U.S. patent application number 11/386463 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-14 for three-dimensional structure formed with precision fold technology and method of forming same.
This patent application is currently assigned to Industrial Origami, LLC. Invention is credited to Max W. Durney.
Application Number | 20060277965 11/386463 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37053904 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060277965 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Durney; Max W. |
December 14, 2006 |
Three-dimensional structure formed with precision fold technology
and method of forming same
Abstract
A three-dimensional structure formed with precision fold
technology includes a first sheet section having a first edge
formed with a first joinder structure proximate the first edge, a
second sheet section having a second edge formed with a second
joinder structure proximate the second edge for interlocking
engagement with said first joinder structure, and a plurality of
folding structures formed in the sheet of material along a
plurality of desired fold lines which divide the sheet of material
into said first and second sheet sections, the folding structures
being formed to produce sufficiently precise folding of the sheet
of material along the fold lines to position the first and second
edges together such that said first and second joinder structures
interengage with one another and retain the sheet of material in a
folded condition.
Inventors: |
Durney; Max W.; (San
Francisco, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
David J. Brezner;Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Intellectual Property Department
555 California Street, Suite 1000
San Francisco
CA
94104-1513
US
|
Assignee: |
Industrial Origami, LLC
San Francisco
CA
|
Family ID: |
37053904 |
Appl. No.: |
11/386463 |
Filed: |
March 21, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11357934 |
Feb 16, 2006 |
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11386463 |
Mar 21, 2006 |
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10795077 |
Mar 3, 2004 |
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11357934 |
Feb 16, 2006 |
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10672766 |
Sep 26, 2003 |
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10795077 |
Mar 3, 2004 |
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10256870 |
Sep 26, 2002 |
6877349 |
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10672766 |
Sep 26, 2003 |
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09640267 |
Aug 17, 2000 |
6481259 |
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10256870 |
Sep 26, 2002 |
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60665577 |
Mar 25, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
72/379.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21D 51/52 20130101;
B65D 5/003 20130101; B65D 11/1833 20130101; B65D 5/302 20130101;
B65D 1/225 20130101; B65D 5/4279 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
072/379.2 |
International
Class: |
B21D 31/00 20060101
B21D031/00 |
Claims
1. A sheet of material formed for bending or folding into a
three-dimensional structure, the sheet of material comprising: a
first sheet section having a first edge formed with a first joinder
structure proximate the first edge; a second sheet section having a
second edge formed with a second joinder structure proximate the
second edge for interlocking engagement with said first joinder
structure; and a plurality of folding structures formed in the
sheet of material along a plurality of desired fold lines which
divide the sheet of material into said first and second sheet
sections, the folding structures being formed to produce
sufficiently precise folding of the sheet of material along the
fold lines to position the first and second edges together such
that said first and second joinder structures interengage with one
another and retain the sheet of material in a folded condition.
2. The sheet of material as defined in claim 1 wherein, the first
joinder structure is a joinder tab extending out of the plane of
the first sheet section forming a slot extending toward the first
edge, and the second joinder structure is a registration flange, a
portion of which is dimensioned and configured to extend into the
slot upon folding.
3. The sheet of material as defined in claim 2, wherein the joinder
tab has a J-shaped cross-section.
4. The sheet of material as defined in claim 2, wherein the joinder
tab is formed by stamping.
5. The sheet of material as defined in claim 4, wherein the first
sheet section has an aperture formed by stamping the joinder tab
out of the plane of the first sheet.
6. The sheet of material as defined in claim 5, wherein the portion
of the registration flange received in said slot includes a locking
protrusion extending out-of-plane and dimensioned and configured to
extend into the aperture to prevent disengagement of the first and
second joinder structures.
7. The sheet of material as defined in claim 6 wherein, the locking
protrusion has a ramp-shaped profile to facilitate insertion of the
portion of the registration flange into the slot.
8. The sheet of material as defined in claim 1 wherein, the folding
structures are provided by one of slits, grooves and displacements
formed in the sheet of material to define a plurality of folding
straps having center lines extending obliquely across the fold
lines.
9. A sheet of material folded and secured to form a
three-dimensional corner structure, the sheet of material
comprising: a first sheet portion folded along a first fold line to
produce a first corner, the first sheet portion including an
inwardly projecting coupling shoulder displaced out-of-plane
forming a receiving slot, the coupling shoulder spaced from the
first fold line, the first sheet further including an aperture
formed by the out-of-plane displacement of the coupling shoulder;
and a second sheet portion folded along a second fold line to
produce a second corner member, the second sheet portion having a
registration flange, a portion of which is received in the slot of
the coupling shoulder, the registration flange portion having an
outwardly projecting latch member spaced from the second fold line
and extending into the aperture of the first sheet portion
producing an interference fit between the coupling shoulder and the
registration flange portion.
10. The assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein, the first fold line
and the second fold line are each formed by a plurality of folding
structures provided by one of slits, grooves and displacements
defining a plurality of spaced apart folding straps having center
lines extending obliquely across the fold lines to produce precise
location of the coupling shoulder and latch member relative to the
first fold line and precise location of the registration flange
portion and the coupling shoulder slot.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/357,934 filed Feb. 16, 2006 and entitled
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR JOINING THE EDGES OF FOLDED SHEET MATERIAL
TO FORM THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE, which is a
Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/795,077
filed Mar. 3, 2004 and entitled SHEET MATERIAL WITH BEND
CONTROLLING DISPLACEMENTS AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAME and
published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US
2004/0206152 A1, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/672,766 filed Sep. 26, 2003 and entitled
TECHNIQUES FOR DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURING PRECISION-FOLDED, HIGH
STRENGTH, FATIGUE-RESISTANT STRUCTURES AND SHEET THEREFOR and
published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
US2004/0134250A1, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/256,870 filed Sep. 26, 2002 and entitled
METHOD FOR PRECISION BENDING OF SHEET MATERIALS, SLIT SHEET AND
FABRICATION PROCESS and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,349, which is a
Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/640,267
filed Aug. 17, 2000 and entitled METHOD FOR PRECISION BENDING OF A
SHEET OF MATERIAL AND SLIT SHEET THEREFOR and now U.S. Pat. No.
6,481,259, the entire contents of which applications and patent is
incorporated herein by this reference.
[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/665,577 filed Mar. 25, 2005 and entitled
THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE FORMED WITH PRECISION FOLD TECHNOLOGY
AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME, the entire contents of which is
incorporated herein by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates, in general, to apparatus and
methods for joining together the edges of sheet material which has
been folded so as to form three-dimensional structures, and more
particularly, relates to apparatus and methods for joining sheet
material which has been folded using high-precision folding
structures capable of accurately registering joinder structures for
coupling together of sheet edges.
[0005] 2. Description of Related Art
[0006] The Related Applications set forth above, and incorporated
herein by reference, set forth in considerable detail apparatus and
methods for bending or folding sheet material to form
three-dimensional structures. Flat sheets are provided with a
plurality of folding structures which will produce folding of the
sheets along fold lines that can very precisely be controlled. The
folding structures are typically slits, grooves or displacements
that are positioned on alternating sides of a desired fold line so
as to define spaced-apart bending or folding straps that precisely
control folding of the sheet. Most preferably, the folding
structures also produce edge-to-face engagement of the sheet
material on opposite sides of the folding structures to further
enhance folding precision and structural strength.
[0007] The folded sheets of the Related Applications often have
been used to produce three-dimensional structures in which free or
adjacent edges of the sheets are folded into abutting or
overlapping relation and then are joined together to stabilize the
resulting structure against unfolding. The previous techniques for
securing the edges of the folded sheets together have varied
considerably, depending upon the application, but in many instances
the sheet edges have merely been joined together using standard
fasteners such as screws, rivets, other mechanical fasteners,
and/or welding, brazing or adhesives.
[0008] One of the very substantial advantages of the apparatus and
method of the Related Applications is the ability to fold sheet
material with both great precision and complexity using low folding
forces. Precise and complex folding of sheet material allows
techniques for joining the edges of the sheet material to be based
upon precise registration of the edges at the end of the folding
process so that joinder structures provided at, or proximate to the
edges can be folded into registration with each other for the
purpose of coupling the joinder structure together against
separation of the edges.
[0009] The complexity with which sheets can be folded using the
techniques set forth in the Related Applications allows a great
reduction in the number of separate parts required to create a
structure. Further reducing the number of parts by eliminating
separate mechanical fasteners, therefore, is highly desirable, and
elimination of separate welding, soldering and adhesive bonding
steps also reduces the cost associated with the finished part.
[0010] Moreover, the precise sheet folding systems of the Related
Applications can be applied to a wide range of sheet thicknesses.
Thus, fastener-free sheet edge joining should also be capable of
being used in applications requiring high strength joinder of the
sheet edges.
[0011] What is needed is an apparatus and method to employ the
ability to precisely fold sheet material in a manner which will
allow fastener-free, high strength, low cost joinder of edges of
the sheet material.
[0012] What is needed is an apparatus and method to provide an
apparatus and method for forming enclosures or housings for various
purposes, including the enclosure of electrical components, which
apparatus and method lend themselves to efficient and low-cost
manufacturing processes.
[0013] The apparatus and method of the present invention have other
objects and features of advantage which will become apparent from,
or are set forth in more detail in, the accompanying drawing and
Detailed Description Of The Invention
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In summary, one aspect of the present invention is directed
to a sheet of material formed for bending or folding into a
three-dimensional structure. The sheet of material preferably
includes a first sheet section having a first edge formed with a
first joinder structure proximate the first edge, a second sheet
section having a second edge formed with a second joinder structure
proximate the second edge for interlocking engagement with said
first joinder structure, and a plurality of folding structures
formed in the sheet of material along a plurality of desired fold
lines which divide the sheet of material into said first and second
sheet sections, the folding structures being formed to produce
sufficiently precise folding of the sheet of material along the
fold lines to position the first and second edges together such
that said first and second joinder structures interengage with one
another and retain the sheet of material in a folded condition.
[0015] The first joinder structure may be a joinder tab extending
out of the plane of the first sheet section forming a slot
extending toward the first edge, and the second joinder structure
may be a registration flange, a portion of which is dimensioned and
configured to extend into the slot upon folding. The joinder tab
may have a J-shaped cross-section. The joinder tab may be formed by
stamping. The first sheet section may have an aperture formed by
stamping the joinder tab out of the plane of the first sheet. The
portion of the registration flange received in said slot may
include a locking protrusion extending out-of-plane and dimensioned
and configured to extend into the aperture to prevent disengagement
of the first and second joinder structures. The locking protrusion
may have a ramp-shaped profile to facilitate insertion of the
portion of the registration flange into the slot. The folding
structures may be provided by one of slits, grooves and
displacements formed in the sheet of material to define a plurality
of folding straps having center lines extending obliquely across
the fold lines.
[0016] Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a
sheet of material folded and secured to form a three-dimensional
corner structure. The sheet of material preferably includes a first
sheet portion folded along a first fold line to produce a first
corner, the first sheet portion including an inwardly projecting
coupling shoulder displaced out-of-plane forming a receiving slot,
the coupling shoulder spaced from the first fold line, the first
sheet further including an aperture formed by the out-of-plane
displacement of the coupling shoulder, and a second sheet portion
folded along a second fold line to produce a second corner member,
the second sheet portion having a registration flange, a portion of
which is received in the slot of the coupling shoulder, the
registration flange portion having an outwardly projecting latch
member spaced from the second fold line and extending into the
aperture of the first sheet portion producing an interference fit
between the coupling shoulder and the registration flange
portion.
[0017] The first fold line and the second fold line may each be
formed by a plurality of folding structures provided by one of
slits, grooves and displacements defining a plurality of spaced
apart folding straps having center lines extending obliquely across
the fold lines to produce precise location of the coupling shoulder
and latch member relative to the first fold line and precise
location of the registration flange portion and the coupling
shoulder slot.
[0018] The box formed utilizing precision fold technology of the
present invention has other features and advantages which will be
apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying
drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this
specification, and the following Detailed Description of the
Invention, which together serve to explain the principles of the
present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a two-dimensional sheet
material preformed with precision fold structures and fastening
structures in accordance with the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet material of FIG.
1, the sheet having undergone a first bending step.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet material of FIG.
1, the sheet having undergone a subsequent bending step.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet material of FIG.
1, the sheet having undergone another subsequent bending step.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sheet material of FIG.
1, the sheet having undergone a further subsequent bending
step.
[0024] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the sheet material
of FIG. 1, similar to FIG. 5, showing the internal engagement of
the fastening structure.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a further enlarged perspective view of the sheet
material of FIG. 1, similar to FIG. 6, showing the internal
engagement of the fastening structure.
[0026] FIG. 8 is another enlarged perspective view of the sheet
material of FIG. 1 showing the external engagement of the fastening
structure.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening structure,
taken substantially along line 9-9 of FIG. 7, before
engagement.
[0028] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening
structure, taken substantially along line 10-10 of FIG. 7, before
engagement.
[0029] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a plurality of sheet
material structures similar to that shown in FIG. 1 in a stacked
configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred
embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in
conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood
that they are not intended to limit the invention to those
embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover
alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included
within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
[0031] Turning now to the drawings, wherein like components are
designated by like reference numerals throughout the various
figures, attention is directed to FIG. 1, which shows a sheet
material 30 having a generally cross-shaped configuration to form a
box blank 31. In this embodiment, the sheet material has been
dimensioned and configured to form an open box (see FIG. 5),
however, one will appreciate that other three-dimensional can be
formed in accordance with the present invention. For example, free
standing corner structures can be formed, pyramid-shaped structure,
and generally any three dimensional structure in which two planar,
or substantially planar surfaces intersect one another.
[0032] The sheet material includes a first sheet section 32 having
a first edge 33 formed with a first joinder structure 34 proximate
the first edge. Preferably, the joinder structure is spaced a
distance away from the adjacent fold line 35 thereby providing
increased leverage to resist disengagement of the joinder structure
as will become apparent below.
[0033] The sheet material includes a second sheet section 36 having
a second edge 37 formed with a second joinder structure 38
proximate the second edge for interlocking engagement with said
first joinder structure. The first and second joinder structures
are dimensioned and configured to engage with one another upon
folding the sheet material along the fold lines.
[0034] The sheet of material also includes a plurality of folding
structures 39 formed in the sheet of material along a plurality of
desired fold lines which divide the sheet of material into the
first and second sheet sections. The folding structures are formed
to produce sufficiently precise folding of the sheet of material
along the fold lines to position the first and second edges
together such that said first and second joinder structures
interengage with one another and retain the sheet of material in a
folded condition. Preferably, the folding structures are slits,
grooves, displacements and or other suitable means formed in the
sheet of material to define a plurality of folding straps 40 having
center lines extending obliquely across the fold lines.
[0035] The particular configuration of the fold lines and folding
straps are extensively discussed in U.S. patent application Ser.
Nos. 10/795,077, 10/672,766, 10/256,870, and 09/640,267 (now U.S.
Pat. No. 6,481,259), the entire contents of which applications and
patent is incorporated herein by this reference.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the
two-dimensional sheet material is sequentially bent along
respective fold lines to form an open box structure. First and
second joinder structures are engaged as the sheet material is bent
from the condition shown in FIG. 3 to the condition shown in FIG.
4. As can be seen in the figures, each corner of the box includes
similar, cooperating joinder structures which are similarly
engaged.
[0037] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are enlarged views of a corner of the box
which clearly show the interengagement of the first and second
joinder structures, the configuration of which are discussed in
greater detail below.
[0038] Turning now to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, first joinder structure
is preferably a joinder tab 41 extending out of the plane of the
first sheet section and forms a slot 42 extending toward the first
edge. The second joinder structure is a registration flange, a
portion 43 of which is dimensioned and configured to extend into
the slot upon folding, as seen in FIG. 10.
[0039] In this embodiment, the joinder tab has a J-shaped
cross-section 44, as can be seen in FIG. 9. One will appreciate
that other cross-sectional shapes may be used including L-shapes,
C-shapes and other suitable shapes. Preferably, the joinder tab is
formed by stamping.
[0040] With continued reference to FIG. 9, the first sheet section
has an aperture 45 formed as the joinder tab is stamped
out-of-plane from the first sheet. The portion of the registration
flange received in said slot includes a locking protrusion 46
extending out-of-plane and dimensioned and configured to extend
into the aperture to prevent disengagement of the first and second
joinder structures. Preferably, the locking protrusion has a
ramp-shaped profile to facilitate insertion of the portion of the
registration flange into the slot.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 11, the box blanks of the present invention
may be shipped flat, thus allowing a plurality of box blanks to be
stacked on top of one another. The configuration of the fold lines
allows the box blanks to be folded from their two-dimensional state
to their three-dimensional state on site. As is discussed in the
above-mentioned Patent Applications, the precision fold lines allow
the blanks to be folded, precisely, along predefined fold lines
with minimal effort.
[0042] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the
present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration
and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit
the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many
modifications and variations are possible in light of the above
teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to
best explain the principles of the invention and its practical
application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention and various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It
is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the
Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
* * * * *