Perforated Material

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a length of the continuous shaped perforated material laid flat,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a roll of the continuous perforated material,

FIG. 3 is a plan view partially broken away of a length of material in the laid flat condition which is wound into a roll folded in the longitudinal direction,

FIG. 4 is a section through the material of FIG. 3, the dimensions being considerably distorted in the interests of clarity,

FIG. 5 is view similar to FIG. 3 of the material in gussetted form,

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of the material of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a detail of a portion of the line of perforations in a length material of the invention,

FIG. 8 is a detail of another length of material of the invention having perforations in a square wave form,

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 of a length of material having perforations in a triangular wave form,

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus for perforating and folding the material of FIG. 3,

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic development of a detail of one form of the perforating teeth, and

FIG. 12 is a similar view of another form of perforating teeth.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a length of continuous shaped perforated material 10. This material comprises an extruded lay flat tube of plastics material. The tube is extruded in the direction of the axis of the material. The material is divided into discrete units 12 by two sets of lines of perforations 14 and 16.

Each line of perforations 14 extends in a straight line extending transversely to the axis of the material between the edges 18 of the material. Each line 14 is located between a pair of parallel end welds 20 which also extend transversely to the axis of the material and which define the closed ends of bags formed by the units 12 when they are separated from the remainder.

Each line of perforations 16 is a shaped line of perforations and extends in a sinusoidal wave form extending generally transversely to the axis of the material between the edges 18 of the material and midway between the line of perforations 14. Two elongated cuts 22 and 24 are provided along each sinusoidal line of perforations 16 being located on either side of the crests 26 of the wave forms closer to the remainder of the material. These cuts 22 and 24 are about one quarter of the length of one pitch of the line of perforations 16. There are perforations 27 and connectors 28 at the centers of the crests 26 of the wave form to hold these parts flat and firmly in position prior to the tearing of the connectors.

The tube in its lay flat condition as shown is seven hundred and twenty millemeters wide. The distance between the lines of perforations 14 is one meter seven hundred and twenty millemeters long. The amplitude of the sinusoidal lines of perforations 16 is one hundred and seventy millemeters and its pitch is three hundred and sixty millimeters. The plastics material is twenty one and a quarter micrometers thick. The perforations 27 at the substantially horizontal portions of the wave form are two and a half millemeters long and the connectors 28 at this location are about one and a quarter millemeters long. The length of each of the cuts 22 and 24 is about ninety millemeters.

In use, the material 10 is reasonably loosely wound on to a roll 36 (see FIG. 2) with one or more units 12 hanging down from the roll. When the two outermost units are connected by a shaped sinusoidal line of perforations 16 and a person wishes to remove a unit 12, he may insert his fingers through a pair of cuts 22 and 24 at a crest 26 and tear the connectors 28 and grasp the material of the outermost unit 12. On pulling this material, the outermost unit 12 will tear away from the remainder along the line of perforations 16. A corresponding action occurs when the outermost units are connected by a straight line of perforations 14, where the person pulls the material causing it to tear from the remainder along the line of perforations 14.

Alternatively, the person wishing to remove the unit will grasp all the material in his hands and will crush it together. On pulling the material down sharply, the connectors will tear and the material will part along the line of perforations.

By providing the cuts as set forth above, the shaped lines of perforations 16 can be relatively firm while still permitting relatively easy tearing along the said lines 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown a detail of a length of continuous shaped perforated material 10a formed from material 10 as described above. In this material 10a, the side parts 42 (of a quarter of the material width) are folded over the central portion 43 to reduce the width of the material when wound on to a roll to about three hundred and sixty to three hundred and seventy milleters which is about the largest convenient size in use. The sinusoidal waveform line 44 of perforations is located in such a position that the portions thereof in the side parts 42 will overlie and register with the adjacent portions in the central portion 43.

It will be seen that the perforations 42 are arranged so that at the edges 44 of the folded over layers there are perforations 45 and connectors 46. Elongated cuts 48 are provided in the lines of perforations midway between the crests and where the lines of perforations approach the direction of the axis of the material. Here again the user may insert his fingers through the cuts 48 to grasp the material therebetween and to pull the material downwardly. Alternatively the entire tube may be grasped in the hands of the user. When he pulls down sharply, the connectors will tear and the material will part along the line of perforations 46. It will be noted that when the material is grasped, the various layers of material (there being four in all) will move transversely to one another and will be out of register. For this reason, I have found that the cuts 48 are particularly desirable in the lines of perforations.

The tubular material 10a is made using apparatus indicated diagrammatically at FIG. 10. The material in layflat condition is wound on to a first roll R.sub.1. From here it is fed on to a bench B and stopped periodically. A welder cutter W is brought down on to the stationary material to form the line of perforations 14 and welds 20. A cutter C comprising a blade formed into the shape of a sinusoidal wave at the same time cuts the line of perforations 16. The material is now passed through a folder F so that the side portions 42 are folded over the central portions 43 into the form as shown in FIG. 3 and the material is now rolled on to a roll R.sub.2 for storage and subsequent usage. The manufacture of the roll 36 of material is similar save that the folder F is omitted.

The developed shape of the cutter C is shown in FIG. 11. The teeth T.sub.1 are relatively widely spaced apart to cut the perforations. The teeth T.sub.2 are closely spaced and as these pass through the material, they form a continuous cut. In the embodiment of FIG. 12, a single cutter T.sub.3 replaces the teeth T.sub.2 to make the continuous cuts. The length of the set of teeth T.sub.2 and the cutter teeth T.sub.3 is such that the continuous cuts which they make are of substantially greater length than the perforation cuts.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 and 6, wherein is shown a detail of a lay flat tube 50 formed initially in the same way as the tube of FIG. 1 but then has portions 52 folded inwards so that the units 12 to be formed are gussetted. Here the lines of perforations are in sinusoidal wave form with cuts located away from the four edges 54 of the tube.

Small "tacking" connectors 55 may be provided in the cuts to hold the material on both sides thereof together.

In FIG. 7 there is shown a part of a shaped, wave form, sinusoidal line 56 of perforations. Also shown is a line 58 extending at right angles to the axis of the material and longitudinal lines 60. The lines 58 and 60 are notional lines to illustrate the following description. As the line 56 is of sinusoidal wave form, the various perforations 62 are inclined to the transverse notional line 58. The connectors 64 are all very short and of the same length. The lengths of the perforations 62 are different but the transverse component (indicated by the notional divisions 66 on transverse line 58 defined by lines 60) are the same for all the perforations. In this Figure, the cuts are not shown. These of course will be longer than the perforations. However these cuts are not essential with this arrangement.

With this arrangement of the perforations 62 there will be an even distribution of strain in the material of the connectors and consequently, I have found, the material tends to tear evenly at the connectors along the line of perforations and not elsewhere. The same technique can be used to determine the perforations for any other shaped line of perforations other than that described.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a length of continuous shaped perforated material 70 wherein the shaped line of perforations 72 is of a square wave form having longitudinal sections 74 extending in the direction of the axis of the material between the crests formed by transverse sections 76 lying normal to the axis. These longitudinal sections 74 are constituted by cuts while the transverse sections 76 are constituted by perforations. A few small tacking connectors 78 are provided at the cuts 74. A line of perforations of this kind, I have found, permits the material to tear easily and conveniently.

Referring now to FIG. 9 there is shown a length of continuous shaped perforated material 80 wherein the shaped line of perforations 82 is of a triangular wave form. Cuts 84 are provided midway along each straight line 86 between the crests 88. I have found that a line of perforations of this kind also permits the material to tear easily and conveniently.

It will be appreciated that the range of lengths of the perforations and connectors (and indeed the cuts) will depend upon many factors. These include the strength and density as well as the elasticity of the material and whether the material is flat or gussetted. If the perforations are not merely straight cuts, this too will affect the lengths chosen for them.

I have found that units 12 separated by lines of perforations as described above can be separated from the remainder easily and cleanly, with the continuous shaped perforated material not tearing other than along the lines of perforations.

The invention is not limited to the precise constructional details hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings. For example all the shaped lines of perforations may be of the same shape or one or more may be of different shapes which need not be sinusoidal. The lengths of the cuts may vary. The folds may be different to those illustrated and may cover different amounts of material. The tacking connectors may be provided in the cuts 22, 24 and 48 of the FIGS. 1 and 3 embodiments. The lines of perforations may be replaced by elongated cuts with sets of connectors (and perforations) at various critical locations e.g. at the edges of the material, at the crests or at any other place where the lack of connectors would result in the material not being held firm and flat. The sizes of the tubes may vary. The continuous material need not be formed by extruding a tube, it may be flat sheet material. Nor need the material be a plastics material and may comprise e.g. paper or other non-woven fabric. The shaped line of perforations may be of other wave forms.

The material may be folded on itself in any manner as desired and in particular may be folded along its longitudinal axis.