METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A FOLDING MAT AND A FOLDING MAT MADE BY THE SAME

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a folding mat includes: suctioning a first film onto a lower mold, in which a downwardly concave slit groove is formed at one end of a cavity such that a portion of the first film forms a unit fold part; inserting the unit filler over the first film; disposing a second film on an upper side of the lower mold to cover the unit filler; attaching the edge parts of the first and the second films together by using an upper mold mating with the lower mold; trimming an attachment part of the unit mats thus fabricated; fusing the unit fold part of the unit mat with the unit fold part of an adjacent unit mat; and fusing the attachment part of one of the two unit mats thus connected with the attachment part or the unit fold part of another unit mat.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a folding mat, the folding mat comprising a plurality of unit mats, each of the unit mats comprising a unit filler shaped as a quadrilateral block and a unit outer skin enveloping the unit filler, the plurality of unit mats stacked in a zigzag form by way of a first and a second fold part formed on an upper end on one side and a lower end on the other side of the unit outer skin, the method comprising: suctioning a first film onto a lower mold, the lower mold having a downwardly concave slit groove extending in a lengthwise direction at one end of a bottom surface of a quadrilateral cavity formed therein, the first film suctioned to be in tight contact with the bottom surface of the cavity, an inner wall of the slit groove, and an entrance periphery of the slit groove, such that a portion of the first film placed in tight contact with the slit groove forms a unit fold part; inserting the unit filler over the first film placed in tight contact with the cavity of the lower mold; disposing a second film on an upper side of the lower mold to cover the unit filler, the second film disposed such that an edge part of the second film overlaps an edge part of the first film positioned in the entrance periphery of the cavity of the lower mold; attaching the edge parts of the first and the second films together by using an upper mold mating with the lower mold; trimming an attachment part of the unit mats thus fabricated, the attachment part trimmed such that all of or a portion of the attachment part is trimmed; fusing the unit fold part of the unit mat with the unit fold part of an adjacent unit mat by way of heat or high-frequency waves; and fusing the attachment part of one of the two connected unit mats with the attachment part or the unit fold part of another unit mat by way of heat or high-frequency waves.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unit filler is made from a polyethylene expanded foam member, the first and the second films forming the unit outer skin are made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and the attachment part of the first and second films is formed by the edge parts fused together by high-frequency fusion.

3. A folding mat manufactured by the method of claim 1.

4. A folding mat manufactured by the method of claim 2.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a folding mat according to the related art.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a folding mat according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the folding mat a folding mat according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for manufacturing a folding mat according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0022] FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C, FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B, FIG. 6C, FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7B provide a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for manufacturing a folding mat according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The objectives, characteristics, and advantages of the present invention mentioned above will become more clearly understood from the detailed descriptions provided below. Certain embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] FIG. 2 through FIG. 7B illustrate a folding mat and a method of manufacturing the folding mat according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in the drawings, a method of manufacturing a folding mat according to an embodiment of the invention may include suctioning a first film 40 onto a cavity 61 in a lower mold 60 (S1), inserting a unit filler 20 over the first film 40 that is suctioned into tight contact with the cavity 61 of the lower mold 60 (S2), disposing a second film 50 on an upper surface of the unit filler 20 (S3), attaching the edge parts 40a, 50a of the first and second films 40, 50 by using an upper mold 70 (S4), trimming the attached portions (S5), and connecting the unit mats 10 fabricated as above (S6).

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a folding mat may include a multiple number of unit mats 10, which may include multiple unit fillers 20 shaped as quadrilateral blocks and unit outer skins 30 that envelope the respective unit fillers 20, with the unit mats 10 stacked in a zigzag form by way of a first and a second fold part 31, 32 formed on an upper end on one side and a lower end on the other side of the unit outer skin 30.

[0026] Operation S1 may include suctioning the first film 40 onto the cavity 61 of the lower mold 60, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Here, the lower mold 60 may have a cavity 61 having a quadrilateral cross section formed in its upper side, and at one end of the bottom surface of this cavity 61, a downwardly concave slit groove 62 may extend along the lengthwise direction. Also, vacuum suction paths 63 may be formed in the lower mold 60 for suctioning the first film 40 onto the cavity 61, with the vacuum suction paths 63 formed even in the slit groove 62. Thus, the portion of the first film 40 suctioned into the slit groove 62 may form a unit fold part 41 on one side of the unit mat 10 for the first and second fold parts 31, 32 connecting the unit mats 10. The first film 40 may also be suctioned onto the periphery around the entrance of the cavity 61 in the lower mold 60, and this portion may form an edge part 40a.

[0027] Operation S2 may include inserting the unit filler 20 in the cavity 61 of the lower mold 60 while the first film 40 is being suctioned, as shown in FIG. 5C. Here, the unit filler 20, placed on an upper surface of the first film 40, may be made by expansion foam molding into the shape of a quadrilateral block having a particular thickness, as described above, and may preferably be made from a polyethylene expanded foam member since this is an environmentally friendly material that does not discharge endocrine disruptors, etc.

[0028] Operation S3 may include stacking the second film 50 over an upper surface of the unit filler 20, i.e. over an upper side of the cavity 61 of the lower mold 60, as illustrated in FIG. 5C. Here, the second film 50 may be stacked such that the boundary of the second film 50 overlaps the edge part 40a of the first film 40, and this overlapping boundary of the second film 50 may form an edge part 50a.

[0029] The first and second films 40, 50 may form an outer skin 30 that envelopes the unit filler 20. The first and second films 40, 50 may preferably be made of thermoplastic polyethylene (TPU), as it is light and hard while allowing easy attaching of the boundary when applying heat.

[0030] Operation S4 may include attaching the edge parts 40a, 50a of the first and second films 40, 50 by using an upper mold 70 that mates with the lower mold 60, as illustrated in FIG. 6A. Here, the edge parts 40a, 50a of the first and second films 40, 50 may be fused more simply by high-frequency heat, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the fused portion may form an attachment part 33. Thus, as the unit filler 20 is enveloped by an outer skin 30 formed by the first and second films 40, 50 joined together, a unit mat 10 may be obtained. Such a unit mat 10 may have a unit fold part 41 formed at a lower end on one side and an attachment part 33 formed at an upper end on the sides, as shown in FIG. 6B.

[0031] Operation S5 may include trimming the attachment part 33 of the unit mat 10, as illustrated in FIG. 6C. Here, the attachment part 33 formed over the entire boundary of the unit mat 10 can be trimmed off completely, as in the first drawing of FIG. 6C, or can be trimmed such that a portion remains, as in the second drawing of FIG. 6C. That is, when multiple unit mats 10 are connected such that they are stackable in a zigzag form, a unit mat 10 positioned in a middle portion can have the attachment part 33 trimmed such that a portion of the attachment part 33 remains, whereas a unit mat 10 positioned at the side can have all of the attachment part 33 trimmed off. When an attachment part 33 is trimmed such that a portion thereof remains, then the trimming may be performed such that, if the unit fold part 41 is formed at the upper end or lower end on one side of the unit mat 10, the attachment part 33 is formed at the lower end or upper end on the other side of the unit mat 10, as illustrated in the second drawing of FIG. 6C.

[0032] Operation S6 may include connecting the trimmed unit mats 10 such that they may be stacked in a zigzag form, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the unit fold part 41 of a unit mat 10 on one side may be fused, by way of heat or high-frequency waves, with the unit fold part 41 of a unit mat 10 on the other side. Here, the portion where the unit fold parts 41 are fused together may form the first or second fold part 31, 32. While the illustrated example shows that a second fold part 32 has been formed, simply flipping the unit mats 10 upside down would show that a first fold part 31 has been formed.

[0033] On at least one of the two unit mats 10, an untrimmed attachment part 33 may be formed. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the attachment part 33 of this unit mat 10 may be fused by way of heat or high-frequency waves with the unit fold part 41 of another unit mat 10. Here, the portion where the unit fold part 41 and the attachment part 33 are fused together may form the second or first fold part 32, 31. While the illustrated example shows that a first fold part 31 has been formed, simply flipping the unit mats 10 upside down would show that a second fold part 32 has been formed.

[0034] In this manner, three unit mats 10 may be connected. The center unit mat 10 may be connected to one side unit mat 10 by the first fold part 31 located at the upper end on one side, and may be connected to the other side mat unit 10 by the second fold part 32 located at the lower end on the other side, so that the three unit mats 10 may be easily folded in a zigzag form. While the illustrated example shows three unit mats 10 connected together, the invention is not limited thus. For example, operation S6 can be performed several times so that four or more unit mats 10 are connected in zigzag form.

[0035] It is to be appreciated that the present invention described above is not to be limited by the embodiments set forth above or by the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the field of art to which the present invention pertains that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications can be derived without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.