Patent GB-1266839-A (GB)
IPC: B29C51/16
Filed: 1970-09-16
Abstract: 1,266,839. Ornamenting. E. J. NEWTON. 16 Sept., 1970, No. 44103/70. Heading B6G. An open-faced hollow article having a bottom and a plurality of side walls extending therefrom, e.g. a jewellery-box is covered with a covering material by (1) as shown in Fig. 3 supporting the article 66 by its bottom on a support mounted on a base 20 with the open face of the article facing in one direction, and the support being movable relative to the base, supporting a sheet of covering material 122 adjacent the outer face of the bottom of the article, supporting on the base a tucking element 60 projecting therefrom toward said open face, said element having the same cross-sectional shape as that of the article but being smaller and thereby being adapted to move into the hollow article; (2) stretching the sheet of covering material over the article and toward the base to form a tent of the covering material over the article, the base constituting the bottom of the tent and the article being at the top of the tent; (3) causing a differential pressure to exist between the air pressures of the outside and inside of the tent with the air pressure inside the tent being less than that outside whereby the sheet is pressed snugly against the outer surface of the article and against the outer surfaces of the tucking element; (4) while maintaining the differential pressure moving the article and tucking element toward each other until the element at least partially enters the open face of the article as shown in Fig. 6 whereby the covering material is pulled from the outer walls of the element and laid against the inside surfaces of said sides to cover at least a portion thereof, and thereafter causing the material to be held tightly at least to the edge portions of the sides of the article. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of supports and associated tucking elements are provided. The support is mounted on the base by means of a plunger 46 slidable through the base and moved upwardly and downwardly by hydraulically-operated plate 42. Guide means are mounted on the plunger and movable therewith, the guide means constituting a flat plate so shaped as to fit within the tucking element when the support moves towards the latter, the plate having fingers pivotally attached thereto at its periphery which fold upon entry of the plate into the element, and the envelope defined by the free ends of the fingers being the shape and size of the cross-section of the interior of the article whereby when the article is on the support prior to its motion toward the tucking element the fingers are extended at the centre of the article with respect to the element. The covering material is clamped between two aligned frames 108 and 110, the frames being movable upwards and downwards by hydraulic means. Stretched across the bottom plane of the upper frame 110 are a pair of wires 116 forming a grid overlying the covering material having openings large enough to pass over the articles 66. When the frames 108 and 110 are drawn down past the bed plate 20 the grid draws the material over the articles and down against the base 20 thereby forming the tent. The differential air pressure is caused by sucking air from within said tent through grooves provided in the periphery of the apertures in tucking elements 60 through which slide the plungers 46. A retractable radiant heater 2 heats the covering material to render it stretchable prior to forming the tent. The covering material may be held tightly against the sides of article by applying over the material covering the edges of the sides of the article a framework of stiff material having a U-shaped cross-section, the framework clamping the material against said edge portions. The inside surfaces of the sides of the article may be covered with an adhesive which binds the covering material to the inside surfaces as the material is laid thereon during relative motion between the tucking element and the article. The covering material may be a thermoplastic resin.