1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to board materials and, more particularly to a bendable board material that can be bent into any of a variety of shapes for making any of a variety of containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional baskets may be made of different materials including ceramics, glass, wood, plastics, stainless steel, etc. In addition to the function of holding things, attractive baskets can also be used as ornaments. A basket made of wood shows a graceful ancient style that greatly attracts consumers"" attention. Baskets made of ceramics, glass, wood, plastics, stainless steel, or other metallic materials show a rigid style. Cloths may be used for making baskets. However, when a piece of cloth is selected for making a basket, hard support means must used to support the cloth in shape.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/835,545 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,103 teaches the use of weaving wooden strips into panels for making containers. A container made according to this method is complicated and expensive.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is main object of the present invention to provide a bendable board material that can be bent into any of a variety of shapes for making any of a variety of products such as baskets, containers, and ornamental partitions. To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the bendable board material comprises a flexible base sheet, and two sets of hard slats respectively symmetrically bonded to two opposite sides of the flexible base sheet and arranged in parallel. The hard slats of the same set are arranged in parallel and spaced from one another at a pitch so that the finished board material can be bent along the gap between each two adjacent hard slots.