Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for reducing or eliminating the precurl in a web of paper. The apparatus includes a decurler which may operate in conjunction with a lead in roll and a bowed roll. Motions are provided to the lead in roll and decurler so that the wrap of the web on the bowed roll remains essentially unaffected by the movement of the decurler into and out of the web. One of the above apparatus or a lead out roll may be skewed to address uneven cross machine curl profile, while the bowed roll addresses baggyness and the decurler, of course curl.

Abstract: A curl bow machine manufactures curl bows. Ribbon unwinds from spools and a curling rod applies controlled tension onto the ribbon, thereby curling it. Several strands of ribbon may be curled simultaneously. The resulting curled ribbon stream passes on to a wire stitcher. The wire stitcher may take hang tags from a hang tag delivery and cutting system to attach individual hang tags to the curled ribbon stream. Alternatively, a backing material or wire tie is used instead of a hang tag. A venturi suction and discharge system may deliver the curled ribbon stream and attached hang tags to a cutter to separate individual curl bows from the ribbon stream. A second nip roller may also be used in place of the venturi suction and discharge system.

Abstract: A curl bow machine manufactures curl bows in accordance with a curl bow manufacturing process. Ribbon is controllably unwound from spools and prepared for stretching by a curling rod. The curling rod applies controlled tension onto the ribbon, thereby curling it. Several strands of ribbon may be curled simultaneously, with the ensuing curled ribbon stream passed on to a wire stitcher. In a specific embodiment, a wire stitcher takes hang tags from a hang tag delivery and cutting system so that individual hang tags may be attached as by staples to the curled ribbon stream. The wire stitcher forms and attaches such staples to the ribbon and hang tag. In other instances, a backing material or wire tie is used in lieu of a hang tag. In a preferred embodiment, a venturi suction and discharge system then delivers the curled ribbon stream with its attached hang tags to a cutter so that individual curl bows may be separated from the ribbon stream.

Abstract: A garland is produced by providing plural strips, each including one or more plies of web, with each web ply having two laterally spaced arrays of longitudinally spaced lateral slits defining arrays of lateral slats joined at the their inner and outer ends. Each strip is twisted with one or more associated support filaments in a predetermined direction to form adjacent helical coils. Plural ones of the twisted strands are then twisted together in the opposite direction to produce an elongated rope which includes adjacent spiral bands all turning in a first direction about the longitudinal axis, with each band including a plurality of generally tubular sections arranged side-by-side, with each section forming a segment of a spiral turning in an opposite direction relative to the axis.

Abstract: An ornament display device and wreath insert is inserted into the center of a wreath and provides a flat surface for displaying objects. The display device comprises a plurality of prongs each having at least one serration, with each prong adapted to contact the wreath core and establish an interference fit sufficient to hold the support in position without tipping around the core. A platform of a predetermined configuration, e.g., concave shaped ends, helps to secure the platform within the center of a wreath. A placard displays a message or other decorative graphic and is shaped to substantially hide the platform and the prongs.

Abstract: A garland comprising an elongated base ribbon and a plurality of annealed metal wires spirally wrapped around the base ribbon member forming a garland having substantially no spring back characteristics. The garland may include an elongated web film having a plurality of transverse cuts along both longitudinal edges arranged to form a plurality of loops with the annealed metal wire spirally wrapped around the elongated web film loops forming a garland with helically rotated loops about the wires.

Abstract: A tinsel-type garland has outwardly-directed reflecting surface areas created by permanently creasing the free ends of the tinsel needles to form tabs bent at an angle of approximately 90 degrees from the shank of the needle. The formation of these tabs orients their surface approximately tangent to the radial array of needles and, thus, faces a plurality of reflective surfaces directly toward the viewer. Only a small additional amount of material is needed to form the tabs which aid in obscuring the center core of the garland. Hence, less compacting of the web may be needed, thus offering an additional cost saving by reducing the amount of material needed to visually fill out the garland. This construction provides a distinctive appearance, especially when mirror-like, highly-reflective metallic web material is used to form the needles.

Abstract: A biodegradable wreath ring provides the central framework for constructing a decorative wreath from plant tips and decorative materials secured to the wreath ring. The wreath ring is of generally circular configuration with specified diameter and is constructed from multiple layers of strips of paper laminated one over another in the radial direction of the ring and bonded together preferably using a biodegradable resin or adhesive material. The wreath ring is of generally cylindrical configuration having a cylinder radial thickness and a cylinder height thickness. The ring is constructed with a sufficient number of layers of paper in the radial direction and with sufficient cylinder radial thickness and height thickness to provide the required structural strength to support a constructed wreath of decorative material having the selected diameter.

Abstract: A tinsel-type garland has outwardly-directed reflecting surface areas created by permanently creasing the free ends of the tinsel needles to form tabs bent at an angle of approximately 90-degrees from the shank of the needle. The formation of these tabs orients their surface approximately tangent to the radial array of needles and, thus, faces a plurality of reflective surfaces directly toward the viewer. Only a small additional amount of material is needed to form the tabs which aid in obscuring the center core of the garland. Hence, less compacting of the web may be needed, thus offering an additional cost saving by reducing the amount of material needed to visually fill out the garland. This construction provides a distinctive appearance, especially when mirror-like, highly-reflective metallic web material is used to form the needles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a decoration and a method of making such decoration comprising a plurality of separate, artificial plant parts. The method is characterized by overlappingly connecting separate, juxtaposed first plant parts at a distance from a front edge of the respective plant part, and of overlappingly connecting a plurality of separate, mutually overlapping second plant parts to said first plant parts. As a result, an area of each of said first plant parts facing away from the front edge is covered, like the connection, by the overlapping portion of each of the second plant parts. The decoration is intended for use in the making of a wreath.

Abstract: A garland making device which comprises an arm rotatable about an axis formed by a stand securable to a work surface, the arm being rotatable by a crank. There is associated with and rotates simultaneously with the arm, a spool to feed a core cord or wire to an operator who adds sections of garland to the core at any desired rate of formation. The arm also provides and feeds from an independent source and by rotation of the arm wire which is wrapped by the arm around the foliage and core.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ornamental bow used as an adornment for gift boxes, hair, apparel, notebooks, tote bags, name tags, and the like, formed of garland having a selected length, width, and diameter. The garland is tightly wrapped in a planar coil, with the ends of the core of the garland being joined beneath said planar coil. The joined ends and the planar coil are secured to a base portion of a display card by glue and/or staples. An upper portion of the display card is connected to the base portion by tear perforations and includes an opening for hanging the display card on a rack, and printed information. The rear surface of at least the base portion includes a pressure-sensitive adhesive and a peel-away cover protecting said adhesive, whereby the base portion, when detached from the upper portion, may be mounted on a receiving surface along with the garland bow. The strips forming the garland may have a variety of colors, and are made of a material having an elastic memory, whereby the bow is crush-resistant.

Abstract: A decorative garland. A product and method of manufacture of garland includes a web having transversely cut center and border sections, and the center section has widely spaced transverse cuts and the border sections have narrower spaced transverse cuts. The cut film web is folded and then stuffed using a wire spine to hold a high density of cut film web. The stuffed web is then twisted causing formation of a helically rotated array of loops of the widely spaced transverse cut sections, and a tinsel-like material is positioned nearest the wire spine formed from the narrower spaced transverse cut sections of the web.

Abstract: Bough holders are disclosed, for holding boughs in place in wreaths and other decorative display articles. The bough holder comprises a pocket for receiving the bough stems, and pocket fastening means which are adapted to receive a wrap of an intermediate portion of a continuous strand fastener, without necessarily employing an end of the strand fastener in making the wrap. The pocket typically includes a bottom, and walls, extending upwardly from the bottom, to a top. Typical pocket fastening means in a plurality of buttons extending along the length of the holder, and extending from the walls, whereby the strand fastener can be sequentially wrapped around the pocket fastening means, to thereby hold boughs in place in the pocket.

Abstract: A decorative display device has a frame member, a first scenic member contained within the frame, and a second member spaced from the first member by spacer means. One or more apertures in the first scenic member permit viewing the second member. A floor plate is affixed to the front of the scenic member and extends outwardly therefrom.

Abstract: A decorative garland is manufactured by feeding one or more strips of material to an elongated, rotatable mandrel having a longitudinal axis so that each strip of material makes a plurality of passes in the direction of the longitudinal axis as the mandrel is rotated to form a wound bundle having a plurality of layers. A length of tape having adhesive on both sides is secured lengthwise of the mandrel to the material wound onto the mandrel after each pass. At least one more pass is made so that the material is fixed to both sides of the tape. The wound bundle is then cut from the mandrel along a line in the direction of the longitudinal axis opposite the tape connection so that the wound bundle can be removed from the mandrel with every piece of material being disposed in direct adhesive contact with one of the lengths of adhesive tape so that the assembly will be completely held together during handling prior to a twisting step.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a garland comprising a core portion and a decorative portion surrounding the core portions, the decorative portion including a first component comprising a non-fibrous material and a second component comprising a fibrous material, the first and second components being intertwined around the core. The present invention is also directed to a method of making a garland comprising the steps of providing an elongated core, cutting a strip of non-fibrous material to produce a plurality of lateral fringes extending from a central longitudinal area of the strip, cutting a strip of fibrous material to produce a plurality of lateral fringes extending from a central longitudinal area of the strip, and winding the cut strips of fibrous and non-fibrous materials around the core to intertwine the fibrous and non-fibrous.

Abstract: A manipulatable structure that contains a series of linked units. Each unit contains a plurality of rhombic-shaped panels that are hinged along their oblique edges to create a collapsible enclosure that can be used to create two dimensional patterns when the panels are folded into one of two available common planes or any number of three dimensional structures when positioned between the two common planes. Each unit, in turn, is hinged to an adjacent unit along abutting oblique corners to create a chain that can be symmetrically formed by linking the units in a repeating linear pattern or asymmetrically formed by linking the units in a random fashion.

Abstract: A decorative garland. A product and method of manufacture of garland includes a web having transversely cut center and border sections, and the center section has longer length transverse cuts and the border sections have shorter length transverse cuts. The cut film web is folded and then stuffed using a wire spine to hold a high density of cut film web. The stuffed web is then twisted causing formation of a helically rotated array of loops of the longer length transverse cut sections, and a tinsel-like material is positioned nearest the wire spine formed from the shorter length transverse cut sections of the web.