Patent US4297154A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4297154A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of manufacturing expanded reinforcing sheet material
Assignee: National Steel Corp
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Filing: 1980-11-03
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Granted: 1981-10-27
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Expires: 2000-11-03
Abstract
Abstract A composite expanded sheet reinforcing material especially useful as a stiffening, vibration and sound dampening, reinforcing laminate, and methods of manufacturing such sheet reinforcing material and of reinforcing articles therewith are disclosed. Formable sheet material having a layer of a foamable adhesive laminated thereon is passed through an expanding apparatus which forms rows of spaced, longitudinally staggered slits through the laminated sheet to form a series of elongated strands integrally joined at their ends by a series of joints or bonds. The slit material is expanded in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the slits, causing the adhesive-coated surfaces of the strands and joints to be inclined at an acute angle to the principal plane of the formed reinforcing sheet. The formed reinforcing sheet may then be laminated onto a surface which is to be reinforced by placing the adhesive-coated surface of the strands and joints in juxtaposed relation to the surface and activating the adhesive.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert N. Keller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 07:34
CPC Classifications
B; B21; B21D; B21D31/00; B21D31/04; B21D31/043; B32; B32B; B32B7/00; B32B7/04; B32B7/12; B32B3/00; B32B3/10; B32B3/12; B32B37/00; B32B37/12; B32B37/1207; C; C09; C09J; C09J7/00; C09J7/20; C09J7/22; C09J7/30; C09J7/35; G; G10; G10K; G10K11/00; G10K11/16; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1002; Y10T156/1003; Y10T156/1028; Y10T156/1052; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12361; Y10T428/12493; Y10T428/12535; Y10T428/12556; Y10T428/12562; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24149; Y10T428/24273; Y10T428/24298; Y10T428/24306; Y10T428/24322; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/249982; Y10T428/249984; Y10T428/249987
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 44
Claim 1
Independent Claim
158 words
A method of reinforcing an article, the method comprising, bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive material to at least one surface of a flat sheet of structural material capable of being formed into an expanded sheet, forming a series of laterally spaced lines of slits through the sheet of structural material and the adhesive material bonded thereto with the slits in each line being spaced from one another and being offset longitudinally with respect to the slits in adjacent lines of slits, simultaneously expanding the sheet of structural material and the foamable adhesive bonded thereto by spreading said slits to form a uniform pattern of generally diamond-shaped openings in the sheet of structural material and foamable adhesive, positioning the expanded structural sheet having the foamable adhesive thereon in contact with the article to be reinforced, and activating the foamable adhesive material to enlarge its volume and form a bond between the expanded structural sheet and the article.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
158 words
A method of reinforcing an article, the method comprising, bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive material to at least one surface of a flat sheet of structural material capable of being formed into an expanded sheet, forming a series of laterally spaced lines of slits through the sheet of structural material and the adhesive material bonded thereto with the slits in each line being spaced from one another and being offset longitudinally with respect to the slits in adjacent lines of slits, simultaneously expanding the sheet of structural material and the foamable adhesive bonded thereto by spreading said slits to form a uniform pattern of generally diamond-shaped openings in the sheet of structural material and foamable adhesive, positioning the expanded structural sheet having the foamable adhesive thereon in contact with the article to be reinforced, and activating the foamable adhesive material to enlarge its volume and form a bond between the expanded structural sheet and the article.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method defined in claim 1 further comprising the step of shaping the expanded structural sheet and adhesive material to substantially conform to the shape of the surface of the article to be reinforced before positioning the expanded structural sheet and adhesive into contact with the article.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said sheet of structural material is a sheet of flat-rolled metal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said sheet of flat-rolled metal and the adhesive material bonded thereto are expanded by passing such flat-rolled metal and adhesive material through an intermittent feed type metal expanding apparatus to simultaneously expand the metal sheet and layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said sheet of flat-rolled metal and the adhesive material bonded thereto are expanded by passing such flat-rolled metal and adhesive material through a continuous type metal expanding apparatus to initially form said slits through the flat-rolled metal and adhesive material and to thereafter expand the slit metal and adhesive.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said foamable adhesive material comprises a heat-activated rubber based adhesive.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said foamable adhesive comprises a preformed sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive which is laminated directly onto said metal sheet without use of additional bonding agents.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 7 wherein the step of bonding the sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive to said metal sheet comprises, heating said metal sheet to a temperature sufficient to activate the foamable adhesive, and laminating the sheet of rubber based foamable adhesive directly onto the surface of the heated metal sheet and utilizing the heat in the metal sheet to activate the adhesive to an extend sufficient to form a firm bond.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the step of bonding the sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive to said metal sheet further comprises the step of controlling the temperature of the metal sheet to activate only the surface portion of the adhesive sheet which is in contact with the metal sheet to assure a complete bond therebetween while avoiding the activation of at least the major portion of the sheet of rubber based adhesive.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of cooling said metal sheet after said sheet of heat-activated rubber based adhesive is laminated thereon to avoid excessive activation of the rubber based adhesive.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said step of bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive material to at least one surface of a flat sheet of structural material comprises bonding a layer of said foamable adhesive to both surfaces of the sheet of structural material, and wherein the expanded structural sheet is positioned between and in contact with two articles to be reinforced before said foamable adhesive is activated.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 11 wherein said two articles to be reinforced are each substantially flat structural sheets, the expanded structural sheet securing said two structural sheets in fixed spaced, parallel relation when said foamable adhesive is activated.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the metal sheet is a flat-rolled steel strip and said rubber based adhesive are in the form of running strips, said steel and rubber based adhesive strip being continuously laminated together and fed in a running length to the metal expanding apparatus.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
254 words
A method of reinforcing an article having a substantially smooth surface, the method comprising, initially forming a laminated sheet structure by bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive material between two sheets of structural material, forming a series of laterally spaced lines of slits through said laminated sheet structure with the slits in each line being spaced from one another and being offset longitudinally with respect to the slits in adjacent lines of slits to form a plurality of elongated strands interconnected at their ends by integrally formed joints, simultaneously expanding the two structural sheets and the layer of foamable adhesive material of said laminated sheet structure by spreading said slits to form a pattern of generally diamond-shaped openings each defined by a plurality of the elongated strands and joints, each strand and joint including a segment of each of said two sheets of structural material disposed in spaced relation and having opposed, substantially parallel generally flat surfaces joined by said foamable adhesive with the joined surfaces being disposed at an acute angle to the plane of the expanded laminate structure, positioning the expanded laminated structure in contact with the substantially smooth surface of the article to be reinforced, and maintaining the expanded laminated structure in contact with the smooth surface while activating the foamable adhesive material to enlarge its volume sufficiently to extrude a portion of the foamable material from between the opposed surfaces of the joints and strands to form a bond between the expanded laminated structure and the substantially smooth surface.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
254 words
A method of reinforcing an article having a substantially smooth surface, the method comprising, initially forming a laminated sheet structure by bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive material between two sheets of structural material, forming a series of laterally spaced lines of slits through said laminated sheet structure with the slits in each line being spaced from one another and being offset longitudinally with respect to the slits in adjacent lines of slits to form a plurality of elongated strands interconnected at their ends by integrally formed joints, simultaneously expanding the two structural sheets and the layer of foamable adhesive material of said laminated sheet structure by spreading said slits to form a pattern of generally diamond-shaped openings each defined by a plurality of the elongated strands and joints, each strand and joint including a segment of each of said two sheets of structural material disposed in spaced relation and having opposed, substantially parallel generally flat surfaces joined by said foamable adhesive with the joined surfaces being disposed at an acute angle to the plane of the expanded laminate structure, positioning the expanded laminated structure in contact with the substantially smooth surface of the article to be reinforced, and maintaining the expanded laminated structure in contact with the smooth surface while activating the foamable adhesive material to enlarge its volume sufficiently to extrude a portion of the foamable material from between the opposed surfaces of the joints and strands to form a bond between the expanded laminated structure and the substantially smooth surface.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of shaping the expanded laminated sheet structure to substantially conform to the shape of the substantially smooth surface before positioning the expanded laminate structure into contact therewith.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said two structural sheets are flat-rolled metal sheets.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the steps of forming said lines of slits and of spreading said slits are accomplished by passing the laminated structure through an intermittent feed type sheet metal expanding apparatus to form and spread said slits to simultaneously expand the two metal sheets and the layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of forming said lines of slits and of spreading the slits are accomplished by passing the laminated structure through a continuous type metal expanding apparatus to initially form said slits and thereafter spread the formed slits to simultaneously expand the two metal sheets and the layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 16 wherein said foamable adhesive material comprises a heat-activated rubber based adhesive.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 16 wherein said foamable adhesive comprises a preformed sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive which is laminated directly onto the surfaces of two metal sheets without use of additional bonding agents.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
95 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the step of bonding said preformed sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive material to the surfaces of said metal sheets comprises heating said metal sheets to a temperature sufficient to activate the adhesive, and laminating the sheet of rubber based foamable adhesive directly onto the surfaces of the heated metal sheets whereby the heat-activated adhesive is activated upon contacting the metal sheets to an extent sufficient to form a firm bond, the heat in the metal sheet being sufficient to completely activate the sheet of rubber based adhesive.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of cooling said metal sheets promptly after said sheet of heat-activated rubber based adhesive is laminated thereon to limit the activation of the adhesive.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
183 words
The method of forming an expanded sheet reinforcing material having a layer of foamable adhesive on selective surfaces thereof for bonding the expanded sheet to another surface, the method comprising, forming a laminated sheet structure by bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive onto at least one surface of a formable structural sheet, forming a plurality of laterally spaced lines of slits through the laminated sheet structure with the slits in each line being spaced from one another and being offset longitudinally with respect to the slits in adjacent lines of slits to form a plurality of elongated strands interconnected at their ends by a plurality of integrally formed joints, and expanding the laminated sheet structure by spreading each of said slits to form a uniform pattern of generally diamond-shaped openings each defined by a plurality of said strands and joints to form the expanded sheet reinforcing material, the surface portion of said structural sheet incorporated in the strands and joints and having the foamable adhesive bonded thereto being disposed at an acute angle to the plane of the expanded sheet reinforcing material.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
183 words
The method of forming an expanded sheet reinforcing material having a layer of foamable adhesive on selective surfaces thereof for bonding the expanded sheet to another surface, the method comprising, forming a laminated sheet structure by bonding a layer of a foamable adhesive onto at least one surface of a formable structural sheet, forming a plurality of laterally spaced lines of slits through the laminated sheet structure with the slits in each line being spaced from one another and being offset longitudinally with respect to the slits in adjacent lines of slits to form a plurality of elongated strands interconnected at their ends by a plurality of integrally formed joints, and expanding the laminated sheet structure by spreading each of said slits to form a uniform pattern of generally diamond-shaped openings each defined by a plurality of said strands and joints to form the expanded sheet reinforcing material, the surface portion of said structural sheet incorporated in the strands and joints and having the foamable adhesive bonded thereto being disposed at an acute angle to the plane of the expanded sheet reinforcing material.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 23 wherein said structural sheet is flat-rolled metal sheet.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 24 wherein the laminated sheet of flat-rolled metal and adhesive material are expanded by passing such material through an intermittent feed type metal expanding apparatus to simultaneously expand the metal sheet and layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 24 wherein the laminated sheet of flat-rolled metal and adhesive material are expanded by passing such material through a continuous feed type metal expanding apparatus to initially form said slits and thereafter to simultaneously expand the metal sheet and layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 24 wherein said foamable adhesive comprises a preformed sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive which is laminated directly onto said metal sheet without use of additional bonding agents.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 27 wherein the step of bonding the sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive to said metal sheet comprises, heating said metal sheet to a temperature sufficient to activate the foamable adhesive, and laminating the sheet of rubber based foamable adhesive directly onto the surface of the heated metal sheet and utilizing the heat in the metal sheet to activate the adhesive to an extent sufficient to form a firm bond.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method of claim 28 wherein the step of forming the laminated sheet structure further comprises the step of controlling the temperature of the metal sheet to activate only the surface portion of the adhesive sheet which is in contact with the metal sheet to assure a complete bond therebetween while avoiding the activation of at least the major portion of the sheet of rubber based adhesive.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of cooling said metal sheet after said sheet of heat-activated rubber based adhesive is laminated thereon to avoid excessive activation of the rubber based adhesive.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 23 wherein said sheet of structural material is a running strip of flat-rolled metal and said foamable adhesive is a running length of a preformed, rubber based adhesive, and wherein the step of bonding the layer of adhesive onto the structural sheet includes continuously laminating the metal and the adhesive strips together.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the step of forming a laminated sheet structure comprises bonding a layer of foamable adhesive to one surface only of the formable structural sheet.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the step of forming a laminated sheet structure comprises bonding a layer of foamable adhesive to both surfaces of the formable structural sheet.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the step of forming a laminated sheet structure comprises bonding a layer of foamable adhesive between two formable structural sheets.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 34 wherein said two structural sheets are flat-rolled metal sheets.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 35 wherein the steps of forming said lines of slits and of spreading said slits are accomplished by passing the laminated structure through an intermittent feed type sheet metal expanding apparatus to simultaneously form and spread said slits to simultaneously expand the two metal sheets and the layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 35 wherein the steps of forming said lines of slits and of spreading said slits are accomplished by passing the laminated structure through a continuous feed type metal expanding apparatus to initially form the slits and then to spread the slits to simultaneously expand the two metal sheets and the layer of foamable adhesive.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 35 wherein said foamable adhesive comprises a preformed sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive which is laminated directly onto the surfaces of two metal sheets without use of additional bonding agents.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
95 words
The method of claim 38 wherein the step of bonding said preformed sheet of heat-activated foamable rubber based adhesive material to the surfaces of said metal sheets comprises heating said metal sheets to a temperature sufficient to activate the adhesive, and laminating the sheet of rubber based foamable adhesive directly onto the surfaces of the heated metal sheets whereby the heat-activated adhesive is activated upon contacting the metal sheets to an extent sufficient to form a firm bond, the heat in the metal sheet being sufficient to completely activate the sheet of rubber based adhesive.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 39 further comprising the step of cooling said metal sheets promptly after said sheet of heat-activated rubber based adhesive is laminated thereon to limit the activation of the adhesive.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 40 wherein said two metal sheets are running lengths of flat-rolled metal strip and wherein said rubber based adhesive is a preformed strip which is fed between said two metal strips.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-10-26 | 1985-04-27 | 1985-10-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-10-26 | 1989-04-27 | 1989-10-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-10-26 | 1993-04-27 | 1993-10-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |