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, 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:
 curling a sheet or web of material so as to produce a curled sheet or web of material; and   cutting and/or slitting the curled sheet or web of material to provide strips of curled grass having at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration and a compression tension spring configuration.   
     
     
         2 . 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:
 drawing a sheet or web of material over at least one curl bar so as to produce a curled sheet or web of material; and   cutting and/or slitting the curled sheet or web of material to provide strips of curled grass having at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration and a compression tension spring configuration.   
     
     
         3 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 2  wherein, in the step of cutting and/or slitting the curled sheet or web of material, the curled sheet or web of material is maintained under tension while cutting or slitting the curled sheet or web of material. 
     
     
         4 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 2  wherein, in the step of cutting or slitting the curled sheet or web of material, at least a portion of the strips of curled grass are attached via at least one attach point. 
     
     
         5 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 2  wherein, in the step of drawing the sheet or web of material over at least one curl bar, the sheet or web of material is drawn over a plurality of spatially disposed curl bars to form the curled sheet or web of material. 
     
     
         6 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 2 , wherein the sheet or web of 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 2 , wherein the sheet or web of 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 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one curl bar is provided with a curling edge over which the sheet or web of material is drawn to form the curled sheet or web of material, and wherein an angle of a portion of the curling edge of the at least one curl bar relative to a direction of travel of the sheet or web of material is different from an angle of another portion of the curling edge of the curl bar relative to the direction of travel of the sheet or web of material. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2  wherein, in the step of drawing the sheet or web of material over at least one curl bar, the sheet or web of material is maintained under tension while drawn over the at least one curl bar to ensure proper angular disposition of the sheet or web of material over the at least one curl bar, and wherein, in the step of slitting the curled sheet or web of material, the curled sheet or web of material is maintained under tension while slitting the curled sheet or web of material. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2  wherein, in the step of slitting the curled sheet or web of material, the curled decorative grass is attached via at least one attachment point. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of cutting and/or slitting the curled sheet or web of material to provide curled decorative grass is further defined as comprising the steps of:
 slitting the curled sheet or web of material to provide a slit curled sheet or web of material containing a plurality of curled, side-by-side strips of material; and   cutting the slit curled sheet of material to provide curled decorative grass having at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration and a compression tension spring configuration.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising the step of:
 passing the slit curled sheet or web of material through a restraining assembly prior to cutting the slit curled sheet or web of material so as to maintain the slit curled sheet or web of material in a substantially planar or flattened condition, thereby enhancing uniformity of the curled decorative grass.   
     
     
         13 . A method for making curled grass for use as a packing material, 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:
 curling a 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 and/or slitting the curled material to provide strips of curled grass.   
     
     
         14 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 13 , wherein 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. 
     
     
         15 . The method for making curled grass of  claim 13 , wherein 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. 
     
     
         16 . The method for making curled decorative grass of  claim 13 , wherein the step of cutting and/or slitting the curled material to provide strips of curled grass is further defined as comprising the steps of:
 cutting the curled material to a desired length; and   slitting the curled material to provide strips of curled.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the strips of curled grass have an appearance of at least one of a substantially clock spring configuration, a compression spring configuration, and a tension spring configuration.