NOODLE FILLER AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING SAME

Abstract

A filling for frameless furniture is provided that vastly increases the positional stability of the filling by being comprised of high aspect ratio particles that contact and interlock with many more nearby particles than can be accomplished by substantially mono-dimensional prior art particles. The invention further features a process and apparatus for the manufacture of the high aspect ratio particles that provide substantial advantages over the prior art. Included in the advantages are uniformity of support, minimizing voids without support, and lack of resiliency from clustering, clumping and dense packing, all of which result from size disparity of prior art filling that is made rather crudely by foam shredding machines. The invention further includes an apparatus for fabricating the filler.

Claims

1.-20. (canceled)

21. A filler for furniture comprising resilient particles having a high aspect ratio in which each said particle interacts with a plurality of other particles beyond those adjacent to said particle.

22. The filler of claim 21 in which high aspect ratio means a particle in which two of the three dimensions of the particle are substantially equal to each other and small compared to the third dimension, while the third dimension is a multiple of the other two dimensions such that each such particle has a reach to interlock with particles beyond those particles that are adjacent to said particle.

23. The filler of claim 22 in which high aspect ratio results in each such particle achieving substantially increased positional stability when compared to largely mono-dimensional particles of the prior art.

24. The filler of claim 23 in which the high aspect ratio results in more uniformity of packing than prior art filler since it counters a tendency from disparity of, size of prior art particles to over time cause undesirably dense packing, and reduction of resilience because smaller prior art particles fill voids between larger prior art particles.

25. The filler of claim 24 in which its more uniform packing than the prior art filler counters a tendency from disparity of packing of prior art filler that over time causes clustering or clumping and voids that reduce support with the prior art filler.

26. The filler of claim 24 in which uniformity of particle size is limited to the two small dimensions and the aspect ratio is random over the range of 6 to 60.

27. The filler of claim 21 in which furniture includes frameless furniture, bean bag furniture, cushions, pillows, conventional furniture with frames, hassocks, footstools, vehicular furniture, and all other furniture accessories.

28. A filler for furniture comprising particles having at least one dimension that facilitates each particle interlocking with a plurality of other particles not adjacent to said particle.

29. The filler of claim 28 in which each such particle achieves substantially increased positional stability when compared to largely mono-dimensional particles of the prior art.

30. The filler of claim 28 in which each such particle achieves more uniformity of packing than the prior art particles because each such particle is made by a method which controls the size of each dimension as opposed to the mechanical shredder means of making of such prior art fillers that results in a disparity of sizes of prior art particles.

31. The filler of claim 30 in which its more uniform packing than prior art filler counters a tendency from disparity of packing of prior art particles that over time cause undesirably dense packing and reduction of resilience because the smaller prior art particles 11 voids between larger prior art particles.

32. The filler of claim 30 in which its more uniform packing than prior art filler counters a tendency from disparity of packing of prior art filler that over time causes clustering or clumping and voids that lack support.

33. The filler of claim 28 in which furniture includes frameless furniture, bean bag furniture, cushions, pillows, conventional furniture with frames, hassocks, footstools, vehicular furniture, and all other furniture accessories.

34. A filler for furniture comprised of noodle-shaped resilient material blown into a flexible container whereby the noodles crisscross each other in a random manner and mutually snagging at many points of contact, there results an array having considerable resistance to separation under squirming load, and thus provides superior support.

35. The filler of claim 34 in which each such noodle achieves substantially increased positional stability when compared to largely mono-dimensional particles of the prior art.

36. The filler of claim 35 in which each such noodle achieves more uniformity of packing than the prior art particles because each such noodle is made by a method which controls the size of each dimension as opposed to the mechanical shredder means of making of such prior art fillers that results in a disparity of sizes of prior art particles.

37. The filler of claim 36 in which its more uniform packing than prior art filler counters a tendency from disparity of size of prior art particles that over time cause undesirably dense packing and reduction of resilience because the smaller art particles fill voids between larger prior art particles.

38. The filler of claim 36 in which its more uniform packing than prior art filler counters a tendency from disparity of size of prior art filler that over time causes clustering or clumping and voids that lack support with prior art filler.

39. The filler of claim 34 in which furniture includes frameless furniture, bean bag furniture, cushions, pillows, conventional furniture with frames, hassocks, footstools, vehicular furniture, and all other furniture accessories.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Various other features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the high aspect ratio filler of the present invention showing how the particles extend beyond the immediately adjacent particles to facilitate interlocking of the particles for optimum positional, stability.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing the sequence of the principal components in the apparatus for making the high aspect ratio filler of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a broken cross sectional view taken along the lines 3(a) and 3(b) of FIG. 2 showing the shearing rollers of the slabbing cutter and the stripping cutter.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a broken top plan view of the spiral rotating blade and supporting roller, which spiral blade in combination with an anvil (see FIG. 2) cuts the resulting strips into high aspect ratio noodle type particles.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the post spiral blade cutter components comprised primarily of a centrifugal fan, tubing, and a storage bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

[0027] Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like characteristics and features of the present invention shown in the various figures are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the high aspect ratio filler of the present invention showing how the particles 10 extend beyond the immediately adjacent particles 12, 14, and 16 to facilitate interlocking of the particles for optimum positional stability.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing the sequence of the principal components in the apparatus for making the high aspect ratio filler 10, 12, 14, 16 of FIG. 1. Raw material is fed onto first moving conveyor 18 and is delivered thereby to slabbing cutter 20 comprised of shear rollers 22 and 24. The result is slabs of urethane foam that are delivered to second moving conveyor 26. While on second moving conveyor 26, the slabs fall into a more or less horizontal configuration by reason of gravity, and are delivered to stripping cutter 28. Stripping cutter 28 is comprised of shear rollers 30 and 32. The result of stripping cutter 28 is that the raw material is now cut into strips that roughly have a square cross section. These strips slide or are moved by a third moving conveyor 34 to spiral rotating blades 36 mounted on supporting roller 38. Spiral rotating blades 36 cooperate with anvil 40 to cut the strips into high aspect ratio particles or noodles. The speed of the spiral rotating blades 36 are adjusted by controlling the rotational speed of supporting roller 33, resulting in a high aspect ratio of the noodles that optimally vary from 6 to 60.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a broken cross sectional view taken along the lines 3(a) and 3(b) of FIG. 2 showing the shearing rollers 22, 24 and 30, 32 of the slabbing cutter 20 and the stripping cutter 28.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a broken top plan view of the spiral rotating blades 36 and supporting roller 38, which spiral blades in combination with an anvil 40 (see FIG. 2) cuts the resulting strips into high aspect ratio noodle type particles.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the post spiral blade cutter components comprised primarily of a centrifugal fan 42, tubing 44, and a storage bag 46, containing high aspect ratio filler 48.

[0033] While the Invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms or certain embodiments or modifications which it has assumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fail within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.