Method for preparing laminated foam structures

Claim 1

A COMTINUOUS METHOD FOR PREPARING LAMINATED RESIN FOAM STRUCTURES WHICH COMPRISES ENCASING A MULTITUDE OF SMALL PARTICLES OF A FOAMABLE RESIN COMPOSITION IN A COVERING MATERIAL ADAPTED TO DEFINE THE PROFILE-DEFINING DIE, LAMINATED STRUCTURE, AT LEAST A TPORTION OF SAID COVERING MATERIAL BEING PERFORATED, TRANSPORTING THE ENCASED FOAMED ABLE RESIN COMPOSITION THROUGH A PROFILE-DEFINING DIE CONTACTING THE PERFORATED SECTION OF THE COVERING MATERIAL WITH STEAM WITHIN THE PROFILE-DEFINING DIE AND FOAMING THE ENCASED FOAMABLE RESIN COMPOSITION INTO PRESSURED CONTACT WITH THE PROFILE-DEFINING DIE, SAID FOAMABLE RESIN COMPOSITION COMPRISING DISCRETE PARTICLES OF A THERMOPLASTIC RESIN HAVING INCORPORATED THEREIN A NONREACTIVE ORGANIC LIQUID WHICH VOLATILIZES BELOW THE SOFTENING POINT OF THE THERMOPLASTIC RESIN AND WHICH HAS AT MOST A SLIGHT SOLVENT ACTION ON THE THERMOPLASTIC RESIN, THE FOAMABLE RESIN PARTICLES BEING DISTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE COVERING MATERIAL AND IN A QUANTITY SUCH THAT THE RESIN COMPOSITION, WHEN FOAMED, WILL SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILL THE PROFILEDEFINING DIE, THE FOAM-CONTACTING SURFACE OF THE COVERING MATERIAL BEING ADHESIVE TO THE RESIN FOAM.