Method and apparatus for removing a thin coating from a fabric

Abrading – Precision device or process - or with condition responsive... – With feeding of tool or work holder

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C451S059000, C451S012000, C451S014000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06234871

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a device which precisely removes a thin film or coating from a fabric. More specifically, this invention relates to such a device, and its method of operation, which will remove this thin coating without damage to the fabric irrespective of varying thicknesses of the fabric.
BACKGROUND ART
Coated fabrics are well known in the art. Typically, such fabrics include a woven base cloth formed of a polyester or nylon material which is then coated on both sides by a weather-resistant material such as polyvinylchloride. Panels of such a fabric are then attached to form the finished product which could be something as simple as a tarpaulin for an athletic field or, more frequently, an outdoor building structure such as a tension structure or air-supported structure such as is used to house tennis courts or the like. The panels are most often attached to form such final products by overlapping the edges of two panels and thermal or radio-frequency welding the overlapped edges together to form a seam.
Oftentimes these fabrics are also further coated, at least on one side, with other materials such as a film sold under the trademark TEDLAR® by DuPont. Such materials are advantageous for the coated fabric in that they provide enhanced weather resistance, in that they are more readily cleaned, and in that they present a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Despite the advantages of the TEDLAR®-coated fabric, its use is limited or problematic in that TEDLAR® material is not susceptible to thermal or radio-frequency welding to form the finished product.
The only manner in which to accomplish such welding of a fabric coated with the TEDLAR® or similar materials would be to remove that material near the edges of a panel so that the polyvinylchloride therebelow could be welded to another similarly formed panel. However, because the thickness of these films is typically about 0.001 inch, with the total thickness of the coated fabric being approximately 0.035 inch, the removal of the film is quite difficult. Such is particularly the case when the overall thickness of the fabric varies, as is often the case. To date, there is no known device which can accurately remove this thin film of material without damage to the base fabric irrespective of any variances in overall thickness of the fabric.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a device for removing a thin film of material from an edge of a sheet of fabric so that two sheets may be attached at their overlapping edges where the film has been removed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device, as above, which can operate to accurately remove the thin film without damage to the fabric.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device, as above, which is automatically adjustable to account for thickness variations in the fabric.
These and other objects of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art forms, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.
In general, an apparatus for removing a thin film of material from a portion of a sheet of fabric, in accordance with the present invention, includes a grinding mechanism which is opposed to and spaced from a nip member, the fabric being positionable in that space. A fabric thickness-sensing system is operatively connected to the nip member to adjust the size of the space between the nip member and the grinding mechanism dependent on the thickness of the fabric so that the thin film is removed from the fabric irrespective of variances in the thickness of the fabric.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above apparatus is provided with a mechanism operatively connected to the nip member to establish the size of the space between the nip member and the grinding mechanism dependent on the anticipated thickness of the fabric and the film to be removed therefrom.
The method of the present invention incorporates the steps of positioning a nip member adjacent to and spaced from a grinding mechanism, passing a portion of a sheet of fabric between the nip member and grinding mechanism so that the grinding mechanism removes a thin film from a portion of the fabric, continually sensing the thickness of the fabric before the fabric passes between the nip member and the grinding mechanism, and adjusting the space between the nip member and the grinding mechanism dependent on the sensed thickness.
A preferred exemplary device for removing a thin film of material from an edge of a sheet of fabric, which incorporates the concepts of the present invention, is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings without attempting to show all the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied, the invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4601134 (1986-07-01), Hessemann
patent: 4839994 (1989-06-01), Heesemann
patent: 5386665 (1995-02-01), Heim
patent: 5613901 (1997-03-01), Weber et al.

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