Abstract:
To produce a thatch roofing material from waste plastic bottles, an apparatus includes a device for cutting the bottles into one or more strips. The device may include a decontouring unit that removes contours from the bottles and a heated clamp that fuses the strips together lengthwise to create a plastic tape. A bottle may be formed into rectangular stock by removing the top and bottom and longitudinally cutting the middle part. The rectangular stock may be cut into the cut strips, such as with a wire cutter. The plastic tape may be used to create folded thatch components by cutting, from the plastic tape, one or more slats and one or more thatch roofing material strips, and folding and attaching the thatching roofing material strips to the slats. Serrated ties may be cut from the plastic tape and used to fasten the folded thatch components to a building structure.
Abstract:
The invention provides structural elements comprising an elongated internal member and an elongated external member enclosing said internal member, in which a mid-portion enveloping the internal member and being in tight association with the external surface of the internal member, defines, jointly with said internal member, a first, core-envelope sub-structure, while two flanking portions extending from and integral with the mid-portion and facing and contacting one another to jointly define a second, layered sub-structure. The invention further provides methods for manufacturing such structural elements.
Abstract:
This invention comprises apparatus and methods for folding and crimping shredded strips of sheet material into preselected lengths of interlocking, decorative material and/or bulk packaging material. The apparatus generally includes an attachment for a commercial paper shredding device which shreds sheet material therein. The apparatus comprises a movable barrier against which the shredded strips of sheet material are impelled upon being expelled from cutting blades of the shredding device. The movable barrier causes the strips to become controllably jammed within a confined area between the barrier and the cutting blades. Further insertion of additional strips into the confined area causes the strips to become compacted, folded, and crimped against a remaining dam of jammed sheet material located within the confined area. This causes the strips to fold and press against themselves, and form lengths of thin sheet material having an accordion-shaped configuration. Cutting blade components may be provided to further cut the strips into preselected lengths.
Abstract:
A rectangular stack of interfolded rectangular napkins including a plurality of napkins, each napkin in the stack comprising a first fold in a first direction, and a second fold in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and bisecting the first fold and the napkin in the second direction, the intersecting first and second folds dividing the napkin into four panels with a pair of adjacent panels located on each side of the second fold, wherein each of the napkins within the stack includes at least one pair of panels arranged in the stack at a level between two pairs of adjacent panels of another of the absorbent napkins within the stack.
Abstract:
A rectangular stack of interfolded rectangular napkins including a plurality of napkins, each napkin in the stack comprising a first fold in a first direction, and a second fold in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and bisecting the first fold and the napkin in the second direction, the intersecting first and second folds dividing the napkin into four panels with a pair of adjacent panels located on each side of the second fold, wherein each of the napkins within the stack includes at least one pair of panels arranged in the stack at a level between two pairs of adjacent panels of another of the absorbent napkins within the stack.
Abstract:
This invention comprises apparatus and methods for folding and crimping shredded strips of sheet material into preselected lengths of interlocking, decorative material and/or bulk packaging material. The apparatus generally includes an attachment for a commercial paper shredding device which shreds sheet material therein. The apparatus comprises a movable barrier against which the shredded strips of sheet material are impelled upon being expelled from cutting blades of the shredding device. The movable barrier causes the strips to become controllably jammed within a confined area between the barrier and the cutting blades. Further insertion of additional strips into the confined area causes the strips to become compacted, folded, and crimped against a remaining dam of jammed sheet material located within the confined area. This causes the strips to fold and press against themselves, and form lengths of thin sheet material having an accordion-shaped configuration. Cutting blade components may be provided to further cut the strips into preselected lengths.
Abstract:
A booklet processing apparatus includes a pressing member and a rotating unit. The pressing member presses a folded portion of a booklet formed to extend in one direction and having the folded portion on the downstream side in the one direction. The pressing member is provided so as to be rotatable about a rotary shaft that extends along the folded portion. The rotating unit rotates the pressing member so as to move a portion of the pressing member that confronts the folded portion downstream in the one direction so that the portion of the pressing member that confronts the folded portion is changed to a different portion.
Abstract:
A rectangular stack of interfolded rectangular napkins including a plurality of napkins, each napkin in the stack comprising a first fold in a first direction, and a second fold in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and bisecting the first fold and the napkin in the second direction, the intersecting first and second folds dividing the napkin into four panels with a pair of adjacent panels located on each side of the second fold, wherein each of the napkins within the stack includes at least one pair of panels arranged in the stack at a level between two pairs of adjacent panels of another of the absorbent napkins within the stack.
Abstract:
A method of producing a packing product includes the steps of feeding at least one sheet of material in a first direction; cutting the at least one sheet of material into a plurality of strips; the cutting being performed by rotating two sets of alternating, overlapping cutting discs; the feeding of the at least one sheet of material being between the two sets of cutting discs; advancing each of the strips by the rotating of at least an outer surface of a corresponding one of the cutting discs as the outer surface moves in the first direction; restricting each strip from continued advancing in the first direction; and sequentially folding each of the strip means by the restricting in opposition to the advancing. There is included apparatus and means for producing the packing product. Additionally, the resulting packing product includes a plurality of narrow, elongated strips of material; the material having a natural resilience; and each of the strips including a plurality of transverse folds against the natural resilience to form a longitudinally compressed strip element.