Other

Isoteck Corporation

Polymer Building Products Llc.

Michael Julius Biro

Walter Biro

David Swinscoe

Bruno Bergeron

An extruded thermoplastic member includes a first material, having a first color, and an accent strip, having a second color, coextruded with the first material in the form of a ridge extending outward between corners in the surface of the thermoplastic member. A valance is constructed using such a thermoplastic member, with two such ridges extending along curved portions extending along the top and bottom of the thermoplastic member. The curved portions are formed as parts of closed structures, facilitating a miter sawing process used to cut the thermoplastic member into a central portion and a pair of end portions for the valance.

Method for manufacturing a valance having a ridge with an accent color

A decorative relief pattern is applied to one or both sides of thermoplastic slat material by rolling an embossing roller in contact with the side(s) to receive the pattern. The embossing roller has an inverse relief pattern which is an inverse of the relief pattern applied to the slat material. A transfer roller applies an ink layer to the embossing roller, with the resulting thickness of the ink layer varying according to features of the inverse relief pattern. Depressed areas of the inverse relief pattern receive relatively little ink. An air stream from an air knife is applied to the ink layer, with ink being preferentially cleaned from relatively smooth areas of the inverse relief pattern. Then, a portion of the ink remaining on the embossing roller is transferred to the slat material along with the formation of the embossed pattern in the slat material.

Method and apparatus for simultaneously embossing and printing an extruded plastic slat

The central elongated portion of a valance is mounted to an external surface, such as a headrail of a vertical blind assembly or a vertical wall, by a number of brackets, with the valance being attached to each bracket at a pivot point formed by a bracket tab extending into a first slot of the valance and at a latching point formed by one of a number of teeth of the bracket extending into a second slot of the valance. At each bracket, the valance can be straightened by adjusting a distance to the external surface and by adjusting a rotational angle of the bracket about the longitudinal axis of the central elongated portion of the valance.

Valance with adjustable mounting features

A valance includes central and end members formed from a single piece of extruded stock, with the central member having mitered corners at each end, and with each end member having a mitered end and a square end. The extruded stock has an inner surface including upper and lower attachment slots and an outer surface including upper and lower trim strip receiving slots. An &ldquo;L&rdquo;-shaped corner bracket connects each end member with the central member, extending within the upper and lower attachment slots. A decorative trim strip having heat-formed corners extends within the trim strip receiving slots of the end members and the central member. After the extruded stock is cut to a predetermined length, end sections are cut using a saw, with each end of the stock placed against a first stop within a mitering fixture. Next, the each end of the remaining portion of the stock is placed against a second stop within the fixture, and scrap portions are cut away to provide end surfaces inclined at appropriate angles.

Apparatus and process for manufacturing a valance

Non-slip tread for an elongated flooring member

Elongated flooring member, formed as an inverted channel, attached to a wooden plank, having a non-slip tread

Extruded material for forming blind slats has at least one textured surface with raised areas and adjacent lower areas. After extrusion and texturing processes, the slat material is passed through a spray painting process applying a substantially thicker coating of paint to the raised areas than to the adjacent lower areas.

Texturing and preferential painting process for vertical and horizontal blinds

Elongated flooring member having a non-slip tread and covered attachment channels

A valance includes central and end members formed from a single piece of extruded stock, with the central member having mitered corners at each end, and with each end member having a mitered end and a square end. The extruded stock has an inner surface including upper and lower attachment slots and an outer surface including upper and lower trim strip receiving slots. An &ldquo;L&rdquo;-shaped corner bracket connects each end member with the central member, extending within the upper and lower attachment slots. A decorative trim strip having heat-formed corners extends within the trim strip receiving slots of the end members and the central member. Alternative versions of the valance include a version configured to fit within a bay window and a design including upper and lower valance structures, with the lower structure being held by special brackets below and offset within the upper structure.

Valance with a formed trim strip

A manufacturing process includes mitering each end of a central member and mitering a single end of each of two end members formed, along with the central member, from a single piece of extruded stock having an inner surface including upper and lower attachment slots and an outer surface including upper and lower trim receiving slots. An 'L'-shaped corner bracket is placed to extend within the upper and lower attachment slots at each end of the central member and between such slots at the mitered ends of the end members. A heat forming process is then applied to form corners of a decorative trim strip which is then placed to extend between the upper and lower trim receiving slots of the end members and the central members.

Manufacturing method for a valance

An elongated flooring member includes an array of pyramid-shaped tread members to form an anti-skid surface. Longitudinally extending features of the flooring member are formed by an extrusion process which is followed by an embossing process to cut extruded flutes into the pyramid-shaped tread members. A first version of the flooring member includes a pair of channels extending downward from an upper web on which the tread is formed, for attachment to a substrate. A second version of the flooring member has an adhesive layer fastened under the upper web for attachment to a single plank.

Apparatus for manufacturing an elongated flooring member

Elongated flooring structure

A first version of a multilayer slat for horizontal or vertical blind assemblies includes a translucent inside layer, a first transparent base layer, and a translucent outside layer. This slat may also include a second base layer, which is either transparent or translucent depending on the percentage of light to be transmitted through the slat. The base layer may be of a different color than the inside layer, so that light transmitted through the slat is viewed as being differently colored than light reflected from the surface of the slat. The inside layer of the slat may include a foaming agent producing a matte surface texture. Another version of the multilayer slat includes a laminated inside layer, with a foaming agent in a base layer causing a matte surface texture of the laminated layer.

Multi-layer slats for vertical and horizontal blinds

Preferentially painted textured slats for vertical and horizontal blinds

An elongated flooring member includes an array of pyramid-shaped tread members to form an anti-skid tread surface. Longitudinally extending features of the flooring member are formed by an extrusion process which is followed by an embossing process to cut extruded flutes into the pyramid-shaped tread members. A first version of the flooring member includes a pair of channels extending downward from an upper web on which the tread is formed, for attachment to a substrate. A second version of the flooring member has an adhesive layer fastened under the upper web for attachment to a single plank.

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Boca Raton, FL, United States of America

Michael Julius Biro