US4756946A — Plastic material mesh structure

Claim 1

Independent Claim 171 words

An uniaxially-orientated plastics material mesh structure having a thickness of not less than 0.75 mm and having mesh openings defined by a generally square or rectangular grid of substantially parallel, orientated strands and a set of substantially parallel bars generally at right angles to the strands, each bar comprising a succession of alternate zones, namely first zones between and interconnecting the ends of aligned strands and second zones between the first zones, each bar, as seen in section normal to the structure and along a notional line which is parallel to the bars and is tangential to respective mesh openings, having undulating top and bottom surfaces with the portions of the second zones on said notional line being substantially thicker than the portions of the first zones on said notional line, said undulating top and bottom surfaces defining a profile formed by stretching and orientating the structure, and the mid-point of each said first zone being substantially thicker than the mid-point of either of the strands interconnected by the first zone.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 171 words

An uniaxially-orientated plastics material mesh structure having a thickness of not less than 0.75 mm and having mesh openings defined by a generally square or rectangular grid of substantially parallel, orientated strands and a set of substantially parallel bars generally at right angles to the strands, each bar comprising a succession of alternate zones, namely first zones between and interconnecting the ends of aligned strands and second zones between the first zones, each bar, as seen in section normal to the structure and along a notional line which is parallel to the bars and is tangential to respective mesh openings, having undulating top and bottom surfaces with the portions of the second zones on said notional line being substantially thicker than the portions of the first zones on said notional line, said undulating top and bottom surfaces defining a profile formed by stretching and orientating the structure, and the mid-point of each said first zone being substantially thicker than the mid-point of either of the strands interconnected by the first zone.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 19 words

The structure of claim 1, wherein all of each first zone is orientated in the direction of the strands.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 25 words

The structure of claim 1, wherein orientation passes right through each said first zone from one said orientated strand to the aligned said orientated strand.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 29 words

The structure of claim 1, wherein the center of each said first zone is substantially less orientated whereby there is a reduced danger of splitting when flexing said bars.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 110 words

The structure of claim 1, wherein each bar, as seen in section normal to the structure and along notional lines which are parallel to the bars and are tangential to respective mesh openings on both sides of each bar, have undulating top and bottom surfaces with the portions of the second zones on both said notional lines being substantially thicker than the portions of said first zones on both said notional lines, said undulating top and bottom surfaces defining a profile formed by stretching and orientating the structure, and the mid-point of each said first zone being substantially thicker than the mid-point of the strands interconnected by that first zone.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 27 words

The structure of claim 1, wherein the starting material from which said plastics material mesh structure is made has a thickness of not less than 1 mm.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 27 words

The structure of claim 1, wherein the starting material from which said plastics material mesh structure is made has a thickness of not less than 1.5 mm.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 169 words

A biaxially-orientated plastics material mesh structure made by stretching a substantially uniplanar starting material having a thickness of not less than 0.75 mm at its thickest part, which mesh structure has generally square or rectangular mesh openings defined by a generally square or rectangular grid of orientated strands and orientated junctions therebetween, each of which junctions interconnects four strands and has a profile comprising a minimum thickness not less than 75% of the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, a maximum thickness substantially greater than its minimum thickness and substantially greater than the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, and a central zone which is thicker than orientated zones on at least two opposite sides thereof, said profile having been formed by said stretching, the edge zones of the crotches which extend between all the respective adjacent pairs of strands passing into the junction being continuously orientated in the direction running around the respective crotch.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 169 words

A biaxially-orientated plastics material mesh structure made by stretching a substantially uniplanar starting material having a thickness of not less than 0.75 mm at its thickest part, which mesh structure has generally square or rectangular mesh openings defined by a generally square or rectangular grid of orientated strands and orientated junctions therebetween, each of which junctions interconnects four strands and has a profile comprising a minimum thickness not less than 75% of the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, a maximum thickness substantially greater than its minimum thickness and substantially greater than the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, and a central zone which is thicker than orientated zones on at least two opposite sides thereof, said profile having been formed by said stretching, the edge zones of the crotches which extend between all the respective adjacent pairs of strands passing into the junction being continuously orientated in the direction running around the respective crotch.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 18 words

The structure of claim 8, wherein said starting material has a thickness of not less than 1 mm.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 18 words

The structure of claim 8, wherein said starting material has a thickness of not less than 1.5 mm.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 165 words

A substantially uniplanar, biaxially-orientated plastics material mesh structure having a thickness of not less than 0.55 mm at its thickest part and having generally square or rectangular mesh openings defined by a generally square or rectangular grid of orientated strands and orientated junctions therebetween, each of which junctions interconnects four strands and has a profile comprising a minimum thickness not less than 75% of the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, a maximum thickness substantially greater than its minimum thickness and substantially greater than the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, and a central zone which is thicker than orientated zones on at least two opposite sides thereof said profile having been formed by stretching and biaxially orientating the structure, the edge zones of the crotches which extend between all the respective adjacent pairs of strands passing into the junction being continuously orientated in the direction running around the respective crotch.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 165 words

A substantially uniplanar, biaxially-orientated plastics material mesh structure having a thickness of not less than 0.55 mm at its thickest part and having generally square or rectangular mesh openings defined by a generally square or rectangular grid of orientated strands and orientated junctions therebetween, each of which junctions interconnects four strands and has a profile comprising a minimum thickness not less than 75% of the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, a maximum thickness substantially greater than its minimum thickness and substantially greater than the thickness of the mid-point of any of the strands passing into the junction, and a central zone which is thicker than orientated zones on at least two opposite sides thereof said profile having been formed by stretching and biaxially orientating the structure, the edge zones of the crotches which extend between all the respective adjacent pairs of strands passing into the junction being continuously orientated in the direction running around the respective crotch.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 24 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein said central zone is long-shaped and aligned with two of the strands passing into the junction.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 33 words

The structure of claim 12, wherein the thickness of the mid-point of the central zone is substantially equal to that of the mid-points of the strands with which the central zone is aligned.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 38 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein the central zone extends into respective zones at the ends thereof, which latter zones are thicker than the central zone and are adjacent the ends of two respective aligned strands.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 77 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein, as measured in the plane of the mesh structure, the maximum dimension of each junction is substantially aligned with two of the strands and is significantly greater than the minimum dimension, which is aligned with the other two strands, the sides of the junction merging very gradually with the sides of the strands aligned with the maximum dimension and merging more abruptly with the sides of the other strands.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 37 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein each of two opposite ends of said central zone defines a respective concavity, which concavities are on the axes of two aligned strands entering the junction from opposite sides.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 16 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein the whole of each said junction is orientated.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 21 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein said central zone is surrounded by thinner lateral zones which are substantially flat.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 31 words

The structure of claim 8 or 11, wherein, as seen looking parallel to the plane of the structure, the profile of the edge of any said crotch has no steep slopes.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1991-07-12	1992-01-11	1992-07-12	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1995-07-12	1996-01-11	1996-07-12	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1999-07-12	2000-01-11	2000-07-12	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Plastic material mesh structure

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