Manufacture of cellular bodies

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PREPARING CLOSED-CELL, GAS-CONTAINING CELLULAR BODIES OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL ELASTOMERS AND THERMOPLASTIC RESINS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ARRANGING IN A MOLD A MASS COMPOSED OF SUBSTANTIALLY DRY PARTICLES OF SOLID MATERIAL OF AT LEAST ONE SUNSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ELASTOMERS AND THERMOPLASTIC RESINS MIXED WITH AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SOLVENTS AND SOFTENING AGENTS WHICH IMPROVE THE GAS-DISSOLVING ABILITY OF SAID SUBSTANCE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE SAID GAS-DISSOLVING ABILITY WHILE RETAINING THE SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID, DRY CONDITION OF THE SAME; INTRODUCING A GAS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY DRY, SOLID MASS FROM WITHOUT SAID MOLD INTO SAID MOLD CONTAINING SAID MASS, WHEREBY SAID GAS IS EVENLY AND THROUGHLY DISTRIBUTED IN SAID SUBSTANTIALY SOLID MASS WITHOUT BEING DISSOLVED IN THE SAME; COMPRESSING THE CONTENTS OF SAID MOLD INCLUDING THE GAS INTRODUCED THEREIN UNTIL AT LAST PARTIAL DISSOLUTION OF SAID GAS IN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY DRY, SOLID MASS WITHOUT FORMATION OF A GEL; HEATING THE CONTENTS OF SAID MOLD WHILE STILL COMPRESSED UNTIL GELATINIZATION OF SAID SUBSTANCE, THEREBY FORMING AS HOMOGENEOUS MASS OF SAID SUBSTANCE HAVING SAID GAS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THEREIN; AND COOLING THE THUS FORMED MASS AND RELEASING THE PRESSURE THEREON AND CAUSING THE SAME TO EXPAND AND FORM A CLOSED-CELL GAS-CONTAINING CELLULAR BODY.