METHOD FOR MODIFYING LOCAL PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS

Number: 20170128848
Published: 2017-05-11
Filed: 2015-11-09
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Nicholson; Nolan Andrew, Hsing; Alexander W., Jackson; Philip
CPC: A63H9/00; A63H13/00; C08J3/20; C08J7/08
Verdict: Medium Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Alters the local elasticity of a material and creates a delivery aperture through its outer layer, for novel toy/prop material properties.

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a method for altering one or more properties of a primary material. The method includes reducing the elasticity of a primary material and creating a delivery aperture through an outer layer of the primary material. Once the delivery aperture is created, or as the delivery aperture is created, introducing through the delivery aperture a secondary materialinto a sublayer of the primary material and applying a closure treatment to the primary material to close the delivery aperture. The secondary material includes one or more properties that are different from the primary material. By introducing the secondary material into the primary material, the secondary material locally changes the properties of the primary material. Examples of the variable properties include color, strength, flexibility, magnetism, and optical.

Background

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate examples of the disclosure and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description give below, serve to explain the principles of these examples.

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a composite material including a primary material having multiple enhancement materials embedded therein.

FIG. 1B is a cross-section view of the composite material of FIG. 1 taken along line 1B-1B in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a flow chartillustrating a method for creating the composite material of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-section view illustrating an injection device creating an injection aperture in the primary material.

FIG. 3B is a partial cross-section view illustrating the injection device of FIG. 3A depositing the enhancement material in a sublayer of the primarymaterial.

FIG. 4A is a top plan view of the composite material after injection of the enhancement material.

FIG. 4B is a top plan view of the composite material of FIG. 4B after a closure treatment is applied.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of an animatronic including an artificial skin created with the composite material.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to a method for changing one or more local properties of an elastomeric material. The method can be used to create artificial skins

Claims

1. A method for altering at least one local property of a primary material, comprising: reducing an elasticity of the primary material; creating adelivery aperture through a portion of the primary material; and introducing through the delivery aperture a secondary material into the primary material. 12. An artificial skin manufacturing method comprising: thermally treating a skin material until an elasticity of the skin material drops below a predetermined level; creating a passage through the outer surface of the skin material to an inner layer of the skin material; and injecting an enhancement material into the inner layer of the skin material. 18. The artificial skin manufacturing method of 16, wherein the outer surface of the skin is pierced by a needle of an injection device. 21. An artificial skin comprising: a base material having an outer surface and one or more sublayers; and an enhancement material embedded in a sublayer of the base material.