Method of producing fluid-permeable shaped bodies

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FLUID-PERMEABLE SHAPED BODY, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING INTO A MOLD A LOOSE, GRANULAR MASS CONSISTING OF DISCRETE LATENTLY ADHESIVE GRAINS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, ADAPTED TO BECOME ACTIVELY ADHESIVE AT AN ELEVATED ACTIVATING TEMPERATURE CORRESPONDING TO THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF SAID THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, AND FORMING THEREBETWEEN INTERCONNECTED PORES WITHIN SAID MASS, SAID MOLD HAVING A CAVITY CORRESPONDING TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID SHAPED BODY AND BEING FORMED WITH AT LEAST TWO OPPOSITE FLUIDPERMEABLE WALL PORTIONS FORMED OF POROUS MATERIALS; AND INTRODUCING A STREAM OF HEATING FLUID BEING MAINTAINED AT AT LEAST SAID ACTIVATING TEMPERATURE THROUGH ONE OF SAID OPPOSITE PERMEABLE POROUS WALL PORTIONS AND THUS SUBDIVIDED AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED INTO SAID MOLD, SAID HEATING FLUID LEAVING SAID MOLD THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID OPPOSITE PERMEABLE WALL PORTIONS AND PASSING BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITE WALL PORTIONS ONLY THROUGH THE INTERCONNECTED PORES BETWEEN THE GRANULAR PARTICLES OF SAID MASS DIRECTLY CONTACTING SAID INDIVIDUAL GRANULAR PARTICLES SO AS TO SOFTEN THE SURFACE PORTIONS ONLY OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES AND TO MAKE THE SAME ACTIVELY ADHESIVE, PASSAGE OF SAID HEATING FLUID THROUGH SAID MOLD BEING DISCONTINUED UPON SOFTENING OF SAID SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES AND BEFORE SOFTENING OF THE CORE PORTIONS OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES OCCURS, THEREBY ADHERING CONTACTING SURFACE PORTIONS OF ADJACENT GRANULAR PARTICLES TO EACH OTHER WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY MAINTAINING THE INITIAL DIEMNSIONS OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES AND OF SAID INTERCONNECTED PORES THEREBETWEEN, THEREBY TRANSFORMING SAID MASS INTO A COHERENT. SHAPED FLUID-PERMEABLE BODY OF SUBSTANTIALLY EVEN POROSITY THROUGHOUT, FORMED WITH INTERCONNECTED PORES SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE INTERCONNECTED PORES OF SAID LOOSE GRANULAR MASS IN SAID MOLD AND CONSISTING EXCLUSIVELY OF SAID ADHERING THERMOPLASTIC GRANULAR PARTICLES.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FLUID-PERMEABLE SHAPED BODY, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING INTO A MOLD A LOOSE, GRANULAR MASS CONSISTING OF DISCRETE LATENTLY ADHESIVE GRAINS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, ADAPTED TO BECOME ACTIVELY ADHESIVE AT AN ELEVATED ACTIVATING TEMPERATURE CORRESPONDING TO THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF SAID THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, AND FORMING THEREBETWEEN INTERCONNECTED PORES WITHIN SAID MASS, SAID MOLD HAVING A CAVITY CORRESPONDING TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID SHAPED BODY AND BEING FORMED WITH AT LEAST TWO OPPOSITE FLUIDPERMEABLE WALL PORTIONS FORMED OF POROUS MATERIALS; AND INTRODUCING A STREAM OF HEATING FLUID BEING MAINTAINED AT AT LEAST SAID ACTIVATING TEMPERATURE THROUGH ONE OF SAID OPPOSITE PERMEABLE POROUS WALL PORTIONS AND THUS SUBDIVIDED AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED INTO SAID MOLD, SAID HEATING FLUID LEAVING SAID MOLD THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID OPPOSITE PERMEABLE WALL PORTIONS AND PASSING BETWEEN SAID OPPOSITE WALL PORTIONS ONLY THROUGH THE INTERCONNECTED PORES BETWEEN THE GRANULAR PARTICLES OF SAID MASS DIRECTLY CONTACTING SAID INDIVIDUAL GRANULAR PARTICLES SO AS TO SOFTEN THE SURFACE PORTIONS ONLY OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES AND TO MAKE THE SAME ACTIVELY ADHESIVE, PASSAGE OF SAID HEATING FLUID THROUGH SAID MOLD BEING DISCONTINUED UPON SOFTENING OF SAID SURFACE PORTIONS OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES AND BEFORE SOFTENING OF THE CORE PORTIONS OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES OCCURS, THEREBY ADHERING CONTACTING SURFACE PORTIONS OF ADJACENT GRANULAR PARTICLES TO EACH OTHER WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY MAINTAINING THE INITIAL DIEMNSIONS OF SAID GRANULAR PARTICLES AND OF SAID INTERCONNECTED PORES THEREBETWEEN, THEREBY TRANSFORMING SAID MASS INTO A COHERENT. SHAPED FLUID-PERMEABLE BODY OF SUBSTANTIALLY EVEN POROSITY THROUGHOUT, FORMED WITH INTERCONNECTED PORES SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE INTERCONNECTED PORES OF SAID LOOSE GRANULAR MASS IN SAID MOLD AND CONSISTING EXCLUSIVELY OF SAID ADHERING THERMOPLASTIC GRANULAR PARTICLES.