Pre-formed, mulch carpet and apparatus and method for making same

Claim 2

Apparatus for making elongated webs of artificial mulch material from wood bark, said apparatus comprising: means for grinding redwood bark into particles, drying said particles and delivering the same to a charring oven charring oven means for heating said particles to a predetermined temperature; conveyor means advancing along a path from a feeding zone, through a heating zone and a molding zone into a discharge zone; hopper means in said feeding zone for continuously receiving said charred, ground particles and metering a mixture of said particles and a plastic binder onto said conveyor; heating means along said path, in said heating zone, for activating said plastic binder to form a heated, semicohesive layer of said mixture; molding means along said path in said molding zone, including a rotatable, hard, pocketed pattern roll forming a nip with a hard pinch-off roll, for pressing said layer into an irregular, grooved, random pattern on one face to simulate natural mulch the pockets of said roll having rims therearound; means for supplying a strong, non-tearable backing of relatively high tensile strength to said molding zone; compression roll means along said path for pressing said strong, non-tearable backing on the other face of said molded mulch layer; and stripping means along said path in said discharge zone for stripping said web from said moving pocketed surface.

Claim 3

Apparatus for making elongated webs of artificial mulch material from wood bark, said apparatus comprising: means for grinding redwood bark into particles, drying said particles and delivering the same to a charring oven charring oven means for heating said particles to a predetermined temperature; conveyor means advancing along a path from a feeding zone, through a heating zone and a molding zone into a discharge zone; hopper means in said feeding zone for continuously receiving said charred, ground particles and metering a mixture of said particles and a plastic binder onto said conveyor; heating means along said path, in said heating zone, for activating said plastic binder to form a heated, semicohesive layer of said mixture; molding means along said path in said molding zone, including a rotatable, hard, pocketed pattern roll forming a nip with a hard pinch-off roll, for pressing said layer into an irregular, grooved, random pattern on one face to simulate natural mulch the pockets of said roll having rims therearound; means for supplying a strong, non-tearable backing of relatively high tensile strength to said molding zone; compression roll means along said path for pressing said strong, non-tearable backing on the other face of said molded mulch layer; and stripping means along said path in said discharge zone for stripping said web from said moving pocketed surface.

Claim 4

Apparatus for making elongated webs of artificial mulch material from wood bark, said apparatus comprising: means for grinding redwood bark into particles, drying said particles and delivering the same to a charring oven charring oven means for heating said particles to a predetermined temperature; conveyor means advancing along a path from a feeding zone, through a heating zone and a molding zone into a discharge zone; hopper means in said feeding zone for continuously receiving said charred, ground particles and metering a mixture of said particles and a plastic binder onto said conveyor; heating means along said path, in said heating zone, for activating said plastic binder to form a heated, semicohesive layer of said mixture; molding means along said path in said molding zone, including a rotatable, hard, pocketed pattern roll forming a nip with a hard pinch-off roll, for pressing said layer into an irregular, grooved, random pattern on one face to simulate natural mulch the pockets of said roll having rims therearound; means for supplying a strong, non-tearable backing of relatively high tensile strength to said molding zone; compression roll means along said path for pressing said strong, non-tearable backing on the other face of said molded mulch layer; and stripping means along said path in said discharge zone for stripping said web from said moving pocketed surface.

Claim 5

Apparatus as specified in claim 1, wherein: said compression roll means includes a roll with a distortable, resilient, soft surface, such as of rubber in pressure nip contact with said layer on said pattern roll, and mechanism for adjusting the compression thereof against said pattern roll; whereby the relationship of the backing layers to the mulch layers in said pockets may be adjusted to selectively achieve a solid deposit on a rectilinear layer, or two spaced apart concaved layers or two intimately contacting concaved layers.

Claim 6

Apparatus as specified in claim 1, wherein: said backing is a thin strong mat of non-rotting fibres bound to each other with open interstices therebetween; and said compression roll means includes a rubber roll in pressure nip contact with said layer on said pattern roll and cooperating with the edges, or rims, of the pockets of said pattern roll to thin out said mulch layer to pass moisture therethrough into said open interstices in said backing layer.

Claim 7

Apparatus as specified in claim 1, plus: rotating cutter roll means along said path in said discharge zone for slitting said web in a preselected pattern.

Claim 8

Apparatus as specified in claim 1, plus: rotating printing roll means along said path in said discharge zone for marking a pattern of indicia on said web to indicate proper spacing of plant slits for various types of plants.

Claim 9

Apparatus as specified in claim 2, wherein: said compression roll and said pattern roll are each hollow; and said apparatus includes a cooling fluid circulation system including said hollow rolls for cooling said web after application of said backing and prior to stripping said web from said pattern roll.

Claim 10

Apparatus as specified in claim 1, plus: first spray means along said path in advance of said compression zone for spraying asphalt on the back of said molded layer to adhere said backing; and second spray means along said path in rear of said compression zone for spraying asphalt on the back of said backing to adhere a masking, or covering, layer on said backing.

Claim 11

Apparatus for making an elongated web of artificial mulch carpet material from ground, natural wood bark particles, and resin binder said apparatus comprising powered mechanism defining a path from a mixing zone through a feeding zone, a heating zone and a molding zone to a discharge zone; combined mixing and conveying means in said mixing zone continuously forming a mixture of dry, ground, natural, wood bark particles, resin and plasticizer and delivering said mixture into said feeding zone; feeding hopper means in said feeding zone, receiving said mixture and continuously delivering the same in sheet form into said heating zone; heating oven means in said heating zone for receiving said sheet formed mixture, activating said resin binder and delivering a heated, moldable, semi-cohesive layer thereof into said molding zone; molding means, comprising a hard, pocketed, rotating pattern roll forming a nip with a hard, pinch-off roll, in said molding zone, for receiving said heated, moldable layer and pressing the same into a layer of predetermined thickness having an irregular, grooved, random pattern on one face and a smooth generally planar surface on the other face backing supply means proximate said molding zone for continuously supplying a backing web of strong, non-tearable, air pervious backing material into said molding zone; compression roll means in said molding zone, including a resilient, spring pressed rubber roll in nip contact with said heated, smooth generally planar other face, in rear of said pinch roll on said path, for applying said backing under pressure to the said other face for reinforcing said web; and stripping means in said discharge zone for stripping said backed, pattern molded web from said pattern roll.

Claim 12

Apparatus for making an elongated web of artificial mulch carpet material from ground, natural wood bark particles, and resin binder said apparatus comprising powered mechanism defining a path from a mixing zone through a feeding zone, a heating zone and a molding zone to a discharge zone; combined mixing and conveying means in said mixing zone continuously forming a mixture of dry, ground, natural, wood bark particles, resin and plasticizer and delivering said mixture into said feeding zone; feeding hopper means in said feeding zone, receiving said mixture and continuously delivering the same in sheet form into said heating zone; heating oven means in said heating zone for receiving said sheet formed mixture, activating said resin binder and delivering a heated, moldable, semi-cohesive layer thereof into said molding zone; molding means, comprising a hard, pocketed, rotating pattern roll forming a nip with a hard, pinch-off roll, in said molding zone, for receiving said heated, moldable layer and pressing the same into a layer of predetermined thickness having an irregular, grooved, random pattern on one face and a smooth generally planar surface on the other face backing supply means proximate said molding zone for continuously supplying a backing web of strong, non-tearable, air pervious backing material into said molding zone; compression roll means in said molding zone, including a resilient, spring pressed rubber roll in nip contact with said heated, smooth generally planar other face, in rear of said pinch roll on said path, for applying said backing under pressure to the said other face for reinforcing said web; and stripping means in said discharge zone for stripping said backed, pattern molded web from said pattern roll.

Claim 13

In rotary embossing apparatus of the type having an oven for heating a mixture of material and binder and a conveyor for advancing the heated mixture into the nip of an embossing roll and another roll the improvement comprising: pre-heating means for continuously heating natural, redwood bark for a predetermined period at a predetermined temperature to char said bark for retaining its reddish hue; mixing means for receiving said pre-heated, charred redwood bark from said pre-heating means, mixing the same with resin and plasticizer and discharging said mixture onto said conveyor; a heating oven associated with said conveyor for activating the binder in said mixture to adhere said bark into a cohesive layer; means for supplying a strong, non-tearable, reinforcing backing to the exposed face of said layer on said embossing roll and adhering the same thereto; and slitting means mounted along the path of said backing-reinforced layer for forming slits therein.

Claim 14

In rotary embossing apparatus of the type having an oven for heating a mixture of material and binder and a conveyor for advancing the heated mixture into the nip of an embossing roll and another roll the improvement comprising: pre-heating means for continuously heating natural, redwood bark for a predetermined period at a predetermined temperature to char said bark for retaining its reddish hue; mixing means for receiving said pre-heated, charred redwood bark from said pre-heating means, mixing the same with resin and plasticizer and discharging said mixture onto said conveyor; a heating oven associated with said conveyor for activating the binder in said mixture to adhere said bark into a cohesive layer; means for supplying a strong, non-tearable, reinforcing backing to the exposed face of said layer on said embossing roll and adhering the same thereto; and slitting means mounted along the path of said backing-reinforced layer for forming slits therein.

Claim 15

Apparatus as specified in claim 9 wherein: said backing supply means includes a compression roll, having a resilient, yieldable surface, in pressure nip contact with said embossing roll and spring pressure means operably connected to said compression roll for applying the same with uniform spring pressure.