Procedure of attaching sheets and padded envelope

1. Procedure for attaching a sheet of puncturable-material to a sheet of stretchable-material, including:

wherein the puncturable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, is readily through-punctured, substantially without stretching;

wherein the stretchable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, readily stretches over the point, substantially without being through-punctured by the point;

making a stack of sheets of puncturable material and stretchable material, in which the sheets lie in direct face-to-face touching contact with each other;

providing a points-die;

wherein a points-area of the points-die has many protruding points, which point towards the stack;

wherein the points-area lies over, and thereby defines, an adherence-area of the stack;

pressing and squeezing the points-die onto the adherence-area of the stack;

then separating the stack from the points-die; and

so configuring the points, and so squeezing the points-die onto the stack, that:

at least some of the paints break through, and make holes right through, the puncturable material; and

substantially none of the points breaks through, and makes holes right through, the stretchable material.

2. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein substantially all of the points break through, and make holes right through, the puncturable material.

3. Procedure of claim 1 , including so configuring the points, and so squeezing the points-die onto the stack, that, when the stack is squeezed by the points-die, crowns of the stretchable material become stretched over the points far enough for the stretchable material to be stretched beyond its elastic limit, and to take a permanent set.

4. Procedure of claim 3 , including:

providing a flattening-die;

after separating the stack from the points-die, placing the flattening-die against the adherence-area of the stack;

squeezing the adherence-area of the stack with the flattening-die, in such manner as to flatten the adherence-area.

5. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein the puncturable material is characterised as a paper material, for example kraft paper.

6. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein the puncturable material is a light, strong, tear-resistant, synthetic-fibrous, smooth, paper-like material.

7. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein the stretchable material is characterised as a plastic film material, for example polyethylene film.

8. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein the stretchable material is bubble material, in which a base layer of plastic film material is adhered over part of its surface area to a bubble layer of plastic film material, leaving bubbles therebetween.

9. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein the stack is comprised of the following sheets of the materials; puncturable; stretchable; stretchable; puncturable.

10. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein the puncturable material is a metal foil material, for example aluminum foil.

11. Procedure of claim 1 , including providing an upper points-die and a lower points-die, wherein:

the upper and lower points-dies have respective points-areas, which are co-extensive with the adherence-area of the stack;

the points-area of the upper points-die has many protruding points, being the upper points, which are pitched on a grid a distance P mm apart;

the points-area of the lower points-die has many protruding points, being the lower points, which are also pitched on a grid the said distance P mm apart;

the upper points lie in a staggered relationship with respect to the lower points;

the upper points fit into the spaces between the lower points when the points-dies are brought together;

upon the points-dies being pressed and squeezed onto the adherence-area, up-points on the adherence-area produced by the upper points lie intercalated with down-points on the adherence-area produced by the lower points;

whereby the up-points and the down-points, on the adherence-area of the stack, together lie pitched on a grid a distance P.½√2 mm apart.

12. Procedure of claim 11 , wherein the configuration of the points-dies is such that:

the points-dies have a slack-take-up separation, being S mm, being the separation of the points-surfaces at which a flat layer of material having a thickness of H mm lies between, and just touching, the upper and lower points-surfaces, without the material of the layer being stretched over the points;

the points-dies have a closed-together separation, being C mm, being the separation of the points-surfaces at which the dies lie closed together onto the flat layer of thickness H mm;

and the distance the points-dies move together, in going from a separation of S mm to a separation of C mm, being S−C, is M mm;

and M mm is between ½ mm and 2 mm.

13. Procedure of claim 11 , wherein the points are pitched a distance P apart, P being the closest distance between adjacent points, where P is between 1½ mm and 5 mm.

14. Procedure of claim 11 , wherein the points are provided on the points-surface of the points-die as pointed pyramids.

15. Procedure of claim 14 , wherein the pyramids are regularly-pitched, on a grid in which the pyramids are pitched a distance P apart, where P is between 1½ mm and 5 mm.

16. Procedure of claim 11 , including the following procedure for manufacturing the points-dies:

passing a cutting wheel, having a V-shaped cutting profile, in such manner as to form V-shaped grooves, over the points-die in a first direction, and passing a cutting wheel, having a V-shaped cutting profile, over the die in a second direction:

wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction;

and making the grooves deep enough that pointed pyramids are left between the grooves.

17. Procedure of claim 16 , wherein the V-shaped profile has an included angle of between 90 degrees and 60 degrees.

18. Procedure of claim 1 , wherein:

the puncturable material is characterised as a paper material, for example kraft paper;

the stretchable material is bubble material, in which a base layer of plastic film material is adhered over part of its surface area to a bubble layer of plastic film material, leaving bubbles therebetween;

the stretchable material is bubble material, in which a base layer of plastic film material is adhered over part of its surface area to a bubble layer of plastic film material, leaving bubbles therebetween; and

the stack is comprised of the following sheets of the materials: paper; bubble; bubble; paper.

19. A padded bubble envelope that has been manufactured by the procedure of claim 18 , in which the adherence-area is free of glue or adhesive.

20. Procedure for attaching a sheet of puncturable-material to a sheet of stretchable-material, including:

wherein the puncturable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, is readily through-punctured, substantially without stretching;

wherein the stretchable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, readily stretches over the point, substantially wIthout being through-punctured by the point;

making a stack of sheets of puncturable material and stretchable material, in which the sheets lie in direct face-to-face touching contact with each other;

providing a points-die;

wherein a points-area of the points-die has many protruding points, which point towards the stack;

wherein the points-area lies over, and thereby defines, an adherence-area of the stack;

pressing and squeezing the points-die onto the adherence-area of the stack;

then separating the stack from the points-die; and

pressing the points-die hard enough to puncture the puncturable-material immediately over the points, but lightly enough to leave a bridge of the puncturable material still intact, between the points.

21. Procedure of claim 20 , including:

wherein some of the points are edge-points, being those points in respect of which no other one of the points lies nearer to an edge of the stack;

pressing the points-die onto the stack in such manner that, upon the stack being separated from the points-die, in respect of each of the points that is not an edge-point, there remains a bridge of intact material between adjacent points;

and the bridge forms a continuous ring around each one of the points.

22. Procedure of claim 21 , wherein, in respect of each point, the continuous ring is nowhere less than 1 mm wide.

23. Procedure for attaching a sheet of puncturable-material to a sheet of stretchable-material, including:

wherein the puncturable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, is readily through-punctured, substantially without stretching;

wherein the stretchable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, readily stretches over the point substantially without being through-punctured by the point;

making a stack of sheets of puncturable material and stretchable material, in which the sheets lie in direct face-to-face touching contact with each other;

providing a points-die;

wherein a points-area of the points-die has many protruding points, which point towards the stack;

wherein the points-area lies over, and thereby defines, an adherence-area of the stack;

pressing and squeezing the points-die onto the adherence-area of the stack;

then separating the stack from the points-die;

providing an upper points-die and a lower points-die, wherein:

the upper and lower points-dies have respective points-areas, which are co-extensive with the adherence-area of the stack;

the points-area of the upper points-die has many protruding points, being the upper points, which are pitched on a grid a distance P mm apart;

the points-area of the lower points-die has many protruding points, being the lower points, which are also pitched on a grid the said distance p mm apart;

the upper points lie in a staggered relationship with respect to the lower points;

the upper points fit into the spaces between the lower points when the points-dies are brought together;

upon the points-dies being pressed and squeezed onto the adherence-area, up-points on the adherence-area produced by the upper points lie intercalated with down-points on the adherence-area produced by the lower points;

whereby the up-points and the down-points, on the adherence-area of the stack, together lie pitched on a grid a distance P.½√2 mm apart;

after the points-dies have been pressed and squeezed onto the adherence-area, the puncturable material remains intact, and not punctured, over a bridge portion of +the puncturable material, between the up-points and the down-points;

and the un-punctured bridge portion is at least 1 mm wide.

24. Procedure for attaching a sheet of puncturable-material to a sheet of stretchable-material, including:

wherein the puncturable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, is readily through-punctured, substantially without stretching;

wherein the stretchable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, readily stretches over the point, substantially without being through-punctured by the point;

making a stack of sheets of puncturable material and stretchable material, in which the sheets lie in direct face-to-face touching contact with each other;

providing a points-die;

wherein a points-area of the points-die has many protruding points, which point towards the stack;

wherein the points-area lies over, and thereby defines, an adherence-area of the stack;

pressing and squeezing the points-die onto the adherence-area of the stack;

providing a flattening-die;

after separating the stack from the points-die, placing the flattening-die against the adherence-area of the stack;

squeezing the adherence-area of the stack with the flattening-die, in such manner as to flatten the adherence-area.

25. Procedure of claim 24 , including:

providing the stretchable-material as a thermoplastic material, having a thermoplastic temperature threshold;

heating the material above the said threshold;

while the material remains above the said threshold, squeezing the adherence-area of the stack with the flattening-die;

then separating the stack from the flattening-die, and allowing the material to cool.

26. Procedure for attaching a sheet of puncturable-material to a sheet of stretchable-material, including:

wherein the puncturable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, is readily through-punctured, substantially without stretching;

wherein the stretchable material is material that, upon being forcefully stretched over a point, readily stretches over the point, substantially without being through-punctured by the point;

making a stack of sheets of puncturable material and stretchable material, in which the sheets lie in direct face-to-face touching contact with each other;

providing a points-die;

wherein a points-area of the points-die has many protruding points, which point towards the stack;

wherein the points-area lies over, and thereby defines, an adherence-area of the stack;

pressing and squeezing the points-die onto the adherence-area of the stack;

then separating the stack from the points-die; and wherein:

the stack is comprised of the following sheets of the materials: puncturable; stretchable; stretchable; puncturable;

the sheets of material are arranged in the stack so as to form the front and back of an envelope, having left and right edges and a bottom edge, which are closed, and having a top edge, which is open, and which includes a fastener for closing the envelope;

the adherence-area is a relatively-narrow continuous marginal area, contiguous with the left, right, and bottom edges;

the procedure is carried out in such manner as to ensure that, over at least a major proportion of the total area of the stack of sheets, the sheets are not adhered together.

27. An envelope that has been manufactured by the procedure of claim 26 .