Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or... – Noninterengaged fiber-containing paper-free web or sheet...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-25
2001-08-14
Dixon, Merrick (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or...
Noninterengaged fiber-containing paper-free web or sheet...
C428S293400, C428S298400, C428S299100, C428S299100, C428S299700, C428S301400, C428S371000, C428S375000, C428S377000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06274230
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS IF ANY
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the application of visually sharp and distinct patterns to composite articles during manufacture thereof and, more specifically, to the manufacture of sporting articles such as arrow shafts, golf shafts, baseball bats, hockey sticks, ski poles, archery stabilizers and bike tubing having surface patterns such as manufacturers' names and logos, etc. thereon.
2. Prior Art
The application of surface patterns to articles subject to surface wear, particularly target arrow shafts or the application of camouflage patterns to hunting arrow shafts, is ordinarily accomplished by surface painting of the article or by application of surface decals and artwork thereto. If the articles are made of metal having a somewhat porous metal oxide surface coating such as is produced by anodizing for example, surface patterns have been applied by face-to-face contact of the surface of the article with a pattern carrier on which patterns produced by sublimating ink or dye are provided. The sublimation process has not heretofore been applicable to the surface of articles made of composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin since such articles first of all have a dark, almost black, surface coloration against which patterns of contrasting color, if applied, will not be particularly visible and, secondly, the surface of composite particles is non-porous and therefore non-absorbent and is thus unsuitable for application of patterns using a sublimation process.
Continuous formation of composite articles using pultrusion processes is well known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,417 issued Jun. 16, 1992 to Murakami, et al. As disclosed therein, products of circular and non-circular cross-sectional contours manufactured by impregnating fiber tows or rovings with a resin and drawing them into a die to form an article of predetermined size and shape is used to produce a variety of high-strength articles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a process for producing patterns on composite articles formed of resin coated reinforcing strands comprising the steps of:
a) providing a plurality of reinforcing strands having a dark color;
a) providing a liquid uncured resin having a coloring component therein to produce an opaque resin of light color;
c) coating said strands with said resin to at least partially mask said dark color with said light color;
d) forming an article of desired shape from said resin coated strands;
f) applying an absorbent surface veil of color lighter than said dark color to a surface of said article before curing said resin;
g) allowing said uncured resin to impregnate said surface veil;
h) curing said resin component to provide said article having an absorbent opaque surface layer of said light color comprised of said veil and cured resin component impregnated therein; and
i) applying a pattern of contrasting color to said surface layer by sublimating said pattern from a pattern carrier into said opaque resin impregnated surface layer.
The present invention further provides a composite article having at least one layer formed of reinforcing strands and a cured resin having a coloring component therein to produce an opaque resin of light color which coats said strands, said article having a surface layer comprised of a resin impregnated surface veil in which said reinforcing strands in said at least one layer underlying said surface layer are at least partially masked by said light color of said resin, said surface layer further including a color pattern sublimated from a pattern carrier extending substantially into said opaque resin impregnated surface veil.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4735850 (1988-04-01), Ehman
patent: 4820568 (1989-04-01), Harpell et al.
patent: 4886682 (1989-12-01), Singh et al.
patent: 5035764 (1991-07-01), Blake
patent: 5242720 (1993-09-01), Blake
Dixon Philip A.
Rowsell Edwin A.
Sarrelongue Didier
Yan Peter
Dixon Merrick
Jas. D. Easton, Inc.
Roth & Goldman
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