Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Direct application of fluid pressure differential to... – Including application of internal fluid pressure to hollow...
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-08
2001-01-23
Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Direct application of fluid pressure differential to...
Including application of internal fluid pressure to hollow...
C264S523000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06177043
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hunters of game, including waterfowl, commonly use decoys to attract the game to the proximity of the hunter. Decoys for all types of game and waterfowl have been commercially produced for many years in a variety of types and forms. Many such decoys are rigid replicas of the game being hunted. The more realistic appearing the decoy, the more effective it is. Decoys are commonly made from a variety of materials, primarily plastic, and they are commonly made in rigid or semi-rigid form. However, depending on the type of game being hunted, the decoys can be quite bulky and occupy a considerable amount of space while the hunters are traveling to the remote locations where they are going to hunt. Therefore, in recent years some decoys have been made of flexible material so that they can be collapsed and folded so as to occupy less space. An example of such flexible foldable decoys produced by a vacuum forming process is shown in Remus U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,444. These flexible decoys, when unfolded and expanded, provide a quite realistic three-dimensional decoy. At the present time, the only known process for producing these flexible decoys is to produce them by a vacuum forming process in which a flexible, closed cell expanded foam, such a polyethylene is used. This allows the figure of the decoy to regain its shape after storage and during use, thus producing a somewhat realistic decoy. However, decoys produced by a vacuum forming process are relatively expensive to produce, are subject to becoming torn if not carefully handled, and are limited in the degree of detailed realism that can be obtained at a reasonable cost.
There is therefore a need for an improved flexible and collapsible decoy that is stronger and more durable, more realistic and which can be produced at a lower cost. Although there have been suggestions of producing these decoys using a blow molding process, all attempts to date have been unsuccessful in producing a satisfactory commercially acceptable product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an improved method for producing collapsible, foldable decoys by using blow molding techniques with certain plastic compositions that result in a greatly improved decoy. The invention employs a conventional blow molding process and uses polyolefin resins which are known in the industry as very low density polyethylene or ultra low density polyethylene resins. The resins used are those with certain specified densities and melt indices as more fully set forth in the detailed description set forth hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3608268 (1971-09-01), Lauritzen
patent: 4079111 (1978-03-01), Uhlig
patent: 5172507 (1992-12-01), Franceshini
patent: 5174458 (1992-12-01), Segati
patent: 5206037 (1993-04-01), Robbins, III
patent: 5573129 (1996-11-01), Nagata et al.
UC Researchers Smach 0.915 PE Density Mark, Plastics World, pp. 8-9, Oct, 1984.
McDowell Suzanne E.
Nemmers James C.
Silbaugh Jan H.
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