Flexible material

Abstract

A flexible material includes a plurality of separate resilient elements joined to a flexible, resiliently stretchable substrate. Such a material is suitable for providing protective war for human and animal bodies. Preferably, the elements includes a foam material such as a closed cell polyethylene foam and the substrate includes a knitted fabric. In an advantageous embodiment, a second flexible substrate is bonded over the elements to sandwich them between the two layers of substrate.

I claim:  
     
       1. A method of manufacturing a flexible material comprising the steps of providing a sheet of a resilient material;
 cutting the sheet into a plurality of spaced separate elements using a cutter which is pressed into the sheet to cut therethrough;  
 making one side of the plurality of spaced separate elements to stand proud of a surface of a jig provided to hold the elements in place; and  
 bonding a flexible resiliently stretchable substrate to one side of the separate elements by heating the substrate either to activate an adhesive applied between said one side of the separate elements and the substrate or to weld the separate elements to the substrate.  
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the sheet is cut into a plurality of separate elements using a cutter which acts as the jig after cutting through the resilient material to hold the elements in place while the substrate is applied thereto. 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the cutter is adapted so that said one side of each of the cut elements is made to stand proud of a surface of the cutter after cutting through said sheet of resilient material. 
     
     
       4. The method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein any excess resilient material located between the plurality of spaced separate elements is retained in the cutter. 
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein any excess resilient material is removed from between the plurality of spaced separate elements prior to the elements being bonded to the substrate. 
     
     
       6. The method as claimed in any of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spaced separate elements comprise a foam material. 
     
     
       7. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 bonding a second flexible substrate to an opposite side of the plurality of spaced separate elements to said one side.  
 
     
     
       8. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least said one side of the sheet is coated with a hot-melt adhesive prior to being cut into the plurality of spaced separate elements. 
     
     
       9. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the side of the substrate adjacent said one side of the plurality of spaced separate elements is coated with a hot-melt adhesive. 
     
     
       10. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a sheet of hot-melt film is interposed between said one side of the plurality of spaced separate elements and the substrate so as to provide said adhesive. 
     
     
       11. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sheet of resilient material is cut into strips in a first direction using a plurality of rolling cutters and then cut in a second direction at an angle to the first direction to form the plurality of spaced separate elements. 
     
     
       12. The method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the rolling cutters are moved sideways after each cut to cut narrow strips of material in both directions to space the elements apart, the narrow strips of material being removed to leave the plurality of spaced separate elements spaced from one another. 
     
     
       13. The method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the substrate is heated by a heated platen which either activates the adhesive or melts the surface and thereby bonds the substrate and the plurality of spaced separate elements together. 
     
     
       14. The method as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the substrate is heated by passing the substrate and the adjacent plurality of spaced separate elements between heated nip rollers. 
     
     
       15. A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material comprising:
   providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;        providing an array of a plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible elements in a spaced relationship, the individual elements having a top surface and bottom surface in an array of top surfaces and bottom surfaces;        providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;        contacting the top surfaces and the bottom surfaces of the plurality of resiliently compressible elements with the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates; and        bonding the top and bottom surfaces of compressible elements to the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates so that the elements will be held in a spaced apart relation with spaces between the elements, the bonding selected from the group consisting of adhesively bonding and welding, the fabric substrates not bonded to each other in the spaces of about  2  mm and to provide the flexible resiliently compressible material, wherein a sheet of resiliently compressible material is cut into the plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible elements using a cutter which acts as a jig after cutting through the resiliently compressible material to hold the elements in place while contacting one of the substrates to the elements.      
     
     
       16. The method as claimed in  claim 15  wherein the plurality of individual resiliently compressible elements comprises a foam material.  
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 16  wherein the foam material comprises layers of foam having different densities.  
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 15  wherein the elements are distributed between the substrates at a density of from about  4000  to about  6000  elements/m 2 . 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 18  wherein the top and bottom surfaces have a polygonal shape.  
     
     
       20. A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material comprising:
   providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;        cutting a sheet of resiliently compressible foam with a cutter to provide an array of a plurality of separate individual resiliently compressible foam elements in a spaced apart relationship, the cutter acting as a jig after cutting through the resiliently compressible foam to hold the elements in place, the individual elements having a planar top surface and bottom surface in an array of top surfaces and bottom surfaces;        providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;        contacting the top surfaces and the bottom surfaces of the plurality of resiliently compressible elements with one of the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates while the cutter holds the elements in place; and        adhesively bonding the top and bottom surfaces of compressible elements to the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates so that the elements will be held in a spaced apart relation with spaces between the elements, the fabric substrates not bonded to each other in the spaces and to provide the flexible resiliently compressible material.      
     
     
       21. The method according to  claim 20  wherein the foam elements comprise foam with of layers of foam having different densities.  
     
     
       22. A method of manufacturing a flexible resiliently compressible material comprising:
   providing a first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;        cutting a layer of foam with a cutter grid having cutting edges which go completely through the foam layer to provide an array of a plurality of separate cut individual resiliently compressible elements which have been cut from the foam and after cutting are in a spaced apart relationship, the individual elevens being spaced about  2  mm from each other, the array of elements having top and bottom surfaces;        bonding one of the surfaces of the array of the plurality of separate cut individual resiliently compressible elements to the first resiliently stretchable fabric substrate while the separate cut individual elements are held in the spaced apart relationship with a jig to provide a fabric element combination, the elements of the fabric element combination held in spaced bonded relationship;        providing a second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate;        bonding the second resiliently stretchable fabric substrate to the elements of the fabric element combination to the elements on the side of the array opposite the first fabric substrate so that the elements will be held in a spaced apart relation between the first and second resiliently stretchable fabric substrates with spaces between the elements, the fabric substrates not bonded to each other in the spaces and to provide the flexible resiliently compressible material.      
     
     
       23. The method according to  claim 22  wherein the elements are distributed between the substrates at a density of from about  250  to about  8000  elements/m 2    between the substrates.    
     
     
       24. The method according to  claim 23  wherein the elements are comprised of layers of foam having different densities.  
     
     
       25. The method according to  claim 22  wherein the elements are distributed between the substrates at a density of from about  4000  to about  8000  elements/m 2    between the substrates.