The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 29, 1994
Filed:
May. 19, 1993
William A Levine, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
In one aspect, an article of manufacture constituting a flat planar sheet of material having slits cut therethrough in selected patterns to define the configuration of a subsidiary portion of the flat planar sheet of material, while means of attachment are provided at each change of direction of the perimeter of the subsidiary portion of the sheet. Formed in the flat planar primary sheet of material are lines of flexibility formed by linear compression over a very limited area of the flat planar sheet of material to diminish its thickness along the lines of fexibility thereby permitting flexure of the planar sheet of material along the lines of flexibility. In a second aspect, there is provided a steel die for producing the article of manufacture, the die having uninterrupted knife edges that define the slits in the article of manufacture constituting the flat planar sheet of material, with small spaces provided between the ends of the elongated knife edges at each change of direction so as to provide in the planar sheet of material an uncut portion of the perimeter that integrally attaches the flat planar sheet to the subsidiary portion thereof, the configuration of which is defined by the slits. In a third aspect, there is presented a method for utilizing the article of manufacture in conjunction with a personal computer and a program loaded in the computer for instructing a computer-controlled printer to print selected indicia on the subsidiary portions of the flat planar sheet that are defined by the slits cut in the primary flat planar sheet of material.