1. A method for making seals, comprising
providing an upstreamdownstream system, where the upstream portion includes at least one first main extruder, at least one first calibrator device, and at least one first cooling tank; and, where the downstream portion includes at least one downstream extruder, at least one second cooling tank, and at least one pulling device;
extruding a first material with said at least one first main extruder to form a structural member;
pulling said structural member through said first calibrator device and said first cooling tank, forming a final profile of said structural member;
extruding a second material with said at least one downstream extruder, forming at least one additional feature for bonding to said structural member, said second material having a different durometer than said first material;
bonding said at least one additional feature to said structural member;
pulling said structural member with said at least one additional feature using said pulling device through said second calibrator device and second cooling tank, forming a final profile of said at least one additional feature; and
cutting said seals to a predetermined length.
2. The method for making seals of claim 1, wherein said at least one additional feature is selected from the group consisting of at least one fin, bulb, flange, lip gripper, barb, and combinations thereof.
3. The method for making seals of claim 2, wherein a plurality of the additional features are formed.
4. The method for making seals of claim 3, wherein none of the plurality of the additional features is a bulb.
5. The method for making seals of claim 4, wherein said seal is a doorbelt seal, and, said additional features are formed of soft flexible material and said structural member is formed of harder material.
6. The method for making seals of claim 1, further comprising cooling said structural member in a cooling medium located in said first cooling tank to about 80 to 100\xb0 C., andor, cooling said structural member with said at least one additional feature in said second cooling tank cools the final seal profile to about 80 to 100\xb0 C.
7. The method for making seals of claim 1, further comprising providing a first pulling device in said upstream portion for pulling the structural member through said upstream portion and feeding said structural member to said downstream portion.
8. The method of making seals of claim 1, where the first material has a higher durometer than the second material.
9. The method If making seals of claim 8, where said higher durometer is about 40-70 Shore D.
10. The method for making seals of claim 1, wherein bonding said at least one additional feature to said structural member further comprises melt bonding to one another under pressure.
11. The method for making seals of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one second calibrator device coupled to said second cooling tank, and pulling said structural member with said at least one additional feature using the pulling device through said second calibrator device and tank, forming a final profile of said seal.
12. The method for making seals of claim 11, wherein said at least one first calibrator device and or said at least one second calibrator device isare a vacuum calibrator.
13. The method for making seals of claim 1, wherein said upstreamdownstream system is an in-line arrangement.
14. The method for making seals of claim 1, further comprising first heating said first material andor said second material, respectively, in said at least one first extruder and downstream extruder to about 315 to 420\xb0 C.
15. The method for making seals of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one cutting device to cut said seals to the predetermined length.
16. The method for making seals of claim 1, wherein said at least one additional feature is a sealing portion.
17. The method for making seals of claim 16, further comprising
providing at least one secondary extruder located adjacent to said at least one first extruder; co-extruding a second extrusion andor slip coating at the same time as said at least one first extruder, and melt bonding said second extrusion andor slip coating onto said structural member, wherein said structural member and said second extrusion andor slip coating are cooled in said cooling medium of said at least one first cooling tank;
andor
providing at least one secondary downstream extruder located adjacent to said at least one downstream extruder, and, co-extruding a second extrusion andor slip coating and melt bonding said second extrusion andor slip coating onto said sealing portion andor structural member, wherein said structural member, sealing portion, and said second extrusion andor slip coating are cooled in said cooling medium of said at least one second cooling tank.
18. A method for making multiple durometer seals, comprising,
providing an in-line system having an upstream portion, the upstream portion including at least one of each of a first main extruder, first calibrator device, first cooling tank and first pulling device;
providing a downstream portion that is part of the system, the downstream portion including at least one of each of a downstream extruder, second calibrator device, second cooling tank, second pulling device, and cutting device, wherein said first andor second calibrator device isare a vacuum calibrator;
providing a first material;
providing a second material having a lower durometer than said first material;
heating the first material to about 315 to 420\xb0 C. in said first main extruder;
extruding said first material creating a structural member;
pulling said structural member using said first pulling device through said first calibrator device and first cooling tank to cool said structural member a predetermined amount and set a final profile of said structural member;
delivering said structural member to said downstream portion;
extruding said second material creating at least one additional feature that is a sealing portion;
bonding said at least one additional feature and structural member;
pulling said bonded structural member and at least one additional feature using said second pulling device through said second calibrator device and second cooling tank, to cool a predetermined amount and form a final profile of said seal; and
feeding said seal to said cutting device using said second pulling device and cutting said seal to a predetermined length.
19. The method for making bulb seals of claim 18, further comprising providing at least one secondary extruder located adjacent to said first extruder, co-extruding a second extrusion andor slip coating of said first material or a third material with said at least one first extruder and melt bonding said second extrusion andor slip coating onto said structural member, wherein said structural member and said second extrusion andor slip coating are cooled in a cooling medium of said at least one first cooling tank.
20. The method for making bulb seals of claim 18, wherein said first material andor second material is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, thermoplastic elastomer, soft thermoplastic elastomer), rigid PVC, flexible PVC, PVC vinyl, PVC rubber, and structural acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
21. A method for making multiple durometer molding, comprising
providing a first material for forming at least one structural member;
providing a second material for forming at least one sealing portion having a lower durometer than the structural member, wherein the durometer is below 40 Shore A;
providing an upstream portiondownstream portion in-line arrangement;
providing at least a first main extruder, first calibrator device, first cooling tank and first pulling device along the upstream portion;
providing at least a downstream extruder, second calibrator device, second cooling tank, and second pulling device along the downstream portion;
extruding said first material for forming said structural member;
pulling said structural member using said first pulling device through said first calibrator device, said first calibrator device forming a final profile of said structural member;
cooling said structural member in a cooling medium located in said first cooling tank to about 80 to 100\xb0 C., said cooling medium contacting outer and inner surfaces of said structural member;
advancing said structural member to said downstream extruder and extruding said second material with said downstream extruder to form said sealing portion on said structural member;
melt bonding said sealing portion to said structural member;
pulling the extrusion using said second pulling device through said second calibrator device, said second calibrator device forming a final profile of said sealing portion;
pulling said extrusion using said second pulling device through said second cooling tank containing a cooling medium to set the final profile of the molding; and
cutting the molding to a predetermined length with a cutting device;
wherein said in-line arrangement of features and separate cooling of said structural member and said sealing portion in said method for making multiple durometer moldings avoids or overcomes or diminishes a predetermined disparity in cooling expansion and cooling differentials between the different durometers.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of using user equipment to search for programs, comprising:
receiving search information at the user equipment, wherein the search information is a program title;
searching for program listings associated with the search information; and
displaying with the user equipment program listings associated with the search information, wherein the program listings include at least one scheduled program listing for a broadcast television program and at least one on-demand program listing for a program available on-demand from a remote server.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying with the user equipment program listings further comprises:
displaying at least one on-demand program listing for a program stored on a local digital storage device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one on-demand program listing for a program stored on a local digital storage device is displayed at the beginning of a list.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one on-demand program listing for a program stored on a remote server is displayed at the beginning of a list.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a user selection of a program listing; and
in response to receiving the user selection, displaying a broadcast television program or a program available on-demand from a remote server.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the program listings are displayed in a list.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying selectable advertisements associated with the search information.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a user selection to delete an on-demand program listing; and
in response to receiving the user selection, deleting a program available on-demand from a remote server.
9. An interactive television program guide system that provides users with access to programs, the interactive television program guide system comprising:
a remote server; and
user equipment, wherein the user equipment is configured to:
receive search information at the user equipment, wherein the search information is a program title;
search for program listings associated with the search information; and
display program listings associated with the search information, wherein the program listings include at least one scheduled program listing for a broadcast television program and at least one on-demand program listing for a program available on-demand from a remote server.
10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:
a local digital storage device, wherein the user equipment is further configured to:
display at least one on-demand program listing for a program stored on the local digital storage device.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one on-demand program listing for a program stored on the local digital storage device is displayed at the beginning of a list.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one on-demand program listing for a program stored on a remote server is displayed at the beginning of a list.
13. The system of claim 9 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:
receive a user selection of a program listing; and
in response to receiving the user selection, display a broadcast television program or a program available on-demand from a remote server.
14. The system of claim 9, wherein the program listings are displayed in a list.
15. The system of claim 9 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:
display selectable advertisements associated with the search information.
16. The system of claim 9 wherein the user equipment is further configured to:
receive a user selection to delete an on-demand program listing; and
in response to receiving the user selection, delete a program available on-demand from a remote server.