US3615972A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Expansible thermoplastic polymer particles containing volatile fluid foaming agent and method of foaming the same
Assignee: Casco Adhesives AB
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Filing: 1967-04-28
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Granted: 1971-10-26
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Expires: 1987-04-28
Abstract
Abstract Thermoplastic microspheres are prepared which encapsulate a liquid blowing agent. Heating of the microspheres causes expansion. The microspheres are useful for coatings, moldings, plastic smoke, etc. Urnlike hollow microspheres are also shown. The expandable microspheres are prepared by a suspension-type polymerization of droplets of a mixture of monomer and blowing agent.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald S Morehouse Jr
- 👤 Roland J Tetreault
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:12
CPC Classifications
C; C08; C08J; C08J9/00; C08J9/32; B; B01; B01J; B01J13/00; B01J13/02; B01J13/06; B01J13/14; B01J13/18; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1089; Y10T156/1092; Y10T156/1093; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249994; Y10T428/249995; Y10T428/249997
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 47
Claim 1
Independent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of such particles are expanded in a heated gas.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
200 words
A method of preparing a cellular article comprising providing a mixture of a liquid synthetic thermoplastic film-forming resin dispersion and a plurality of expandable thermoplastic synthetic resinous particles, the thermoplastic resinous particles having encapsulated therein a volatile organic liquid-raising agent as a distinct and separate liquid phase, wherein the liquid raising agent is symmetrically encapsulated within the resinous particles and on heating to a temperature sufficient to cause heat plastification of the particles and the film-forming resin, the particles expand to define monocellular gas-filled cells, the liquid-raising agent becoming gaseous at a temperature below the thermoplastic temperature of the particles, the film-forming resin becoming heat plastified at a temperature below the thermoplastic temperature of the pArticles, the particles being generally impervious to the liquid-raising agent and impervious to the liquid of the dispersion, applying the mixture to at least a first substrate, removing dispersing liquid from the mixture whereby the film-forming synthetic resinous thermoplastic material adheres the particles together agent to the substrate to form a unitary article, subsequently heating at least a portion of the article to a temperature sufficient to cause the liquid-raising agent to become gaseous and thereby form a plurality of gas-filled cells in the article.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the cellular article is formed as a coating on the substrate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the film-forming resin has lower permeability to the blowing agent than the thermoplastic resinous particle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the substrate is paper.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 3 including the step of providing a second substrate oppositely disposed to the first substrate and adhered to the unitary article.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the film-forming resin is a water-soluble resin.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the dispersion of thermoplastic film-forming resin is an aqueous dispersion.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the liquid raising agent has fire-retardant properties.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the article formed on heating comprises a mass of generally noncoherent particles.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the film-forming resin is an epoxy resin.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the unitary article is transparent and the substrate is colored.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
65 words
A thermoplastic expandable synthetic resinous polymeric particle having a generally spherical shape and having encapsulated generally concentrically therein a single generally spherical occlusion as a distinct and separate liquid phase, the occlusion consisting essentially of a volatile organic liquid raising agent, the liquid becoming gaseous at a temperature below the softening point of the particle, the particle being generally impermeable to the liquid raising agent.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
86 words
A thermoplastic synthetic resinous polymeric expandable particle having a generally spherical shape and having encapsulated therein as a distinct and separate phase, an occlusion consisting essentially of a volatile organic liquid raising agent, the liquid becoming gaseous at a temperature below the softening point of the polymer, the raising agent being present in an amount not less than 20 percent by volume based on the total volume of the polymer and the liquid raising agent and the particle being generally impermeable to the liquid raising agent.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The particle of claim 15 having the raising agent present in an amount ranging from 50 to 95 percent by volume.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
A particle in accordance with claim 15 wherein the polymer comprises a polymer of methyl methacrylate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
A particle in accordance with claim 15 having a diameter of from about 3 to about 50 microns.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
The particle of claim 18 wherein the diameter of the particle is between 5 and 20 microns.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a copolymer of methyl methacrylate with up to about 50 percent by weight of ethyl methacrylate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a polymer of methyl methacrylate containing up to about 70 weight percent of o-chlorostyrene.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a methyl methacrylate polymer containing up to about 50 percent by weight of acrylonitrile.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a methyl methacrylate polymer containing up to 20 percent p-tertiarybutyl styrene.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material is a polymer of methyl methacrylate containing up to abouT 40 percent vinyl acetate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a polymer of methyl methacrylate containing up to about 20 percent butyl acrylate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
The thermoplastic resinous particle of claim 15 having symmetrically encapsulated therein up to about 50 volume percent of the volatile raising agent, said thermoplastic resinous material comprising a polymer of styrene with about 1 to 4 percent by weight of methacrylic acid, based on the weight of the styrene.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a copolymer of styrene containing from about 10 to 80 percent acrylonitrile, based on the total weight of the monomers.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
37 words
The particle in accordance with claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material is a copolymer of styrene with from about 15 to 40 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers, of vinylbenzyl chloride.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
34 words
The particle in accordance with claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a copolymer of from about 99 to 92 parts of styrene and from about one to eight parts of acrylic acid.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
23 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a polymer of styrene and from about 2 to 10 percent acrylonitrile.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
35 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material comprises a polymer of from about 93 to 40 parts of acrylonitrile with from about seven to about 60 parts by weight of vinylidene chloride.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
18 words
The particle in accordance with claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material is a polymer of vinylbenzyl chloride.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
30 words
The particle of claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material is a copolymer of from about 98 to 91 parts of chlorostyrene and one to eight parts of acrylic acid.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
14 words
The particle in accordance with claim 15 wherein the thermoplastic resinous material is polystyrene.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
49 words
A plurality of particles in accordance with claim 15 in closely spaced adjacent relationship, a thermoplastic synthetic resinous binder surrounding at least a major portion of the particles and adhering the particles together, and the binder becoming heat plastified at a temperature below the thermoplastic temperature of the particles.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
20 words
The particles of claim 35 wherein the thermoplastic resinous binder is adhered to at least one surface of a substrate.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
15 words
The material of claim 36 wherein the particles and binder form a substantially continuous layer.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
13 words
The assembly of claim 37 wherein the substrate is a fibrous cellulosic material.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
11 words
The assembly of claim 37 wherein the substrate is a container.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
12 words
The assembly of claim 37 wherein the substrate is thermoplastic resinous material.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
18 words
The assembly of claim 40 wherein the thermoplastic resinous substrate is in the form of a drinking cup.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
26 words
A plurality of particles in accordance with claim 15, and a fluid, hardenable synthetic material, resinous material. the particles being dispersed within the hardenable resinous material.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
27 words
The particles of claim 42 wherein the fluid resinous hardenable material is an exothermic material which, on curing, provides sufficient heat to cause the particles to expand.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
14 words
The particles of claim 43 wherein the hardenable resinous material is an epoxy resin.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
104 words
A coating comprising a plurality of thermoplastic resinous expandable generally spherical particles having encapsulated therein a single occlusion consisting essentially of a volatile organic liquid raising agent as a distinct and separate liquid phase which becomes gaseous at a temperature below the softening point of the thermoplastic resinous particles, the occlusion being generally centrally disposed, the particles being adhered together by means of a flexible thermoplastic synthetic resinous binder, the binder being present in a proportion just sufficient to adhere the particles together and adhere them to a substrate, and the binder becoming thermoplastic at a temperature below the thermoplastic temperature of the particles.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
76 words
A thermoplastic resinous expandable particle comprising a generally spherical shell of polymethyl methacrylate having encapsulated therein an occlusion essentially of a volatile organic liquid raising agent as a distinct and separate liquid phase which becomes gaseous at a temperature below the softening point of the polymethyl methacrylate polymer, wherein the raising agent comprises at least 20 volume percent based on the monomers and the raising agent, the particle being generally impermeable to the liquid raising agent.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
15 words
The particle of claim 15 having a diameter of from about 1 to 50 microns.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
15 words
The particle of claim 15 having a diameter of from about 2 to 10 microns.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-10-25 | 1975-04-26 | 1975-10-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-10-25 | 1979-04-26 | 1979-10-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-10-25 | 1983-04-26 | 1983-10-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |