Method of forming shaped cellular bodies

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A CLOSED CELL CELLULAR BODY OF PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATION AND SIZE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SHAPING A MASS OF PLASTIGEL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF A SUBSTANCE SELECTED FRO THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYVINYLCHLORIDE AND MIXED POLYMERIZATES OF VINYLCHLORIDE WITH VINYLACETATE AND VINYLIDENECHLORIDE AND A SOFTENER THEREFOR CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING THE PLASTIGEL IN A COLD DEFORMABLE CONDITION, AND CONTAINING A LATENT BLOWING AGENT SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THEREIN, SO AS TO FORM THEREOF A SHAPED BODY HAVING A CONFIGURATION CORRESPONDING TO SAID PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATON BUT ON A REDUCED SCALE, SAID LATENT BLOWING AGENT BEING PRESENT IN SUCH AMOUNT AS TO BE ADAPTED TO CAUSE UPON ACTIVATION EXPANSION AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OF SAID SHAPED BODY TO SAID CLOSED CELL CELLULAR BODY OF PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATION AND SIZE; PLACING THE THUS-FORMED SHAPED BODY INTO A PRESSURE VESSEL HAVING LARGER NTERIOR DIMENSIONS EXCEEDING THOSE OF SAID CELLULAR BODY OF PREDETERINED CONFIGURATION AND SIZE; SUBJECTING SID SHAPED BODY IN SAID PRESSURE VESSEL TO SUPERATMOSPHERIC GASEOUS PRESSURE AND TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO DECOMPOSE SAID BLOWING AGENT AND TO GELATINIZE SAID PLATIGEL WHILE DUE TO SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE EXPANSION AOF SAID SHAPED BODY IS SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTED AND THE GAS FORMED BY DECOMPOSITION OF SAID BLOWING AGENT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY DISTRUBUTED THROUGHOUT THE THUS-GELATINIZED SHAPED BODY; COOLING SAID GELATINIZED SHAPED BODY TO A LOWER ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BEING BELOW THE GELATINIZATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID SHAPED BODY BUT SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO MAINTAIN SAID SHAPED BODY IN PLASTIC CONDITION, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; AND THERE-

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PRODUCING A CLOSED CELL CELLULAR BODY OF PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATION AND SIZE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SHAPING A MASS OF PLASTIGEL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF A SUBSTANCE SELECTED FRO THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYVINYLCHLORIDE AND MIXED POLYMERIZATES OF VINYLCHLORIDE WITH VINYLACETATE AND VINYLIDENECHLORIDE AND A SOFTENER THEREFOR CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING THE PLASTIGEL IN A COLD DEFORMABLE CONDITION, AND CONTAINING A LATENT BLOWING AGENT SUBSTANTIALLY EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THEREIN, SO AS TO FORM THEREOF A SHAPED BODY HAVING A CONFIGURATION CORRESPONDING TO SAID PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATON BUT ON A REDUCED SCALE, SAID LATENT BLOWING AGENT BEING PRESENT IN SUCH AMOUNT AS TO BE ADAPTED TO CAUSE UPON ACTIVATION EXPANSION AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OF SAID SHAPED BODY TO SAID CLOSED CELL CELLULAR BODY OF PREDETERMINED CONFIGURATION AND SIZE; PLACING THE THUS-FORMED SHAPED BODY INTO A PRESSURE VESSEL HAVING LARGER NTERIOR DIMENSIONS EXCEEDING THOSE OF SAID CELLULAR BODY OF PREDETERINED CONFIGURATION AND SIZE; SUBJECTING SID SHAPED BODY IN SAID PRESSURE VESSEL TO SUPERATMOSPHERIC GASEOUS PRESSURE AND TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO DECOMPOSE SAID BLOWING AGENT AND TO GELATINIZE SAID PLATIGEL WHILE DUE TO SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE EXPANSION AOF SAID SHAPED BODY IS SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTED AND THE GAS FORMED BY DECOMPOSITION OF SAID BLOWING AGENT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY DISTRUBUTED THROUGHOUT THE THUS-GELATINIZED SHAPED BODY; COOLING SAID GELATINIZED SHAPED BODY TO A LOWER ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BEING BELOW THE GELATINIZATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID SHAPED BODY BUT SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO MAINTAIN SAID SHAPED BODY IN PLASTIC CONDITION, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; AND THERE-