US20060236512A1 - Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering - Google Patents
Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060236512A1 US20060236512A1 US11/455,483 US45548306A US2006236512A1 US 20060236512 A1 US20060236512 A1 US 20060236512A1 US 45548306 A US45548306 A US 45548306A US 2006236512 A1 US2006236512 A1 US 2006236512A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- vane
- tape
- resin
- ladder
- assembly
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- 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.)
- Abandoned
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E06—DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; LADDERS
- E06B—FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES
- E06B9/00—Screening or protective devices for wall or similar openings, with or without operating or securing mechanisms; Closures of similar construction
- E06B9/24—Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blinds
- E06B9/26—Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds
- E06B9/38—Other details
- E06B9/386—Details of lamellae
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E06—DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; LADDERS
- E06B—FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES
- E06B9/00—Screening or protective devices for wall or similar openings, with or without operating or securing mechanisms; Closures of similar construction
- E06B9/24—Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blinds
- E06B9/26—Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds
- E06B9/266—Devices or accessories for making or mounting lamellar blinds or parts thereof
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/39—Venetian blind assembling
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
- Y10T29/53313—Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural sources without manual intervention
- Y10T29/53365—Multiple station assembly apparatus
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/53—Means to assemble or disassemble
- Y10T29/534—Multiple station assembly or disassembly apparatus
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Blinds (AREA)
Abstract
An apparatus for fabricating tubular vanes and adhering the vanes to a plurality of associated ladder tapes for use in a blind assembly for an architectural opening is described. The apparatus includes a first section for unrolling resin impregnated fabric tape, folding the tape, and cutting the tape to a predetermined length. In a second section of the apparatus, the cut and folded tape is bonded to together along its longitudinal edges to form a tubular vane. In the third and final section, the completed vane is positioned between the vertical cords of a plurality of associated ladder tapes and the vane is adhesively bonded to a cross rung of each. After the vane has been bonded to the cross rungs, the ladder tapes are advanced and prepared for receipt of the next vane. The resulting subassembly of vanes is used to fabricate blind assemblies through the addition of headrails and bottom rails.
Description
- This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/402,223 (the '223 application), filed 26 Mar. 2003, which claims priority under 37 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional application No. 60/369,355 (the '355 application), filed 1 Apr. 2002. The '223 and '355 applications are hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein, in their entirety.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for fabricating coverings for architectural openings, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for continuously fabricating tubular vanes from a fabric material and arranging the tubular vanes in associated ladder tapes.
- 2. Background Description
- Venetian style blinds and plantation style shutters are two styles of window coverings commonly used in residential and commercial applications.
- Conventional Venetian blind assemblies typically comprise a head rail, a bottom rail and a plurality of horizontal slats disposed therebetween. Lift cords extend from a catch mechanism in the head rail to the bottom rail. By releasing the catch and by pulling on or guiding the portions of the lift cords that extend from the head rail and the catch, the vertical distribution of the slats can be moved up or down between retracted and extended positions across an opening. Furthermore, each of the plurality of slats is typically supported by a ladder tape (or cord). The ladder tape is typically attached to a tilt mechanism in the headrail to facilitate pivotal movement of the slats about the slats' longitudinal axes, whereby rotating a rod or pulling cords that extend from the mechanism, the plurality of slats can be opened or closed depending on how much light a user wants to pass through the opening.
- Generally speaking, Venetian blinds are thinner and lighter than plantation shutters and do not have the peripheral frame required in plantation shutters. Furthermore, the exposed and dangling lift cords found in a Venetian blind can be unruly especially when the blind is in its retracted position, wherein the ends of the cord may gather unattractively on the sill of the window. On the other hand, when the blind is extended, the ends of the cords may be too high for someone of short stature to easily reach. Additionally, the head rail of a Venetian blind assembly that typically contains the mechanisms necessary to control the operation of the blind assembly is often not very architecturally pleasing, and may even be unsightly. It is common for an architectural opening having a Venetian blind assembly to make use of a valance or other interior design element to hide the headrail.
- Plantation shutters typically comprise a plurality of horizontal slats like the Venetian blinds, yet they tend to be more massive in appearance. The plurality of slats are typically enclosed in a peripheral framework that surrounds the architectural opening. Because the slats are connected directly to the framework they cannot be moved up and down. They can, however, be pivoted between open and closed positions usually by the operation of an actuator rod that is loosely attached to the slats, wherein movement upwardly or downwardly of the actuator rod pivots the slats between the open and closed positions.
- Although many consider that plantation shutters tend to be more attractive than Venetian blinds, there are some drawbacks that discourage purchases. Perhaps, the biggest drawback is that plantation shutters cannot be easily removed from a window, leaving the user with the limited choice of having the slats in the open position or the closed position, but no ability to have a clear unobstructed view through the window, such as is provided when a Venetian blind is retracted. Furthermore, because shutters are typically very deep, and because the framework often extends beyond the surface of the interior wall, it is only on deeply inset windows that plantation shutter type blinds can be installed flush with the wall surface.
- No prior art covering product is known that combines the operational advantages of the Venetian blind with the aesthetics of the plantation shutter. The thick (typically wooded) slats that are part of the visual appeal of plantation blinds do not translate well to Venetian blinds. The weight and thickness of plantation blind slats are not well suited to being retracted and extended. For instance, if the slats of a plantation shutter could be incorporated into a Venetian style blind, the stack height of a plurality of the slats would be very substantial, covering a substantial portion of the window even when the blind is retracted.
- A variety of apparatuses and machines are utilized to produce coverings for architectural openings, such as Venetian blinds. Generally, one or more machines are utilized to produce the slats of the coverings. For instance, in the case of Venetian blinds with aluminum slats, the slats can be formed from rolls of aluminum stock. Another machine is typically utilized to insert and secure a plurality of the formed slats within a set of ladder tapes to form a subassembly to which the headrail and footrail are subsequently attached to form a completed blind.
- A vane fabrication apparatus and method of using the apparatus is described. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus includes: (1) a forming and sizing section to form a piece of fabric tape into a tubular vane and cut it to length; (2) a bonding section to join one edge of the formed tape to another along the tape's length to complete the tubular vane; and (3) a subassembly fabrication section to position the completed vanes in between the vertical cords of associated ladder tapes and to couple the vanes to the cross rungs of the ladder tapes to create a blind subassembly. The subassembly may be utilized to fabricate a completed window blind assembly by adding a headrail and a footrail to it.
- Other aspects, features and details of the present invention will be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.
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FIGS. 1A and B are front elevational views, each of a portion of the entire vane fabrication apparatus. -
FIGS. 2A and B are top plan views, each of a portion of the entire vane fabrication apparatus. -
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the vane tape taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the left end of the vane fabrication apparatus illustrating the roll of vane material and the bin in which the unrolled material is held. -
FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 5-5 ofFIG. 1A . -
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus. -
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus taken along line 7-7 ofFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 8 is an isometric top plan view of a feeder motor assembly from the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus. -
FIG. 9 is an isometric bottom plan view of a feeder motor assembly from the forming and sizing section of the vane fabrication apparatus. -
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the feeder motor assembly taken alonglines 10 −10 ofFIG. 1A . -
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a second feeder motor assembly as utilized in the bonding and subassembly sections of the vane fabrication apparatus. -
FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the second feeder motor assembly taken along line 12-12 ofFIG. 11 . -
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary isometric view of the forming and sizing section showing a feeder motor assembly and the sensor array. -
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the forming and sizing section showing the sensor array, two feeder motor assemblies and the L-shaped guides. -
FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of a portion of the forming and sizing section illustrating the sensor array and the vane guides as taken along line 15-15 ofFIG. 14 . -
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the end of the forming and sizing section and the beginning of the bonding section. -
FIGS. 17, 18 and 19 are all cross sectional views of the flap folding guide taken along lines 17-17, 18-18 and 19-19 ofFIG. 16 respectively. -
FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of the left end of the bonding section taken along line 20-20 ofFIG. 1A . -
FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view of the bonding section taken along lines 21-21 ofFIG. 1B . -
FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view of the bonding section taken along lines 22-22 ofFIG. 1B . -
FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view of a vertical adjustment screw for containment block taken along line 23-23 ofFIG. 22 . -
FIG. 24 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the heater cover plate taken along line 24-24 ofFIG. 22 . -
FIG. 25 is a fragmentary cross sectional top view of bonding section taken along line 25-25 ofFIG. 20 . -
FIG. 26 is a cross sectional view of the bonding section taken along lines 26-26 ofFIG. 1B . -
FIGS. 27-29 are cross sectional views taken along line 26-26 ofFIG. 1B sequentially illustrating the operation of the bonding section. -
FIG. 30 is a right end view of the bonding section taken along lines 30-30 ofFIG. 1B . -
FIGS. 31 and 32 are front views of the catch mechanism assembly taken along lines 31-31 and 32-32 ofFIG. 33 respectively. -
FIG. 33 is a cross sectional view of the rails and rail guides as taken along line 33-33 ofFIG. 43 . -
FIG. 34 is a cross sectional view taken along line 34-34 ofFIG. 32 showing the stopper air cylinder of the catch mechanism assembly. -
FIGS. 35-37 are isometric views of three headrails of differing lengths that can be utilized as guides in setting up the vane fabrication apparatus to fabricate vane subassemblies compatible with the headrails. -
FIG. 38 is a cross sectional view of a ladder tape supply station as taken along line 38-38 ofFIG. 40 . -
FIG. 39 is a cross sectional front view of a ladder tape supply section viewed along line 39-39 ofFIG. 38 . -
FIG. 40 is a front elevational view of the subassembly fabrication section with the section configured to produce long vane subassemblies utilizing four ladder tape supply stations. -
FIG. 41 is a front elevational view of the subassembly fabrication section with the section configured to produce short vane subassemblies utilizing two ladder tape supply stations. -
FIG. 42 is a cross sectional view of the ladder tape reel cassette as viewed along line 42-42 ofFIG. 38 . -
FIG. 43 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the bonding section illustrating a single ladder tape supply station and the catch mechanism assembly. -
FIG. 44 is a cross sectional view of the cylindrical guide bar taken along line 44-44 ofFIG. 43 . -
FIG. 45 is a cross sectional view of the cylindrical guide bar taken along line 45-45 ofFIG. 44 . -
FIG. 46 is cross sectional view of the cylindrical guide bar taken along line 46-46 ofFIG. 44 . -
FIG. 47 is a cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 47-47 ofFIG. 40 . -
FIGS. 48 and 49 are enlarged fragmentary cross sectional views of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 48-48 ofFIG. 62 . -
FIG. 50 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 38-38 ofFIG. 40 illustrating the thermoplastic resin bead dispenser and bonding assembly and the movement of the components associated therewith. -
FIGS. 51 and 52 are a cross sectional views of the resin shuttle mechanism illustrating the upwardly and leftwardly movement of the bonding platen as taken along line 51-51 ofFIG. 50 . -
FIG. 53 is a cross sectional view of a ladder tape supply station as taken along line 38-38 ofFIG. 40 illustrating the ultrasonic curing thermoset resin dispenser and bonding assembly. -
FIG. 54 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 38-38 ofFIG. 40 illustrating the thermoplastic resin bonding assembly and the movement of the components associated therewith. -
FIGS. 55 and 56 are cross sectional views of the resin shuttle mechanism illustrating the upwardly and leftwardly movement of the bonding platen as taken along line 55-55 ofFIG. 54 . -
FIG. 57 is a cross sectional view of the bonding platen and clamp mechanism for the ultrasonic thermoset resin bonding assembly as taken along line 57-57 ofFIG. 54 . -
FIG. 58 is a cross sectional view of the bonding platen and clamp mechanism for the ultrasonic thermoset resin bonding assembly as taken along line 58-58 ofFIG. 57 . -
FIGS. 59-61 are cross sectional views of the resin shuttle taken along line 59-59 ofFIG. 38 illustrating the movement of the resin shuttle during a vane to cross rung bonding operation. -
FIGS. 62-64 are cross sectional views of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 62-62 ofFIG. 38 and line 64-64 ofFIG. 50 illustrating the movement of the station's components during operation. -
FIG. 65 is a cross sectional view of a vane taken along line 65-65 ofFIG. 48 showing the cross rung adhesively joined to the vane by way of an resin bead. -
FIG. 66 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of a vane taken along line 66-66 ofFIG. 48 . -
FIG. 67 is a cross sectional view of a vane that is attached to a cross rung by way of an resin bead taken along line 67-67 ofFIG. 65 . -
FIG. 68 is a front elevational view of the subassembly fabrication section with the section configured to produce long vane subassemblies utilizing four ladder tape supply stations with the two end ladder tape supply stations placed proximate the ends of the vanes. -
FIG. 69 is a cross sectional view of a ladder tape supply station as taken along line 38-38 ofFIG. 40 illustrating the third embodiment resin dispenser and bonding assembly. -
FIG. 70 is a partial cross sectional view of the ladder tape supply station taken along line 70-70 ofFIG. 69 . -
FIGS. 71 and 72 are partial side views of a ladder tape supply station incorporating the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly. -
FIG. 73 is partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 73-73 ofFIG. 71 . -
FIG. 74 is partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 74-74 ofFIG. 72 . -
FIG. 75 is a partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 75-75 ofFIG. 74 . -
FIG. 76 is an enlarged partial view of the third embodiment resin supply and bonding assembly taken along line 75-75 ofFIG. 74 . -
FIG. 77 is a cross sectional view of a vane attached to a cross rung in two locations by resin beads. -
FIG. 78 is a cross sectional view of the alternative embodiment bonding section with the heated anvil in its initial position taken along lines 21-21 ofFIG. 1B . -
FIG. 79 is a cross sectional view of the alternative embodiment bonding section with the heated anvil in its rotated position taken along lines 21-21 ofFIG. 1B . - An apparatus for continuously fabricating collapsible tubular vanes (or slats) and securing the vanes into ladder tapes in a spaced relationship to one another is described. The vane and ladder tape subassembly is utilized in the fabrication of horizontally orientated Venetian style blind assemblies.
- The tubular vanes are typically fabricated from a roll of resin impregnated non-woven longitudinally pre-creased fabric tape that has a curvilinear set across its width. In other embodiments, the curvilinear set non-woven fabric tape is creased as necessary as it is pulled against a creasing blade after the tape is unwound from a roll by the apparatus. As will be described in greater detail below, the fabric tape is folded onto itself about its approximate lateral creased midpoint and the two lateral edges are adhesively joined such that a tubular vane with top and bottom convex sides is formed. Because of the semi-rigid construction of the resin impregnated non-woven fabric tape and the tubular configuration, the resulting vane has the necessary stiffness to resist sagging when horizontally disposed. Furthermore, the flexible nature of the fabric tape permits the convex sides to be collapsed onto one another, facilitating a more compact stack of vanes on an associated horizontal blind assembly when the assembly is in a retracted position. The tubular vanes are described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/332,411, filed 7 Jan. 2003, which is a national phase filing from the PCT application no. PCT/US/0122336, filed 16 Jul. 2001, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/219,039, filed on 18 Jul. 2001, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
- When the vanes are utilized as slats in horizontal Venetian blind assemblies, each slat is cradled in corresponding rungs of two or more ladder tapes. Movement of the cross rungs of the ladder tapes from a near horizontal orientation when the slats of the blinds are open to a nearly vertical position when the slats are in their closed position is facilitated by raising or lowering vertical cords of the ladder tape that intersect with the ends of each cross rung. In one embodiment of a horizontal blind assembly incorporating the tubular vanes, each vane is secured to its corresponding cross rungs by resin beads. The application of the resin bead to the vane to secure the cross rung thereto is performed by a preferred embodiment of the vane fabrication apparatus as is described in greater detail below. The resin beads facilitate complete closure of the blind assembly by encouraging the vanes into a more vertical position, wherein they rest directly against similarly orientated adjacent vanes to more effectively block unwanted light. The use of resin to secure the slats of horizontal blind assemblies to the cross rungs of a ladder tape are described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/003,097, filed on 6 Dec. 2001, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/305,996 filed on 16 Jul. 2001, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
- Horizontal blind subassemblies comprising a plurality of tubular vanes that are (1) arranged in two or more ladder tapes and (2) secured to the cross rungs of the ladder tapes with an resin can be utilized to fabricate a variety of styles of horizontal blind assemblies. One particular type of blind assembly utilizes pivotal vane-shaped headrails and bottom rails in conjunction with the subassembly and a plantation shutter style tilt rod, creating a blind assembly that when in its extended position resembles plantation shutters. This type of horizontal blind assembly is described in greater detail in the PCT application PCT/US02/22577, filed 16 Jul. 2002, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application 60/305,947, filed on 16 Jul. 2001 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/197,674, filed 16 Jul. 2002 which claims priority to U.S. provisional application 60/306,049, filed on 16 Jul. 2001, which are owned by the assignee of the present invention and are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
- General Overview
- The
vane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated in its entirety inFIGS. 1A, 1B , 2A and 2B. In a vane forming and sizingsection 100, semi-rigid non-woven fibrous composite material configured for use in making tubular vanes is unwound from a roll, creased longitudinally as necessary if the material is not pre-creased, and folded about a longitudinal crease proximate the material's lateral center to form the general shape of a tubular vane. Next, the formed vane material is cut to a predetermined length, and finally in this section, a flap along the longitudinal edge of the vane's top side that has a thermoplastic resin adhered to its surface is partially folded over in preparation for the bonding operation. - In a
bonding section 300 of the vane fabrication apparatus, the hot melt resin on the flap is heated to above its melting point and the flap is folded onto the vane's bottom side. Pressure is applied, and the glue is allowed to cool. - In a final
subassembly fabrication section 400, the finished vane is slid between the vertical cords of corresponding ladder tapes. Next, the bottom side of the vane is secured to corresponding cross rungs of the ladder tapes, through the application of a resin bead. Finally the vane is lowered via the ladder tapes and the adjacent set of the ladder tapes' cross rungs are positioned for receipt of the next vane. - A preferred embodiment of the
apparatus 10 is adjustable to facilitate the fabrication of vanes and subassemblies for a wide variety of blind assembly widths from 1 foot to 8 feet. Referring toFIGS. 1A and 1B , by moving acatch mechanism assembly 302 in thesubassembly fabrication section 400 that helps position the vanes within the ladder tapes to the left or right, the size of the vane and subassembly produced by the apparatus can be varied. Thecatch mechanism assembly 302 is secured to one end of anelongated bar 12. The opposite end of the elongated bar is secured to asensor array 102 of the vane forming and sizingsection 100. Atemplate 304 is placed in between thecatch mechanism assembly 302 and a surface of avertical plate 306 located along the left edge ofsubassembly fabrication section 400. Thecatch mechanism assembly 302 is moved leftwardly until it abuts the right edge of thetemplate 304 and is secured in this location. Thesensor array 102 moves simultaneously with the catch mechanism via theelongated bar 12. The distance between thesensor array 102 and aguillotine shear 104 determines the length of the vane material that is subsequently fabricated into a vane. In alternative embodiments other mechanisms may be utilized to set the length of the vanes. For instance, the rod can be replaced by a wire, or the sensor array could be coupled to a catch mechanism assembly electronically such that movement of the catch mechanism is signaled to the sensor array and the sensor array moves correspondingly. The operation of the various components and the adjustment of the vane fabrication apparatus is described in greater detail below in the descriptions of the various sections of the apparatus. - The Forming and Sizing Section
- The forming and sizing
section 100 of thevane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated inFIGS. 4-10 and 13-19. The primary function of this section is to orientate and form thevane tape 105 supplied from a roll into a tubular vane shape and cut the tape into predetermined vane lengths. The forming and sizing section 100 includes: (1) a spindle 106 attached to the apparatus framework 14 for holding a roll 108 of vane tape; (2) a motor 110 attached to a drive wheel 112 for unwinding the roll of vane tape (3) a bin 114 made of a translucent plastic in the preferred embodiment to hold the unwound vane material; (4) a sensor pair 115 for controlling the operation of the motor based on the amount of unrolled vane tape in the bin; (5) guides 116 and 118 to change the orientation and direction of the vane material from longitudinally vertical and laterally horizontal to longitudinally horizontal and laterally vertical; (6) a forming plate 120 that encourages the vane tape to fold along a crease proximate the middle of the tape; (7) a forming guide 122 that folds the vane material about the crease; (8) a motor-driven drum 124 for pulling the vane material through the forming guide; (9) the sensor array 102 for controlling the drum and associated feed motor assemblies 126 based on the desired length of a vane; (10) a guillotine 104 for cutting the tape at the desired vane length; and (11) a guide 130 for folding a flap 132 that extends beyond the longitudinal edge of the top side 134 of the formed vane vertically downwardly. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , thevane tape 105 utilized to make the tubular vanes is illustrated. Typically, thevane tape 105 is comprised of a non-woven fiberglass mat that has been partially impregnated with a thermoset resin. The thermoset resin is cured against a curvilinear mandrel to give the fiberglass mat a measure of rigidity and a lateral curvilinear set as is shown inFIG. 3 . Thevane tape 105 may also include a second layer of patterned fabric (not shown) laminated to the fiberglass mat to provide the vanes fabricated from it with a desired surface appearance. - The
vane tape 105 also includes two longitudinally extendingpre-formed creases first crease 136 is located proximate the lateral center of the vane material, such that folding the vane tape along the first crease forms top and bottomconvex sides second crease 138 defines the longitudinal edge of the topconvex side 134 with aflap 132 extending laterally from it. Theflap 132 includes a thermoplastic resin layer 144 that has been applied to its inside surface. It is to be appreciated that by folding the flap over thebottom side 142 of thevane tape 105 and adhesively bonding it against the bottom side with the thermoplastic resin layer 144, a tubular vane is formed. - Once the creases have been made in and the thermoplastic resin has been applied to the vane tape, the vane tape is wound onto a cylindrical core for use by the
vane fabrication apparatus 10 as is described in detail herein. The compressive force applied as the tape is wound into aroll 108 causes the tape to flatten and temporarily lose its curvilinear profile. It is to be appreciated that the tape has memory and snaps back into the curvilinear profile once unwound from theroll 108. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , theroll 108 ofvane tape 105 is placed on ahorizontal spindle 106 that extends from theapparatus framework 14 at the left end of theapparatus 10 for free rotational movement about the spindle. The vane tape is threaded over adrive wheel 112 located vertically above the spindle. Thewheel 112 is coupled with anelectric motor 10 by way ofgears 146 and adrive chain 148 as can best be seen inFIG. 5 . Further, aroller 150 is biased against thedrive wheel 112 by anair cylinder 152, wherein thevane tape 105 passes between the surface of the roller and the drive wheel. Operationally, actuation of themotor 110 causes thedrive wheel 112 to rotate counterclockwise (as viewed fromFIG. 4 ) in turn pulling thevane tape 105 off of theroll 108, and into the downwardly taperedbin 114. In an alternative embodiment, one or more creasing blades (not shown) can be incorporated into thedrive wheel 112 and/or theroller 150 to crease the vane tape if vane tape that is not pre-creased is utilized. - The
sensor pair 115 create a horizontal beam across thebin 114 proximate the bin's bottom. The sensor pair is electronically coupled to themotor 110, acting to switch the motor off when the beam is broken by a strip of the unwoundvane tape 105. It is to be appreciated that once the tape is unwound from theroll 108 it is not longitudinally tensioned permitting it to hang freely in thebin 114. - From its nadir, the
vane tape 105 loops upwardly passing over and resting on a horizontally orientatedsupport rod guide 116 located above the plexiglass bin. From thesupport rod 116, the vane tape is encouraged from a generally longitudinally vertical orientation to a generally longitudinally horizontal position, wherein the tape is also vertically orientated in its lateral direction as best seen inFIGS. 4, 5 , and 6. The vane tape is held in its laterally vertical orientation by two closely spacedvertical guide rods 118 that extend upwardly from the top surface of theapparatus 10. - Referring to
FIGS. 6 and 7 , the horizontally disposed formingplate 120 is supported above the top surface of the apparatus at a distance generally equal to the lateral distance from one edge of the vane tape to thelongitudinal crease 136 proximate the tape's centerline, such that therear edge 154 of the plate 120 (as viewed inFIG. 6 ) is coplanar with the vertically oriented vane tape'slongitudinal crease 136 as it is pulled to the right past the twovertical guide rods 118. The plate'srear edge 154 is curvilinearly tapered rearwardly as it extends toward the right. It is of particular note that the rightmost portion of therear edge 154 is located to the rear of thevertical guide rods 118. Accordingly, as the vane tape is pulled to the right by the motor driven drum 124 (as described below), thecrease 136 of the vane tape is pulled up against therear edge 154 of theplate 120, causing thevane tape 105 to begin to fold both over and under the plate. - Next, the partially folded
vane tape 105 is pulled through the formingguide 122, which completes the fold along thecease 136, causing atop side 134 of the vane tape to fold over abottom side 142 of the vane tape. Referring toFIG. 7 , the formingguide 122 comprises upper andlower plates plate 120 and thecrease 136 of thevane tape 105. Aleft portion 162 of the slot tapers from the left to the right with the right end of theplate 120 extending between theleft portion 162 of the slot. Theright portion 164 of the slot includes spaced parallel top and bottom surfaces. The backside of the slot is generally aligned with the folded edge of the vane tape. - As mentioned above, the
tape 105 is pulled up from the base of thebin 114, through theguides plate 120, and through the formingguide 122 by arotating drum 124 attached to anelectric drive motor 166. Thedrum 124 is located to the right of and adjacent to the formingguide 122. Themotor 166 is electrically coupled with the control system (not shown) of theapparatus 10 for precise operational control. Typically, thedrum 124 is switched off once the front edge of the folded vane tape passes through thesensor array 102, located to the right of the drum that is utilized to set the length of each vane as will be described in greater detail below. The drive drum assembly further includes aroller 168 that is biased against thedrum 124 by anair cylinder 170, wherein the vane tape passes between the surface of theroller 168 and thedrum 124. The substantiallyvertical shaft 172 extending from theair cylinder 170 with which theroller 168 is attached is free to pivot about its longitudinal axis. Accordingly, the drive drum assembly operates only to pull thetape 105 from thebin 114 and push the foldedvane tape 105 towards thesensor array 102, and not to control the front to rear tracking or positioning of the vane tape. - The
guillotine 104 is positioned to the right of and adjacent to thedrum 124. The guillotine comprises ablade 124 having a generally horizontal cutting edge disposed above the folded vane tape, wherein theblade 124 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vane tape as best seen inFIG. 7 . Theblade 124 is connected to a vertically orientated shaft of anair cylinder 180 that is pneumatically coupled with a control system actuatable air valve (not shown). Ablock 182 is also provided underneath the foldedvane tape 105 that spans the width of the vane tape to support the tape just to the left of theblade 174 as the tape is being cut. It is appreciated that unlike the vane tape to the left of thedrum 124, the foldedvane tape 105 to the right is held in tension, such that it has sufficient tautness to facilitate a clean cut. The folded vane tape is held to the left of theguillotine 104 by thedrum 124 which is stationary during the cutting operation and essentially acts to lightly clamp the tape between the drum and thebiased roller 168. To the right of theguillotine 104, thevane tape 105 is held by one or morefeeder motor assemblies 126 that are not in operation during the cutting operation and also act to lightly clamp the folded vane tape in place. - As mentioned above, a number of
feed motor assemblies 124 are utilized to advance the foldedvane tape 105 through both the forming and sizing, andbonding sections apparatus 10. A typical feeder motor assembly is illustrated inFIGS. 8-10 . Thefeeder motor assembly 124 includes: (i) amotor 184 that is affixed to a vertically extending mountingplate 185 attached to the top side of theapparatus framework 14; (ii) atorque control clutch 186 coupled with the shaft of the motor; and (iii) adrive wheel 188 coupled to the clutch. Thefeeder motor assembly 126 further includes anupper wheel 190 disposed directly above the drive wheel. The upper wheel is rotatably coupled via a bearing and ashaft 192 to a distal end of acantilevered arm 194. The proximal end of the cantilever is pivotally connected to the vertically extending mountingplate 185. - In operation, the
drive wheel 188, which is typically located below the foldedvane tape 105, is rotated clockwise as shown inFIGS. 8 and 9 . The vane tape passes between thedrive wheel 188 and theupper wheel 190 with the weight of the upper wheel acting through thecantilever 194 providing sufficient biasing force against the drive wheel to generate traction against the vane tape and propel it forward. The vane tape passes through the drive and upper wheels near the folded edge of the vane tape. As can be appreciated, in the vane forming and sizingsection 100, thefeed motor assemblies 126 operate in conjunction with the motor drivendrum 124 when feeding folded vane tape between theguillotine 104 and thesensor array 102. - The clutch 186 provided between the
motor 184 and thedrive wheel 188 of eachfeeder motor assembly 126 helps ensure that all the drives wheels of associated feeder motor assemblies are operating at the same speed and applying the same level of torque to the vane tape, so that the vane tape moves uniformly through theapparatus 10 without buckling or bunching up between feeder assemblies. Essentially, the clutch 186 allows thedrive wheel 188 to rotate free of the motor's drive shaft below a certain rpm level. Accordingly, when themotors 184 are switched off, thedrive wheels 188 can still spin freely to allow the tension in the vane tape between each of thefeeder motor assemblies 126 to equalize. In the preferred embodiment a Perma-Tork HC01-1 clutch assembly, manufactured by Magpower of Fenton, Mo., is utilized. - A second type of
feeder motor assembly 196 is illustrated inFIGS. 11 and 12 for use when a more secure grip on the vane or vane tape is desired as the vane or vane tape is advanced through the various sections of thefabrication apparatus 10. The second typefeeder motor assembly 196 is very similar to the previously describedfeeder motor assembly 126 except that acoil spring 198 is provided to apply a downward bias to theupper wheel 190. Theshaft 192 to which the cantileveredarm 194 is pivotally attached extends outwardly beyond the surface of the cantilevered arm as best shown inFIG. 11 . Thecoil spring 198 is received over theshaft 192. Afirst end 202 of the coiled spring extends vertically a short distance until it clears the cantilever arm and the vertically extending mountingplate 185, wherein it is bent 90 degrees and extends horizontally, bracing up against avertical shaft 204 that is fixedly attached to the mountingplate 185. Theother end 206 of the spring radiates from the coil and is biased against theshaft 192 of theupper wheel 190. In the illustrated embodiment, the second typefeeder motor assembly 196 is utilized in the bonding andsubassembly sections fabrication apparatus 10. In other alternative embodiments, the second typefeeder motor assemblies 196 incorporating a biasing spring are utilized throughout the fabrication apparatus in place of the first type offeeder motor assemblies 126 without a biasing spring. - Referring back to
FIGS. 1A and 2A , the foldedvane tape 105 is transported from the motor-drivendrum 124 towards thesensor array 102. The distance between the sensor array and theguillotine 104 sets the length of thevanes 208 fabricated from thevane tape 105. The variousfeeder motor assemblies 126 assist thedrum 124 in propelling the vane tape forward. As is shown in greater detail inFIGS. 8-10 , guide members are provided between the feeder assemblies to ensure that the vane tape remains properly aligned and to ensure the vane tape remains folded and compressed. The folded longitudinal edge of the folded vane tape is butted up against avertical fence 210, which defines the rearmost position of the folded vane material. Thevertical fence 210 is formed from alower plate 212 that has a thinner front portion and a thicker rear portion. The upwardly facing surface of the front portion provides a support for the bottom side of the folded vane tape. Periodically, along the length of the sizing portion of the form andsizing section 100, anupper plate 214 that overhangs thefence 210 and the downwardly facing surface of the upper plate is secured to the rear thicker portion of thelower plate 212 to form aslot 216 for containing the folded longitudinal edge of the vane tape. Additionally, a pair of opposing elongated L-brackets guillotine 104 and thesensor array 102 in front of the drive andupper wheels feeder motor assemblies 126. A top L-bracket 218 has a downwardly facing horizontal bottom side, which prevents the vane material from flying out of the apparatus. The lower L-bracket 220 has an upwardly facing top side that is spaced from the bottom side a sufficient distance so that the folded vane tape can easily slide therethrough. Together, the L-brackets bottom sides vane tape 105 located in front of thedrive wheels 188 lightly compressed against each other. - As previously stated the drive and
upper wheels feeder motor assemblies 126 are generally longitudinally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the foldedvane tape 105. Although in a preferred embodiment, thewheels vertical fence 210, helping to ensure that the tape is properly positioned for subsequent fabrication operations. - Referring to
FIGS. 13-15 , two pair oflight beam sensors sensor array 102 are disposed above and below the path of the front portion of the foldedvane tape 105, and are horizontally spaced several inches from the other pair along the longitudinal length of the vane tape. A substantially vertical beam of light is emitted from a first sensor of each pair and is received by a second sensor that is aligned with the first sensor. The sensors are coupled to the control system which turns thedrum motor 166 and thefeeder assembly motors 126 off and on based on whether the beams of light have been obstructed. - As described earlier, it is the distance between the
sensor array 102 and theguillotine 104 that determines the length of the vanes fabricated in theapparatus 10. Thesensor support plate 226 to which the sensor pairs 222 and 224 are coupled is slidable along theframework 14 of theapparatus 10. Thesensor support plate 226 is in turn coupled with thecatch mechanism assembly 302 in thesubassembly fabrication section 400. By releasing and moving the catch mechanism assembly, as is described below, the distance between theguillotine 104 and thesensor array 102 can be varied. - In operation, the front edge of the folded
vane tape 105 moves to the right propelled by the motor-drivendrum 124 and thefeeder motor assemblies 126. As the front edge of the vane tape passes between the light beam of thefirst sensor pair 222, the control system prepares to shut off thefeeder motor assemblies 126 and drumdrive motor 166. Once the beam of thesecond sensor pair 224 is obstructed, the control system shuts off themotors clutches 186 utilized in each of thefeeder motor assemblies 126, turning off thefeeder assembly motors 186 will not prevent thevane tape 105 from traveling further to the right. Therefore, it is thedrum 124 with its positive coupling with its drive motor that effectively brakes and stops the forward movement of thevane tape 105. After the movement of the vane tape has been stopped, theguillotine 104 is activated and the folded vane material is cut, creating an inprogress vane 208. By using a two-stage stopping mechanism, the length of thevanes 208 can be precisely controlled, wherein the variance from one vane to another is typically less than 1 millimeter. - Next, the
feeder motor assemblies 126 are turned back on to move the inprogress vane 208 into thebonding section 300 for fabrication into a completed tubular vane. Once thecut vane 208 has been moved to the next section, thedrum motor 166 reactivates feeding a new front edge of the foldedvane tape 105 towards thesensor array 102 so that anothervane 208 can be cut. - As the in-
progress vane 208 is fed from the forming and sizingsection 110 into thebonding section 300, the vane'sflap 132 extends generally horizontally outwardly from thetop side 134 as can best be seen inFIG. 17 . Referring toFIGS. 16-19 , thefolding guide 130 is provided to fold theflap 132 downwardly about theflap crease 138 to a generally vertical orientation as thevane 208 is fed into thebonding section 300. Thefolding guide 130 includes two pieces; asupport piece 228 providing a horizontal surface to support the front portion of thevane 208 proximate the unbonded edges of the top andbottom sides piece 230 which has surfaces that taper and change orientation to move theflap 132 from the horizontal to a vertical position. - The elongated forming
piece 230 includes several inside surfaces that vary as they extend from left to right. Proximate the leftmost edge of the forming piece, a cross section of the forming piece as illustrated inFIG. 17 reveals a downwardly facinghorizontal surface 232 which over hangs theflap 132 and a small portion oftop side 134. Moving to the right as seen inFIG. 18 , the portion of the downwardly facing horizontal surface in front of theflap crease 138 cants downwardly from an axis adjacent the flap crease to form a rearwardly and downwardly facing cantedsurface 234. Furthermore, a rearwardly facing and taperingvertical surface 236 extends from the frontmost edge of the canted surface. From left to right (as viewed inFIG. 16 ), the angle of incidence between the remaininghorizontal surface 232 and thecanted surface 234 continues to increase until the cantedsurface 234 effectively merges with thevertical surface 236 as is shown inFIG. 19 . Additionally, thevertical surface 236 tapers rearwardly (to the right as shown inFIG. 19 ) until it intersects directly with the edge of the remaininghorizontal surface 232 at the axis adjacent theflap crease 138. As illustrated inFIGS. 17-19 , theflap 132, which is butted up against the surfaces of the formingpiece 230 is encouraged from a generally horizontal orientation to a downwardly extending vertical position as it travels through thefolding guide 130. - The Bonding Section
- The
bonding section 300 of thevane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated inFIGS. 20-29 . The primary function of the bonding section is to adhesively join the longitudinal edges of the in-progress vane 208 to create a completedtubular vane 208. Thebonding section 300 includes: (1) an enclosedheater containment block 302 having ahorizontal support surface 304 upon which thebottom side 142 of the in-progress vane 208 rests during the bonding operation; (2) anelongated heater 306 contained within the heater containment block beneath the support surface for heating the resin 144 disposed on theflap 132; (3) aheater cover plate 308 coupled with one ormore air cylinders 310 for moving between (i) a closed position in between the flap and the heater, and (ii) an open position, wherein the resin is exposed to the heat radiation emanating from the heater; (4) a pivotalbond anvil assembly 312 for moving the flap with the melted resin from the vertical position to a horizontal position in contact with thebottom side 142 of thevane 208; and (5) anelongated clamp plate 314 attached to a plurality ofair cylinders 316 for applying downwardly-directed pressure to the bondline. - Referring to
FIGS. 20-25 , cutaways 318 are periodically provided near the rear longitudinal edge of thecontainment block 302 to provide space forfeeder motor assemblies 196, such as those described in reference toFIGS. 11 and 12 , that are utilized to move thevane 208 through thebonding section 300. As shown, the right side of the vane (as viewed inFIG. 20 ) proximate the unbonded edges overhangs the right edge of thesupport surface 304. It is this overhanging portion of the vane'sbottom side 142 that is bonded to the inside surface of theflap 132 to form the completedvane 208. Afence 320 is provided along the folded edge of thevane 208, which can be adjusted laterally via long screws 322 (as shown in FIGS. 22 and 25) to ensure the proper alignment of the vane on thesupport surface 304 of thecontainment block 302. - The downwardly extending vertically orientated
flap 132 of the in-progress vane is prevented from springing back to a substantially horizontal position by a vertically orientatedbond side 324 of an elongated triangularlyshaped bond anvil 326 of the pivotingbond anvil assembly 312. Thebond anvil 326 includes one ormore cooling hoses 328 passing through it to maintain the temperature of the anvil below the melting point of the vane flap's thermoplastic resin 144. As will be discussed in greater detail below, when activated thebond anvil assembly 312 pivots theanvil 326 approximately 90 degrees such that thebond side 324 moves to a horizontal orientation, wherein the flap is brought into contact with thebottom side 142 of thevane 208. - The high temperature
elongated rod heater 306 capable of heating to temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit is mounted within acavity 330 of theheater containment block 302 as can best be seen inFIGS. 21 and 22 . As shown, therod heater 306 is insulated around approximately 270 degrees of its surface to minimize heat transfer from the heater into theheater containment block 302. Further, a series of coolingpipes 332 extend longitudinally along heater containment block within thecavity 330. Cold water is circulated through the cooling pipes to minimize any increase in temperature of the containment block during the bonding operation. The uninsulated portion of the heater faces upwardly and rightwardly in the direction of theflap 132 through anelongated opening 334 in the heater containment block. - Normally, the
elongated opening 334 in thecontainment block cavity 330 is covered by theheater cover plate 308 as shown inFIGS. 20-25 . The heater cover plate rests against an upwardly and rightwardly facing surface of thecontainment block 302. The plate is held in place by a series ofair cylinders 310 that have shafts coupled to a bottom longitudinal edge of the plate. The cylinders are actuatable to move theplate 308 between a normally closed position as illustrated and an open position, wherein the plate is retracted exposing thevane flap 132 to heat radiation emanating from theheater 306 through theelongated opening 334. The plate is also secured to the surface of thecontainment block 302 by a plurality ofscrews 338 riding inslots 340 in the plate as best shown inFIG. 24 . The toplongitudinal edge 342 of the plate is pointed and is received in a similarly shapedcavity 344 on the surface of the containment block when the plate is closed to minimize the release of heat from the heater. - As mentioned above, the
bond anvil 326 is pivotable such that thevertical bond surface 324 against which the vane flap rests can be rotated 90 degrees to a horizontal orientation. The pivotalbond anvil assembly 312 includes a series of stationaryvertical support plates 346 that are spaced along the length of theheater containment block 302, wherein each of the plates is fixedly secured to theframework 14 of theapparatus 10. Each of the plurality ofsupport plates 346 havecircular openings 348 passing through them, wherein the openings are all longitudinally aligned and have the containment block with theheater cover plate 308 passing within each of the openings. As shown, theair cylinder actuators 310 for moving the cover plate between its opened and closed positions are mounted to at least several of the support plates. - Circumscribing and mounted to an inside surface of each of the
support plate openings 348 is a large diameter sealedbearing 350. In turn, a circularpivotal anvil plate 352 is mounted to the inside surface of the sealedbearing 350 for free rotational movement relative to the fixedsupport plate 346. As can be appreciated, a significant portion of eachanvil plate 352 has been removed to form anopening 356 permitting the heater containment block and the cover plate to pass therethrough. As shown inFIGS. 22 and 23 , the containment block is supported within each of thevertical support plates 346 by way of vertically disposedscrews 354 that can be utilized to adjust the height of thecontainment block 302 as necessary. Thebond anvil 326 also passes through the opening in eachanvil plate 352 and is secured to the surface of eachopening 356 for pivotal movement in concert with theanvil plates 352. It is of particular note that the center point of each circular anvil plate is located proximate theflap crease 138 of a properly indexedvane 208. On the preferred embodiment thevertical bond surface 324 of thebond anvil 326 is located 0.010 to 0.020″ horizontally from the center point to accommodate for the thickness of thevane 208 and the bondline of the resin 144 when the edges are being joined as will become more apparent below. Accordingly, as the bond anvil is pivoted 90 degrees during the bonding operation, it does not push up against the vane and change its position. Rather, the anvil merely pivots the flap about a longitudinal axis formed by the flap crease. - To cause the pivotal movement of the
bond anvil 326, theshafts 358 of one ormore air cylinders 360 are pivotally coupled with one or more of theanvil plates 352 at connection points 362 located on the anvil plates above and to the right of the anvil plates' centerpoints as viewed inFIG. 26 . The other end of eachair cylinder 360 is pivotally coupled to an associated fixedsupport plate 346. Accordingly, when actuated, theshafts 358 move outwardly to the left (as shown inFIG. 26 ) and initially upwardly following the arc of the shaft's connection points 362 on theanvil plates 352 relative to the centerpoints until the connection points reach apexes directly above centerpoints, wherein theshafts 358 and connection points continue to move to the left as well as, downwardly. It is appreciated that once the connection points have moved to locations that are essentially coplanar with the locations of the connection points when they are in the retracted position, theanvil plate 352 will have rotated 90 degrees. Since it is desirable to have a substantially horizontal surface on which to bond theflap 132 to thebottom side 142 of thevane 208, it is necessary to prevent further counterclockwise rotation of theanvil plates 352 past 90 degrees. This may be accomplished in any one of a number of ways including (1) providing stops along the bottom of theair cylinders 360 that prevents them from pivoting downwardly or (2) limiting the maximum extension of the air cylinder'sshafts 358. - Referring primarily to
FIG. 26 , theelongated clamp plate 314 with a downwardly facing horizontal surface is suspended above and is coextensive with the containment block'ssupport surface 304. Further, the right side of theclamp plate 314 overhangs the right edge of thesupport surface 304 and is situated directly above the overhanging portion of thevane 208. Situated along the top side of the overhanging portion of the clamp plate is a coolinghose 364 through which water is circulated to maintain the clamp plate below the melting point of the vane's thermoplastic resin 144. Theclamp plate 314 is suspended above the vane by the shafts of a plurality ofair cylinders 316, each of which is attached to theclamp plate 314 through a clevis joint 368. In turn, the top end of each vertically orientatedair cylinder 316 is pivotally connected to one of the fixedsupport plates 346. Operationally, theair cylinder 316 is actuatable to apply pressure to the bondline of thevane 208 when thebond anvil 326 has been rotated 90 degrees such that itsbond surface 324 is situated horizontally beneath theclamp plate 314. - A
sensor 370 is affixed to theframework 14 in thebonding section 300 to the left of the right end of thecontainment block 302 as shown inFIG. 26 . Thesensor 370 is situated such that when avane 208 passes under the sensor, a signal is sent to the control system which shuts down thefeeder motor assemblies 196 in the bonding section so that the entire in-progress vane is situated on the containment block'ssupport surface 304. - The operation of the
bonding section 300 is illustrated inFIGS. 27-29 . Initially, a cut in-progress vane 208 is transported byfeeder motor assemblies support surface 304 of thecontainment block 302 and theflap 132 is contained along its entire length in the vertical position by thebonding surface 324 of thebond anvil 326, then as best shown inFIG. 27 , theclamp plate 314 is lowered against thetop side 134 of the vane via thevertical air cylinders 316 clamping the vane in place against the support surface. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 28 , thecover plate 308 is retracted from its position over theheater 306, exposing the vertically orientatedflap 132 and the thermoplastic resin 144 deposited on it to the radiative heat energy emanating from the heater. After a period of several seconds, the thermoplastic resin melts. - As shown in
FIG. 29 , theheater cover plate 308 is closed and thebond anvil 326 is rotated 90 degrees until thebond surface 324 is horizontal and theflap 132 with the melted resin 144 is brought into contact with thebottom side 142 of thevane 208. Because the bond surface of the anvil is located 0.010 to 0.020 inches from the centerpoint about which it is rotated, the anvil'sbond surface 324 is located 0.010″ to 0.020″ below a horizontal plane passing through the centerpoint when it has been pivoted to horizontal. As described above, the centerpoint is generally co-extensive with the axis of theflap crease 138. The gap between the horizontal plane and the anvil's bond surface accounts for the thickness of theflap 132 and the desired thickness of the bond line. The amount of pressure applied to the bondline after theanvil 326 is pivoted decreases to zero as the resin 144 is squeezed into thebottom side 142 of the vane and the thickness of thetop side 134, thebottom side 142, theflap 132, and the resin 144 is equal to the gap between thebond surface 324 of theanvil 326 and the bottom surface of theclamp plate 314. Accordingly, this prevents too much pressure from being applied to the bondline that could squeeze the resin from between the flap and bottom side resulting in a poor bond and aesthetically displeasing resin adhered to the outside of thevane 208. - After a second or so the resin 144 re-solidifies and the tubular vane is complete. The
clamp plate 314 is retracted and theanvil 326 is rotated back to its normal position. Thefeeder motor assemblies 196 are turned on by the control system and the completed vane is transported to the right (as viewed inFIG. 1B ) into thesubassembly fabrication section 400. - An alternative embodiment bonding section is illustrated in
FIGS. 78 and 79 that utilizes aheating element 706 contained within aheated bond anvil 726 in place of theradiative heater 306 and associated heater containment structure. In other respects, the alternative bonding section and its operation are similar to that of the preferred embodiment except as indicated herein. Where appropriate the same reference numbers are utilized inFIGS. 78 and 79 that are utilized inFIGS. 20-29 of the preferred embodiment bonding section to identify the same or similar elements and components. - The
heater 706 is typically a single resistive rod heater contained within a cavity of theheated anvil 726, although more than one heater or heaters of different types can be utilized as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. During operation, theheater 706 maintains theheated anvil 726 at a temperature at or in excess of the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin deposited on theflap 132 of vane material. - The heated anvil includes a
bond side 724 that is typically in contact with the outside surface of theflap 132 of vane material and acts to heat the vane material and the thermoplastic resin on the other side of the flap. The heated anvil also extends substantially the entire length of the bonding section and is mounted to thepivotal anvil plates 352 of the pivotalbond anvil assemblies 712 through insulatingblocks 780 disposed between the pivoting plates and the heated anvil to prevent the transfer of heat into the pivoting plates. The insulatingblocks 780 are typically comprised of a material with poor heat conductivity, such as certain ceramics and certain fibrous composite materials including asbestos. It can be appreciated that if no insulating blocks were utilized the pivoting plates could heat up and expand, potentially binding the bearingassemblies 350 between the pivoting plates and thevertical support plates 346. Further without the insulating blocks, the pivoting plates and other associated metallic mass of the pivotalbond anvil assembly 712 would act as a heat sink, thereby significantly increasing the energy necessary to maintain the bond anvil at the required temperature. - The operation of the alternative bonding section is similar to that of the preferred embodiment, but will be briefly described herein with reference to
FIGS. 78 and 79 . Initially, a cut in-progress vane 208 is transported into the alternative bonding section by thefeeder motor assemblies 126 and/or 196. Once the vane is in place theclamp plate 314 is lowered to clamp the vane in place against ahorizontal support surface 704 that is defined at least partially by asupport block 702 that replaces theheater containment block 302 of the preferred embodiment. - Since the
bond side 724 of theheat anvil 726 is in direct contact with the outside surface of the vertically-orientatedvane flap 132, the vane flap and the thermoplastic resin contained thereon are heated. After a short dwell period, the thermoplastic resin softens and melts. The time of the dwell period is at least partially dependant on the temperature of the heated anvil, wherein the greater the temperature of the anvil above the melting point of the thermoplastic resin, the lower the dwell time. As can be appreciated by someone of ordinary skill in the art, the maximum temperature of the anvil is limited by the degradation temperatures of the materials that comprise the vane. For instance, a thermoset resin is typically utilized as a binder in the non-woven vane material and the temperature of the heated anvil must typically be kept below the thermoset resin's degradation temperature. - Next as best shown in
FIG. 79 , the heated anvil is rotated 90 degrees until the bond side of the anvil is horizontal and the melted thermoplastic resin of thevane flap 132 is brought into contact with thebottom side 142 of the vane. The heated anvil also provides the necessary pressure to squeeze the melted thermoplastic resin into the bottom side of the vane to effectively join the flap to the bottom side. Next, the heated anvil is rotated back into its initial position, theclamp 314 is released, and the feeder motors are activated to transport the vane into thesubassembly fabrication section 400. It is to be appreciated that the thermoplastic resin cools quickly once the heated anvil is removed from the vane flap and typically by the time the vane is received in the subassembly fabrication section, the thermoplastic resin has substantially resolidified. - As can be appreciated, other types of bonding sections are contemplated to join vane material to create a finished vane. For instance, other heater configurations are possible. In other variations, the rotating anvil may be replaced with a linear actuated clamp to join the flap to a side of the vane. In yet other variations, a thermoset resin may be applied to the flap as the in progress vane enters the bond section and the thermoset resin may be cured by heat, photo-activation or some other suitable method.
- The Subassembly Fabrication Section
- The
subassembly fabrication section 400 of thevane fabrication apparatus 10 is illustrated inFIGS. 30-34 , 38-64 and 68-76. In this section, each completedvane 208 is aligned within two or more associatedladder tapes 408, and is secured to thecross rungs 410 of the ladder tapes by anresin bead 412. After the cross rungs are bonded to the vane, the portions of the ladder tapes to which the vane is adhered are lowered and the next vertically adjacent portions of the ladder tapes are prepared to receive the next completed vane. The subassembly fabrication section includes: (1) a vane sizing assembly to set the length of the subassembly and the vanes using a blind assembly headrail; (2) a pair offeeder motor assemblies 196 that rapidly expel (or shoot) the completedvane 208 from thebonding section 300 into a position between thevertical cords 414 of two or more ladder tapes 408 (3) the leveredcatch mechanism assembly 402 that (i) decelerates the expelled vane after it has been shot through the plurality of ladder tapes, and (ii) in conjunction with an associatedsensor pair 416 aligns the vane for the subsequent cross rung bonding operation; and (4) two or more laddertape supply stations 418 for both preparing ladder tapes for receipt of a completed vane, and joining the cross rung of each ladder tape to thebottom side 142 of an overlying completed vane by applying aresin bead 412 thereto. - As shown in
FIG. 1B , twofeeder motor assemblies 196 are located to the right of the end of thecontainment block 302. These two assemblies accelerate thevane 208 out of thebonding section 300, shooting the vane through a slot 420 (as best seen inFIG. 31 ) and between thevertical cords 414 of two ormore ladder tapes 408 in thesubassembly fabrication section 400. - As discussed above, the
vane fabrication apparatus 10 can be adjusted to fabricate vanes and blind subassemblies that are 1 foot to 8 feet wide. As is illustrated in the cross sectional view ofFIG. 30 , a pair oftop rails 422 and a pair ofbottom rails 424 extend across the entire length of thesubassembly fabrication section 400, thetop rails 422 being bolted to a top surface of abeam 426 of theapparatus framework 14 and thebottom rails 424 being bolted to the bottom surface of the beam. Further, anelongated shelf member 428 that extends substantially the entire length of the beam is affixed to the front surface of the beam as best shown inFIGS. 18 and 30 . - As shown in
FIG. 33 , thecatch mechanism assembly 402 is slidably mounted to the bottom pair ofrails 424, and as shown inFIG. 38 the laddertape supply stations 418 are slidably affixed to the top pair ofrails 422. Anelongated bar 12 is secured to and extends leftwardly from thecatch mechanism assembly 402 terminating at and fixed to the sensorarray support plate 226 in the forming and sizingsection 100. Accordingly, sliding thecatch mechanism assembly 402 along the lower pair of rails also moves the sensor array support plate the same amount. Anair cylinder 430 having arubber stopper 432 affixed to the end of its shaft is attached to thecatch mechanism assembly 402 and is actuatable between (i) an extended position wherein therubber stopper 432 is driven and held against theframework beam 426 of the apparatus effectively frictionally locking thecatch mechanism assembly 402 and thesensor array 102 in place; and (ii) a retracted position wherein the catch mechanism assembly is free to slide along the bottom rails 424. - To set the width of the vanes and subassemblies that are fabricated from the apparatus, a
vane headrail 404, such as illustrated inFIGS. 35-37 , is placed upon theelongated shelf 428 with its left edge resting up against a right face of a fixedvertical plate 406, which is mounted to theapparatus framework 14. Thecatch mechanism assembly 402 is then slid to the left until avertical plate 438 attached to the left side of the catch mechanism assembly butts against the right edge of the headrail. The catch mechanism is locked in place by activating theair cylinder 430 thereby pushing therubber stopper 432 into thebeam 426. Accordingly, the distance between theguillotine 104 and thesensor array 102 in the forming and sizingsection 100 is set to a length substantially equivalent to the length of theheadrail 404. Further, thesubassembly fabrication section 400 is set to receive and alignvanes 208 of the same length as the headrail. - As mentioned above and as illustrated in
FIG. 40 , each laddertape supply station 418 is slidably attached to the top pair ofrails 422. As will be described in detail below, each laddertape supply station 418 includes acartridge reel 440 ofladder tape 408; a ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442 for advancing the ladder tape and holding it taunt for receipt of avane 208 between the tape'svertical cords 414; and a resin dispenser and bonding assembly. Further, each laddertape supply station 418 also includes alock mechanism 446 for securing the ladder tape supply station in the proper position along the length of the headrail for properly positioning the plurality ofladder tapes 408 to ensure that a subassembly with balanced, horizontally disposedvanes 208 result. - Referring to
FIG. 39 , thelock mechanism 446 comprises a cantileveredcatch lever 448 that is pivotally attached to the ladder tape supply station between first and second ends 450 and 452. Thefirst end 450 is sized to be received in anotch 454 along the top edge of theheadrail 404. Thesecond end 452 is pivotally attached to a shaft of a vertically orientatedair cylinder 456, wherein the air cylinder is operational to bias thefirst end 450 downwardly into thenotch 454 or to retract the first end away from the notch. - The
notches 454 provided along the top and bottom edges of theheadrails 404 as viewed inFIG. 40 are openings that upon assembly as part of a finished blind assembly will receive guides or pulley components used to route associated ladder tapes and lift cords through the openings to the inside of the headrail. Accordingly, each notch represents the general horizontal position of theladder tapes 408 on thevanes 208. As can be appreciated, the ladder tapes that extend downwardly from the ladder tape supply station are substantially vertically aligned with the notches in the headrails. In alternative embodiments, other types of templates may be used to set the length of the vanes and subassemblies as well as control the proper placement of the ladder tapes along the length of the vanes. Further it is contemplated that placement of the ladder tape supply sections can be controlled electronically where, for instance, a user enters the size blind to be fabricated and the ladder tape stations propelled by associated motors move into their proper placement. - Operationally, to finish preparing the subassembly section for use after the headrail has been placed on the
elongated shelf 428 and thecatch mechanism 402 has been adjusted and locked in place, the leftmost ladder tape supply station is slid towards theleftmost notch 454 in the headrail, wherein thefirst end 450 of thecatch lever 448 is aligned with the notch and theair cylinder 456 is activated to lock thestation 418 in place. Next, a second laddertape supply station 418 is slid along thetop rails 422 to the next open notch in the headrail and locked in place. In the preferred embodiment, four ladder tape supply stations are provided for producing subassemblies as long as 8 feet. -
FIG. 40 is an illustration of thesubassembly section 400 configured for producing long subassemblies of a first type utilizing 4 ladder tape supply stations with asubassembly 455 hanging downwardly therefrom.FIG. 68 illustrates the subassembly section configured to produce a second type ofsubassembly 650, wherein the ladder tape supply sections are located close to the ends of the vanes of therespective subassembly 650. By locating the ladder cords near the ends of the vanes, the end ladder cords are at least partially hidden by the tilt rods of the type of completed blind assembly described in the incorporated by reference PCT publication No. WO 03/008751 A1, U.S. publication No. 2005/0072088 A1, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,988 (U.S. provisional patent application 60/305,947 and 60/306,049). -
FIG. 41 illustrates asubassembly section 400 configured for the production of short subassemblies with asubassembly 455 hanging downwardly therefrom. As shown, only two ladder tape supply stations are being utilized. As can be seen the ladder tape supply stations can be nested very close to one another permitting the fabrication of short blind subassemblies with minimal distance between ladder tapes. Note that the height of the relatively largediameter cartridge reels 440 situated above the ladder tape supply stations vary between adjacent ladder tape supply stations such that the ladder tape supply stations can be nested close together and operate without interference from a reel of an adjacent ladder tape supply station. - Referring back to
FIG. 1B , twofeeder motor assemblies 196 similar to the one illustrated inFIGS. 11 and 12 are located in thesubassembly fabrication section 400 just to the right of the right end of thebonding section 300. After theflap 132 has been bonded to thebottom side 142 of thevane 208, thefeeder motor assemblies 196 within thebonding section 300 and the twofeeder motor assemblies 196 in the subassembly fabrication section activate to accelerate the vane to the right, shooting the vane through aslot 420 in thevertical plate 406 that is secured to the apparatus framework (as best seen inFIG. 30 ) and between thevertical cords 414 of two ormore ladder tapes 408 and up against a generally vertically orientated portion of acatch arm 460 of thecatch arm assembly 402. - Referring back to
FIGS. 31-33 , thecatch arm assembly 402 comprises twovertical plates 462 that are spaced apart from each other to form an interior area between the plates. Ahorizontal plate 464 is bolted to the bottom edges of thevertical plates 462 as can best be seen inFIG. 33 . Thehorizontal plate 464 extends rearwardly (to the left inFIG. 33 ) beyond the rearmost vertical plate. A pair of spaced rail guides 466 are secured to the top surface of the horizontal plate and are received in the bottom rails 424 to facilitate slidable movement relative to thebeam 426 of the apparatus framework as 14 has been previously described. Thecatch arm assembly 402 also includes the previously described air cylinder operatedlock 456. Apivot pin 468 spans the space between the twovertical plates 462 and has one end of a horizontal portion of acatch arm 460 pivotally attached thereto. As best shown inFIG. 32 , the horizontal portion of the catch arm extends to the right, wherein it intersects with a generally upwardly extending portion. The upwardly extending portion terminates at apaddle member 470 orientated to receive the impact of a vane's right end. Proximate the intersection of the horizontal portion and the upwardly extending portion of thecatch arm 460, a shaft end of a vertically disposedair cylinder 472 is pivotally connected to thecatch arm 460. The base of theair cylinder 472 is pivotally connected to at least one of the spacedvertical plates 462. - Operationally, as illustrated in
FIGS. 31 and 32 , the right end of a vane impacts thepaddle 470 of thecatch arm 460, driving the paddle to the right in a clockwise direction aboutpivot pin 468. The weight of the catch arm as well as the friction associated with the movement of the shaft in theair cylinder 472 yielding resists movement of the vane and causes thevane 208 to gently decelerate. The pivotingcatch arm 460 prevents the ends of the vanes from being damaged due to instantaneous deceleration of the vane as would be experienced if a fixed catch arm were utilized. It can be appreciated that the layers of thin fabric material that comprise the tubular vanes might delaminate or buckle if the vane impacts a stationary object at a high enough speed. - Once the
vane 208 has been brought to a stop, theair cylinder 472 is activated and thecatch arm 460 is pushed back into its upright position, which in turn pushes the vane to the left until the left edge of the vane is butted up against the fixedvertical plate 406 just below the slot 420 (seeFIG. 30 ). As shown inFIG. 30 , thesensor pair 416 is attached to the rightwardly facing face of thevertical plate 406. The one sensor of the pair shoots a beam of light that is received by the second sensor. The beam is broken by the vane as the vane is pushed to the left by the catch arm and is butted up against thevertical plate 406. Subsequently, a signal is sent from thesensor pair 416 to the control system indicating the vane is properly positioned for the cross rung bonding operations to begin. - Several variations of ladder tape supply stations and portions thereof are shown in
FIGS. 3, 39 , and 42-76. Generally, each ladder tape supply station comprises: (i) a framework of plates and support members upon which the operational mechanisms and assemblies are secured; (ii) a support mechanism for holding the vane in place prior to the attachment of the ladder tape cross rungs and releasing the vane once it is secured to the cross rungs; (iii) a ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442 for unspooling the ladder tape, configuring a section of the ladder tape for receipt of a vane and advancing the ladder tape an amount equal to the distance between cross rungs to prepare the next section to receive the next vane; and (iv) a resin dispenser andbonding assembly 444 for applying the resin to thecross rung 410 and thebottom side 142 of thevane 208 and rapidly solidifying aresin bead 412. Additionally, in some embodiments avane guide mechanism 630 is also specified to help guide the vane over the corresponding ladder tape cross rung as the vane is propelled from the bonding section into thesubassembly section 400. - Referring to
FIGS. 38, 39 and 43, the ladder tape supply station's framework is comprised of a generally vertically elongated rectangular box-likeprimary enclosure 474 having a front face including a variety of gauges and buttons for monitoring and controlling the setup and operation of the ladder tape supply station. A pair of downwardly facing spaced rail guides 476 are fixedly mounted to the bottom surface of the enclosure and are received onto the top pair ofrails 422 that are mounted to theapparatus framework 14 for slidable movement therealong. As described above, alocking mechanism 446 is also mounted to theenclosure 474 for securing the placement of the ladder tape supply station along therails 422. Various switches and relays, the resin application andbonding assembly 444, and various motors and gears of the ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442 are secured to theprimary enclosure 474 as can best be seen inFIGS. 38 and 39 . Further, various switches, solenoids, and electrical and pneumatic cabling (none shown) are also contained within the primary enclosure. Twovertical beams 478 extend upwardly from the primary enclosure intersecting with ahorizontal cross beam 480 to which a forwardly extending spindle is mounted. The spindle is configured to rotatably receive acartridge reel 440 ofladder tape 408. - A second
smaller enclosure 484 is horizontally spaced from the front face of theprimary enclosure 474. The secondary enclosure houses various operational buttons and switches that can be utilized to operate the ladder tape supply station, as well as, several gears and shafts associated with the ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442. Referring toFIG. 47 , contained in the space between the front face of theprimary enclosure 474 and the rear face of thesecondary enclosure 484 are twoopposed spreader wheels 486, each of which holds one of thevertical cords 414 of an associatedladder tape 408 such that avane 208 can be shot between thewheels 486 and the ladder tape, wherein the ladder tape is held taunt as thevanes 208 are passed therebetween. Two opposingretractable shafts 488 extend from the center of the spreader wheels that when in the extended position serve as a shelf to support avane 208 as will be described in greater detail below. Also located in the space between the two enclosures vertically above the spreader wheels is atensioning drum 490, which acts to maintain the separation between the vertical cords of a ladder tape, as well as, provide resistance to free downward movement of the ladder tape upon rotation of thespreader wheels 486. - As described above, a vane is shot from the
bonding section 300 through theslot 420 in the fixedvertical plate 406, wherein it is decelerated and pushed back into place within thesubassembly section 400 to be adhesively joined to the laddertape cross rungs 410. Referring to the topmost vane inFIG. 48 , avane 208 is supported along its length at each laddertape supply station 418 by the two opposingretractable shafts 488. Theshafts 488 extend through ahollow axle 492 at the center of eachspreader wheel 486. Each retractable shaft is mounted to anair cylinder 494 and is retractable to allow the vane to be lowered once it is secured to the ladder tapes as shown inFIG. 49 . Theair cylinders 494 are configured to retract during the cross-rung bonding operation when the vane is supported from below by a portion of thebonding assembly 444 as is described below. - In certain circumstances as the vane is shot from the bonding section into the subassembly section, the vane may submarine or lift upwardly causing the front edge of the vane to impact a ladder tape supply station above or below the opening through which the vane is intended to pass. Accordingly, a retractable
vane guide mechanism 630 can be specified on certain variations of the ladder tape supply station. One configuration of a vane guide mechanism is illustrated inFIG. 69-72 . A vertically-orientated pneumaticrotary actuator 632 is mounted on the side of thesecond enclosure 484 with arotationally actuatable shaft 636 extending downwardly therefrom. A forkedguide 634 is affixed with the actuator shaft such that actuation of the actuator selectively moves the forked guide from a first position facing the front end of a vane as it is propelled towards the associated ladder tape supply station and a second position wherein the fork is positioned away from the vane. The fork is shown in the first position inFIG. 69 and in the second position inFIG. 71 . - Referring to
FIG. 70 , a cross section of the forked guide is shown. Thetop fork 652 extends substantially vertically downwardly from a top edge for a distance then cants to the right at an acute angle finally terminating at a bottom edge. Thebottom fork 654 is a mirror of the top fork: canting to the left from a top edge for a distance then extending downwardly in a substantially vertical direction until terminating at a bottom edge. If the front end of vane either lifts or submarines as it is propelled towards the ladder tape supply sections, the respective vane guide mechanism acts to reposition the vane vertically into its proper location in the ladder tape supply station. Once a vane has been received into thesubassembly section 400 and is resting on the cross rungs of the ladder tapes, the forked guide is rotated into the seconded retracted position. accordingly, once the vane is secured to the cross rungs the vane can be lowered to make way for the receipt of the next vane of the subassembly. - A substantial portion of the mechanical workings of the ladder
tape supply station 418 comprise the ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442 as is illustrated in detail inFIGS. 39, 42 , 43-49, and 62-64. Starting at the top of the ladder tape supply station, the tape supply and tensioning assembly includes acartridge reel 440 on which a continuous supply ofladder tape 408 is wound. A cartridge reel having ladder tape wound thereon is illustrated inFIG. 42 . As described above the reel is rotatably attached to aspindle 482 that is disposed above theprimary enclosure 474 of the laddertape supply station 418. The reel is designed to hold the ladder tape thereon with the front and rearvertical cords 414 of theladder tape 408 separated by a raisedhub section 496 with thecross rungs 410 traversing over the raisedhub 496 between thevertical cords 414. The reel comprises left and rightcircular plates 498 spaced apart from one another and joined about their center axis by atubular hub 500. Thehub 500 is configured to receive theaforementioned spindle 482 to rotatably secure the reel to the laddertape supply station 418. The raisedhub portion 496 extends radially from thehub 500 and is centered in between theplates 498. The raisedhub 496 comprises left and right surfaces that extend radially from the outside circumferential surface of the hub forming right angles therewith. The radial surfaces intersect and terminate at a circumferential surface. Accordingly,radial slots 502 are formed between the inside surfaces of thecircular plates 498 and the radial surfaces of the raisedhub portion 496. As illustrated, the left vertical cord is deposited in the left slot and the right vertical cord is deposited in the right slot with thecross rungs 410 extending over the raisedhub portion 496. This configuration minimizes the risk ofentangled ladder tapes 408, as well as, facilitating the ladder tape to roll off the reel with the two vertical cords spaced apart in general alignment for receiving avane 208. - As shown in
FIG. 43 , theladder tape 408 extends vertically downwardly from thereel 440, wherein each of thevertical cords 414 is received in aslot 504 of acylindrical guide bar 506 that extends outwardly from the front plate of theprimary enclosure 474 to ensure the cords are spaced a sufficient distance to allow avane 208 to pass therebetween. Thecylindrical guide bar 506 is illustrated inFIGS. 44-46 . The cylindrical guide bar comprises an elongatedcylindrical rod 508 with twocircumferential slots 504 disposed therein. Theslots 504 are spaced a distance generally equal to the length of across rung 410 and are aligned with grooves on thetensioning drum 490 disposed directly below and to the right of the guide 506 (as shown inFIG. 43 andFIG. 46 ). Thecross rungs 410 of theladder tapes 408 extend across the surface of therod 508 between theslots 504. To keep thevertical cords 414 in theirrespective slots 504 on thecylindrical guide 506, spring loadedcollars 510 are disposed adjacent to each slot. Each collar hascurvilinear flanges 512 that are biased over an associated slot to hold the vertical cords in place as illustrated inFIGS. 44 and 46 . It is appreciated that thecollar 510 and itsflanges 512 can be pulled away from the slot to facilitate threading of the ladder tape through the ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442 during setup. - From the
cylindrical guide bar 506, theladder tape 408 passes over and around thetensioning drum 490 as best illustrated inFIGS. 47 and 62 . Thedrum 490 is located in the space between the primary andsecondary enclosures center axle 514 that passes through a hole in each for rotational movement thereabout. As shown inFIG. 47 , the right end of the axle has agear 516 affixed to it. Thisgear 516 is meshed with anothergear 518 that is coupled to the anadjustable tensioning mechanism 520 that sets the level of resistance applied to rotation of thetensioning drum 490. - The
tensioning drum 490 has acenter section 522 with a diameter greater than twoshelf sections 524 located proximate the left and right ends of the drum as illustrated inFIG. 47 . The circumferential surfaces of the shelf andcenter sections cross rungs 410.Axially extending grooves 528 are spaced along the circumferential surface of thecenter section 522 at intervals generally equal to the distance between adjacent cross rungs on theladder tape 408. Thetensioning drum 490 has a diameter at the nadir of eachgroove 528 that is substantially the same as its diameter at theshelf sections 524. Accordingly, in operation as theladder tape 408 is pulled onto thetensioning drum 490 from thecylindrical guide bar 506 as shown inFIG. 46 , thecross rungs 410 are held taut in a horizontally extended position in thegrooves 528 while thevertical cords 414 are held on theshelf sections 524 up against theradial surfaces 526 of the span between the center section surface and the shelf surfaces. - The
tensioning drum 490 in general and theshelf sections 524 in particular are located directly above the pair of opposingspreader wheels 486 that are spaced from each other a distance at least as great as the width of atubular vane 208. Thespreader wheels 456 act to hold thecross rungs 410 of theladder tape 408 taut and to pull the ladder tape through the ladder tape supply andtensioning assembly 442. As shown inFIGS. 48 and 49 , each spreader wheel includes ahollow center axle 492. Eachcenter axle 492 passes through either the front face of theprimary enclosure 474 or the rear face of thesecondary enclosure 484, wherein it is supported by a sealed bearing 530. Attached to the outside surface at the end of each hollow axle is atoothed gear 532. As described above, theretractable support shafts 488 are contained within thehollow axles 492 for horizontally linear movement therein. - As best shown in
FIGS. 47-49 , eachspreader wheel 486 comprises acircumferential surface 534 of a first diameter upon which thevertical cord portions 414 of theladder tape 408 rest, andflanges 536 of a greater diameter along the edges of thewheels 486. Axially orientatedgrooves 538 are spaced along the circumference of each flange and extend through the flanges allowing thecross rung 410 to pass therethrough and extend across the space between the wheels to matchedgrooves 538 in the other spreader wheel. - As mentioned above, the
spreader wheels 486 are driven such that they pull the ladder cord from thecartridge reel 440 through thecylindrical guide bar 506 and thetensioning drum 490. In particular, the toothed gears 532 of thespreader wheel axles 492 are each meshed against a correspondingidler gear 540 as shown inFIG. 47 . The twoidler gears 542 are each fixedly attached to ends of acommon idler shaft 544. As best shown inFIG. 62 , the idler gears are located generally above and to the left of the toothed axle gears 532. Theidler shaft 542 passes through openings in the rear face of thesecondary enclosure 484 and the front face of theprimary enclosure 474 for free rotational movement therein. As shown inFIG. 47 , theright idler gear 540 that is located within the primary enclosure is also meshed with adrive gear 544. Thedrive gear 544 is affixed to one end of adrive shaft 546, which is supported along its length by two bearing mounts 548. Adrive pulley 550 is connected to the other end. Adrive belt 552 is looped about thedrive pulley 550 and amotor pulley 554. Themotor pulley 554 is attached to the shaft of anelectric motor 556 that is secured to theprimary enclosure 474. Accordingly, by actuating themotor 556 themotor pulley 554 turns thedrive belt 552; the drive belt turns thedrive shaft 546; thedrive gear 544 turns theidler shaft 542 through its connection with theright idler gear 540; and the left and right idler gear simultaneously turn thespreader wheels 486 through their connection with the toothed axle gears 532 causing the ladder tape to advance. - In a preferred embodiment, the
spreader wheels 486 are geared such that they turn at their circumferential surface 534 a distance equal to the separation between adjacentcross rungs 410 of theladder tape 408 for every complete rotation of theelectric motor 556. Further, a mechanical switch is provided (not shown) which interfaces with the shaft of themotor 556 to automatically turn off the motor after it has completed a single revolution. Accordingly, to advance the ladder tape prior to receiving the next vane, the control system need only turn on the electric motor, which will turn itself off via the mechanical switch once it has advanced the ladder tape the required amount. - Once a
tubular vane 208 has been received and is centered in the space between the primary andsecondary enclosures retractable shafts 488, the resin application andbonding assembly 444 that is mounted in the primary enclosure is activated by the control system to secure thecross rung 410 to the bottom side of thetubular vane 208. Three embodiments of resin application and bonding assemblies are described herein: the first embodiment utilizes a thermoplastic resin; whereas, the second and third embodiments utilize a photo-initiated curing thermoset resin that begins curing when exposed to one or both of ultraviolet and visible light. The first embodiment resin application and bonding assembly is illustrated primarily inFIGS. 38, 39 , 50-52, and 59-64. The second embodiment resin application and bonding assembly is illustrated inFIGS. 53-58 . The third embodiment resin application and bonding assembly, which is configured to deposit two resin beads to a corresponding vane and cross rung is illustrated inFIGS. 69-76 . - Referring primarily to
FIG. 50 ,FIG. 53 andFIG. 69 , all three resin application and bonding assembly embodiments include at least oneresin dispenser 558; aresin shuttle 560 for moving a bead ofresin 412 into position underneath thebottom side 142 of avane 208; and a clamping mechanism 564 (as best shown inFIGS. 62 and 70 ) for pressing thecross rung 410 and the bottom side of the vane together as the resin bead solidifies or cures. The second and third embodiment resin application and bonding assemblies further includes alight source 566 that is routed by way of fiber optic cabling 568 (or another type of light guide) to a location underneath theresin bead 412 on theresin shuttle 560. In the second embodiment amirror 570 is utilized (as shown inFIGS. 57 and 58 ) to direct the light emanating from the fiber optic cable through atransparent platen 618 on which the resin bead is deposited. In the third embodiment, each of the two the fiber optic cables terminate at atransparent resin cup 638 in which a resin bead is deposited as best illustrated inFIGS. 75 and 76 . - The
resin dispenser 558 for the thermoplastic resin is best illustrated inFIG. 50 . It includes ahopper 572 in which pellets of the thermoplastic resin are placed to supply themelt chamber 574 below. Themelt chamber 574 includes a heater (not detailed in figures) for melting the resin pellets and a piston (not detailed in figures) disposed in the chamber that is coupled with an air cylinder (not detailed in figures) for pushing the liquid resin into adispenser section 576. Thedispenser section 576 includes a vertically orientedchamber 578 that is coupled with asmall air cylinder 580 for dispensing a predetermined amount of resin through anozzle 582 at the base of the chamber onto aplaten 584 of theresin shuttle 560. - The
resin dispenser 558 for the photo-initiated curing thermoset resin of the second embodiment is best illustrated inFIG. 54 . It includes aresin reservoir 586, which is kept under pressure to supply the resin to ametered dispenser 590 via anopaque feeder tube 588. Thedispenser 590 includes apressurized chamber 592 and anozzle 594 for selectively releasing a predetermined amount of resin onto aplaten 596 of theresin shuttle 560. - The
resin dispenser 558 of the third embodiment as illustrated inFIG. 69 is generally similar to the dispenser of the second embodiment except that it includes two metereddispensers 590 that each selectively release a predetermined amount of resin into the aforementioned resin cups. Additionally, theresin reservoir 586 is located on a top surface of the ladder tape supply assembly and is larger than the reservoir provided in the second embodiment. - The
resin shuttle 560 for the first embodiment application and bonding assembly is best illustrated inFIGS. 50-52 and 59-61. Except for theplaten 596 on which theresin bead 412 is received from thedispenser 558, theresin shuttle 560 for the second embodiment assembly is nearly identical to that of the first embodiment assembly. Further except for the arrangement ofresin cups 638, the resin shuttle in the third embodiment is nearly identical to the first and second embodiment resin shuttles. The shuttle includes aslide mechanism 598 having afirst piece 600 that is fixedly attached to the left side of the primary enclosure 474 (as viewed inFIG. 39 ) and asecond piece 602 that is slidably connected to the first for longitudinal movement relative to the first piece as is best illustrated inFIGS. 59-61 . A small vertically orientatedplate 604 is mounted to the distal end of the second piece. Theplate 604 has the end of the shaft of anair cylinder 606 mounted to it, wherein the other end of the cylinder is mounted to theprimary enclosure 474. Theair cylinder 606 is orientated parallel to the direction of the second piece's slidable movement and is actuatable to move thesecond piece 602 back and forth along thefirst piece 600. - Referring to
FIGS. 51 and 52 , asmall slide actuator 608 is connected to the front face of thevertical plate 604 and is canted off vertical such that the sliding portion of the slide actuator moves simultaneously upwardly and to the left when a small air cylinder 610 (as shown inFIG. 50 ) contained therein is actuated. A gusseted L-bracket 612 is fixed to the slide actuator for upward and leftward movement in conjunction with the slide actuator. Referring toFIG. 50 , theplaten 584 is affixed to the top horizontal surface of one arm of the L-bracket proximate the bracket's right end. Apipe 614 passes through the platen to circulate water to keep the platen at a temperature significantly lower than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin. - The
platen 596 for use with the second embodiment application and bonding assembly is shown generally inFIG. 54-56 and more specifically inFIGS. 57 and 58 . Theplaten 596 comprises achamber 616 into which the fiber optic cable 568 (or light guide) is received for transmitting light. Themirror 570 is located opposite the cable's point of termination and is orientated at a 45 degree angle to both direct the light emanating from thecable 568 upwardly and focus the light at the bead of photo-initiated curing thermoset resin. It is appreciated that at least a portion of the tophorizontal face 618 of theplaten 596 comprises a translucent material such as glass through which the light can pass unimpeded. - Referring to
FIG. 75 , two upwardly facingtranslucent resin cups 638 that are secured on the top of theplaten 526 of third embodiment resin application and bonding assembly to receive and hold the thermoset resin prior to and during the curing operation. The resin cups are typically fabricated from either a translucent plastic material with good release characteristics or from a clear glass material. As shown inFIG. 76 the resin cup includes an upwardly facing shapedresin cavity 646 which effectively controls the resulting shape of theresin bead 412 securing thecross rung 410 to the bead. Preferably, the volume of the resin cavity corresponds to the volume of resin deposited therein. The illustrated resin cavity is circular and is configured to form a smooth and rounded resin bead, although cavities of any suitable and desirable shape and configuration can be utilized. A ringeddepression 644 encircling the resin cavity is also provided into which any excess resin can flow during the bonding operation. It is appreciated that the resulting cured resin beads are much more uniform than the beads produced using the first or second embodiment resin application and bonding assemblies. Further, by providing a ringed depression any excess resin is confined to a small area surrounding the cross rung bonding location on the vane and the resulting cured resin ring provides a more uniform and atheistically pleasing finished bead. - A
circumferential shoulder 642 is provided around the outside of a typical resin cup at a transition from a small upper outside diameter to a larger lower outside diameter. The outside diameters of the resin cups correspond to the inside diameters of bores in an affixingplate 640 that is utilized to secure the resin cups to theplaten 526 of the third embodiment. As best shown inFIG. 75 , the affixing plate which is typically fabricated from a rigid plastic or metal is attached to the platen through one or more countersunk screws 656. A downwardly facing circumferential shoulder of each bore in the affixing plate mates with the corresponding upwardly facing shoulder of the resin cup to secure the resin cup in place. - The platen of the third embodiment resin application and bonding assembly has two vertical bores extending through it from the bottom surface to the top surface thereof at locations substantially coincidental with the location of the bottoms of the resin cups on the platen. The bores are sized to receive a
fiber optic cable 568 therein. Further, each of the each of the resin cups 638 has a upwardly extendingcylindrical bore 658 formed therein that terminates below the resin cavity such that the ceiling of the cylindrical bore is the floor of the resin cavity. The fiber optic cables are secured in the cylindrical cavities and the vertical bores of the platen by way of one or more set screws that extend horizontally through associatedbores 648 in the platen. The end of the fiber optic cables are butted directly against the ceiling of the cylindrical bore so that any light transmitted through the cables is released through the resin cup and any resin contained therein. - A forth embodiment resin application and bonding assembly is also contemplated but not shown wherein the general components of the third embodiment are present but only a single resin dispenser and corresponding resin cup is utilized in place of the two dispensers and resin cups. Further, other alternative resin application and bonding assemblies are contemplated wherein there are more than two resin cups and resin dispensers. In yet other alternative embodiments, resin cups may be incorporated with the thermoplastic resin application and bonding assembly wherein the resulting resin beads on the corresponding vanes have the dimensions of the resin cavity. It is appreciated that in such a thermoplastic bonding assembly that the resin cups need not be translucent and could be fabricated from any number of opaque materials including metals and ceramics.
- The final component of the resin application and
bonding assembly 444 is theclamping mechanism 564 which acts to apply pressure to theresin bead 412, thecross rung 410 and thetubular vane 208 such that they are joined together as the resin bead either cools or cures. Theclamp mechanism 564 is substantially identical in all three resin application and bonding assemblies. Referring primarily toFIGS. 50 and 63 , a vertically orientatedslide 620 is located in the space between the primary andsecondary enclosures tensioning drum 490. The bottom end of the sliding portion of theslide 620 has a clamp foot with a horizontal bottom surface attached thereto. Thefoot 622 is generally centered relative to the longitudinal axis of atubular vane 208 held within the ladder tape supply station, directly above across rung 410 when the cross rung is horizontally aligned with the center axis of thespreader wheels 486. A vertically orientedair cylinder 624 is secured at its shaft to theclamp foot 622 and at its other end with the primary enclosure such that actuation of the cylinder moves the foot and slide upwardly and downwardly. - In operation, once the
ladder cord 408 has been advanced such that across rung 410 is located horizontally with the axis of thespreader wheels 486 and atubular vane 208 has been received between thevertical cords 414 of the ladder tape and is supported by theretractable shafts 488, theair cylinder 610 of the cantedslide actuator 608 lifts theplaten nozzle slide actuator 608 retracts downwardly and to the right. Thehorizontal slide mechanism 598 is extended through the activation of theparallel air cylinder 606 to move the platen with theresin bead 412 to the right as shown inFIG. 60 . Once theslide 598 is fully extended and the platen is located beneath the vane, the cantedslide actuator 608 is reactivated to raise the platen or resin cups to a position underneath and in contact with both thecross rung 410 and thebottom side 142 of thevane 208. Simultaneously, thevertical air cylinder 624 is activated driving thebackup clamp foot 622 downwardly and biasing it against the platen or resin cups of theresin shuttle 560, thereby applying pressure to the bond line as shown inFIGS. 64 and 72 . Theretractable shafts 488 that support the vane just after it is shot in between the laddertape supply stations 418 are retracted as the vane is clamped between the platen and the clamp foot. When using a thermoplastic resin, the bond line is held in compression for sufficient time to permit the resin bead to solidify around the cross rung and to the vane's bottom side. When the photo-initiated curing thermoset resin is utilized, light is piped through the fiber optic cable 568 (or other type of light guide) to the resin to cure it within a few seconds. Once the resin bead has hardened, the platen and/or resin cups are retracted downwardly and to the left (as seen inFIG. 64 ) out from under thevane 208. -
FIGS. 65-67 and 77 provide several views of a completed bond between thebottom side 142 of avane 208 and across rung 410. As shown inFIGS. 65 and 66 theresin bead 412 is formed into a cylindrical nubbin through which the cross rung passes. A cylindrical shape or other finished shapes can be formed based on the shape of a cavity or depression provided in the surface of theplaten FIG. 67 , it is often preferable to adhesively join the vane to the cross rung proximate the center of the vane's bottom side.FIG. 77 shows the typical placement of the resin beads when two beads are utilized to join a single cross rung to a vane. It is to be appreciated that two resin beads are useful in blind assemblies wherein the ladder tapes are located close to the edges of the vanes of the assembly such as the assemblies produced when the apparatus is set up as shown inFIG. 68 . By securing the cross rung to the vane in two places the cross rung can not slip off the end of the vane. It is to be appreciated that the inner cross rungs in a blind assembly produced using the ladder tape supply station setup ofFIG. 68 are typically secured to the vane with only a single resin bead since there is no likelihood of the cross rung slipping off the end of the vane. - For clarity, the operational sequence of the subassembly fabrication section will be described. Once a
vane 208 has been adhesively joined in the bonding section of the vane fabrication apparatus, the feeder motor assemblies are turned on by the control system and the vane is transported into thesubassembly fabrication section 400. As the vane exits thebonding section 300 it is fed through the two feeder motor assemblies along the left side of the subassembly section (referring toFIG. 1B ). These two feeder motors shoot the vane through the space between the primary andsecondary enclosures tape supply stations 418, as well as, through thevertical cords 414 of theladder tape 408 of each station above an associated cross rung of each ladder tape. In certain embodiments, the fork guides described above are rotated into place to help guide the vane through the ladder tape supply sections. - Once the vane has passed through each of the ladder
tape supply stations 418 being utilized, the vane is gently decelerated by thecatch arm assembly 402 as the right end of the vane impacts thecatch arm 448 and the catch arm swings to the right. Once the movement of the vane has been stopped, theair cylinder 472 attached to the catch arm, rotates the catch arm back to its generally vertically orientated position, thereby pushing the vane to the left until the left end of the vane is butted up against the fixedvertical plate 406. As the left end of the vane is moved up against the vertical plate, asensor pair 416 mounted up against the surface of theplate 406 is triggered to indicate to the control system that the vane is longitudinally positioned for the cross rung bonding operation to begin. Once the vane is properly positioned in the subassembly fabrication section the forked guide is rotationally retracted so that it does not interfere with subsequent subassembly fabrication operations such as the lower of the bonded vane to make way for a new vane - Next, a bead of
resin 412 is deposited by theresin dispenser 558 on thebond platen resin shuttle 560 moves the resin laden platen to a position beneath thebottom side 142 of thevane 208. In a nearly simultaneous sequence, the shuttle moves the platen upwardly and to the side until the resin bead contacts both an associated cross rung and the bottom side of the vane, the clampingfoot 622 of theclamping mechanism 564 extends downwardly directly above the platen to clamp the vane and cross rung in place until the resin has solidified, and theretractable shafts 488 of each laddertape supply station 418, which support the vane in the ladder tape supply station, are retracted. Once the resin bead has solidified, either through cooling, if a thermoplastic resin is utilized or through photo-initiated curing if a photo-initiated thermoset resin is utilized, the platen and resin shuttle are retracted. - Finally, the vane is lowered as the
ladder tapes 408 are advanced by the ladder tape supply andtensioning mechanism 442. Additionally, theclamp mechanism 564 is moved downwardly a short distance to help push the vane out from between the ladder tape supply stations before retracting upwardly. The portion of the ladder tapes immediately adjacent the portion to which the vane was bonded is prepared to receive the next vane, and theretractable shafts 488 are re-extended to prepare to receive and support thenext vane 208. The process is then repeated until asubassembly 455 comprising a predetermined number of vanes has been fabricated. A headrail, footrail and lift and tilt mechanism are then added to the subassembly to fabricate a completed blind assembly. - The Subassembly Fabrication Section described above utilizes thermoplastic or thermoset resins to couple the ladder tape cross rungs to the vanes. It is appreciated that in alternative Subassembly Fabrication Sections that other mechanisms and methods of attaching the ladder tapes to the vanes can be utilized as would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a mechanism can be specified that mechanically fastens the cross rungs to the vane using a fastener such as a rivet. In another example, a mechanism can be specified that sews the cross rung to the vane. In yet another example, a mechanism could be specified that sonically fuses a cross rung cord made of a thermoplastic material to the vane.
- Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way if example, and changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (8)
1. An apparatus for fabricating tubular vanes, the apparatus comprising:
a forming system for folding a tape along a longitudinal axis of the tape;
a device for softening a thermoplastic resin, the thermoplastic resin being disposed on a portion of the tape proximate a longitudinal edge of the tape; and
a clamp for pressing the portion of the tape with the thermoplastic resin into another portion of the tape proximate another longitudinal edge of the tape.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a heater.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device comprises a sonic welder.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a supply roll of said tape upstream from said forming system and a driven roller downstream from said forming system, said driven roller being engaged with said tape to pull said tape off said supply roll and along said forming system.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said forming system includes a plate having an edge about which the tape is folded as the tape is pulled along said edge.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said forming system further includes a forming guide through which the folded tape is pulled to position the said portions of the tape for being pressed together.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein one longitudinal edge of the tape is adapted to be folded around the other longitudinal edge before being pressed against said other longitudinal edge.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said press comprises a pivotal member for folding said one longitudinal edge around the other longitudinal edge.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/455,483 US20060236512A1 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2006-06-19 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US36935502P | 2002-04-01 | 2002-04-01 | |
US10/402,223 US7146694B2 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2003-03-26 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
US11/455,483 US20060236512A1 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2006-06-19 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/402,223 Division US7146694B2 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2003-03-26 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20060236512A1 true US20060236512A1 (en) | 2006-10-26 |
Family
ID=29215886
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/402,223 Expired - Lifetime US7146694B2 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2003-03-26 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
US11/455,483 Abandoned US20060236512A1 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2006-06-19 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/402,223 Expired - Lifetime US7146694B2 (en) | 2002-04-01 | 2003-03-26 | Fabrication apparatus for an assembly of vanes for an architectural covering |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
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US (2) | US7146694B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1359282A3 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003203494A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2424198A1 (en) |
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US20070107176A1 (en) * | 2005-10-20 | 2007-05-17 | Hunter Douglas Inc. | Apparatus for fabricating venetian blinds with tubular fabric slats |
US7499811B2 (en) * | 2006-10-17 | 2009-03-03 | Ford Motor Company | System and method for measuring surface appearance of a surface |
KR101870805B1 (en) * | 2016-12-22 | 2018-07-19 | (주)한양 에코텍 | Apperatus For Wood―Blind Binding Straps |
CN108213916A (en) * | 2017-12-11 | 2018-06-29 | 浙江梅轮电梯股份有限公司 | A kind of step pedal edge strip automatic assembling apparatus |
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CN112809363A (en) * | 2020-08-21 | 2021-05-18 | 汉尼康自动化科技(苏州)有限公司 | Well lid equipment convenient to operation |
CN112045565B (en) * | 2020-09-09 | 2021-10-01 | 毛秀花 | Fixing and locking device for mechanical parts |
CN114453523B (en) * | 2021-12-28 | 2023-07-28 | 元鼎饰材实业(镇江)有限公司 | Automatic aluminum buckle device for aluminum shutter preparation |
CN114566926B (en) * | 2022-03-11 | 2022-11-04 | 南通西东电器有限公司 | Power cable distribution box capable of realizing cable butt joint |
CN114571232B (en) * | 2022-04-10 | 2023-09-08 | 南京善若网络科技有限公司 | Inner container forming device of electric kettle |
CN115139095A (en) * | 2022-07-12 | 2022-10-04 | 泰铂(上海)环保科技股份有限公司 | Quick assembly system for automobile radiator |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU2003203494A1 (en) | 2003-10-23 |
EP1359282A3 (en) | 2007-07-18 |
EP1359282A2 (en) | 2003-11-05 |
US20030217449A1 (en) | 2003-11-27 |
US7146694B2 (en) | 2006-12-12 |
CA2424198A1 (en) | 2003-10-01 |
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Owner name: HUNTER DOUGLAS INC., NEW JERSEY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:COLSON, WENDELL B.;FOGARTY, DANIEL M.;JARAMILLO, TODD B.;REEL/FRAME:022475/0759;SIGNING DATES FROM 20030618 TO 20030624 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |