A method for manufacturing a vehicle pressure accumulator, in which a thermoplastic parison is used to form an enclosure around a chamber by applying at least one portion, at least partially molten, of the parison onto at least one portion of the chamber, to attach the parison to the chamber.

A therapy wrap for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body having improved kink resistance. The therapy wrap may be selectively reinforced for improved kink resistance in only a portion of the wrap. The reinforcement may decrease the kink radius. The wrap may include a kink reducer in all or only a selected kink-prone region. The kink reducer may be selectively configured attachment points or spot welds. The therapy wrap may include a reinforcement layer of one or more discrete reinforcement members. The wrap may be formed by pre-tensioning the material layers while forming the fluid bladder and/or gas pressure bladder. The therapy wrap may be adapted to compensate for conditions that normally cause kinking of the wrap or buckling of the fluidic channels. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the wrap and methods of administering a temperature-controlled treatment to an anatomical body part.

The present invention is a method for manufacturing inflatable articles, or bladders for inflatable articles, that is time-efficient, simple, inexpensive and permits the uninterrupted manufacture of numerous and even customized article or bladder configurations and sizes, without expensive configuration-specific, metal tooling. The method includes the steps of applying a barrier material to a side of a first film, providing a second film with the first film so that the barrier material is disposed between the first and second films, adhering the first film to the second film so that the films are sealed together in areas except where the barrier material has been applied to form at least one inflatable compartment and sealed peripheral edge, and cutting along the sealed peripheral edge to form an inflatable article or bladder for use in an article of manufacture. The barrier material may be a paint, ink, paper or surface treatment that effectively prevents the first film from adhering to the second. The inflatable article or bladder of the present invention may be used as or in athletic equipment, for example, including footwear.

A method including inserting into a mold a first tool having a first surface. The method further includes printing a second tool from a polymer material and inserting the second tool into the first tool. The second tool having a smaller wall thickness than the first tool and including a second surface opposing and in contact with the first surface of the first tool and a third surface formed on an opposite side of the second tool than the second surface.

A therapy wrap for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body having improved kink resistance. The therapy wrap may be selectively reinforced for improved kink resistance in only a portion of the wrap. The reinforcement may decrease the kink radius. The wrap may include a kink reducer in all or only a selected kink-prone region. The kink reducer may be selectively configured attachment points or spot welds. The therapy wrap may include a reinforcement layer of one or more discrete reinforcement members. The wrap may be formed by pre-tensioning the material layers while forming the fluid bladder and/or gas pressure bladder. The therapy wrap may be adapted to compensate for conditions that normally cause kinking of the wrap or buckling of the fluidic channels. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the wrap and methods of administering a temperature-controlled treatment to an anatomical body part.

A therapy wrap for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body having improved kink resistance. The therapy wrap may be selectively reinforced for improved kink resistance in only a portion of the wrap. The reinforcement may decrease the kink radius. The wrap may include a kink reducer in all or only a selected kink-prone region. The kink reducer may be selectively configured attachment points or spot welds. The therapy wrap may include a reinforcement layer of one or more discrete reinforcement members. The wrap may be formed by pre-tensioning the material layers while forming the fluid bladder and/or gas pressure bladder. The therapy wrap may be adapted to compensate for conditions that normally cause kinking of the wrap or buckling of the fluidic channels. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the wrap and methods of administering a temperature-controlled treatment to an anatomical body part.

A method includes stacking laser-weldable polymer film layers that include at least one colored film layer at least first and second uncolored film layers, directing a laser beam of a first wavelength at the stack and moving the laser beam along a first welding path, the laser beam impinges the colored film layer and produces localized heating and welding of the colored film layer and the first uncolored film layer to each other along the first welding path. Next, a laser beam of a second wavelength different than the first wavelength is directed at the stack and moved along a second welding path that is offset from the first welding path. The laser beam impinges the second uncolored layer and produces localized heating and welding of the second uncolored layer and the first uncolored layer to each other along the second welding path.

A method includes arranging at least one laser-weldable conduit along a contact interface with a laser-weldable polymer film layer of a seat inflatable bladder carrier, directing a laser beam at the laser-weldable polymer film layer, and moving the laser beam along a welding path that intersects the contact interface. The laser beam penetrates through the laser-weldable polymer film layer and impinges the at least one laser-weldable conduit. The laser beam causes localized heating and welding along the weld path at the contact interface, to fuse the laser-weldable polymer film layer and the conduit together.