Method and apparatus for making curled decorative grass

Abstract

Curled decorative grass having a variety of configurations and methods for making such decorative grass is provided which, because of its increased bulk, can also be used as a packing material, an animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and a media for plants. The curled decorative grass is produced by curling a substantially flat sheet of material and thereafter cutting the resulting curled sheet of material, or by cutting a pre-curled material.

1 . A method for making curled grass for use as a packing material, an animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and as a media for plants, the curled grass produced from a material wherein the curled grass has a multi-sided cross section, a length and a width, and wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
 providing a material;    curling the material by passing the material between a pliable roller positioned adjacent a non-pliable roller, wherein a depressed area is formed in the non-pliable roller by the pliable roller and whereby passage of the material through the depressed area formed in the pliable roller by the non-pliable roller provides a curled material;    cutting or slitting the curled material to provide strips of curled grass having at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration and a compression tension spring configuration.    
     
     
         2 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is selected from the group consisting of paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, wax paper, paper having a shape-sustaining agent applied to at least one side thereof and paper having a lacquer applied to at least one side thereof.  
     
     
         3 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 1  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is provided with at least one of a printed pattern and an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one surface thereof such that at least a substantial portion of the curled grass formed therefrom contains at least a portion of at least one of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern.  
     
     
         4 . A method for making curled decorative grass for use as a packing material, an animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and as a media for plants, the curled decorative grass produced from a material wherein the curled decorative grass has a multi-sided cross section, a length and a width, and wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
 providing a material;    slitting the material to provide a plurality of strips; and    curling the strips of material by passing the material between a pliable roller positioned adjacent a non-pliable roller, wherein a depressed area is formed in the non-pliable roller by the pliable roller and whereby passage of the material through the depressed area formed in the pliable roller by the non-pliable roller provides strips of curled decorative grass.    
     
     
         5 . The method for making curled decorative grass of  claim 4  wherein method further comprises the step of cutting the plurality of strips to provide curled decorative grass.  
     
     
         6 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 4  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is selected from the group consisting of paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, wax paper, paper having a shape-sustaining agent applied to at least one side thereof and paper having a lacquer applied to at least one side thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 4  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is provided with at least one of a printed pattern and an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one surface thereof such that at least a substantial portion of the curled grass formed therefrom contains at least a portion of at least one of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern.  
     
     
         8 . A method for making curled decorative grass for use as a packing material, an animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and as a media for plants, the curled decorative grass produced from a material wherein the curled decorative grass has a multi-sided cross section, a length and a width, and wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
 providing a material;    cutting the material to provide a plurality of strips; and    curling the material by passing the material between a pliable roller positioned adjacent a non-pliable roller, wherein a depressed area is formed in the non-pliable roller by the pliable roller and whereby passage of the material through the depressed area formed in the pliable roller by the non-pliable roller provides strips of curled decorative grass.    
     
     
         9 . The method for making curled decorative grass of  claim 8  wherein method further comprises the step of slitting a material to provide the plurality of strips.  
     
     
         10 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 8  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is selected from the group consisting of paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, wax paper, paper having a shape-sustaining agent applied to at least one side thereof and paper having a lacquer applied to at least one side thereof.  
     
     
         11 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 8  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is provided with at least one of a printed pattern and an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one surface thereof such that at least a substantial portion of the curled grass formed therefrom contains at least a portion of at least one of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern.  
     
     
         12 . A method for making curled grass for use as a packing material, an animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and as a media for plants, the curled grass produced from a material wherein the curled grass has a multi-sided cross section, a length and a width, and wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
 providing a material;    curling the material by passing the material between a pliable roller positioned adjacent a non-pliable roller, wherein a depressed area is formed in the non-pliable roller by the pliable roller and whereby passage of the material through the depressed area formed in the pliable roller by the non-pliable roller provides a curled material;    cutting the curled material to a desired length; and    slitting the curled material to provide strips of curled grass having at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration and a compression tension spring configuration.    
     
     
         13 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 12  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is selected from the group consisting of paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, wax paper, paper having a shape-sustaining agent applied to at least one side thereof and paper having a lacquer applied to at least one side thereof.  
     
     
         14 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 12  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is provided with at least one of a printed pattern and an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one surface thereof such that at least a substantial portion of the curled grass formed therefrom contains at least a portion of at least one of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern.  
     
     
         15 . A method for making curled grass for use as a packing material, an animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and as a media for plants, the curled grass produced from a material wherein the curled grass has a multi-sided cross section, a length and a width, and wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
 providing a material;    curling the material by passing the material between a pliable roller positioned adjacent a non-pliable roller, wherein a depressed area is formed in the non-pliable roller by the pliable roller and whereby passage of the material through the depressed area formed in the pliable roller by the non-pliable roller provides a curled material;    slitting the curled material to provide strips of curled material; and    cutting the strips of curled material to provide strips of curled grass having at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration and a compression tension spring configuration.    
     
     
         16 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 15  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is selected from the group consisting of paper, polymeric film, laminated polymeric film, wax paper, paper having a shape-sustaining agent applied to at least one side thereof and paper having a lacquer applied to at least one side thereof.  
     
     
         17 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 15  wherein, in the step of providing a material, the material is provided with at least one of a printed pattern and an embossed pattern on at least a portion of one surface thereof such that at least a substantial portion of the curled grass formed therefrom contains at least a portion of at least one of the printed pattern and the embossed pattern.