Deployable sheet, coil, rotary mold having slit comprising non-distal vertical distal end portion

Abstract

A sheet includes a plurality of deployable slits formed in a repeating pattern in a substrate, the repeating pattern including at least two rows of adjacent slits. Each slit has four vertical distal end portions. At least one vertical distal end portion has a non-distal end and at least two vertical distal end portions have distal ends. The plurality of vertical distal end portions in the first row and the plurality of vertical distal end portions in the second row are aligned to intersect a horizontal line. The slits are configured to open in response to a minimum tension applied to the substrate along the vertical axis to form a plurality of folded walls and a plurality of non-rotating beams.

Description

[0001] This disclosure relates to sheets, and more particularly to deployable sheets having a plurality of slits, the deployable sheets being configured to unfold into a three-dimensional structure.

[0002] Tension-activated deployable sheets are, for example, sheets made of paper or plastic that are cut with a slit pattern so that the sheets can unfold when tension is applied along the tension axis of the sheet. An exemplary tension-activated deployable sheet is SCOTCH, purchased from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. ™ CUSHION LOCK ™ Protective wrapping material is a type of paper-based tension-activated unfoldable sheet. When tension is applied to unfold such a sheet, its portions rotate to create an interlocking folded wall structure that absorbs energy and can be used, for example, to cushion and protect objects during shipment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one aspect, this disclosure relates to a sheet that defines a vertical axis and a horizontal axis along a main surface. The sheet includes a sheet material substrate that defines the main surface. The sheet also includes a plurality of deployable slits formed in a repeating pattern in the substrate, the repeating pattern having at least a first row of slits and a second row of slits adjacent to the first row. Each slit defines a slit height along the vertical axis and a slit width along the horizontal axis. Each slit has four vertical distal end portions. At least one vertical distal end portion has a non-end end, and at least two vertical distal end portions have end ends. The plurality of vertical distal end portions in the first row and the plurality of vertical distal end portions in the second row are aligned to intersect the horizontal line. The slits are configured to open in response to a minimum tension applied to the substrate along the vertical axis to form a plurality of folded walls and a plurality of non-rotating beams.

[0004] In one aspect, this disclosure relates to a roll material having an unfoldable sheet.

[0005] In one aspect, this disclosure relates to a rotary die having cutting surfaces configured to form an unfoldable sheet. Attached Figure Description

[0006] To facilitate identification of any particular element or action being discussed, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the reference numeral that first introduced the element.

[0007] Figure 1A and Figure 1BThese are, respectively, a front view of a flat configuration and a perspective view of an unfolded configuration, representing a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet according to one embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a front view of an example of forming an unfoldable sheet using a rotary die according to one implementation scheme.

[0009] Figure 3A This is a front view of a flat configuration of a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet according to one embodiment, and Figure 3B yes Figure 3A A magnified view of the slit.

[0010] Figure 4A and Figure 4B These are, respectively, a front view of a flat configuration and a perspective view of an unfolded configuration of a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet having non-end ends according to one embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5A and Figure 5B These are, respectively, a front view of a flat configuration and a perspective view of an unfolded configuration of a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet having non-end ends and slits reversed, according to one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 6A and Figure 6B These are, respectively, a front view of a flat configuration and a perspective view of an unfolded configuration of a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet having sharp, non-end-point ends, according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 7A and Figure 7B These are, respectively, a front view of a flat configuration and a perspective view of an unfolded configuration of a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet having sharp, non-end ends and slits reversed, according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 8A and Figure 8B These are, respectively, a front view of a flat configuration and a perspective view of an unfolded configuration of a portion of an example of an unfoldable sheet having a smooth, non-end end and a slit-reverse orientation, according to one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0015] This disclosure relates to a deployable sheet having multiple slits. Each slit has at least one vertical distal end portion that is a non-end portion. Generally, using a non-end portion as the vertical distal end portion facilitates a wide variety of slit shapes, which can offer various advantages in the structure of the deployable sheet in its deployable configuration or in the manufacture of the deployable sheet. Specifically, using a non-end portion can facilitate the creation of new arrangements of folded walls in the deployable configuration, which can vary in terms of bulk, energy absorption, and visual appearance. Compared to some existing slit patterns with segment intersections, using a non-end portion also facilitates the use of simpler and less costly manufacturing techniques (especially when using a rotary die) to form the slits in the sheet material substrate.

[0016] As used herein, the term "slit" refers to a narrow cut that passes through an article of paper to form at least one line or segment, which may be straight or curved, or described as straight or non-straight, having at least two end points. The slits described herein are discrete, meaning that individual slits do not intersect with other slits. A slit is generally not a cut where a "cut" is defined as the surface area of ​​sheet material removed from the sheet when the slit intersects with itself. However, in practice, many forming techniques result in the removal of some surface area of ​​the sheet material, which is not considered a "cut" for the purposes of this application. Specifically, many cutting techniques produce "grooves" or cuts with a certain physical width. For example, a laser cutter will ablate some surface area of ​​the sheet to create a slit, a router will remove some surface area of ​​the material to create a slit, and even extrusion cuts create some deformation at the edge of the material, which forms a physical gap in the surface area of ​​the material. Furthermore, molding techniques require material between the opposite faces of the slit, thus creating a gap or groove at the slit. In various embodiments, the gap or groove of the slit will be less than or equal to the thickness of the material. For example, a slit pattern cut into 0.007" (approximately 18 mm) thick paper may have a slit with a gap of approximately 0.007" or less. However, it should be understood that the width of the slit can be increased to many times the thickness of the material, consistent with the techniques disclosed herein.

[0017] A slit can be characterized as a “simple slit” or a “compound slit,” where a “simple slit” is defined as having exactly two end portions, and a “compound slit” has more than two end portions. As used herein, the term “single slit pattern” refers to a pattern that forms a single row of slits, each row extending laterally through the sheet (e.g., along a horizontal axis), wherein these rows form a single row of slit patterns arranged along the axial length of the sheet (e.g., along a vertical axis), and the pattern of the slits in each row differs from the pattern of the slits in the directly adjacent row. For example, the slits in a row may be axially offset or out of phase with the slits in the directly adjacent row. The various slits described herein include a simple slit having four vertical distal end portions, which include at least one non-end vertical distal end portion.

[0018] The sheet includes a sheet material substrate that defines a main surface. The main surface may be defined as extending along a vertical axis and a horizontal axis orthogonal to the vertical axis. Multiple slits are formed in the substrate. In a flat or undeployed configuration of the sheet, the slits are configured to open or unfold in response to a minimum tension applied to the substrate along the vertical axis to form multiple folded walls and multiple non-rotating beams in an unfolded or deployed configuration of the sheet. As used herein, “opening” or “unfolding” a slit means separating at least a portion of the sheet material on each side of the slit. Specifically, when the deployable sheet is in a flat configuration and activated by tension (pulled along the vertical axis), portions of the substrate can move upward and downward from the substantially two-dimensional main surface and become a three-dimensional article as described in more detail herein.

[0019] The unfoldable sheet can be formed in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, a rotary die with cutting surfaces configured to create slits in the sheet material can be used. After formation, the unfoldable sheet can be used to form a roll. The user can, for example, use a dispenser to unfold and deploy the unfoldable sheet.

[0020] Multiple slits are arranged in a slit pattern, which is a repeating pattern comprising at least a first row of slits and a second row of slits adjacent to the first row. Generally, each row is defined to extend along a horizontal axis, and the rows are spaced apart from each other along a vertical axis. The slit patterns are arranged such that multiple vertically distal end portions in the first row and multiple vertically distal end portions in the second row are aligned to intersect a horizontal line that is substantially parallel to the horizontal axis.

[0021] Each slit defines a slit height measured along a vertical axis and a slit width defined along a horizontal axis. Generally, each slit includes four vertical distal end portions. At least one vertical distal end portion has a non-terminal end. At least two vertical distal end portions each include a terminal end. In some embodiments, only two vertical distal end portions each include a terminal end. In some embodiments, only two vertical distal end portions have non-terminal ends. As used herein, "terminal end" means the end of a slit or cut in the substrate. As used herein, "non-terminal end" means a slit's typical extreme value along the vertical axis that is not a terminal end. Although a terminal end is typically a point, a non-terminal end can be defined by the relative flatness of the slit (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 5A , Figure 5B ), bending (see Figure 8A ) or sharp (see Figure 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7A , Figure 7B A portion of this indicates that, in some cases, this portion can be the intersection of segments.

[0022] The intersection point 110 can be described as a point in the slit 102 where segments from two different segments come together and intersect.

[0023] The slit may be defined as having a horizontal distal end portion. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of slits includes two horizontal distal end portions. Each horizontal distal end portion may include two vertical distal end portions of the slit, for example, including a non-terminal end and a terminal end.

[0024] One or more slits in a slit may be formed without segment intersections. In some embodiments, at least one slit does not contain sharp segment intersections. As used herein, the term "segment intersection" means the intersection between two segments of a slit, which may be gentle (e.g., smooth) or sharp (e.g., non-gentle or non-smooth). A sharp segment intersection is defined as having slopes or tangents that do not approach each other on either side of the intersection. Another term that can be used to describe a sharp segment intersection is a corner.

[0025] A slit pattern of multiple slits can define multiple non-rotating beam regions. Each non-rotating beam region can be positioned between adjacent slits in the same row. Each non-rotating beam region can be at least partially defined between two vertically distal end portions of a first slit in the same row and two vertically distal end portions of a second slit adjacent to the first slit. In some embodiments, the non-terminal ends of adjacent slits can be aligned. For example, a vertically distal end portion of the first slit can be a non-terminal end aligned to intersect a horizontal line, and a vertically distal end portion of the second slit can be a non-terminal end aligned to intersect the same horizontal line. In some embodiments, the non-terminal ends of a slit are aligned with the terminal ends of an adjacent slit. For example, a vertically distal end portion of the first slit can be a non-terminal end aligned to intersect a horizontal line, and a vertically distal end portion of the second slit can be a terminal segment aligned to intersect the same horizontal line.

[0026] The rows of slit patterns can be staggered. Each slit may include a connector portion that extends at least partially along a horizontal axis between two vertically distal end portions of the slit. The connector portion can also be described as extending between two horizontally distal end portions of the slit. In a slit pattern with staggered rows, the non-rotating beam regions between the connector portions of the slits and the slits in adjacent rows can be aligned to intersect a vertical line that is substantially parallel to the vertical axis.

[0027] As used herein, the terms “vertical line” and “horizontal line” refer to imaginary lines that are substantially parallel to a defined vertical axis or a defined horizontal axis, respectively.

[0028] As used herein, the term "staggered row" refers to the position of substantially all slits in a given row that differs or shifts from or is offset by a predetermined amount or minimum distance along the horizontal axis compared to corresponding slits in directly adjacent rows. Generally, adjacent rows differ by half the horizontal spacing between slits in that row, as measured by the center-to-center distance between the geometric centers of the slits.

[0029] A repeating pattern of slits can define a repeating region within the repeating pattern. The repeating region includes at least two rows of staggered slits. The repeating region may repeat at least twice along at least one row of slits in the repeating pattern, at least twice along a vertical axis in the repeating pattern, or both.

[0030] The slits may have one or more orientations in the repeating region. In some embodiments, the repeating region includes at least two slits oriented in the same direction, or includes each slit oriented in the same direction. In some embodiments, the repeating region includes at least one reverse slit in the same row as at least one non-reverse slit, or includes at least one reverse slit in an adjacent row as at least one non-reverse slit. The at least one reverse slit may be a reverse slit across a horizontal line parallel to the horizontal axis. Such a slit pattern can be described as having slit reversals.

[0031] Generally speaking, unfoldable sheets with slit patterns can produce a robust three-dimensional structure from a flat sheet of material when tension is applied. Such slit patterns can be described as folded walls, tension-activated paper-cut patterns.

[0032] Figure 1A and Figure 1B An example of a deployable sheet 100 with multiple slits 102 having a tension-activated paper-cut slit pattern 104 is shown. Figure 1A In the schematic plan view, it is in a flat configuration 114 or an undeveloped configuration, in the form of a substantially flat sheet, and... Figure 1B The top perspective view shows the tension-activated unfolded configuration 116 (and rotated 90 degrees).

[0033] The unfolded configuration 116 of sheet 100 is a three-dimensional (3D) structure, wherein portions of sheet 100 extend along all three axes in space. As illustrated, the slit pattern 104 includes a plurality of slits 102, each slit having the shape of a capital letter "H," which are arranged to define a plurality of non-rotating beam regions 118 and folded wall regions 122, such that when sheet 100 is unfolded or deployed, the non-rotating beam regions 118 form non-rotating beams 120 between adjacent slits in the same row, and the folded wall regions 122 form folded walls 126 between slits in adjacent rows. The tension-activated unfolded configuration 116 can be designed, for example, based on the thickness and elasticity of the sheet material.

[0034] Although slit 102 may have various shapes, each slit can be described as being formed by various slit features such as segments, segment intersections and end points.

[0035] Generally, each slit 102 includes at least one segment. In the illustrated embodiment, each slit 102 includes three segments. The connector portion 106 is formed by a horizontal linear segment, and each horizontal distal end portion 108 is formed by a vertical linear segment. The segments of the slit 102 can be described as continuous and linear (e.g., straight) or non-linear (e.g., curved). The segments can also be described relative to the tools used to form the segments. For example, each segment can be cut by different cutting surfaces on a rotary die.

[0036] Generally, each slit 102 includes at least two end portions 112. The slits 102 in the slit pattern 104 illustrated can be described as compound slits. A compound slit 102 has at least two slit segments including at least one segment intersection point.

[0037] In the illustrated embodiment, segment intersection 110 is the intersection of connector portion 106 and horizontal distal end portion 108, and each slit 102 has two segment intersections 110. Slit intersection 110 can be described as a sharp segment intersection. As described in further detail herein, other slits may be designed to include at least one gentle segment intersection. In some embodiments, each slit may not contain any sharp segment intersections.

[0038] The sheet material substrate can be formed from a variety of suitable materials. Some exemplary materials in which the slit patterns described herein can be formed include, for example, paper (including cardboard, corrugated paper, coated or uncoated paper, kraft paper, cotton yarn paper, recycled paper, and stretchable paper); plastics; woven and nonwoven materials and / or fabrics; elastic materials (including rubbers such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, polyurethane rubber, neoprene rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate, or EVA rubber); non-elastic materials (including polyethylene and polycarbonate); polyesters; acrylic resins; and polysulfones. The article can be, for example, a material, sheet, film, or any similar construction.

[0039] Examples of thermoplastic materials that may be used may include one or more of the following: polyolefins (e.g., polyethylene (high-density polyethylene (HDPE), medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), metallocene polyethylene, etc., and combinations thereof), polypropylene (e.g., atactic and syndiotactic polypropylene)), polyamides (e.g., nylon), polyurethanes, polyacetals (such as deltamethrin), polyacrylates and polyesters (such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) and aliphatic polyesters such as polylactic acid), fluoroplastics (such as THV purchased from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) and combinations thereof. Examples of thermosetting materials may include one or more of the following: polyurethanes, silicones, epoxides, melamine, phenolic resins, and combinations thereof. Examples of biodegradable polymers may include one or more of the following: polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), copolymers of poly(caprolactone), lactide and glycolide, polyvinyl succinic acid, polyhydroxybutyrate, and combinations thereof.

[0040] As used herein, “paper” refers to woven or nonwoven sheet-like products or fabrics (which are foldable and can have various thicknesses) made of cellulose (particularly cellulose fibers, whether natural or artificially derived) or otherwise derived from pulp of plant sources such as wood, corn, grass, rice, etc. Paper includes products made by both traditional and non-traditional papermaking processes, as well as materials of the aforementioned types having other types of fibers (e.g., reinforcing fibers) embedded in the sheet. Paper may have a coating on the sheet or on the fibers themselves. Examples of non-traditional products for which “paper” is used in the context of this disclosure include materials purchased under the trade name TRINGA from PAPTIC (PAPTIC, Espoo, Finland) and materials purchased under the trade name SULAPAC from SULAPAC (SULAPAC, Helsinki, Finland) in sheet form.

[0041] The stretchability of paper can be defined as the ability of paper to increase its linear length under the influence of external mechanical forces due to elastic, viscoelastic, and plastic deformation. One type of mechanical deformation in paper is tensile deformation, where stretchability is determined as the fracture strain value of the stress-strain curve. Many types of paper (which can be described as non-stretchable paper produced by existing manufacturing techniques) can have stretchability of approximately 1% to 4% in the longitudinal direction (MD) and 3% to 6% in the transverse direction (CD), or even greater values ​​in both MD and CD. Various techniques that can achieve greater stretchability include mechanical treatments as well as chemical treatments.

[0042] The material in which the single slit pattern is formed can have any desired thickness. In some embodiments, the material has a thickness between about 0.001 inches (0.025 mm) and about 5 inches (127 mm). In some embodiments, the material has a thickness between about 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) and about 2 inches (51 mm). In some embodiments, the material has a thickness between about 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) and about 1 inch (25.4 mm). In some embodiments, the thickness is greater than 0.001 inches (0.025 mm), or 0.01 inches (0.25 mm), or 0.05 inches (1.3 mm), or 0.1 inches (2.5 mm), or 0.5 inches (13 mm), or 1 inch (25 mm), or 1.5 inches (38 mm), or 2 inches (51 mm), or 2.5 inches (64 mm), or 3 inches (76 mm). In some implementations, the thickness is less than 5 inches (127 mm), or 4 inches (101 mm), or 3 inches (76 mm), or 2 inches (51 mm), or 1 inch (25 mm), or 0.5 inches (13 mm), or 0.25 inches (6.3 mm), or 0.1 inches (2.5 mm).

[0043] In some embodiments, when the material is paper, the thickness is between about 0.003 inches (0.076 mm) and about 0.010 inches (0.25 mm). In some embodiments where the material is plastic, the thickness is between about 0.005 inches (0.13 mm) and about 0.125 inches (3.2 mm).

[0044] In some embodiments, the slits or cut patterns essentially extend to one or more edges of the sheet, film, or material. In some embodiments, this allows the material to have an infinite length and is also deployed by tension, particularly when made of a non-stretchable material. The amount of edge material is the area of ​​the material surrounding, but not including, the single slit pattern. In some embodiments, the amount of edge material or down-web boundary can be defined as the width of a rectangle whose major axis is parallel to the tension axis and is infinitely long, and can be stretched on the substrate without overlapping or contacting any slits. In some embodiments, the amount of edge material is less than 0.010 inches (0.25 mm) or less than 0.001 inches (0.025 mm). In some embodiments, the width of the down-web boundary is less than 0.010 inches (0.25 mm) or less than 0.001 inches (0.025 mm). In some embodiments, the amount of edge material is less than 5 times the thickness of the substrate. In some embodiments, the width of the down-web boundary is less than 5 times the thickness of the substrate.

[0045] Generally speaking, unfoldable sheets with slit patterns can be made in a variety of different ways. For example, slit patterns can be formed by extrusion, molding, laser cutting, water jetting, machining, stereolithography or other 3D printing techniques, laser ablation, photolithography, chemical etching, rotary die cutting, stamping, other suitable negative or positive processing techniques, or combinations thereof.

[0046] Rotary die-cutting uses a rotating die with cutting surfaces (e.g., blades) to form slits in sheet material according to a slit pattern. However, due to the use of precise intersecting cutting surfaces, rotary dies for slit patterns with compound slits (see Figure 1) or any other slits with segment intersections can take a long time to produce.

[0047] For illustrative purposes, Figure 2 An example is shown of using a rotary die 206 to process paper or other sheet material 202 to form an unfoldable sheet 204. Specifically, the paper or other sheet material 202 is fed into a roll gap consisting of the rotary die 206 and an anvil 208. In this example, the uncut sheet material 202 may be stored in the form of a roll 212, wherein the material is wound around a central axis (which may include or omit a central core), and then laid out to be fed into the roll gap. The rotary die 206 has a cutting surface 210 that is aligned with a slit pattern (such as slit pattern 104) to be cut into the sheet material 202. Figure 1A Correspondingly, a rotary die 206 cuts through the sheet material 202 and forms an arrangement of slits along the main surface of the sheet material representing the slit pattern. Specifically, the length of the slit pattern may correspond to the circumference of the rotary die 206, such that multiple rotations of the rotary die 206 form a repeating slit pattern in the unfoldable sheet 204. The unfoldable sheet 204 can then be stored in the form of a roll 214, in which material is wound around a central axis (which may or may not include a central core), and then laid out to be unfolded by tension actuation. The same process can be used with a flat die and a flat anvil.

[0048] This disclosure provides various slit patterns including non-end-point ends, which can facilitate the use of fewer segment intersections or eliminate particularly difficult-to-manufacture segment intersections from the slit pattern, especially using rotary dies or related techniques. Specifically, the various slit patterns according to this disclosure may be free of sharp "T"-shaped segment intersections, such as... Figure 1AThe segment intersection point 110 is shown. In some embodiments, at least one, some, or all of the slits in the slit pattern do not contain sharp segment intersection points. Such slit patterns can reduce manufacturing costs, especially when using molds to manufacture unfoldable sheets, and can facilitate higher quality unfoldable sheets. A wide variety of slit patterns according to this disclosure are also available that can be used to modify characteristics such as bulk, energy absorption, and visual appearance relative to existing patterns.

[0049] Figure 3A An example of a deployable sheet 300 having a slit pattern 304 in a flat configuration is shown in a schematic plan view. Figure 3B One of the slits 306 of the slit pattern 304 is shown separately in a magnified view. In both views, the main surface of the substrate 302 of the sheet material is shown having slits 306 formed or defined by the slit pattern 304. The sheet 300 defines a vertical axis 314 (or unfolding axis) and a horizontal axis 316 (or transverse axis) orthogonal to the vertical axis along its main surface. The slit pattern 304 includes at least two rows of staggered slits 306. In the illustrated embodiment, all slits 306 do not contain sharp segment intersections. Generally, a slit pattern may include each row having at least one slit without sharp segment intersections, each slit in at least one row having no sharp segment intersections, or each slit in a repeating pattern having no sharp segment intersections.

[0050] A slit pattern may define one or more repeating regions that repeat along a horizontal axis, a vertical axis, or both. The repeating regions may repeat at least two, three, four, or more times along one or two axes. In the illustrated embodiment, slit pattern 304 defines repeating regions 312 that repeat along both a horizontal axis 316 and a vertical axis 314. Generally, each repeating region includes at least two rows of staggered slits. As illustrated, repeating regions 312 include a first slit and a second slit in adjacent and staggered rows. Both the first and second slits have the same shape and orientation.

[0051] The slits 306 of the sheet 300 are configured to unfold in response to a minimum tension applied to the substrate 302 along the vertical axis 314 to provide an unfolded configuration. In the unfolded configuration, folded wall regions 310 form folded walls, and non-rotating beam regions 308 form non-rotating beams. The folded wall regions 310 between slits 306 in adjacent rows at least partially define the folded walls in the unfolded configuration. The sheet 300 also has one or more non-rotating beams in the unfolded configuration. Specifically, in the unfolded configuration, at least one non-rotating beam of the sheet material may be defined in at least one row between the unfolded slits. In the illustrated embodiment, the non-rotating beam regions 308 between adjacent slits in the same row at least partially define the non-rotating beams in the unfolded configuration.

[0052] The slit pattern may include slits having one or more types of shapes. In the illustrated embodiment, all slits 306 in slit pattern 304 have the same or substantially the same shape. Specifically, each slit 306 may be described as comprising a single segment 318 having multiple gentle curves (e.g., curves) and two end portions 320. Alternatively, each slit 306 may be described as comprising multiple segments connected by the intersections of the gentle segments. For example, each slit 306 may be described as having four vertical linear segments and three horizontal linear segments connected by the intersections of the gentle segments (such as segment intersection 336, segment intersection 338, and segment intersection 340), and two end portions 320. A slit having only two end portions 320 may be described as a simple slit, such as slit 306.

[0053] Each slit 306 has at least four vertically distal end portions. As used herein, "vertically distal end portion" means a portion along the slit whose vertical extreme value (e.g., maximum or minimum value along the vertical axis) is within 33%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, or even 5% of the slit height. As illustrated, a non-terminal vertically distal end portion 324 of the slit 306 is shown surrounded by a dashed line, and a terminal vertically distal end portion 322 of the slit 306 is shown surrounded by a dashed line. Figure 3B The dashed lines in the diagram represent approximately 20% of the slit height of 328.

[0054] As used herein, the term "slit height" refers to the total height of the slit measured along or parallel to the vertical axis from the lower extreme to the upper extreme. As illustrated, the slit height 328 of slit 306 is measured parallel to the vertical axis 314. In the illustrated embodiment, the vertically distal end portions 322, 324 are defined as any portion along slit 306 within approximately 20% of the slit height 328, as illustrated by the dashed boxes, each dashed box representing one type of vertically distal end portion.

[0055] At least one vertical distal end portion of each slit 306 has a non-terminal segment. In some embodiments, at least one vertical distal end portion of each slit 306 includes a terminal end, such as a terminal end 320. In the illustrated embodiment, each slit 306 includes four vertical distal end portions having two terminal vertical distal end portions 322 and two non-terminal vertical distal end portions 324.

[0056] As illustrated in the figure, slit 306 includes two non-terminal vertical distal end portions 324 and two terminal vertical distal end portions 322. Specifically, the non-terminal vertical distal end portions 324 comprise the upper extreme of slit 306, and the terminal vertical distal end portions 322 comprise the lower extreme of slit 306. As used herein, the term "non-terminal vertical distal end portion" refers to the vertical distal end portion of the slit excluding the terminal ends, while "terminal vertical distal end portion" includes the terminal ends.

[0057] The vertical distal end portion of the slit in an adjacent row intersects the horizontal line. (If possible...) Figure 3A Ideally, the vertically distal end portions of the slits in one row and the non-vertically distal end portions of the slits in the adjacent row intersect the horizontal line 332. All slits in the first row and all slits in the adjacent second row may have vertically distal end portions intersecting a single horizontal line. In some embodiments, specifically, the vertical extremes of the slits intersect the horizontal line. However, in some embodiments, the slits in adjacent rows may overlap by up to 1%, 2%, 5%, or even 10%.

[0058] The slit can also be defined as including a horizontal distal end portion. Slit 306 includes two horizontal distal end portions 326. As used herein, "horizontal distal end portion" means a portion along the slit within 33%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, or even 5% of the slit width at a horizontal extreme value (e.g., a maximum or minimum value along the horizontal axis). As illustrated, one horizontal distal end portion 326 of slit 306 is shown as being composed of... Figure 3B The dotted line in the middle indicates that the horizontal distal end portion represents approximately 33% of the slit width 330.

[0059] As used herein, the term "slit width" refers to the total width of the slit, measured along or parallel to a horizontal axis, from a first lateral extreme to the opposite second lateral extreme. As illustrated, the slit width 330 of slit 306 is measured parallel to the horizontal axis 316. In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical distal end portions 322, 324 are defined as any portion along slit 306 within approximately 20% of the slit height 328, as illustrated by dashed boxes, each dashed box representing one type of vertical distal end portion.

[0060] The width of each horizontal distal end portion can be defined relative to the overlap distance between slits in adjacent staggered rows. Generally, the width of each horizontal distal end portion is less than the overlap distance L between the slit and the slits in the adjacent row. Figure 3A The overlap distance L is measured from the horizontal extreme value of the slit along the direction of the horizontal axis 316 and the horizontal extreme value of the adjacent slit along the horizontal axis 316. In some embodiments, the width of each horizontal distal end portion 326 is approximately L / 2, such as 30%, 20%, 15%, 10%, or 5% of L / 2 ± L. In other words, the width of the horizontal distal end portion 326 can range from 20% to 80%, 30% to 70%, 35% to 65%, 40% to 60%, or 45% to 55% of L.

[0061] Each horizontal distal end portion can be described as having at least one vertical distal end portion. In the illustrated embodiment, each horizontal distal end portion 326 includes two vertical distal end portions. Specifically, each horizontal distal end portion 326 includes a first vertical distal portion (e.g., a terminal vertical distal end portion 322) and a second vertical distal end portion (e.g., a non-terminal vertical distal end portion 324) opposite to the first vertical distal portion.

[0062] The horizontal distal end portion 326 is connected by the connector portion 334 of the slit. Because the rows are staggered, the connector portion 334 of each slit 306 and the non-rotating beam region 308 in the adjacent row can be aligned to intersect with a vertical line that is approximately parallel to the vertical axis.

[0063] Each slit 306 has at least one segment between its distal portions. The segment can be linear or nonlinear. In the illustrated embodiments, each slit 306 includes a vertical segment between two vertical distal end portions (such as vertical distal end portions 322, 324). The vertical segment may extend at least partially along the vertical axis 314 more than along the horizontal axis 316. Furthermore, as illustrated, each slit 306 includes a horizontal segment (e.g., connector portion 334). The horizontal segment may extend at least partially along the horizontal axis 316 more than along the vertical axis 314. In some embodiments, the slit includes at least one nonlinear vertical segment, at least one nonlinear horizontal segment, or any combination thereof (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 8A ).

[0064] The slits can be oriented in various ways to align with different types of vertical distal end portions. In the illustrated embodiment, all distal vertical distal end portions 322 in a row are aligned to intersect with the horizontal line 332, and the non-distal vertical distal end portions 324 in adjacent rows are aligned to intersect with the same horizontal line.

[0065] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Flat configuration 402 and unfolded configuration 406 of the unfoldable sheet with slit pattern 404 are shown respectively. Slit pattern 404 has a slit orientation similar to slit pattern 304. However, each slit in slit pattern 404 includes segment intersections with different curvatures. Segment intersections adjacent to the non-rotating beam region are sharper or closer together than other segment intersections.

[0066] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Flat configuration 502 and unfolded configuration 506 of a deployable sheet with slit pattern 504 are shown, wherein the slits generally have an "N" or "Z" shape, rather than the approximate "H" or "M" shape of the slits in slit patterns 304 and 404. In the illustrated embodiment, slit pattern 504 has slits in the first row, each slit having a non-terminal vertical distal end portion and a terminal vertical distal end portion aligned with horizontal line 508, and slits in adjacent rows also each having a non-terminal vertical distal end portion and a terminal vertical distal end portion aligned with horizontal line 508. The slits within each row also have an alternating pattern of reverse slits and non-reverse slits. A reverse slit can be described as being reversed across a vertical line parallel to the vertical axis or across a horizontal line parallel to the horizontal axis (e.g., any horizontal line, not necessarily the depicted horizontal line 508). The segment intersections of slit pattern 504 are similar to the segment intersections of slit pattern 404.

[0067] Figure 6A and Figure 6B Flat configuration 602 and unfolded configuration 606 of a deployable sheet having a slit pattern 604 are shown, wherein the slits are generally “N” or “Z” shaped. In the illustrated embodiment, each slit of the slit pattern 604 has a connector portion extending from an upper vertical extreme on a first side to a lower vertical extreme on a second side, while the slit pattern 504 has a generally horizontal connector portion. The connector portions are generally linear. Each slit of the slit pattern 604 can also be described as having a segment intersection that is sharper than that of the slit pattern 304.

[0068] Figure 7A and Figure 7B Flat configuration 702 and unfolded configuration 706 of a deployable sheet with slit pattern 704 are shown, wherein the slits generally have an "N" or "Z" shape. In the illustrated embodiment, the slits of slit pattern 704 have the same shape as the slits of slit pattern 604, but have alternating patterns within each row. The slits within each row have alternating patterns of reverse slits and non-reverse slits. Reverse slits can be described as running in the opposite direction across a vertical line parallel to the vertical axis or across a horizontal line parallel to the horizontal axis.

[0069] Figure 8A and Figure 8B Flat configuration 802 and unfolded configuration 806 of a deployable sheet with slit pattern 804 are shown, wherein the slits are generally “H” or “M” shaped. In the illustrated embodiment, the slits of slit pattern 804 have non-linear segments, including non-linear horizontal segments (e.g., connector portions) and non-linear vertical segments between the end portions. Each row of slit pattern 804 has an alternating pattern of opposing and non-opposing slit rows. The orientation of the slits in the first row is opposite to the orientation of the slits in the adjacent second row. For example, as illustrated, the non-end vertical distal end portions of both rows intersect the same horizontal line.

Claims

1. A sheet material defining a vertical axis and a horizontal axis along a main surface, the sheet material comprising: A sheet material substrate, the substrate defining the main surface; and A plurality of expandable slits are formed in the substrate in a repeating pattern, the repeating pattern comprising at least a first row of slits and a second row of slits adjacent to the first row, wherein each slit defines a slit height along the vertical axis and a slit width along the horizontal axis. Each slit includes four vertical distal end portions, at least one of the vertical distal end portions having a non-terminal end, and at least two of the vertical distal end portions having a terminal end. The plurality of vertically distal end portions in the first row and the plurality of vertically distal end portions in the second row are aligned to intersect with the horizontal line. The slit is configured to open in response to a minimum tension applied to the substrate along the vertical axis to form multiple folded walls and multiple non-rotating beams.

2. The unfoldable sheet according to claim 1, wherein each slit does not contain sharp segment intersections.

3. The deployable sheet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each slit includes a connector portion extending at least partially along the horizontal axis between the two vertical distal end portions of the slit, wherein the connector portion and the non-rotating beam region in the adjacent row are aligned to intersect the vertical line.

4. The unfoldable sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each slit has only two end ends.

5. The unfoldable sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each slit includes two horizontal distal end portions, and each horizontal distal end portion includes two of the vertical distal end portions of the slit.

6. The unfoldable sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of slits defines a plurality of non-rotating beam regions, each non-rotating beam region being positioned between adjacent slits in the same row.

7. The unfoldable sheet of claim 6, wherein each non-rotating beam region is at least partially defined between two vertically distal end portions of a first slit in the same row and two vertically distal end portions of a second slit adjacent to the first slit.

8. The unfoldable sheet according to claim 7, wherein a vertically distal end portion of the first slit has a non-end end aligned with an intersection with a horizontal line, and a vertically distal end portion of the second slit has a non-end end aligned with the same horizontal line.

9. The unfoldable sheet according to claim 7, wherein a vertically distal end portion of the first slit has a non-end end aligned with an intersection with a horizontal line, and a vertically distal end portion of the second slit has an end segment aligned with an intersection with the same horizontal line.

10. The unfoldable sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the repeating pattern includes repeating regions within the repeating pattern, the repeating regions including at least two rows of staggered slits.

11. The unfoldable sheet of claim 10, wherein the repeating region includes at least one reverse slit in the same row or adjacent row as at least one non-reverse slit.

12. The unfoldable sheet according to claim 11, wherein the at least one reverse slit is a reverse slit across a horizontal line.

13. The unfoldable sheet according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the repeating region is repeated at least twice along at least one row of the slits in the repeating pattern, at least twice along the vertical axis of the repeating pattern, or both.

14. A roll material comprising a deployable sheet according to any of the preceding claims.

15. A rotary die comprising a cutting surface configured to form an unfoldable sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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