Enhanced Perimeter Polymeric Sheet

Abstract

The present invention relates to an enhanced perimeter polymer sheet. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet is generally comprised of a polymeric film substrate and may have a first enhanced perimeter region proximate to a first edge of the polymeric film substrate. The first enhanced perimeter region may further comprise an area extending generally along at least a portion of said first edge of the polymeric film substrate. A primary region of the enhanced perimeter plastic sheet may be defined by the polymeric film substrate. The primary region may be located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region and the primary region may have a set of attributes. The first enhanced perimeter region will have a set of attributes. Moreover, at least one attribute of the set of attributes of the first enhanced perimeter region may differ from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements to the structure, composition, and manufacture of polymeric films. Specifically, the present invention relates to improvements to polymeric sheets, particularly those used to cover items and surfaces for protective purposes such as drop cloths used when painting.

2. Description of the Related Art

Polymeric sheets are used in a variety of applications. One particular use of polymeric sheets, also referred to as polymeric sheeting, is as a drop cloth or protective sheet. Polymeric sheeting drop cloths are particularly useful compared to fabric drop cloths when the prevention of liquid penetration is particularly important. For example, it is particularly important to prevent the penetrations of liquids in the context of polymeric sheeting drop cloths used as protective covers during painting or staining.

Polymeric sheeting commercially available today is frequently thin and lightweight. The success of lighter, thinner polymeric sheeting is due, in part, to improvements over the last few decades in both manufacturing and polymer resin technology. The lightweight polymeric sheeting minimizes costs for the consumer and makes the polymeric sheeting easier to transport and simpler to deploy. However, lightweight polymeric sheeting is also more susceptible to movement caused by external forces including, but not limited to, persons walking across the film or when a polymeric sheeting drop cloth is used in drafty or windy conditions. Consequently, it is sometimes desirable to secure the film over or onto an area or surface using adhesive tape or weights along the perimeter of the polymeric sheeting.

One example of a weighted cover cloth is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,876 entitled “Protective Edge Weighted Cover Cloth.” The '876 Patent discloses a protective cover cloth having continuous, flexible weights along at least two opposed edges of the cover cloth. The '876 Patent discloses that the cover cloth may be made from woven, natural, or synthetic fibers, but also suggests that continuous sheet material such as synthetic plastic film may be used. The '876 Patent discloses that sand, shot, or other particulate matter is inserted in a hem or tubes attached along the edges of the cover. To form the hems, the opposed edges are folded back and sewn together to form an elongated pocket or wide hem. According to the '876 Patent, the elongated pocket or hem is subsequently filled with sand, shot, or other granular or particulate weighted material, which is intended to keep the edges of the cover cloth marginally flexible. However, granular fill as disclosed would be time-consuming to load into the cover cloths and construction of the disclosed cover cloth would be generally inefficient in a streamlined manufacturing process. The granular fill would also make the protective covers heavier to transport and more difficult to deploy than other cover cloths. Additionally, the abrasiveness of the granular fill could lead to product failures when used with thin polymeric sheeting films. Moreover, in the event of such failure, the abrasive, granular fill could end up damaging the surface that the cover cloth was meant to protect.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,372 provides an example of polymeric sheeting products having apertures with grommets disposed within the apertures. In the '372 patent, the polymeric sheeting product is used in combination with one or more weighted structure secured to the grommets, thereby holding the polymeric sheeting product in place. While the external weight structures serve the desired function, they are bulky and heavy to transport and require significant labor to deploy properly. Additionally, when granular fill is used for the external weight structures, there still exists a real risk of damaging not only the polymeric sheet itself, but also the surface that is intended to be protected.

United States Published Patent Application No. 2010/0154943 entitled “Drop Cloth” also discloses polymeric sheeting products. The '943 Publication discloses using a polyethylene film with hems running along at least one edge of the film. More importantly, the '943 Publication discloses the inclusion of a metal conformable shape retaining member within the hems running along at least one edge of the film, with an aluminum strip being prominently highlighted as a desirable choice for the conformable shape retaining member. The purpose of the conformable shape retaining member is to hold the plastic film in place by creating a rigid structure that is pliable by a consumer. However, such structures are not cost-effective to manufacture, cannot be easily manufactured, and are not easily deployed by a consumer, who must ensure that the conformable shape member in fact conforms to the required shape.

In view of the foregoing, it is desired to provide a solution that addresses the need for plastic drop cloths with enhanced perimeters that are lightweight, easy to manufacture, and can be deployed easily without adding significantly to the cost or complexity of the product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet may be comprised of a polymeric film substrate and a first enhanced perimeter region proximate to a first edge of the polymeric film substrate. The first enhanced perimeter region may further comprise an area extending generally along at least a portion of said first edge of the polymeric film substrate. A primary region of the enhanced perimeter plastic sheet may be defined by the polymeric film substrate. The primary region may be located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region and the primary region will have a set of attributes. Additionally, the first enhanced perimeter region will have a set of attributes. In such cases, at least one attribute of the set of attributes of the first enhanced perimeter region may differ from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the first enhanced perimeter region may comprise a first enhancement strip disposed on the polymeric film substrate. Additionally, the first enhanced perimeter strip may have a distal edge defining a first perimeter edge of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet. In some embodiments, the first enhanced perimeter strip may have a distal edge located inward from the first edge of the polymeric film substrate and the first edge of the polymeric film substrate may define a first perimeter edge of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet. In other embodiments, the first enhancement strip may be welded to the polymeric film substrate.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the first enhanced perimeter region may comprise a first enhancement portion integrally provided with the polymeric film substrate. Additionally, the first enhancement portion may be extruded with the polymeric film substrate. Moreover, in another embodiment of the present invention, a first edge of the polymeric film substrate may be folded over to define a first hem. In some cases, a first enhanced perimeter tape may be disposed within the hem. The first hem and the first enhanced perimeter tape may define the first enhanced perimeter region. Additionally, in certain embodiments of the present invention, the set of attributes of the primary region and the first enhanced perimeter region may include at least one of the following: average thickness, weight per unit area, stiffness, color, or texture.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a second enhanced perimeter region may be proximate to a second edge of the polymeric film substrate. Additionally, the second enhanced perimeter region may comprise an area extending generally along at least a portion of said second edge. Moreover, the primary region may be located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region and from the second enhanced perimeter region as well. The second enhanced perimeter region will have a set of attributes. At least one attribute of the set of attributes of the first enhanced perimeter region may differ from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

In other embodiments of the present invention, a third enhanced perimeter region may be proximate to a third edge of the polymeric film substrate. The third enhanced perimeter region may comprise an area extending generally along at least a portion of said third edge. Additionally, a fourth enhanced perimeter region may be proximate to a fourth edge of the polymeric film substrate. The fourth enhanced perimeter region may comprise an area extending generally along at least a portion of said fourth edge. In such embodiments, the primary region may be located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region, the second enhanced perimeter region, the third enhanced perimeter region, and the fourth enhanced perimeter region. Additionally, the third enhanced perimeter region and fourth enhanced perimeter region will each have a set of attributes. At least one attribute of the respective third enhanced perimeter region and fourth enhanced perimeter region may differ from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS

A full and complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the detailed description of the present invention and described embodiments when viewed with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings can be briefly described as follows.

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, the depicted embodiment having enhanced perimeter regions adjacent to two of the four edges of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet.

FIG. 2 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 provides an elevation view of another embodiment of the present invention, the depicted embodiment having enhanced perimeter regions adjacent to each of the four edges of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet.

FIG. 8 provides an elevation view of another embodiment of the present invention, the depicted embodiment having enhanced perimeter regions along two opposing edges wherein the enhancement perimeter regions are disposed slightly inward from the distal edges of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet.

FIG. 9 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 provides an elevation view of the cross-section of another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure illustrates one or more embodiments of the present invention. It is not intended to provide an illustration or encompass all embodiments contemplated by the present invention. In view of the disclosure of the present invention contained herein, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that innumerable modifications and insubstantial changes may be incorporated or otherwise included within the present invention without diverging from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments disclosed herein. The appended claims are intended to more fully and accurately encompass the invention to the fullest extent possible, but it is fully appreciated that certain limitations on the use of particular terms is not intended to conclusively limit the scope of protection.

Looking initially at FIG. 1, an embodiment of an enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100 is shown. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100 has a primary region 110, a first enhanced perimeter region 120, and a second enhanced perimeter region 122. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100 depicted has four perimeter edges: a first perimeter edge 102, a second perimeter edge 104, a third perimeter edge 106, and a fourth perimeter edge 108. In the depicted embodiments, the first enhanced perimeter region 120 and second enhanced perimeter region 122 are adjacent to, and extend generally along the length of opposing perimeter edges 104 and 108. In other embodiments of the present invention, one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be proximate to, although not necessarily immediately adjacent to, one or more perimeter edges 102, 104, 106, 108 and extend generally along the length of the one or more perimeter edges 102, 104, 106, 108 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100. Furthermore, in other embodiments, one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may extend less than the entire length of the one or more perimeter edges 102, 104, 106, and 108.

The first enhanced perimeter region 120 and second enhanced perimeter region 122 have one or more enhancements or contrasting attributes when compared to the primary region as described herein. Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, the enhancements or contrasting attributes of the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 offer visual contrast with the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100 by featuring contrasting color, or contrasting color combinations, within the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122. It would be desirable that the color, or color combinations, of the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 visually contrast with the color of the primary region 110 under a variety of lighting and use conditions. In some embodiments, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be opaque while the primary region 110 may be clear, translucent, or even opaque with a different color. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be tinted with a color but remain partially transparent or translucent.

In another embodiment of the present invention, one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be thicker than the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter plastic sheet 100. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, the average thickness of one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may have an average thickness that is 200% or more than the average thickness of the primary region 110. To wit, in one embodiment of the present invention, the primary region 110 may have an average thickness of approximately 0.5 mils while the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may have an average thickness of 1 mil or greater. Furthermore, in other embodiments of the present invention, the average thickness of the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may have an average thickness that is at least 500% of the average thickness of the primary region 110.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may have a texture that contrasts with the surface texture (or lack thereof) of the primary region 110. For example, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be embossed with a texture or pattern while the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter plastic sheet 100 may be substantially smooth. In other embodiments, the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100 may be embossed or otherwise textured with a first pattern while the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 are embossed or textured with a second pattern that is visually distinguishable from the first embossing pattern. In some embodiments, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be distinguishable from the primary region 110 based upon the tactile feel of the respective one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 in relation to the primary region 110. In other embodiments, the textural differences may be provided through the use of foaming or blowing agents present in one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 during the extrusion process. However, in other embodiments, the textural differences may be provided during a converting process including, but not limited to, using an embossing wheel on the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be heavier versus the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100. In such embodiments, the weight of the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be greater per unit area than the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100. The increased weight per unit area of the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be accomplished by various methods including, but not limited to, increasing the thickness of the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122, using materials of increased density within said one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122, or a combination of the foregoing.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be stiffer and less flexible than the primary region 110 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100. In such embodiments, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be thicker, use different materials, or use textures or embossing to modify or change the stiffness within the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the one or more enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may have two or more of the enhancement attributes described compared to the primary region 110. For example, in certain embodiments, the enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 may be colored, heavier, and thicker to distinguish the enhanced perimeter regions 120, 122 from the primary region 110.

Referring to FIG. 2 through FIG. 6, several embodiments of the present invention are depicted in cross-section views to better understand how certain embodiments of the present invention may be physically structured. The disclosed embodiments each feature a polymeric film substrate 210 serving as the base for the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheeting 100. The polymeric film substrate 210 has a first edge 214 and a second edge 218 that can be seen in the cross-sectional view. Preferably, the film substrate 210 is manufactured using linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) in either a blown-film extrusion process or a cast-film extrusion process. However, some embodiments of the present invention may use HDPE, MDPE, LDPE, mLLDPE, or any other blend of suitable, flexible polymeric material used in the manufacture of films. It is further contemplated that certain woven polymeric films may also be utilized as the polymeric film substrate 210 or for the first enhancement strip 220 and/or for the second enhancement strip 222, described below, within embodiments of the present invention.

Looking at FIG. 2, a first enhancement strip 220 and a second enhancement strip 222 are provided, defining the first enhancement region 120 and the second enhancement region 122, respectively. The first enhancement strip 220 has a distal edge 224 while the second enhancement strip 222 also has a distal edge 228. The first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 are located immediately adjacent to the edges 214, 218 of the film substrate 210. Thus, the distal edges 224, 228 of the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 as well as the edges 214, 218 of the film substrate 210 define the perimeter edges 104, 108 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheeting 100.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 provide, respectively, a first enhanced perimeter region 120 and a second enhanced perimeter region 122 that are both thicker and heavier (per square inch) than the primary region 110. The first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 may further include a color additive to visually distinguish the first enhancement region 120 and the second enhancement region 122 from the primary region 110. Moreover, the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 may be stiffer due to the selection of the material and the thickness for the respective first and second enhancement strips 220, 222.

The first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 may be provided on the film substrate 210 using any of several different processes. In some embodiments, the first and second enhancement strips 220, 222 may be extruded, in a supplemental extrusion process, directly onto the film substrate 210 after the film substrate 210 is formed and cooled. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first and second enhancement strips 220, 222 may be co-extruded with the film substrate 210 using a multi-layer die, using die blockers, modified die designs, or a combination of these and other techniques known in the art.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 may be separately provided and subsequently laminated onto the film substrate 210 through a lamination process that may use adhesives, heat, pressure, or a combination of the foregoing. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 may be separately provided and welded onto the film substrate 210.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 may be provided using a coating or spraying process where the first and second enhancement strips 220, 222 are applied directly to the film substrate 210.

Referring to FIG. 3, a cross-section view of another embodiment of the present invention is depicted. Like the embodiment of FIG. 2, the film substrate 210 has edges 214, 218. In the depicted embodiment, the first and second enhancement strips 220, 222 have distal edges 224, 228 extending beyond the edges 214, 218 of the film substrate 210. Thus, the distal edges 224, 228 of the enhancement strips 220, 222 define the perimeter edges 104, 108 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cross-section view of another embodiment of the present invention is depicted. Like the previous embodiment, a film substrate 210 has edges 214, 218. Similarly, the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222 have distal edges 224, 228 extending beyond the edges 214, 218 of the film substrate 210. Furthermore, a third enhancement strip 420 and a fourth enhancement strip 422 are disposed opposite the first enhancement strip 220 and the second enhancement strip 222, respectively, on opposing sides of the film substrate 210. In this embodiment, the distal edges 424, 428 of the third and fourth enhancement strips 420, 422 are coterminous with the respective distal edges 224, 228 of the first and second enhancement strips 220, 222. Consequently, distal edges 224, 424 collectively define perimeter edge 104 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 100 while distal edges 228, 428 of the second and further enhancement strips 222, 422 collectively define perimeter edge 108.

Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-section view of another embodiment of the present invention is depicted. In this particular embodiment, a first enhancement strip 520 is wrapped around a first distal edge 214 of the film substrate 210. Similarly, a second enhancement strip 522 is wrapped around a second distal edge 218 of the film substrate 210. The folded ends of the first enhancement strip 520 and the second enhancement strip 522 define the respective edges 104, 108 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheeting 100.

Referring to FIG. 6, a cross-section view of another embodiment of the present invention is depicted. In this particular embodiment, a first enhancement portion 620 and a second enhancement portion 622 are integrally formed with the film substrate 210. Specifically, the first enhanced perimeter region 120 is defined by a first enhancement portion 620 integrally formed with the film substrate 210 such that the thickness of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheeting 100 in the first enhanced perimeter region 120 is thicker than the primary region 110. Similarly, the second enhanced perimeter region 122 is defined by a second enhancement portion 620 integrally formed with the film substrate 210 such that the thickness of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheeting 100 in the second enhanced perimeter region 122 is thicker than the primary region 110. The first distal edge 214 of the film substrate 210 defines the perimeter edge 104 of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheeting 100 while the second distal edge 218 of the film substrate 210 defines the perimeter edge 108.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an elevation view of another embodiment of the present invention discloses an alternative enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 700. The alternative enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 700 is defined by a primary region 110 having a first perimeter edge 102, a second perimeter edge 104, a third perimeter edge 106, and a fourth perimeter edge 108. An enhanced perimeter region 720, 722, 724, 726 is provided along each of the respective perimeter edges 102, 104, 106, 108.

Referring now to FIG. 8, another embodiment of the present invention is depicted in a perspective view showing an inwardly spaced enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 800. The inwardly spaced enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 800 is defined by a primary region 110 having a first perimeter edge 102, a second perimeter edge 104, a third perimeter edge 106, and a fourth perimeter edge 108. In this embodiment, a first inwardly spaced perimeter region 820 is located proximate to perimeter edge 104 and a second inwardly spaced perimeter region 822 is disposed proximate to perimeter edge 108. The cross section of one such embodiment is further disclosed with respect to FIG. 9, where the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet 800 is constructed from a film substrate 210 with first and second inwardly spaced enhanced perimeter strips 820, 822 disposed on the film substrate 210. Given the previous discussion, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the numerous methods that may be used to facilitate providing the inwardly spaced enhanced perimeter strips 820, 822.

Another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 10. In the depicted embodiment, the first enhanced perimeter portion 1020 and the second enhanced perimeter portion 1022 are integrally formed with the film substrate 210. Typically, such construction would be done in an extrusion process as described before with the use of a panel die, also known as a window die. In such embodiments, the film substrate 210 may be formed of a different composition than first and second enhanced perimeter portions 1020, 1022. Thus, even if first and second enhanced perimeter portions 1020, 1022 are of the same thickness as the primary region 110 of the film substrate 210, the first and second enhanced perimeter portions 1020, 1022 may still provide one or more enhancement or contrasting attributes.

Another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, it is contemplated that an embodiment of the present invention could be manufactured with a panel or window die as disclosed with respect to FIG. 10. However, in the depicted embodiment, first enhanced perimeter portion 1120 and the second enhanced perimeter portion 1122 have a thickness that differs from the primary region 110 of the film substrate 210 through the use of die blockers, modified die designs, or similar techniques.

Another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in FIG. 12. In this depicted embodiment case, the film substrate 210 has distal edges 214 and 218 folded over and subsequently sealed to the film substrate 210 to define hems along perimeter edge 104 and perimeter edge 108. First and second enhanced perimeter tapes 1220 and 1222 are disposed within the hems using methods and techniques known in the art. Like the previous embodiments, the first and second enhanced perimeter tapes 1220 and 1222 offer one or more enhancement or contrasting attributes when compared to the primary region 110 of the film substrate 210.

Claims

1. An enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet comprising:

a polymeric film substrate,

a first enhanced perimeter region proximate to a first edge of the polymeric film substrate, the first enhanced perimeter region comprising an area extending generally along at least a portion of said first edge,

a primary region of the enhanced perimeter plastic sheet defined by the polymeric film substrate, the primary region located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region, the primary region having a set of attributes,

the first enhanced perimeter region having a set of attributes, at least one attribute of the set of attributes of the first enhanced perimeter region differing from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

2. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 1, wherein

the first enhanced perimeter region comprises a first enhancement strip disposed on the polymeric film substrate.

3. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 2, wherein

the first enhanced perimeter strip has a distal edge defining a first perimeter edge of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet.

4. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 2, wherein

the first enhanced perimeter strip has a distal edge located inward from the first edge of the polymeric film substrate, the first edge of the polymeric film substrate defining a first perimeter edge of the enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet.

5. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 2, wherein

the first enhancement strip is welded to the polymeric film substrate.

6. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 1, wherein

the first enhanced perimeter region comprises a first enhancement portion integrally provided with the polymeric film substrate.

7. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 6, wherein

the first enhancement portion is extruded with the polymeric film substrate.

8. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 1, further comprising

a first edge of the polymeric film substrate folded over to define a first hem, and

a first enhanced perimeter tape disposed within the hem, the first hem and the first enhanced perimeter tape defining the first enhanced perimeter region.

9. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 1, further comprising:

the set of attributes of the primary region and the first enhanced perimeter region including at least one of the following: average thickness, weight per unit area, stiffness, color, or texture.

10. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 1, further comprising:

a second enhanced perimeter region proximate to a second edge of the polymeric film substrate, the second enhanced perimeter region comprising an area extending generally along at least a portion of said second edge,

the primary region is located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region and the second enhanced perimeter region,

the second enhanced perimeter region having a set of attributes, at least one attribute of the set of attributes of the second enhanced perimeter region differing from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

11. The enhanced perimeter polymeric sheet of claim 10, further comprising:

a third enhanced perimeter region proximate to a third edge of the polymeric film substrate, the third enhanced perimeter region comprising an area extending generally along at least a portion of said third edge,

a fourth enhanced perimeter region proximate to a fourth edge of the polymeric film substrate, the fourth enhanced perimeter region comprising an area extending generally along at least a portion of said fourth edge,

the primary region is located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region, the second enhanced perimeter region, the third enhanced perimeter region, and the fourth enhanced perimeter region, and

the third enhanced perimeter region and fourth enhanced perimeter region each having a set of attributes, at least one attribute of the respective third enhanced perimeter region and fourth enhanced perimeter region differing from a corresponding attribute of the set of attributes of the primary region.

12. An enhanced perimeter plastic sheet comprising:

a polymeric film substrate,

a first enhanced perimeter region proximate to a first edge of the polymeric film substrate, the first enhanced perimeter region comprising an area extending generally along at least a portion of said first edge,

a primary region of the enhanced perimeter plastic sheet defined by the polymeric film substrate, the primary region located generally inward from the first enhanced perimeter region,

the first enhanced perimeter region having at least one contrasting attribute compared to the primary region, the contrasting attribute selected from the group consisting of: average thickness, stiffness, weight per unit area, texture, and color.