Foam cushion and method of making and using the same

Details Foam cushion and method of making and using the same Foam cushion and method of making and using the same

2002-02-01

2004-11-16

Foelak, Morton (Department: 1711)

Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser

Synthetic resins

Cellular products or processes of preparing a cellular...

C521S134000, C521S154000, C521S189000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06818676

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Carpet padding, or carpet cushion, is typically used (i.e., placed below a carpet) to make the carpet feel more comfortable, to act as a shock absorber for the carpet, to extend the life of the carpet, and/or to insulate the floor. There are several types of carpet padding that are currently used, e.g., waffle rubber, foam padding, rebond, slab rubber, fiber, berber pad, and frothed foam. There are several disadvantages with the use of many of these types of carpet padding. For example, the rubber used to make waffle rubber carpet padding is held together with clay type binders that break down with use. The use of foam padding typically results in the carpet moving up and down so much that the backing soon breaks down. Rebond carpet padding contains chemicals (e.g., butylated hydroxy toluene-BHT) that have adverse effects on certain carpets. The off gas from rebond has caused some carpets to exhibit yellow blotches on the surface of the fiber. This event seems to occur with commercial and Berber type carpets. Many carpet paddings do not effectively repel liquids and moisture and therefore allow the carpets to become stained. Additionally, many of these carpet paddings are relatively heavy, which increases shipping costs, which are ultimately passed down to the consumer.
As such, there is a need for a carpet padding that avoids these disadvantages. Specifically, the carpet padding should not deteriorate with normal use over an extended period of time (e.g., up to about 20 years, up to about 10 years, or up to about 5 years). The use of the carpet padding should not result in the carpet moving up and down so much that the backing of the carpet breaks down prematurely. The carpet padding should not contain any chemicals (e.g., volatile organic compounds such as BHT) that have adverse effects on the carpet or that are environmentally unfriendly. The carpet padding should make the carpet feel more comfortable and should act as a shock absorber for the carpet. The carpet padding should be resilient, sturdy, and tear resistant over an extended period of time (e.g., up to about 20 years, up to about 10 years, or up to about 5 years). The carpet padding should effectively repel liquids and moisture. The carpet padding should extend the life of the carpet and should effectively insulate the floor. The carpet padding should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, especially on a commercial (e.g., kilogram) scale.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a foam cushion, a method of making the foam cushion, and a method of using the foam cushion. The foam cushion is resilient, sturdy, and tear resistant over an extended period of time (e.g., up to about 20 years, up to about 10 years, or up to about 5 years). The foam cushion is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, especially on a commercial (e.g., kilogram) scale. The foam cushion does not deteriorate with normal use over an extended period of time (e.g., up to about 20 years, up to about 10 years, or up to about 5 years). The foam cushion does not contain any chemicals that are environmentally unfriendly. The foam cushion effectively repels liquids and moisture. Additionally, the foam cushion possesses suitable shock absorbent and thermal insulative properties.
The present invention provides for a foam cushion. The foam cushion is formed from: (a) at least one of rubber and a resin; (b) a blowing agent; (c) a polymeric adhesion modifier; (d) a decomposition accelerating agent, and (e) a cross-linking agent.
The present invention also provides for a foam cushion formed from: (a) at least one of natural rubber and an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer; (b) azodicarbonamide (AC); (c) FUSABOND; (d) dicumyl peroxide; and (e) a combination of zinc oxide and stearic acid.
The present invention also provides for a foam cushion formed from: (a) natural rubber present in about 5 wt. % to about 12 wt. % of the foam cushion; (b) an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer present in about 79 wt. % to about 83 wt. % of the foam cushion; (c) azodicarbonamide (AC) present in about 3 wt. % to about 4.2 wt. % of the foam cushion; (d) FUSABOND present in about 2.8 wt. % to about 3.9 wt. % of the foam cushion; (e) dicumyl peroxide present in about 0.5 wt. % to about 0.9 wt. % of the foam cushion; and (o) a combination of zinc oxide and stearic acid, wherein the zinc oxide is present in about 1.0 wt. % to about 2.2 wt. % of the foam cushion and stearic acid is present in about 0.5 wt. % to about 1.25 wt. % of the foam cushion.
The present invention also provides for a method for manufacturing a foam cushion, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting rubber, a resin, a blowing agent, a polymeric adhesion modifier, and a decomposition accelerating agent to form a first mixture; (b) contacting the first mixture with a cross-linking agent (e.g., a free radical generating agent) to form a second mixture; (c) spreading the second mixture to form one or more sheets; and (d) pressing the one or more sheets at an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure to form a foam cushion.
The present invention also provides for a method for manufacturing a foam cushion, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting rubber, a resin, a blowing agent, a polymeric adhesion modifier, and a decomposition accelerating agent to form a first mixture; (b) contacting the first mixture with a cross-linking agent (e.g., a free radical generating agent) to form a second mixture; (c) heating the second mixture; (d) spreading the second mixture to form a sheet; (e) cooling the sheet; (f) stacking a plurality of the sheets; (g) pressing the plurality of the sheets to form a cooked stack; and (h) slicing the cooked stack into sliced pieces to provide the foam cushion.
The present invention also provides for a method for manufacturing a foam cushion, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting rubber, a resin, a blowing agent, a polymeric adhesion modifier, and a decomposition accelerating agent for about 8 minutes to about 20 minutes at about 110° C. to about 130° C. to form a first mixture; (b) contacting the first mixture with a cross-linking agent (e.g., a free radical generating agent) for about 1 minute to about 5 minutes at about 110° C. to about 130° C. to form a second mixture; (c) heating the second mixture at about 100° C. to about 120° C. until the second mixture becomes concentrated to about 100 mm thickness; (d) spreading the second mixture to form a sheet; (e) cooling the sheet to below about 80° C.; (f) stacking a plurality of the sheets; (g) contacting the plurality of sheets with a solution comprising a silicone-containing compound; (h) pressing the plurality of the sheets for about 28 minutes to about 35 minutes at about 160° C. to about 175° C. to form a cooked stack; (i) cutting, horizontally, a portion of the top of the cooked stack and removing that portion; (j) cutting, horizontally, a portion of the bottom of the cooked stack and removing that portion; (k) slicing the cooked stack into sliced pieces having a thickness of about 1 mm to about 100 mm; (l) attaching two or more of the sliced pieces on an end-to-end basis; and (m) rinsing, scrub washing, and drying the attached sliced pieces to provide the foam cushion.
The present invention also provides for a foam cushion formed from any one or more of the methods disclosed herein above.
The present invention also provides for the use of a foam cushion as disclosed herein above for medical devices, footwear, orthopedic footwear, orthopedic inserts for footwear, upholstery padding for land vehicles, upholstery padding for air vehicles, upholstery padding for water vehicles, back and buttock cushions for use in wheelchairs, back and buttock cushions for use in scooters, back and buttock cushions for use in power chairs, insulation products, acoustical resistant products, thermal resistant products, electrical resistant products, electrical conductive products, vibrational resistant products, floor mat, exercise floor mat, seat padding, wall padding, pa

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