| US 7,527,845 B2 | ||
| Connection element structure for a non-textile fabric | ||
| William L. King, Denver, Colo. (US); Gregory W. O'Connor, Littleton, Colo. (US); and Berkley B. Thornton, Jr., Littleton, Colo. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Samsonite Corporation, Mansfield, Mass. (US) | ||
| Appl. No. 10/491,923 PCT Filed Nov. 28, 2001, PCT No. PCT/US01/44478 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date May 17, 2004, PCT Pub. No. WO02/43955, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 06, 2002. |
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| Prior Publication US 2004/0192138 A1, Sep. 30, 2004 | ||
| Int. Cl. B32B 3/10 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 428—53 [190/124] | 14 Claims |
| 1. A non-textile fabric comprising:
a. at least a first element having at least three sides, each side defining a first connection structure having an axis of
rotation, which axes intersect in the form of a right triangle;
b. at least a second element having at least three sides, each of said sides defining a second connection structure having
an axis of rotation, which axes intersect in the form of a right triangle; and
c. wherein said at least first and at least second elements are attached together using said connection structures, and in
turn are attached together with similarly attached first and second elements using said connection structures to form out
of at least some intersecting axes of rotation the general shape of a parallelogram in a repeating manner to form the non-textile
fabric having at least three major bending axes, said first and second connection structures, when connected together, form
a hinge along the connected sides of the first and second elements, the hinge having a solid structure with substantially
no gaps or spaces.
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