Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or... – Including a second component containing structurally defined...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-14
2001-05-08
Copenheaver, Blaine (Department: 1771)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or...
Including a second component containing structurally defined...
C428S903300, C428S323000, C521S040000, C521S045500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228479
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to recycling and reclaiming waste polymeric material, and forming an article therefrom, and more particularly forming a floor covering utilizing the recycled and reclaimed waste polymeric material.
There has been an increased interest in recycling, reclaiming and reutilizing waste and scrap material, and particularly waste thermoplastic polymeric material from a variety of sources. The recycling of most mixtures of thermoplastic scrap material is limited by the incompatibility of the various different kinds of thermoplastic material present in the scrap. For example, the various thermoplastic resins are often insoluble in each other resulting in a heterogeneous mixture in which each type of resin forms a dispersed phase in the other. This often results in adversely affecting the mechanical properties (e.g., tensile and impact strength) and aesthetic properties of any articles formed from such a mixture.
One suggestion to overcome this problem is to sort the scrap material based on the specific thermoplastic material present. Such sorting, however, is impractical from both a technical and economic standpoint. Thus various other solutions have been proposed with respect to recycling waste polymeric material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,222 to Mavel et al. proposes coarsely grinding a mixture of two or more mutually incompatible thermoplastic resins, incorporating into the coarsely ground thermoplastic resin mixture, through the application of heat and pressure, from about 5 to about 25 parts by weight of a fibrous material, and forming the resin/fiber mass into an article.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,463 to Levasseur proposes shredding or granulating polymeric waste, drying the material to a water content of not more than 8% by weight, preheating the material to a temperature of 80° C. to 160° C., kneading at a temperature of 120° to 250° C. and injection molding or extrusion of the material to form a product such as a fence post.
Processes for recycling floor covering have also been desired inasmuch as a particularly large amount of scrap material is generated during the manufacture of floor covering. For example, in the manufacture of tufted carpet, the tufted carpet may have nylon pile secured in a primary backing of a woven polypropylene fabric which has a secondary vinyl plastic backing. The pile, the primary backing and secondary backing are typically each a thermoplastic having different characteristics.
Specific to recycling carpet, U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,159 to Norris proposes a process for reclaiming selvedge formed during manufacturing. The process comprises heating the selvedge in air to a temperature above the melting points of the resins to melt and degrade the resins; separating melted resin from solid residue to reclaim meltable resin from the selvedge; and utilizing the reclaimed resins as a substitute for at least a portion of the high molecular weight resins in an adhesive mixture in subsequent carpet production.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,645 to Benkowski et al. proposes applying a shearing force (e.g., using a Banbury mixer) to tear the fabric fibers into lengths no greater than about 0.25 inch. This forms a mixture of thermoplastic resin and short lengths of fabric fibers. The resulting mixture is subjected to heat and pressure, such as by a drop mill and thus banded. After the mixture is banded, it can be calendared onto a web of fabric to form a finished reinforced sheet or extruded into various continuous forms such as sheets or strips. The process is described as being particularly useful as applied to scrap polyvinyl chloride sheet material reinforced with cotton fabric.
These processes of recycling or reclaiming scrap material, however, are not entirely successful and have not found widespread usage because of economic infeasibility and limitations on the types of article which can be made. Thus, it is among the objects of the invention to provide a process of recycling, reclaiming, and reutilizing scrap material, and particularly thermoplastic scrap material from the manufacture of floor covering or the subsequent removal of the floor covering after installation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new floor covering using the recycled and reclaimed scrap material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are accomplished by a process for recycling waste polymeric material comprising a mixture of waste polymeric material wherein the waste polymeric material includes from about 15 to 50 percent aliphatic polyamide material; granulating the chopped mixture into fragments at least an order of magnitude smaller than the size of the waste polymeric material; and extruding the granulated mixture at a temperature of less than about the temperature at which the largest portion of waste aliphatic polyamide material decomposes. The process of the present invention can be used to make various articles of manufacture.
A floor covering is also provided. The floor covering comprises a carpet having textile fibers defining a fibrous upper outer face and a primary backing to which the textile fibers are secured and a secondary backing permanently adhered to the lower surface of the primary backing, the secondary backing comprising a matrix formed by granulating a coarsely chopped mixture of waste polymer material including 15 to 50 percent aliphatic polyamide material and extruding the granulated mixture at a temperature of less than temperature at which the largest portion of waste aliphatic polyamide material decomposes.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3334153 (1967-08-01), Fukushima et al.
patent: 3551231 (1970-12-01), Smedberg
patent: 3560284 (1971-02-01), Wisotzky et al.
patent: 3654219 (1972-04-01), Boyer et al.
patent: 3658752 (1972-04-01), Das et al.
patent: 3661691 (1972-05-01), Slosberg
patent: 3695987 (1972-10-01), Wisotzky et al.
patent: 3698973 (1972-10-01), Wisotzky et al.
patent: 3728182 (1973-04-01), Wisotzky et al.
patent: 4003866 (1977-01-01), Paturle
patent: 4028159 (1977-06-01), Norris
patent: 4105593 (1978-08-01), Stavrinou
patent: 4105709 (1978-08-01), Iwami et al.
patent: 4158646 (1979-06-01), Benkowski et al.
patent: 4250222 (1981-02-01), Mavel et al.
patent: 4359556 (1982-11-01), Lakshmanan et al.
patent: 4371576 (1983-02-01), Machell
patent: 4437918 (1984-03-01), Morohashi et al.
patent: 4808459 (1989-02-01), Smith et al.
patent: 4870110 (1989-09-01), Mehra et al.
patent: 4877827 (1989-10-01), Van Der Groep
patent: 4968463 (1990-11-01), Levasseur
patent: 4988764 (1991-01-01), Nishio et al.
patent: 5010138 (1991-04-01), Westeppe et al.
patent: 5112908 (1992-05-01), Epstein
patent: 5122404 (1992-06-01), Fowler
patent: 5122569 (1992-06-01), Scheibelhoffer et al.
patent: 5217655 (1993-06-01), Schmidt
patent: 5240530 (1993-08-01), Fink
patent: 5288349 (1994-02-01), Fink
patent: 5294384 (1994-03-01), David et al.
patent: 5518188 (1996-05-01), Sharer
patent: 5535945 (1996-07-01), Sferrazza et al.
patent: 5560797 (1996-10-01), Burt et al.
patent: 5578357 (1996-11-01), Fink
patent: 5578648 (1996-11-01), Beyer et al.
patent: 5598980 (1997-02-01), Dilly-Louis et al.
patent: 5604025 (1997-02-01), Tesch
patent: 5728444 (1998-03-01), Fink
patent: 5728741 (1998-03-01), Zegler et al.
patent: 6051300 (2000-04-01), Fink
patent: 2080259 (1993-04-01), None
patent: 24 25 751 (1975-12-01), None
patent: 40 14012A1 (1990-04-01), None
patent: 0 511 469 (1992-11-01), None
patent: 0590189A1 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 0867557A2 (1998-03-01), None
patent: 2 049 540 (1980-12-01), None
patent: 60-206868 (1985-10-01), None
patent: 3239754 (1990-02-01), None
patent: 93/19654 (1993-10-01), None
Malloy, R et al, Reclamation of Automotive Carpet Scrap,AlchE, Mar. 29, 1992.
Article “Recycling Nylon Carpet via Reactive Extrusion”, Plastics Engineering, Apr., 1997.
Booklet “Book of Papers” used at 97 International Conference & Exhibition, Sep. 28-Oct. 1 by American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists.
Article by Schnell “Material recycling of textile flo
Weinle Paul L.
Zegler Stephen A.
Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, Inc.
Copenheaver Blaine
Hunton & Williams
Juska Cheryl
Martinez de Andino J. Michael
LandOfFree
Process of recycling waste polymeric material and an article... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Process of recycling waste polymeric material and an article..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Process of recycling waste polymeric material and an article... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2561496