Multisection sail body and method for making
First Claim
1. A sail body, of the type having expected load lines, comprising:
- a plurality of sail sections, having edges, joined along said edges;
each said sail section comprising a reinforced material laminated between first and second films, said reinforced material comprising a plurality of sectors of reinforced material, each having a first set of generally parallel reinforcement elements and a second set of generally parallel reinforcement elements oriented generally perpendicular to the first set of reinforcement elements, said sectors arranged in a partially overlapping pattern so that;
the first set of reinforcement elements of a first sector is at an acute angle to the first set of reinforcement elements of a second, adjacent sector ; and
the first set of reinforcement elements of said first and second sectors are generally aligned with the respective expected load lines passing through said first and second sectors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sail body (3), which can be finished along its edges and corners to create a finished sail (2), includes a number of sail sections(46) joined along their edges (47). Each sail section includes a reinforced material (20) laminated between first and second films (32,42). The reinforced material includes sectors of reinforced material (30,31), each sector having a set of generally parallel reinforcement elements (24), such as fibers. The sectors of reinforced material are preferably elongate sectors in which at least the majority of the sectors have lengths (34) at least five times as long their widths (36). The sectors are arranged in an overlapping pattern and so that the set of reinforcement elements are generally aligned with the expected load lines (28)for that section of the sail body. Sections can be made of different shapes but are typically triangular or quadrilateral. The reinforce material is typically a mesh or scrim containing sets of parallel, transversely oriented fibers (24,26). The mesh or scrim can either woven or unwoven.
54 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A sail body, of the type having expected load lines, comprising:
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a plurality of sail sections, having edges, joined along said edges;
each said sail section comprising a reinforced material laminated between first and second films, said reinforced material comprising a plurality of sectors of reinforced material, each having a first set of generally parallel reinforcement elements and a second set of generally parallel reinforcement elements oriented generally perpendicular to the first set of reinforcement elements, said sectors arranged in a partially overlapping pattern so that;
the first set of reinforcement elements of a first sector is at an acute angle to the first set of reinforcement elements of a second, adjacent sector ; and
the first set of reinforcement elements of said first and second sectors are generally aligned with the respective expected load lines passing through said first and second sectors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for making a sail body from a plurality of sail sections, each sail section having expected load lines, comprising:
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making a sail section by;
selecting sectors of reinforced material, each having a first set of generally parallel reinforcement elements and a second set of generally parallel reinforcement elements, the second set arranged generally perpendicular to the first set;
arranging sectors of the reinforced material in a partially overlapping pattern so that;
the first set of reinforcement elements of a first sector is at an acute angle to the first set of reinforcement elements of a second, adjacent sector; and
the first set of the reinforcement elements of said first and second sectors are generally aligned with the respective expected load lines passing through said first and second sectors; and
laminating the arranged sectors of reinforced material between a first film and a second film to form a sail section;
repeating the making step to make a plurality of sail sections; and
joining the plurality of sail sections to create a sail body. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for making a sail body from a plurality of sail sections, each sail section having expected load lines, comprising:
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making a sail section by;
selecting elongate sectors of reinforced material, at least one of said sectors having a surface area less than half the surface area of the sail section, each said sector having a set of generally parallel reinforcement elements;
arranging sectors of the reinforced material in a partially overlapping pattern so that;
the first set of reinforcement elements of a first sector is at an acute angle to the first set of reinforcement elements of a second, adjacent sector; and
the first set of the reinforcement elements of said first and second sectors are generally aligned with the respective expected load lines passing through said first and second sectors, said elongate sectors being impregnated with an adhesive; and
laminating the arranged sectors of reinforced material between a first film and a second film to form a sail section;
repeating the making step to make a plurality of sail sections; and
broadseaming said sail sections together along adjacent edges of said sail sections to create a sail body.
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Specification