Woodworking – Process – Securing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-31
2003-09-23
Ostrager, Allen (Department: 3725)
Woodworking
Process
Securing
C144S348000, C144S352000, C144S355000, C428S106000, C428S378000, C428S537100, C156S250000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06622763
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to bamboo venetian blind panels and method for manufacturing the same, and particularly bamboo venetian blind panels made from bamboos of subject to no restrictions of bamboo types.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional Venetian blind panels generally are made of plastics, aluminum blades or the like. The materials being used do not conform to environmental protection requirements, and have become a burden to earth. How to reduce consumption of plastics, aluminum, or the like have become a great concern to mankind nowadays. Similarly, over consumption of woods tends to deplete an important natural resource and causes ecological unbalance. Hence many countries have strict regulations to prohibit or limit wood lumbering. As a result, procurement of woods has become increasingly difficult. As bamboos can be grown in large scales, to use bamboos as a substitute for plastic, aluminum and woods has become an attractive alternative. However bamboos usually have a lot of air apertures, abundant of fibers and strong toughness. They are more difficult to fabricate than woods. Moreover, bamboos generally do not have enough thickness. To make bamboo plates and blades of large sizes often has to resort to pressing processes. The fibrous and tough properties of bamboo tend to form bulged curves or uneven surfaces on the finished products. Hence they are generally being fabricated by braiding to produce goods such as mattresses, pillows, rolling curtains, etc. In the industry there are some producers trying to utilize bamboos as material for making blind panels. The bamboos being used generally are relatively large sizes (such as bamboos in the types of Nanchu and Machu) with diameters about 9″ or more, and thickness of 10 mm). The raw bamboos have to go through a lot of processes, including removing internal and external knots, and bamboo skins, trimming and leveling both sides, splitting bamboos in blades, bleaching, drying, sanding single side, repeat splitting to form fine blades, painting and coating, hot pressing for forming, punching holes, assembling finished products. The processes set forth above have the following disadvantages:
1. It is difficult to find and select bamboo materials: As a single panel has certain width dimension limitations (usually between 28 mm-50 mm), only raw bamboos having diameters of 9″ or more can be used. Moreover, only bamboos in the types of Nanchu and Machu can meet such requirements. Hence selection and procurement of bamboo have great limitations.
2. Forming blind panels is difficult: As blind panels have thickness in the range of 10 mm-20 mm, when fabricating and forming the panels from single pieces of raw bamboo material, bamboos are prone to fracture under hot pressing process because of bamboo fibers are general in parallel in longitudinal direction with the raw bamboos. As a result, defected products tend to increase.
3. The blind panels are easy to deform: Bamboo is a natural product. While fabrication processes such as coating may reduce moisture content of the bamboo materials, the bamboo materials still are prone to deform and twist because of their fibrous nature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of aforesaid disadvantages, it is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide blind panels made by assembling bamboo blades, and a method for fabricating the blind panels that does not have restrictions on bamboo types, and also does not have restrictions on the thickness and length of raw bamboos. The method of the invention includes processes of splitting raw bamboos to bamboo blades, repeating splitting to form fine bamboo blades, trimming, bleaching and drying bamboo blades, then arranging the bamboo blades in a juxtaposed manner and bonding the bamboo blades with a hot adhesive to form a board with a tentative bonding. The board is used to form a top plate and a bottom plate. The bottom of the top plate is bonded to a fabric sheet. Then the top plate and bottom plate are bonded and compressed to form a body. Blades on the top plate and bottom plate are laid in a slightly staggered manner. The body then is polished by sanding process, then is cut to form blind panels of selected lengths. The cut panels are painted and coated, and punched to form holes to become finished products. The fabric sheet bonded between the top and bottom plates allows the two plates to form a secured and smug bonding with harnessing effect. The bamboo blades on the two plates are laid and bonded in a staggered manner to give the blind panel desired elasticity.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5441787 (1995-08-01), Fujii et al.
patent: 5505238 (1996-04-01), Fujii et al.
patent: 5896903 (1999-04-01), Chen et al.
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patent: 5972467 (1999-10-01), Washo
patent: 5976644 (1999-11-01), Sanaee et al.
patent: 6098680 (2000-08-01), Nien
patent: 6192949 (2001-02-01), Nien
patent: 6321803 (2001-11-01), Nien
Dong Liang Industrial Co., Ltd.
Ostrager Allen
Self Shelley
LandOfFree
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