Method of making polyurethane powder

Claim 1

THE METHOD FOR PREPARING POLYURETHANE RESINS DIRECTLY IN FINELY DIVIDED FORM FROM REACTION OF A FRIST REACTANT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE ORGANIC POLYISOCYANATE WITH A SECOND REACTANT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE ORGANIC COMPOUND CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO GROUPS HAVING ACTIVE HYDROGEN TO FORM A SOLID REACTION PRODUCT, SAID FRIST REACTANT BEING EMPLOYED IN AMOUNT RELATIVE TO THE AMOUNT OF SAID SECOND REACTANT TO GIVE A MOLAR RATIO OF ACTIVE HYDROGEN TO -NCO IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 0.85:1 TO ABOUT 1.15:1, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF EMULSIFYING, SAID ACTIVE HYDROGEN COMPOUND REACTANT IN LIQUID FORM WITH THE AID OF A POLYMERIC SURFACTANT AS FINE DROPLETS IN A CONTINUOUS PHASE COMPRISING AN ORGANIC LIQUID INERT TO AND LESS POLAR THAN SAID REACTANT AND IN WHICH AT LEAST SAID ONE REACTANT AND SAID SOLID REACTION PRODUCT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE AND THE OTHER OF SAID REACTANTS IS MISCIBLE, SAID SUFACTANT BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT OF FROM ABOUT 0.1% TO ABOUT 10% ON THE WEIGHT OF EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE LIQUID REACTANT, DISSOLVING SAID MISCIBLE REACTANT IN SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, REACTING SAID EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE REACTANTS WITH SAID MISCIBLE DISSOLVED REACTANT BY INTERFACIAL REACTION BETWEEN THE DROPLETS OF SAID EMULSIFIED REACTANT AND DISSOLVED REACTANT IN SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID UNDER CONDITIONS OF VIGOROUS AGITATION TO FORM TFINE PARTICLES OF SAID POLYURETHANE SEPARABLE FROM SAID INERT LIQUID BY SETTLING, AND SEPARATING SAID PARTICLES FROM SAID INERT LIQUID, THE MOLECULES OF SAID POLYMERIC SUFACTANT HAVING AN AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 2,000, AND HAVING POLAR GROUPS WHICH ASSOCIATE WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID DROPLETS OF EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE REACTANT AND WITH PARTICLES OF SAID SOLID REACTION PRODUCT AND LESS-POLAR GROUPS WHICH ARE SOLVATED BY THE SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, THE QUANTITY AND THE BALANCE OF POLAR TO LESS-POLAR GROUPS OF SAID SURFACTANT RELATIVE TO THE POLARITIES OF SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, SAID INSOLUBLE EMULSIFIED LIQUID REACTANT AND SAID REACTION PRODUCT PROVIDING THAT THE TOTAL ASSOCIATION OF LESS POLAR GROUPS WITH SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID IS GREATER THAN THE TOTAL ASSOCIATION OF THE POLAR GROUPS WITH SAID EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE REACTANT AND WITH SAID SOLID REACTION PRODUCT BY AN AMOUNT TO ENSURE THAT SAID INERT LIQUID WILL BE THE EXTERNAL PHASE, BUT IS LESS THAN THE AMOUNT WHICH WOULD INTERFERE WITH FORMATION OF A FINE EMULSION OF THE INSOLUBLE LIQUID REACTANT IN SAID ORGANIC LIQUID, COORINATING (A) THE INTENSITY OF SAID AGITATION, (B) THE QUANTITY AND THE BALANCE OF POLAR TO LESS-POLAR GROUPS OF SAID SUFACTANT IN SAID EMULSION AND (C) THE POLARITIES OF SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, SAID EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE LIQUID REACTANT AND SAID REACTION PRODUCT TO FORM A FINE EMULSION IN WHICH AT LEAST ABOUT 95% BY WEIGHT OF THE DROPLETS OF SAID EMULSIFIED REACTANT WILL BE IN THE RANGE OF FROM 1 TO 300 MICRONS IN DIAMETER SO THAT THE PARTICLES OF REACTION PRODUCT WILL SETTLE, THE ASSOCIATION O F SAID SURFACTANT WITH SAID REACTION PRODUCT HOLDING SAID SURFACTANT ON THE SURFACE OF SAID PARTICLES OF REACTION PRODUCT TO IMPEDE AGGLOMERATION OF SAID PARTICLES.

Claim 2

THE METHOD FOR PREPARING POLYURETHANE RESINS DIRECTLY IN FINELY DIVIDED FORM FROM REACTION OF A FRIST REACTANT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE ORGANIC POLYISOCYANATE WITH A SECOND REACTANT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE ORGANIC COMPOUND CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO GROUPS HAVING ACTIVE HYDROGEN TO FORM A SOLID REACTION PRODUCT, SAID FRIST REACTANT BEING EMPLOYED IN AMOUNT RELATIVE TO THE AMOUNT OF SAID SECOND REACTANT TO GIVE A MOLAR RATIO OF ACTIVE HYDROGEN TO -NCO IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 0.85:1 TO ABOUT 1.15:1, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF EMULSIFYING, SAID ACTIVE HYDROGEN COMPOUND REACTANT IN LIQUID FORM WITH THE AID OF A POLYMERIC SURFACTANT AS FINE DROPLETS IN A CONTINUOUS PHASE COMPRISING AN ORGANIC LIQUID INERT TO AND LESS POLAR THAN SAID REACTANT AND IN WHICH AT LEAST SAID ONE REACTANT AND SAID SOLID REACTION PRODUCT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE AND THE OTHER OF SAID REACTANTS IS MISCIBLE, SAID SUFACTANT BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT OF FROM ABOUT 0.1% TO ABOUT 10% ON THE WEIGHT OF EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE LIQUID REACTANT, DISSOLVING SAID MISCIBLE REACTANT IN SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, REACTING SAID EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE REACTANTS WITH SAID MISCIBLE DISSOLVED REACTANT BY INTERFACIAL REACTION BETWEEN THE DROPLETS OF SAID EMULSIFIED REACTANT AND DISSOLVED REACTANT IN SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID UNDER CONDITIONS OF VIGOROUS AGITATION TO FORM TFINE PARTICLES OF SAID POLYURETHANE SEPARABLE FROM SAID INERT LIQUID BY SETTLING, AND SEPARATING SAID PARTICLES FROM SAID INERT LIQUID, THE MOLECULES OF SAID POLYMERIC SUFACTANT HAVING AN AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 2,000, AND HAVING POLAR GROUPS WHICH ASSOCIATE WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID DROPLETS OF EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE REACTANT AND WITH PARTICLES OF SAID SOLID REACTION PRODUCT AND LESS-POLAR GROUPS WHICH ARE SOLVATED BY THE SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, THE QUANTITY AND THE BALANCE OF POLAR TO LESS-POLAR GROUPS OF SAID SURFACTANT RELATIVE TO THE POLARITIES OF SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, SAID INSOLUBLE EMULSIFIED LIQUID REACTANT AND SAID REACTION PRODUCT PROVIDING THAT THE TOTAL ASSOCIATION OF LESS POLAR GROUPS WITH SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID IS GREATER THAN THE TOTAL ASSOCIATION OF THE POLAR GROUPS WITH SAID EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE REACTANT AND WITH SAID SOLID REACTION PRODUCT BY AN AMOUNT TO ENSURE THAT SAID INERT LIQUID WILL BE THE EXTERNAL PHASE, BUT IS LESS THAN THE AMOUNT WHICH WOULD INTERFERE WITH FORMATION OF A FINE EMULSION OF THE INSOLUBLE LIQUID REACTANT IN SAID ORGANIC LIQUID, COORINATING (A) THE INTENSITY OF SAID AGITATION, (B) THE QUANTITY AND THE BALANCE OF POLAR TO LESS-POLAR GROUPS OF SAID SUFACTANT IN SAID EMULSION AND (C) THE POLARITIES OF SAID INERT ORGANIC LIQUID, SAID EMULSIFIED INSOLUBLE LIQUID REACTANT AND SAID REACTION PRODUCT TO FORM A FINE EMULSION IN WHICH AT LEAST ABOUT 95% BY WEIGHT OF THE DROPLETS OF SAID EMULSIFIED REACTANT WILL BE IN THE RANGE OF FROM 1 TO 300 MICRONS IN DIAMETER SO THAT THE PARTICLES OF REACTION PRODUCT WILL SETTLE, THE ASSOCIATION O F SAID SURFACTANT WITH SAID REACTION PRODUCT HOLDING SAID SURFACTANT ON THE SURFACE OF SAID PARTICLES OF REACTION PRODUCT TO IMPEDE AGGLOMERATION OF SAID PARTICLES.