the adhesive on the tabs of each strip is typically juxtaposed to the strip to which the tab is bonded as well as to the strip from which the tab is formed. The fabric therefore had to be chosen such that the adhesive did not penetrate into the fabric, so that the tab from the first strip did not adhere to the strip from which it was formed, but only to the strip to which it was glued. Attach to. That is, the inside of the cell is not closed by adhesion.

This limitation of the method of forming the shield shown in the aforementioned US patent was such that it precluded the use of certain highly desirable "thin" fabrics. As used in this description, thin 1 refers to fabrics that are highly transparent or nearly transparent to visible light. Such thin woven fabrics are usually woven relatively spaced apart and are typically knitted with monofilament yarns. Sufficient beads of conventional adhesive are woven onto the sheer fabric at this spacing to provide good adhesion when used to form typical non-sheer material cellular blinds. Once applied, the adhesive tends to intrude into the radius, especially when pressure is applied to it to obtain a good bond. Thus, when thin fabrics are used in normal manufacturing processes, the inner walls of the cells tend to adhere to each other, which ultimately prevents the blind from opening properly. This drawback is actually especially true for liquid adhesives, which seem highly desirable to many consumers! - This has hindered the production of cellular shields made of thin materials such as transparent fabrics.

Various methods have been tried for adhesively manufacturing such cellular shields using thin materials.

A band of heavier material is woven into the thin abrasive material at the location where the adhesive is applied to slow the passage of the adhesive.

In many cases this material is very difficult to handle and costs about twice as much as just a thinner material.

Higher viscosity adhesives that do not penetrate the fabric have also been unsatisfactory.

Good adhesion, especially between spaced thin green spaces knitted or woven with single fiber materials, requires injection and coagulation of an adhesive, in which case the adhesive actually penetrates into the fabric. Coagulation 1. This results in a more or less solid mass surrounding the fibers. Adhesives cannot penetrate fabrics if they are too viscous, because the fibers are usually made up of many small "hairs" that give the adhesive enough surface area to adhere and make a good bond without surrounding the fibers. It has ``small fibers''. To a certain extent, which is less of a problem with conventional calligraphy woven fabrics, the use of adhesives that do not penetrate the fabric to form cellular shields of opaque, non-sheer fabrics as per the Colson et al. patents mentioned above. A woven fabric with zero spacing in which adhesives are commonly used does not provide sufficient surface area to form a strong, non-injected bond, especially if the fabric is If the material is knitted or woven with monofilament yarns other than 100%, injection mode bonding is required for effective bonding. In either case, once injected, the tab will tend to adhere to itself and to the front or trailing strip, preventing the blind from opening properly.

Another US Patent Box 4.67 of Richard N. Anderson
Issue 3,600 grasps this problem. According to this U.S. patent, the thin woven fabric is formed as a "honeycomb-like cellular shield and is bonded by allowing the adhesive to cure while the cells are in a stretched state." This method is useful when using quick-drying adhesives such as hot-melt adhesives.

However, this method imposes limitations on the shape of the cellular shields thus produced and the manufacturing process used.

[Summary of the Invention] Particularly thin, substantially spaced woven textile materials, which are permeable to liquid adhesives, are therefore knitted or woven with monofilament yarns. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a cellular shield of material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing the product 2 at a reasonable price.

It is yet another object of the present invention to produce a bonded and stretchable cellular material for thin woven shielding, whereby when the cells are in the collapsed state, at least harden.

According to the invention, the individual strips making up the cells are woven to form the center and tabs of the strips making up the cells. A non-bonded side bevel of the strip is then inserted so that it is between the tab and the front side or subsequent portion of the strip to which the tab is to be glued.

Adhesive is then applied to corresponding locations on the two tabs, or front or trailing strips, thereby adhering the adhesive of each tab to the front or trailing body. Then, a shield is formed. The assembly is subjected to adhesive curing conditions to ensure proper bonding. This is Colson's US patent box 4,45 mentioned above.
No. 0,027 and other US patents.

The shield may then be stretched by pulling it vertically and removing the strip of non-adhesive material.

[Description of the preferred embodiment] The invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows the shield in the open position, i.e. the shield is pulled up so that light is not obstructed and the corresponding window (not shown) is shown.
9. The shield of the invention is shown in FIG. It will be seen that it consists of a number of cells, generally designated 10, extending laterally. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the cell is expanded and has a generally polygonal cross section, and in the state shown in FIG. 1, it is shown as having been compressed by pulling up the bottom member 12. The form of the pulling cord shown in the drawings that controls the movement of the bottom member 12 is schematic and is not intended to limit the invention.As shown, the cord passes through the center of the cell so that it is not visible. It is preferable to do so. In the stretched state of FIG. 2, each cell holds a substantially stationary air mass, which acts as a very effective window insulation; the open end of the cell has a U-shaped vertical It will move within the end cap to help retain air therein.

What is needed, therefore, is a cell that can be easily stretched from the compressed state of FIG. 1 to the expanded state of FIG. 2 and retains a desirable appearance, all without undue mechanical complexity or manufacturing expense. It can be seen that it is a structure.

Economical manufacture of such a shield is best achieved by adhesively bonding tabs formed on the edges of the strip of textile material corresponding to the cells to the corresponding portions of the mf side or subsequent strip.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional construction as practiced in Colson U.S. Pat.
It is folded to form 0b. Tab 20a is 22
It is adhered to the central portion 20b by an adhesive having a scent °ζUC. The fabric used in this conventional example is not sheer and is substantially impermeable or slightly permeable to the adhesive, with a bead of adhesive on tab 2 (la). Center part 20b of the band-like body where the applied band-like body is continuous
The shield material is manufactured by depositing it to match the . The shield material is substantially complete when the adhesive solidifies.

As noted above, in accordance with the present invention, it is desirable to use a typically translucent or transparent thin woven material in the structure of FIG. 5, such material being spaced to permit free passage of light. They tend to have a heavily woven structure, and are usually knitted or woven with single-filament synthetic fibers. Such filaments have a very smooth surface and the nine-spaced weave structure generally consists of relatively few fibers without forming small hairs or fibrils to which the adhesive may adhere. Therefore, to make a proper bond, the adhesive must penetrate the thin fabric so that when it hardens into a mass, it surrounds the fibers of the fabric.
In doing this using the conventional structure of FIG. It has been found that the strips tend to be continuous as desired and bond not only to the center 20b of a strip, but also to the center of the same strip, which prevents the shield from being opened. Once a sufficient amount of adhesive has been applied to form a substantial joint, the strips are woven at intervals when the strips are deposited to form the joint. extruded through the material. At this time, thread-like adhesive 2
6 attempts to join the tabs 20a and center portions 20b'' of each strip, but this prevents the shield from opening properly.

Figure 3 shows typical results when using less adhesive in an attempt to alleviate this problem.

The adhesive joint that is substantially formed is 2)! As shown in , the width is very narrow and tends to be interrupted or disappear. Either situation will result in immediate damage to the shield.

For similar reasons, changing only the viscosity of the adhesive is insufficient to solve this problem. , the fi adhesive cannot penetrate and surround the thicker fiber fabric. If it is too thin, the adhesive will tend to spread throughout the fabric and will not create a good bond.

According to the present invention, as shown in cross section in FIG. Adhesive is then applied to the -E side of the tab, as shown at 32, and the assembly is formed as previously described. Toads will not adhere to the non-adhesive material 28, and the non-adhesive strip 28 can be removed when the adhesive has cured.

Figures 7 and 8 show a shield made of thin material according to the invention after removal of the non-adhesive strip 28. Although the adhesive 30 tends to penetrate the central portion 2CIb of the strip, it is prevented from adhering to the corresponding tab 20a by the presence of non-adhesive material 28, as shown in FIG. When the shield is opened as shown in FIG. 6, the adhesive 30 protrudes above the center of each strip without interfering with the proper orientation of the shield.

FIG. 9 shows another form of the "honeycomb" or cellular shield described in U.S. Pat. Formed of a thin material 9 In this case, the basic member of the cell is a strip of material 40 folded into an overall 2-shape with the tab 40a on either side of the center.
It is. The tabs of each strip are joined to the center of the front and subsequent strips. Once the strip 40 is formed of an adhesive-permeable material, the adhesive is applied, and the strip is deposited,
Tab 40a is adhered to the strip from which it is formed.

According to the invention, a strip 42 of non-adhesive material is inserted into the interior space of the cell before it is deposited to prevent the interior of the cell from being glued closed in this way.

The method of the present invention, in which the strip is removed when the adhesive has at least partially cured, is equally applicable to other honeycomb-shaped cellular shields.

The main steps in the practice of the invention are simply forming the strip by folding the strip to form the tabs and center of the material of the cell, inserting a non-adhesive material, and inserting the non-adhesive material into the tab of the strip. the application of adhesive in the form of beads or droplets along or in corresponding areas, and the deposition of a number of these assemblies to form the material of the shield. ! ! After exposing the shielding material to conditions suitable for curing the adhesive, the non-adhesive material is simply removed, leaving the finished structure.

According to the invention, the preferred material for the non-adhesive strip may be polyethylene/plastic to which the adhesive does not adhere; for certain combinations of adhesive and polyethylene or other strip materials, non-adhesive material to the strip may be used. A coating of adhesive silicone would be desirable; many other suitable materials will occur to those skilled in the art, such as water-activated catalytic adhesives, hot melt adhesives, moisture curable hot melts, and various silicones are all suitable. Adhesives applied dry and activated by heat after depositing the strips with or without pressure may also be useful in the future; the important thing is that the adhesive penetrates the fibers of the folds and is fully activated. It must be sufficiently viscous to enclose and be held and fixed during various process steps.

Removal of the non-adhesive material 28 is suitably accomplished simply by the operator using his or her fingers, although clearly in some circumstances more concentrated methods may be economically effective. It should be discovered that the desired fabric is sufficiently permeable to air that it is not sufficient to simply blow the band of non-adhesive material from the cells thus formed.

Other details of forming a shield in accordance with the present invention are generally set forth in the aforementioned US patents and related applications.

Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been discussed and described in detail, this is to be considered as illustrative only and not as limiting.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shield according to the invention in an open state. FIG. 2 is a corresponding perspective view of the shield according to the invention in the closed state. FIG. 3 illustrates a typical problem that occurs when insufficient adhesive is used to provide adequate bonding between thin materials. FIG. 4 illustrates a typical problem that occurs when adjacent layers of thin material are bonded together with excess adhesive. FIG. 5 shows a typical conventional FL construction using non-thin materials. FIG. 6 shows intermediate steps in the process of the method of the invention. FIG. 7 shows the shield of the invention after manufacture in the open state. FIG. 8 shows the shield of the invention in a closed state. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the shield according to the present invention. In the figure. 10... Cell, 12... Woven fabric, 2Ga... Tab,
2Gb...center, 28...non-adhesive strip, 3
0..., adhesive. Engraving of drawings (no changes to the contents) Date of May 1990

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Vertically expandable cell consisting of a number of elongated cells formed in the same shape with a woven letter body folded along longitudinal lines so as to form the cross-sectional outline of each cell. A method of manufacturing a woven shield comprising: forming tabs of woven fabric on either side of the center of said strip, each of said strips so as to form the material of the cells that are adhered together to form the shield; Folding the strip lengthwise, inserting a strip of non-adhesive material inside each cell's material, and gluing the tab at the point where it will be glued to a corresponding part of the other cell's material. depositing said cell materials on top of each other such that each applied adhesive contacts a corresponding portion of the preceding or subsequent cell material, thereby forming said non-adhesive material; curing said adhesive; and removing said non-adhesive material from said strip; A method for manufacturing a stretchable woven fabric shield, comprising the steps of: 2. A method for manufacturing a stretchable fabric shield according to claim 1, wherein the fabric is thin. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the deposited assembly is subjected to pressure to cause the adhesive to sufficiently adhere the tab to the center. A method of manufacturing a fabric shield. 4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that heat is applied to cure the adhesive. 5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of stretching said cells so that said strip of non-adhesive material can be removed. 6. The method of manufacturing a stretchable fabric shield according to claim 1, wherein the cell material has a generally U-shaped cross section. 7. The method of manufacturing a stretchable fabric shield according to claim 1, wherein the cell material has a generally Z-shaped cross section. 8. To form a stretchable cellular shield material consisting of a number of stacked vertically hollow cells, each cell formed of a sheet-like material permeable to a liquid adhesive. forming a band-shaped sheet material; folding the band-shaped material along a line parallel to the longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the cells to be formed; and folding the band-shaped sheet material. applying an adhesive in a liquid state to one or more areas of the folded sheet material; and disposing a strip of non-adhesive material to the folded strip of sheet material and, in a subsequent step, applying an adhesive in a liquid state to one or more areas of the folded sheet material. preventing a particular strip of sheet material through which it has passed from being adhered to any other part of the same strip of sheet material that would impede the formation of cells; and depositing the strips so as to bring portions of the sheet material together in direct contact to form cells; curing the adhesive; and removing the strips of non-adhesive material. A method for forming a stretchable cellular shield material, comprising the steps of . 9. The method according to claim 8, for forming a material for an expandable and contractible cellular shield, characterized in that the band-shaped sheet material is formed to have an approximately Z-shaped cross section. the method of. 10. A method for forming a stretchable cellular shield material consisting of a plurality of stacked longitudinally hollow cells each formed of a sheet material permeable to a liquid adhesive, forming a strip of sheet material at a distance from each side edge of the strip of sheet material to form a tab on either side of the center of the strip of sheet material; folding the strip of sheet material on each longitudinal side of the material; disposing a strip of non-adhesive material over at least a central portion of the center of the strip of sheet material; folding cells across longitudinal lateral portions of said strip of sheet material comprising two said tabs along a line parallel to the central axis of said strip of sheet material so as to at least partially surround a non-adhesive material; forming an assembly of blanks; and applying to said strip of sheet material at each location of said tab or corresponding location of a central portion of said strip of sheet material facing each other after folding of said side portions; applying a liquid adhesive along the strip of sheet material and bringing the tabs of each of the strips of sheet material into intimate contact with a corresponding location of a central portion of one of the adjacent strips of sheet material so that the adhesive contacts the tabs and the corresponding tabs of the strip of sheet material; curing the adhesive; and removing the non-adhesive material so that the non-adhesive material forms the tab into the strip of sheet material. 1. A method for forming a stretchable cellular shield material, comprising the steps of: 11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that the strip-shaped sheet material is folded to have a U-shaped cross section. .