Patent ID: 6558498
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: B29D,B29L

Abstract:
A process of fabricating an inflatable item, comprising:providing first and second three-dimensional molds, wherein the molds, when placed together, form the shape of a human torso; placing first and second flexible polymer sheets over respective ones of the first and second molds; heating the polymer sheets until the polymer of the sheets flows to conformally coat the respective molds; cooling the heated polymer sheets until the polymer no longer flows, such that the sheets retain the three-dimensional shapes of the respective molds; and welding peripheral edges of the first polymer sheet and the second polymer to each other to form a sealed flexible shell having an interior space that can be filled with fluid to inflate the shell such that the shell forms a three-dimensional shape of a human torso, wherein welding peripheral edges of the first polymer sheet and the second polymer sheet to each other includes placing and aligning the cooled polymer sheets on respective plates disposed in a substantially vertical plane of a high frequency welding machine, and moving the plates horizontally toward each other until the aligned peripheral edges of the cooled polymer sheets touch each other.