Fabric-reinforced, flexible-walled container and method of making said container

Claim 1

A fabric-reinforced, complex-shaped, flexible-walled container for holding a volume of a volatile liquid hydrocarbon fuel is characterized by upper and lower sections joined at their peripheries by a molded seam to form a complete volume enclosure, each section vacuum formed in a female mold from a composite material comprising in combination: a fabric reinforcement comprised of yarns exhibiting a change-in-effective-length characteristic so as to stretch and conform to the container complex configuration upon vacuum forming thereof; an elastomeric adhesive gum adhered to one surface of the fabric; an air-impervious nylon plastic film adhered to the adhesive gum and forming the interior ply of the container, said film exhibiting a resistance to the deleterious affects of volatile fuels to provide a barrier against penetration of the fuel into the composite while also enabling vacuum drawing of the composite into the confines of a female mold; and an elastomeric gum adhered to the other surface of the fabric and forming the outside ply of the container, said gum penetrating the interstices of the fabric to bond to the adhesive gum upon stretching and forming of said fabric to set and maintain the yarns of the fabric to the shaped container configuration upon curing of the elastomer.