Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The hitherto most common method for the manufacture of commodity
articles of synthetic material was a process for inJection molding. In such
a process a plurality of commodity articles are simultaneously formed during
injection molding tsee Kunststoff Taschenbuch of Saechtling-Zebrowski, Carl
Hanser, Publisher, Munich Vienna 1974, Edition 1~, page 106).
According to the known method, the synthetic materia] is injected
in a plastic state at a specified location into a mold, or pressed thereinto,
and then passed through distribution channels to the individual molds. Fol-
lowing hardening of the synthetic material, the individual articles and con-
necting strands form a ~oined structure, which is, however, awkward, as ithas a great many branches or strands. The articles are separated from the
joining strands, and the separated joining strands are again admixed with
the mass for the next charge. The separating process is usually performed
by the manufacturer, but it is also known to leave the separation to the
merchant or user. A structure manufactured by injection molding always
includes the same number of articles, so that any counting, which is time-
consuming and subject to errors, is avoided.
The above method has, however, several disadvantages. Injection
molds are very expensive. The method is only economical with a very large
number of pieces or articles, and excludes any modification of that mold.
One is concerned here also with a fixed-cycle operation, whose operating
velocity is relatively limited. The material of the distribution strands
must be gathered, and admixed in the correct quantity ratio to the raw mass.
Additional aisadvantages may reside in any damage due to heat by the repeated
meltine processes, and any undesired coloration and other factors, which
cause the manufacturing process to be more expensive. In the event that the
body of synthetic material is introduced in commerce as a joined structure
after removal from a mold, there occur other manifold disadvantages, such as,
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for example, a high bulk volume, loss of a material due to distribution of
the connecting strands, a relatively poor separation of the commodity articles
from the distributing strands, or the like.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to devise a body
of synthetic material which can be separated into individual articles of commo-
dity, which is inexpensive in manufacture, which can be used by being pre-pack-
aged for a pre-counted number of articles of commodity, and which additionally
has few of the disadvantages of an injection molding process.
This object is attained, according to one broad aspect of the present
invention by a plate of a synthetic polymeric plastic compound comprising indi-
vidual elongated segments and separable into said segments, a plurality of
grooves defining said segments, each groove penetrating a major portion of
the thickness of the plate and including at least one extremely thin base por-
tion interconnecting adjacent segments, said segments have pointed ends, and
said segments being provided with two recesses which form points of weakness
thereby permitting the formation of sharp bends when the segment is bent to
form U-shaped securing elements having a flat centerpiece and two vertically
disposed members.
It is advantageous if e.g. at least a part of the extremely thin base
portion is apertured, if e.g. the compound is polypropylene, and if e.g. the
grooves are disposed parallel to one another.
The segments which define individual articles of commodities are
preferably longitudinal, and have preferably pointed ends.
In one specific embodiment of the invention, by way of example, the
plate has two oppositely disposed parallel edges, and the grooves subtend an
acute angle with the edges. In z further embodiment, the edges are of saw-
tooth configuration, and adjacent segments may be advantageously severed from
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one another along a corresponding thin base portion.
In a further broad aspect the invention resides in a method of fabri-
cating a plurality of segments from a plate of synthetic plastic compound, the
steps comprising: continuously extruding a strip of said compound along a pre-
determined direction, said strip having the width of said plate; forming a
plurality of grooves in said plate, each groove including at least one extremelythin base portion, so as to divide said plate into a plurality of segments,
whereby said plate is separable into said segments, by severing a segment from
respective adjacent segments; punching recesses into the segments, and cutting
said strip along a direction transverse to said predetermined direction, so as
to obtain at least one plate.
The groove-forming step preferably includes the step of aperturing at
least a part of the extremely thin base portion.
The plate has advantageously a predetermined width, and the process
may include the steps of continuously extruding a strip of the compound, having
the width of the plate, along a predetermined direction, forming the grooves in
the plate along a direction parallel to the predetermined direction, and cuttingthe strip along a direction transverse to the predetermined direction, so as to
obtain at least the one plate
The pointed ends of the commodity articles make it possible to insert
the articles easily into the ground, or into another substrate where they are
easily embedded, such as polystyrofoam plates, soft food items, such as cheese,
vegetables, and the like, for the purpose of indicating the price or similar
purposes. The articles of commodity may be torn off from the extremely thin
base portion in one version manually, and in another version may be inserted
into the ground, after both pointed ends have been bent, so that the pointed
ends can be inserted into earth.
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The body of synthetic material, which may be separated into individ-
ual articles of commodity, according to the present invention, may advantageou-
sly be used in pre-packaged form for a pre-counted number of commodity articles.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,
reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connec-
tion with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic view of the body of synthetic material which
may be separated into individual articles of commodity;
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Figure 2 is a section alGng line I - I of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a side-view of an individual article according to Fig-
ure 1, for a particular use;
Figure 4 is a part-sectional view of an individual article, accord-
ing to Figure 1, for a different application;
Figure 5 is an alternate version of a body of synthetic material
which may be separated into individual articles of commodity;
Figure 6 is a section along line II - II of Flgure 5;
Figure 7 is an apparatus for manufacturing a body of synthetic
material, as viewed along a direction of fabrication;
Figure ô is a side vie~ of an individual article according to Fig-
ure 5, in a further application; and
Figure 9 is another version of a body of synthetic material, which
may be separated into individual articles.
The body of synthetic material shown in Figures 1 and 2 consists of
a plate or sheet 1 of a synthetic polymeric plastic compound, e.g. of a high
polymeric material, in which articles of commodity 2 are separated from one
another by means of grooves 3 penetrating a major portion of the thickness of
the plate 1. Each groove includes at least one extremely thin base portion
4, and a part 4a of the groove 3 may be cut completely through, or apertured,
so as to facilitate a separation of the individual articles 2 from the plate
1. The extremely thin base portions 4 have a tensile strength which may
easily be surmounted or overcome by tearing or breaking off a segment from
the remaining segments, preferably at least after a crack or cut of the thin
base portions 4, to completely remove the inaividual articles 2. A user may
alternately cut the extremely thin base portions by means of scissors or a
knife. In the latter case, the grooves 3 guide the edge of the knife. Thus
it is possible, without aperturing the extremely thin base portions 4, to
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9~513~33
separate the individual articles 2, by simply passing through the grooves 3
manually with a knife. As the grooves 3 ar~ relatively small, no waste
occurs during such a separation.
In the particular embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the plate 1
has the form of a parallelogram, the grooves 3 extending parallel to one
another and parallel to two opposite edges of the parallelogram. The remain-
ine edges 5 and 6 subtend an acute angle 7 with the direction of the grooves
3, for example, an angle of 45. Thus there are formed strip-shaped or rod-
shaped articles of commodity 2, having pointed ends 8. If a suitably tough
and stiff synthetic material is used, it is therefore possible to fabricate,
for example, supports for plants, supporting arches for the covering foil of
a housing for plants, and the like. Figure 3 shows a side view of a commodity
artlcle 2 formed in the shape of a supporting arch 9, whose two ends 8 have
been set into the ground. The plate 1 therefore constitutes a pre-packaged
and pre-counted number of such supporting arches 9.
By way of example, for the manuPacture of a body of synthetic mate-
rial according to the present invention for the above-named application, the
plate or sheet 1 may be of polypropylene. From a flat sheeting die there is
extruded a continuous strip 11 of synthetic material having a thickness of
about 5 to 6 mm. Into this strip there are engraved, while the synthetic
material is still in a warm and plastic state, parallel grooves 3 spaced
from one another by a distance of about 12 - 25 mm by means of a (non-
illustrated) punching or stamping roller, the grooves 3 extending parallel
to the direction of conveyance of the strip. Following fabrication of the
grooves 3, there therefore remains a thin elongated film of synthetic mate-
rial having a thickness of, for example, .01 to 1 mm., preferably .05 to 2
mm., and a width of, for example, .05 to 1 mm. The width of the strip 11
depends on the nu~ber of articles 2, which are required to be accommodated in
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a pre-packaged form. The strip 11 iscut at spacings of 50 cm to 2 m, depend-
ing on the desired length of the articles 2, by slanted cuts corresponding to
the previously mentioned edges 5 and 6, so as to obtain plates or sheets 1 of
rhomboid shape. It is alternatively possible to cut the plates 1, so as to
form rectangular plates, whereby the pointed ends 8 of the articles of com-
modity 2 may be obtained by means of saw-tooth like cuts 12, for example, by
means of a punching operation, as has been shown in Figure 1 at the bottom to
the right. Depending on the ~udgment of the manufacturer, the extremely thin
base portions in the grooves 3 may be cut completely through, or apertured,
within a predetermined length 4a, without however separating the articles of
commodity 2 within the plate 1 wholly from one another. It is, of course,
always possible to extrude strips 11 having a double or multiple width com~
pared to the width indicated, and following extrusion, to separate them into
strips of smaller width.
The articles 2 can also be used in groups without cutting through
the extremely thin base portions 4. In connection with their use as support-
ing arches, it is also possible to separate two articles 2 at a time for the
end arches. By reversing strips around the extremely thin base portion 4,
it is also possible to fabricate supporting arches 9 of double strength.
This permits the simultaneous insertion of an edge of a supporting covering
foil 13 between two articles of commodity 2, as has been shown in Figure 4.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a further form of the body of synthetic
material, according to the present invention. The body of synthetic material
serves as a pre-packaged item for a precounted number of securing elements
for flat covers, such as coverings for top soil, for plants, for tunnels, for
mats serving as erosion protection, bird protection nets and the like. The
manufacture is accomplished in accordance with the previously described
example. For example there is extruded a strip of polypropylene of, for
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exa~ple, a thickness of 3 mm, in general a thickness between 1.5 to 5 mm, and
of arbitrary width, as has been described above, which is provided with
grooves 15, and cut into individual plates or sheets by means of slanted cuts
16. As a result of the grooves 15, the plate 17 is subdivided into strips or
rods 18 having generally a width in the range of 6 to 15 mm, for example 10
~m. Together with the grooves 15 there are created recesses 19.
The punching of the grooves 15 and of the recesses 19 is schemat-
ically illustrated in Figure 7. A continuously extrudable strip of synthetic
material is guided, while still in a warm plastic state, by a pair of rollers,
formed by a stamping or embossing roller 20 and an oppositely disposed roller
21, the roller 21 having a smooth elastic surface. The stamping roller 20
includes outwardly pro~ecting knife-like edges 22 spaced around its cir-
cumference at constant intervals, by means of which the grooves 15 are punched
or stamped into the body of synthetic material. Between the projections 22
there are disposed tapered projections 23, by means of which the recesses 19
are punched or stamped into the body of synthetic material. As can be seen
from Figure 7, there exists between the knife-like pro~ections 22, and the
pro~ections 23 a bar or web l9a extending from the grooves 15. It is the
ob~ect of the bar l9a, that the grooves 15 do not communicate with the re-
cesses 19. The ob~ect of this measure is to allow a tear to follow thegrooves 15, when a strip or rod 18 is separated from the remaining rods, and
that the tear or cut does not take place transversely to the strip or rod
through the recesses 19.
The cross-section of the strips 18 is weakened due to the recesses
19. These locations permit the formation of sharp bends 24 when the strip 18
is bent (see Figure 8). The pairs of ad~oining bars l9a of synthetic mate-
rial force the bends to occur from the plane of the plate. It is thus pos-
sible to form strips or rods 18 into U-shaped securing elements having a flat
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centerpiece 25, and two vertically disposed members 26. The ends of the
members 26 have pointed ends as a result of the previously mentioned trans-
verse cut, so that passage through a covering foil 27, and insertion into the
ground 28 is facilitated. The film of the synthetic material of the grooves
15 may be apertured in segments. The recesses 19 may also be formed as
through bores in the plate.
The grooves need not extend in a straight line. Figure 9 shows an
arrangement where securing elements 30 are formed with a widened centerpiece
31. The grooves 32 and the recesses 33 may be punched by means of a punching
process, which is known in the packing industry, into a plate of synthetic
material. Final separation of the individual elements from the plate is
accomplished by the user. By this means, it is also possible to fabricate an
arbitrary number of commodity articles disposed in a plate. The surface need
not be plane, but together with the punching of the recesses, a projection
can be created, for example, a trough for a spoon, a blade ~or a knife, a
fork and the like. It is possible, therefore, for example, to fabricate pre-
packaged shapes for eating implements for picnics and the like.
The advantages of the present invention are manifold. The bodies
of synthetic material, according to the present invention, may be manufactured
from continuously extrudable strips. The separation of the individual sep-
arable articles of commodity through the grooves may be accomplished by simple
means, or means which may be easily modified. It is possible therefore to
fabricate a relatively small series of the same article of commodity, in com-
parison to an injection molding process, without the individual article beine
made unduly expensive by the high cost of a mold, which is not at all uncom-
mon in the fabrication of bodies of synthetic materials by injection molding.
As long as the individual articles are separated by small grooves, and
arranged directly adjacent one to another, waste material is avoided. Final-
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ly, the plates may be imprinted with ease. They may also be easily stacked.
Individually, they may be easily inserted into foil packages, without in-
creasing the transport volume, as would be the case when using fully formed
securing elements. By the insertion of a plate, formed in this manner into
a package, the package is automatically furnished with the required number of
securing elements, without its quantity having to be counted. The body of
synthetic material, according to the present invention, may, if need be, also
be fabricated in a rolled form, which increases the packing possibilities.
Rolling and unrolling operations can be repeated several times, without the
extremely thin base portions connecting the individual articles of commodity
being torn.
According to the present invention it is also possible to fabricate
combined prepackages of articles of commodity. For example, on the same plate
there may be disposed strips for supporting arches, according to Figure 3,
and strips for securing elements, according to Figure 8.
The present invention is not limited to the use of a particular syn-
thetic material, such as the polypropylene selected for the examples discussed.
For example, any other synthetic material which is cold-workable at ambient
temperature may be selected, such as, for example, the already mentioned
polypropylene, a low pressure polyethylene, a polyamide, polyester and the
like.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the
exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications
will occur to a person skilled in the art.
