Three-dimensional stars for decoration purposes during the Advent or Christmas season or as window decoration or Christmas tree ornament, produced by folding from paper blanks, are known, for example, a star marketed under the name of “Annaberg Window Star” [Annaberger Fensterstern”] or “Erzgebirg Window Star” [“Erzgebirgischer Fensterstern”] with eight closed points extending in a circle over a middle part. There, on opposite sides of the star, the paper or foil material is provided with sixteen radially-extending fold lines, whereby it is folded in a V-shape in opposite directions at neighboring fold lines. By means of this alternating folding, areas that are folded inwardly are formed between two fold lines running through the tips of neighboring points, through the middle of which a fold line extends to a re-entering corner between the two neighboring points. Conversely, the fold lines that run from the middle of each side of the star to two neighboring re-entering corners define outwardly-folded areas through the middle of which the fold lines extend to the points of the star. Similar known stars with points extending outwards radially in several directions, known under the name of “Herrenhut star” are known from DE 36 18 092 A1 from DE 90 11 320 U1, from DE 85 16 1 85 U1 or from DE 196 09 168 C2. However, to produce these stars, several blanks and/or parts must be glued together, which is only possible manually, at a relatively high cost.
Furthermore, it is known from the origami technique that two-dimensional and three-dimensional stars with a different number of points can be produced from several paper blanks merely by folding. In order to achieve the holding together of the individual blanks without glue, normally a pocket is folded into each blank into which a part of a neighboring blank is inserted and this is also relatively costly and time-consuming.
Furthermore, a decorative Christmas star is disclosed in DE 1 735 277 U1. This folded star consists of two identical folded foil blanks joined together, each of which has a middle part as well as four longer and four shorter points extending outwardly beyond the middle part. Each blank is provided with eight fold lines which run from the midpoints of their middle parts to the tips of the points. The two blanks are folded in a V-shape alternately in opposite directions at the fold lines and then brought together in such a way that the midpoints of their middle parts point in opposite directions and the points are rotated by 45 degrees so that the shorter points of one blank come to lie in the recesses formed by the longer points of the other blank, wherein a mutual fixation on the blanks occurs that is not described in more detail.
Based on this, the task of the invention is to provide an aesthetically pleasing star-shaped three-dimensional decorative article from two or more blanks joined together, made of a paper or foil material, as well as to provide a method and a set of blanks for its production, making it possible to produce the decorative article without gluing and at a low cost.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds