Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Including grain – strips – or filamentary elements in...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-15
2001-04-17
Loney, Donald J (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Including grain, strips, or filamentary elements in...
C428S034500, C428S036100, C428S107000, C428S109000, C428S113000, C428S175000, C428S188000, C428S906000, C264S257000, C264S319000, C156S161000, C156S165000, C052S108000, C442S060000, C442S218000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217975
ABSTRACT:
This application is the national phase of international application PCT/GB97/00839 filed Mar. 25, 1997 which designated the U.S.
The present invention relates to an extendible member and a method of making an extendible member.
WO-A-88/08620 discloses an element which can be reversibly configured between a coiled state and an extended state. In one embodiment described therein, the element comprises a layer having a bias towards the extended state to which is attached a layer which undergoes plastic deformation during reconfiguration of the element. In another embodiment described therein, the element comprises a layer having a bias towards the extended state to which is attached a layer which has longitudinally extending fibres which give the second layer a bias towards the coiled state.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an extendible sheet member which is configurable between first and second states, the first state being a coiled state in which the member is coiled substantially parallel to a first axis, the second state being an extended state in which the member extends substantially parallel to a second axis at some angle to the first axis, characterised by: the member being made, wholly or in part, from any material or materials which is/are stronger in tension and/or in compression at some angle to the first and/or second axes than in the direction of said axes, due to the geometric and/or molecular structure of said material or materials, such that, when the member is extended in a direction substantially parallel to the second axis, the disparity in tensile and/or compressive strength gives rise to a contraction in a direction at some angle to the second axis to bias the member to the second state.
This disparity may be derived, wholly or in part, from the presence of fibres in the structure of the member, where such fibres form part of the member. Thus, the element may comprise fibres forming part of the member and which are arranged to give rise to said disparity in tensile and/or compressive strength at some angle to the first and/or second axes compared to the tensile and/or compressive strength in the direction of said axis.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an extendible sheet member which is configurable between first and second states, the first state being a coiled state in which the member is coiled substantially parallel to a first axis, the second state being an extended state in which the member extends substantially parallel to a second axis at some angle to the first axis, the member having a plurality of crossed fibres in or parallel to the plane of the sheet, characterised by: each fibre being at an angle between
0
degrees and
90
degrees to the first axis, such that, when the member is extended in a direction substantially parallel to the second axis, said crossed fibres give rise to a contraction in a direction at some angle to the second axis to bias the member to the second state.
Said fibres are preferably resilient.
Said fibres may be provided on one side of a substrate. Alternatively, said fibres may be provided on both of opposite sides of a substrate.
Said fibres may be embedded in a substrate.
It is preferred that said substrate be resilient.
At least some of said fibres may be knitted, woven, and/or provided as a series of laminae.
Groups of said fibres may be at different respective angles to the first axis.
Said fibres can be at varying angles to the first axis, said angles varying across and along the member.
The member may have fibres across selected portions only of the member, other portions of said member being free of fibres.
The transition to the second state may be caused, wholly or in part, by the presence of tubular channels within the material from which the member is formed, said channels running substantially parallel to the plane of the member at some angle to the second axis.
Said member is preferably reversibly configurable between said first and second states.
In some cases, it may be advantageous to provide means for releasably locking opposite edges of the member together when said member is in the second state. Such means may be for example, a clip, interlocking teeth, a zip, etc. The opposite edges may alternatively be permanently fixed together, for example by welding or by adhesives.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an extendible sheet member which is configurable between first and second states, the first state being a coiled state in which the member is coiled substantially parallel to a first axis, the second state being an extended state in which the member extends substantially parallel to a second axis at some angle to the first axis, the member having a plurality of crossed fibres in or parallel to the plane of the sheet, each fibre being at an angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees to the first axis, such that, when the member is extended in a direction substantially parallel to the second axis, said crossed fibres give rise to a contraction in a direction at some angle to the second axis to bias the member to the second state, said method comprising the steps of:
passing a first layer which provides a substrate and a second layer comprising said fibres over heating means to heat said first layer thereby to bond said first and second layers together; and,
subsequently applying pressure to said bonded first and second layers to produce said member in its coiled state.
More than two layers may be passed over the heating means to be bonded together and pressure subsequently applied to said bonded layers.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an extendible sheet member which is configurable between first and second states, the first state being a coiled state in which the member is coiled substantially parallel to a first axis, the second state being an extended state in which the member extends substantially parallel to a second axis at some angle to the first axis, the member having a plurality of crossed fibres in or parallel to the plane of the sheet, each fibre being at an angle between
0
degrees and
90
degrees to the first axis, such that, when the member is extended in a direction substantially parallel to the second axis, said crossed fibres give rise to a contraction in a direction at some angle to the second axis to bias the member to the second state, said method comprising the steps of:
Applying heat and/or pressure to a layer which provides a substrate and which has said fibres embedded therein to produce said member in its coiled state.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3144104 (1964-08-01), Weir
patent: 3144215 (1964-08-01), Klein
patent: 3177987 (1965-04-01), Swain
patent: 3357457 (1967-12-01), Myer
patent: 3360894 (1968-01-01), Sharman
patent: 3361377 (1968-01-01), Trexler
patent: 3387414 (1968-06-01), Adams
patent: 3434674 (1969-03-01), Groskopfs
patent: 3543806 (1970-12-01), Rushing
patent: 3608844 (1971-09-01), Tumulty
patent: 3696568 (1972-10-01), Berry
patent: 3811633 (1974-05-01), Cummings
patent: 3832240 (1974-08-01), Kubo
patent: 4225871 (1980-09-01), Ramari
patent: 4265690 (1981-05-01), Lowenhar
patent: 4991784 (1991-02-01), Schmid
patent: 41 03 143 (1992-08-01), None
patent: 43 02 214 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 88/08620 (1988-11-01), None
patent: 95/04561 (1995-02-01), None
Loney Donald J
Nixon & Vanderhye PC
Rolatube Technology Limited
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