Segmented Drapery Strip Core for Flexible Curtain Weighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing draping tapes for curtains and drapes face challenges with the use of lead beads, which are costly, environmentally dubious, and require encasing to hide their color, while plastic sections either require excessive handling or result in stiff structures that fail to achieve desired folds.
Innovation Solution
A draping tape with plastic sections arranged on a continuous core consisting of two concentric parts that can move relative to each other, eliminating the need for a tube and allowing for varied colors and easier production, using a two-piece core design and thermoplastic materials with fillers for enhanced drapability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lead beads are used as weighting bodies, then the draping tape achieves sufficient weight and drapability, but the cost increases and environmental concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive lead beads with inexpensive plastic sections that can be easily manufactured and disposed of. The plastic sections serve the same weighting function without the environmental and cost issues of lead, embodying the principle of using cheap alternative materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite plastic sections made from thermoplastic or duroplastic materials mixed with fillers such as barium sulfate, ceramic dust, or sand. This composite approach achieves the required weight and drapability while using cost-effective materials.
2Weight of moving object
If lead beads are used as weighting bodies, then the draping tape achieves sufficient weight, but an enclosing tube is required to hide the color and prevent contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the enclosing tube from the design by using plastic sections that are inherently suitable for direct exposure. The plastic sections can be colored to match the fabric, removing the need for protective encasement and simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies color changes by manufacturing plastic sections in various colors to match different fabrics. This eliminates the need for an enclosing tube to hide the appearance of weighting bodies, as the plastic sections themselves are aesthetically acceptable.
3Ease of manufacture
If plastic sections are completely separated and inserted into a tube, then the draping tape can be produced, but handling becomes difficult and requires great effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the plastic sections with the core by fixing them onto it, creating an integrated structure. This combination eliminates the need for separate handling of loose plastic sections and their subsequent insertion into tubes, greatly simplifying the manufacturing process.
4Ease of operation
If plastic sections are connected by bridges of the same material, then handling becomes easier, but the structure becomes stiff and cannot form desired corrugated folds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by completely separating plastic sections from one another and fixing them individually onto the core. This segmentation prevents the formation of stiff bridges between sections, maintaining the flexibility and drapability needed to form corrugated folds while still improving handling through systematic attachment.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a drapery strip (10) for a textile sheet material such as net curtains, drapes or the like, having a body (11) that is flexible in at least one plane and that can be arranged on or in the textile sheet material. The flexible body (11) comprises a plurality of plastic segments (12). According to the invention, the plastic segments (12) are arranged on a continuous core (20), wherein the core (20) is comprised of two concentrically arranged parts (21, 22), which can be moved, at least slightly, with respect to one another in the axial direction (13). The plastic segments (12) can be fixed onto the outer part (22) of the core (20), and preferably form a mechanical connection thereto. The invention further relates to a method for producing such a drapery strip (10). Initially, the two-part (21, 22) core (20) is coated with a plastic material in order to form a plastic sheathing, which subsequently is subdivided into the individual plastic segments (12).