Patent ID: 8673102
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: A63B,B29C,B29K,B29L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of thermoforming an inflatable structure of dissimilar materials comprising the following steps, in combination: providing a first sheet formed of a first material and a second sheet formed of a second material different than the first material, each of the first sheet and the second sheet having an interior surface and an opposed exterior surface, the interior surface of the second sheet being spaced from the interior surface of the first sheet, and a valve being positioned between the first and second sheets; heating the first and second sheets to a temperature above their glass transition temperature and below their melting point; bonding only peripheral edges of the first and second sheets together in a mold having an opposed pair of cavities to form an inflatable structure having a sidewall, a first portion of the sidewall being formed by the exterior surface of the first sheet and a second portion of the sidewall being formed by the exterior surface of the second sheet, a junction of the first and second portions of the sidewall defining a seal around a periphery thereof, the valve extending through the seal and being in fluid communication with an interior and exterior of the inflatable structure; and trimming excess material from the periphery of the inflatable structure.