Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Discontinuous or differential coating – impregnation or bond
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-18
2003-09-09
Thibodeau, Paul (Department: 1773)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond
C428S201000, C428S203000, C428S323000, C428S327000, C428S411100, C428S461000, C428S500000, C428S515000, C428S516000, C428S542200, C428S908800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06617008
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a decorative film or sheet, a decorative material comprising the same, and a decorative building material comprising the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a laminated decorative film or sheet which comprises a surface layer having excellent transparency and hardness, has excellent workability in bending, V-cutting, lapping, and vacuum molding, and does not cause problems in disposal because chlorine gas is not formed by incineration, a decorative material comprising this decorative film or sheet, and a decorative building material which has excellent heat resistance, weatherability, and abrasion resistance, provides soft feeling, and does not cause problems in the environment.
BACKGROUND ART
Heretofore, as decorative face, plates of furniture's and cabinets of kitchen products, materials having a structure in which a decorative film or sheet having print of a wood pattern is laminated to a substrate made of a wood material with an adihesive have generally been used.
Decorative films and sheets used for such decorative face plates are generally required to have (1) workability in lapping and vacuum molding, i.e., workability which enables fitting a film or a sheet to a shape of a substrate in lamination when the substrate has an irregular shape or a complicated shape and (2) workability in V-cutting, i.e., workability in a process comprising forming cuts of a V-shape on decorative face plates after the plates have been assembled so that formation of boxes or folding of end parts can be facilitated. More specifically, it is required that troubles, such as formation of cracks, cuts, and whitening, are not caused at folded parts of decorative films or sheets.
To provide decorative films and sheets with the workability in V-cutting and lapping, films or sheets made of vinyl chloride resins have heretofore been used. However, Vinyl chloride resins have inferior weatherability and resistance to stains and require a large thickness to have a sufficient strength necessary for V-cutting. Moreover, disposal of vinyl chloride resins causes a problem in that toxic chlorine gas and dioxine are formed when the resins are incinerated. Although various proposals have been made to solve these problems, no proposals are found to be satisfactory.
For example, a thermoplastic resin is used in place of a vinyl chloride resin in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 3(1991)-202347. In this case, a problem arises in that a double structure is necessary to obtain a necessary strength, and the number of steps in the production process is increased. An acrylic resin is used in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 6(1994)-262729. The acrylic resin easily absorbs water, and there is the possibility that warpage is formed in the product because of the difference in dimensional stability. A thermosetting resin is used in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 7(1995)-244684. This resin has a drawback in that handling during the production is difficult. A polypropylene resin or a polyethylene resin is used in the specifications of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 7(1995)-17005, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 7(1995)-24979, Japanese Patent Appl ication Laid-Open No. Heisei 7(1995)-137205, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Heisei 7(1995)-232415. These resins do not have a sufficient flexibility.
On the other hand, for building materials, wood and vinyl chloride resins are mainly used. However, use of wood has a restriction because forests must be protected. Vinyl chloride resins have following drawbacks: (1) use of vinyl chloride resins causes problems because toxic chlorine and dioxine are formed during working and incineration although the resins show excellent workability; (2) although flexibility of vinyl chloride resins can be controlled in a wide range by using plasticizers, plasticizers tend to bleed in molded products to cause inferior appearance; (3) floor materials made of vinyl chloride resins cannot satisfy requirements as replacements of wood because the resins have characteristic feel of synthetic plastics in that the materials are felt cold and rigid; and (4) vinyl chloride resins show inferior heat resistance, weatherability, and abrasion resistance.
The drawback described in (1) is particularly important for vinyl chloride resins from the standpoint of protection of the environment as described above for the decorative films and sheets. Therefore, vinyl chloride resins are not materials suited for the global movement which requires materials causing no problem in the environment. Development of materials which can replace vinyl chloride resins are urgently desired.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Under the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide a decorative film or sheet which has excellent workability in bending, V-cutting, lapping, and vacuum molding, comprises a surface layer having excellent transparency and hardness, and does not cause problems in disposal so that chlorine gas is not formed by incineration, a decorative material comprising this film or sheet, and a decorative building material which shows excellent heat resistance, weatherability, and abrasion resistance, has excellent property for printing and workability in fabrication, provide,s soft feeling, and does not cause problems in the environment.
As the result of extensive studies by the present inventors to achieve the above object, it was found that the object can be achieved by using a film or a sheet having a laminate structure comprising a surface layer, an adhesive layer, and a layer having a pattern or a laminate structure comprising a surface layer, an adhesive layer, a layer having a pattern, an adhesive layer, and a substrate, wherein the surface layer comprises a resin mixture which comprises a specific polypropylene resin or a combination of a specific polypropylene resin and a thermoplastic elastomer copolymer in specific relative amounts. The present invention has been completed on the basis of this knowledge.
Accordingly, the present invention provides:
(1) A decorative film or sheet having a laminate structure comprising a surface layer, an adhesive layer, and a layer having a pattern, wherein the surface layer is made of a film or a sheet comprising a resin which comprises (A) 100 to 60% by weight of a polypropylene resin comprising one or both of a homopolymer of propylene and a copolymer of propylene containing 4% by weight or less of units of other olefins, the homopolymer and the copolymer having (i) a pentad fraction expressed by rrrr/(1−mmmm)×100 of 15 to 60% as measured by a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of an isotopic carbon (
13
C-NMR), (ii) a peak temperature of melting (Tm) of 150° C. or higher as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and (iii) an enthalpy of melting (&Dgr;H) of 100 J/g or less as measured by DSC, and (B) 0 to 40% by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer copolymer;
(2) A decorative film or sheet having a laminate structure comprising a surface layer, an adhesive layer, a layer having a pattern, an adhesive layer, and a substrate, wherein the surface layer or the surface layer and the substrate are made of a film or a sheet comprising a resin which comprises (A) 100 to 60% by weight of a polypropylene resin comprising one or both of a homopolymer of propylene and a copolymer of propylene containing 4% by weight or less of units of other olefins, the homopolymer and the copolymer having (i) a pentad fraction expressed by rrrr/(1−mmmm)×100 of 15 to 60% as measured by a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of an isotopic carton (
13
C-NMR), (ii) a peak temperature of melting (Tm) of 150° C. or higher as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and (iii) an enthalpy of melting (&Dgr;H) of 100 J/g or less as measured by DSC, and (B) 0 to 40% by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer copoly
Endo Masahiko
Kono Takayuki
Nikaido Toshimi
Idemitsu Petrochemical Co. Ltd.
Jackson Monique R.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Thibodeau Paul
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