Method and blank for manufacturing shock-absorbing safety devices for vehicle passengers

• US 3,970,328 A
• Filed: 07/19/1973
• Issued: 07/20/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ab Inventing
• Original Assignee: Ab Inventing
• Inventors: Wallsten, Hans Ivar
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Handren, Frederick R.
• Application Number:
  US05/380,834
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 280/150 AB, 244/138 R, 244/DIG. 2, 244/146, 116/DIG. 9, 52/2, 5/348, 9/2 A, 9/11 A
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23115 with inflatable support compartments creating an internal suction volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 52/10 Polyhedron

Abstract

Method and blank for producing safety bags comprising foldable enclosures expandable by means of a gas-tight channel network arranged along the surface of the enclosure to cause the enclosure to fill with ambient air in the expansion process. The enclosure is formed of sections joined along their peripheries whose shapes serve to define the final expanded three-dimensional shape of the enclosure. The channels lie at or near the jointure between sections. Various methods of forming and assembling the channels, sections and shells are set forth.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing shock-absorbing safety devices for passengers in vehicles, comprising the steps of:

arranging a pair of sheets of a thin, flat, flexible, extensible and substantially gas tight material one upon the other;

joining the opposed longitudinal edges of the pair of sheets together to form a gas-tight inner wall of a channel;

arranging each of a pair of flexible, substantially inextensible flat sheets of material upon each of a pair of exterior surfaces of the channel inner wall;

joining adjacent edges of the outer sheets together to form an outer wall surrounding the inner channel wall;

forming an enclosure wall of a plurality of fields of flexible, substantially inextensible sheet material;

joining the outer wall around each channel to at least two of the flexible fields to form vertices at the boundaries between adjacent material fields;

connecting each channel of a plurality of channels to at least one of the remaining channels with their inner spaces being continuous and their respective sealed edges merging into and sealed to each other to form an enclosure expandable from a compact folded state to form a network of expandable and foldable channels connected to the enclosure wall; and

providing at least one gas receiving inlet communicating with the channel network for receiving a supply of compressed gas to cause the enclosure wall to assume a predetermined configuration.

2. A method for manufacturing shock-absorbing safety devices for passengers in vehicles, comprising the steps of:

arranging a pair of thin, flat, flexible, extensible and substantially gas tight inner wall sheets of material in surface abutment with each other;

arranging each of a pair of flat, flexible, substantially inextensible outer wall sheets of material in abutment with one of an opposed outwardly directed pair of surfaces of the abutting inner wall sheets;

simultaneously forming a pair of seals joining the edges of the two inner wall sheets and the edges of the two outer wall sheets to simultaneously form the inner and outer walls of a channel; and

forming an enclosure wall of a plurality of fields of flexible, substantially inextensible sheet material;

joining the outer wall around each channel to at least two of the flexible fields to form vertices at the boundaries between adjacent material fields;

connecting each channel of a plurality of channels to at least one of the remaining channels with their inner spaces being continuous to form an enclosure expandable from a compact folded state to form a network of expandable and foldable channels connectively arranged to the enclosure wall; and

providing at least one gas receiving inlet communicating with the channel network for receiving a supply of compressed gas to cause the enclosure wall to assume a predetermined configuration.

3. A method for manufacturing shock-absorbing safety devices for passengers in vehicles, comprising the steps of:

arranging a pair of thin, flat, flexible, extensible and substantially gas tight inner wall sheets of material in surface abutment with each other;

arranging each of a pair of flat, flexible, substantially inextensible outer wall sheets of material in abutment with one of an opposed outwardly directed pair of surfaces of the abutting inner wall sheets;

simultaneously forming a first pair of seals joining the edges of the two inner wall sheets;

joining together the pair of outer wall sheets with a second pair of seals formed after the step of joining the pair of inner wall sheets together;

forming an enclosure wall of a plurality of fields of flexible, substantially inextensible sheet material;

joining the outer wall around each channel to at least two of the flexible fields to form vertices at the boundaries between adjacent material fields;

connecting each channel of a plurality of channels to at least one of the remaining channels with their inner spaces being continuous and their respective sealed edges merging into and sealed to each other to form an enclosure expandable from a compact folded state to form a network of expandable and foldable channels connected to the enclosure wall; and

providing at least one gas receiving inlet communicating with the channel network for receiving a supply of compressed gas to cause the enclosure wall to assume a predetermined configuration.