Patent EA-004561-B1 (EA)
Title: Connection element structure for a non-textile fabric
Inventor: KING WILLIAM L
IPC: A45C3/00
Filed: 2001-11-28
Abstract: 1. A non-textile fabric comprising: a. At least a first element having at least three sides, each side defining a connection structure; b. At least a second element having at least three sides, each of said sides defining a connection structure; and c. wherein said at least first and at least second elements are attached together in a repeating manner to form the non-textile fabric having at least three major bending axes. 2. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 1, wherein: a. Said connection structure on said first element includes a knuckle defining a pintle; and b. Said connection structure on said second element includes a recess for receiving said pintle, whereby a hinge connection is formed between the connection structures of the first and second elements. 3. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 2, wherein said recess is cylindrical and said pintle is cylindrical. 4. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 2, wherein said recess is conical and said pintle is conical. 5. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 2, wherein said recess and said pintle are formed so the first element and the second element can rotate about one of said four bending axes with respect to each other when in engagement. 6. A non-textile fabric comprising: a. At least a first triangularly-shaped element having at least three sides, each side defining a connection structure; b. At least a second triangularly-shaped element having at least three sides, each of said sides defining a complementary connection structure; and c. Wherein said at least said first and said second elements are connected together to form the non-textile fabric having at least four major bending axes. 7. An element of a non-textile fabric, the non-textile fabric formed thereby generally resides in a plane when the fabric lies flat, said element having a general geometric shape in the plane of the non-textile fabric, the geometric shape being defined by at least three side edges, two of the side edges being adjacent to one another, the two adjacent edges forming an approximate right angle to one another, the two adjacent edges each including connection structures for attaching, the element to other elements to form the non-textile fabric, the connection structures including a means for hinging having an axis of rotation generally in the plane. 8. An element of non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 7 further including a third of said at least three side edges having a connection structure, the third edge being at substantially a forty-five degree angle to each of the two adjacent edges. 9. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 8 wherein the means for hinging include at least one hinge knuckle and one space positioned along a respective edge, the space being sized to snuggly receive a hinge knuckle of adjacent, similar elements of the non-textile fabric. 10. An element for forming a non-textile fabric, the non-textile fabric formed thereby generally resides in a plane when the fabric lies flat, said element having a general geometric shape in the plane of the non-textile fabric, the geometric shape being defined by at least three side edges, two of the side edges being adjacent to one another, the two adjacent edge portions forming an angle to one another that is substantially ninety degrees, the two adjacent edges including means for engaging other elements to form the non-textile fabric and means for forming a mechanical hinge with similar means for forming a mechanical hinge carried by an adjacent element, the means for forming a mechanical hinge having an axis of rotation substantially contained in the plane of the non-textile fabric. 11. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 10 wherein the means for forming a mechanical hinge includes a hinge knuckle means, the hinge knuckle means has an end surface, and the end surface has a means for engaging an end surface of a similar hinge knuckle on an adjacent element. 12. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the end surface extends generally perpendicular to the plane of the non-textile fabric. 13. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the hinge knuckle means includes a second end surface that extends generally perpendicular to the plane of the non-textile fabric. 14. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 13 wherein the second end surface faces in a direction opposite to the first end surface. 15. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the end surface includes a generally conical protrusion whose axis extends in the plane of the fabric. 16. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the end surface includes a generally a conical depression whose axis extends in the plane of the fabric. 17. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the end surface includes generally a hemisphere projection whose polar axis extends in the plane of the fabric. 18. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the end surface includes generally a cylinder projection whose central axis extends in the plane of the fabric. 19. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the end surface includes generally a cylindrical depression whose central axis extends in the plane of the fabric. 20. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the means for forming a mechanical hinge includes means for buttressing the hinge knuckle. 21. An element of a non-textile fabric as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the means for buttressing the hinge knuckle includes a surface is formed to engage a similar surface on an adjacent element, the surface being formed to permit the surface of the adjacent element to move when the non-textile fabric is bent about more than one bending axis. 22. A seamed non-textile fabric, comprising a first portion of non-textile fabric formed of an array of elements, each element connected by connection means to at least one adjacent element in the first portion of non-textile fabric, a series of said elements along an edge of the first portion of non-textile fabric having connection means not connected to adjacent elements in the first portion of non-textile fabric, the connection means including a plurality of hinge knuckles and pintles on said knuckles, a second portion of non-textile fabric formed of an array of elements, each element connected by connection means to at least one adjacent element in the second portion of non-textile fabric, a series of elements along an edge of the second portion of non-textile fabric having connection means not connected to adjacent elements in the second portion of non-textile fabric, the connection means including a plurality of hinge knuckles and recesses on said knuckles, a line of connection between the first portion of non-textile fabric and the second portion of non-textile fabric comprising interleaving hinge knuckles of the first portion of non-textile fabric and of the second portion of non-textile fabric, whereby at least some of the pintles are captured in at least some of the recesses. 23. A non-textile fabric comprising: a. A plurality of first elements, each having at least three sides, each side defining a connection structure, at least two of the three connection structures comprising at least one hinge knuckle and at least one gap; b. A plurality of second elements, each having at least three sides, each of said sides defining a connection structure, at least two of the three connection structures comprising at least one hinge knuckle and at least one gap, c. Wherein at least some of said first and second elements have sides adjacent to one another and are hingedly attached to one another along those adjacent sides by interleaving knuckles and gaps on all the adjacent edges of the said first and second elements. 24. A non-textile fabric as defined in Claim 23 wherein said elements have relatively flat body portions surrounded by said at least three sides, and the knuckles protrude above said relatively flat body portions, and when interleaved the knuckles of the first elements and second elements form a substantially continuous ring around at least some of said flat body portions. 25. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 23, wherein said first elements have generally flat body portions surrounded by said at least three sides, said body portions include corrugations. 26. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 23, wherein said second elements have generally flat body portions surrounded by said at least three sides, said body portion includes corrugations. 27. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 25, wherein said corrugations terminate at one of said sides in a gap. 28. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 25, wherein said corrugations terminate at one of said sides in a knuckle. 29. A non-textile fabric as defined in claim 23, wherein some of said knuckles include a pintle and some of said knuckles in include a recess sized to receive said pintle. 30. A non-textile fabric as defined in Claim 23 wherein said knuckles on the sides of the second element include narrow waist, and the body portion of the first element terminate a the sides with a fin sized to engage the narrow waist.