Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-03-06
Krynski, William (Department: 1774)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S233000, C156S239000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197144
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Splash guards or mud flaps used on large and small trucks are generally made from different materials. Some are formed from reformulated blends of ground rubber. Others are formed from either high- or low density polyethylene and some are formed from other thermoplastics such as ethylene vinyl acetate. These may be filled or unfilled.
Purchasers of these splash guards may wish to have the splash guards decorated with some ornamental material, or covered with a reflective material. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to keep a decorative adhered to a thermoplastc surface. This is also a problem with other thermoplastic articles such as coolers, yard signs and the like.
One can form a decorative by melting portions of the surface or debossing the surface of the thermoplastic article to form an indented area which is marked with .a colored foil. But this is only cost effective if one manufactures a very large number of splash guards with the same decorative. Screen printing can also be used, but this wears off. Further, this method cannot be used to apply a reflective material.
If someone wants to manufacture five or ten marked splash guards, such a method is cost prohibitive. Unfortunately, one cannot simply use an adhesive to adhere material to thermoplastics such as polyethylene and EVA. Due to their nature, they are not compatible with most adhesives. Polyethylene adhesives should adhere to a polyethylene splash guard. But a polyethylene decorative tends to smear when applied. It is also soft and non-scratch resistant. Therefore, until now simply adhering a decorative to the surface of the thermoplastic splash guard has not been effective for small quantities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is premised on the realization that a decorative can be adhered to the surface of a thermoplastic article such as a splash guard by forming the decorative with a lower surface of a compatible low-melting-point thermoplastic adhesive, having one side thereof embedded onto a first surface of a support sheet. A decorative can then be adhered to the second or apposite surface of this support sheet. This entire structure can be bonded to a splash guard by melting the low-melting-point thermoplastic adhesive and pressing it against the surface of the splash guard.
The outer decorative surface can be a wide variety of different surfaces. It can be, for example, a colored film cut to size to form any desired indicia. It can be multi-colored films bonded to each other. It can also be reflective material or even reflective particulate material such as glass beads and the like embedded in a plastic matrix. The support sheet is either a porous material such as a nonwoven web, or preferably a metal such as a metal foil, metalized cloth, or a metalized film. When the support layer is metal or a metalized material, the support sheet itself can provide the outer decorative or reflective surface.
A decorative, according to the present invention, can be cut to size and then simply applied to individual thermoplastic splash guards by applying heat and pressure for sufficient time to melt the thermoplastic adhesive. The thermoplastic adhesive is selected so that it Is compatible with the splash guard and melts at a temperature lower than the splash guard and lower than the decorative layer.
This decorative will remain firmly adhered to the splash guard over a wide variety of different temperature ranges and conditions typically encountered by splash guards. They are not subject to peeling or cracking. Because of the support layer, they do not smear when applied. Thus, they provide a unique way to attach a durable decorative onto the surface of a polyethylene splash guard. Further, when the support layer is metal, it can provide a reflective surface for improved safety.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will be further appreciated in light of the following detailed description and drawings in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 4971646 (1990-11-01), Schell et al.
Grendzynski Michael E
Krynski William
Wood, Herron & Evan LLP
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