US3919370A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Moulding heat expandable thermoplastic material
Assignee: Profile Expanded Plastics Ltd
•
Filing: 1973-07-17
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Granted: 1975-11-11
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Expires: 1993-07-17
Abstract
Abstract A method of filling a mould with heat expandable beads of polystyrene arranged in a plurality of layers of different density, so that when the mould is heated to fuse the beads, the parts having the greatest density are stronger than the remainder of the article. The mould is provided internally with a vertical baffle plate mounted on the bottom of the mould directly below the filler opening and arranged so that beads fed through the filler opening are divided by the baffle plate into two streams which are deflected by the baffle plate in different directions towards different parts of the mould. The beads are drawn from two hoppers, one containing beads of high density and the other containing beads of low density, and the beads for a layer at an intermediate density are drawn simultaneously from both hoppers and mixed together before being fed into the mould. During the filling operation, the proportion of beads from the two hoppers is progressively varied to vary the average density of the beads entering the mould and form the desired density pattern within the mould. The baffle plate is withdrawn through a slot in the bottom of the mould before the mould is heated.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Frederick Jos Cotterell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 02:36
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C44/00; B29C44/34; B29C44/36; B29C44/38; B29C44/44; B29C44/445; B29C44/02; B29C44/04; B29C44/0461; B29C44/0469; B29C44/3415; B29C44/3426; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/58; B29L2031/771; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S264/00; Y10S264/10; Y10S297/00; Y10S297/02; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24496; Y10T428/24504; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/249961
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
127 words
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF A SHAPED ARTICLE FROM HEAT-EXPANDABLE BEADS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL BY PER-EXPANDING THE BEADS TO DIFFERENT DENSITIES, MIXING SAID BEADS OF DIFFEENT DENSITIES IN PREDETERMINED PROPORTIONS TO POVIDE A MIXTURE OF BEADS OF SPECIFIC AVERAGE DENSITY, FEEDING SAID MIXTURE OF BEADS THROUGH A SMALL FILLER OPENING IN THE TOP OF THE MOULD, VARYING THE PROPORTION OF BEADS OF DIFFERENT DENSITY FED THROUGH THE FILLE OPENING SO THAT THE BEADS ARE DEPOSITED IN LAYERS OF DIFFEENT AERAGE DENSITY IN THE MOULD, CLOSING SAID FILLER OPENING, AN THEN HEATING THE BEADS TO EXPAND AND FUSE TEM TOGETHER TO FORM AN ARTICLE IN WHICH THE DENSITY OF THE MATERIAL VARIES WITHIN THE ARTICLE: A METHOD OF DISTRIBUING THE MIXTURE OF BEADS TODIFFERENT PARTS OF SAID MOULD COMPRISING
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
127 words
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF A SHAPED ARTICLE FROM HEAT-EXPANDABLE BEADS OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL BY PER-EXPANDING THE BEADS TO DIFFERENT DENSITIES, MIXING SAID BEADS OF DIFFEENT DENSITIES IN PREDETERMINED PROPORTIONS TO POVIDE A MIXTURE OF BEADS OF SPECIFIC AVERAGE DENSITY, FEEDING SAID MIXTURE OF BEADS THROUGH A SMALL FILLER OPENING IN THE TOP OF THE MOULD, VARYING THE PROPORTION OF BEADS OF DIFFERENT DENSITY FED THROUGH THE FILLE OPENING SO THAT THE BEADS ARE DEPOSITED IN LAYERS OF DIFFEENT AERAGE DENSITY IN THE MOULD, CLOSING SAID FILLER OPENING, AN THEN HEATING THE BEADS TO EXPAND AND FUSE TEM TOGETHER TO FORM AN ARTICLE IN WHICH THE DENSITY OF THE MATERIAL VARIES WITHIN THE ARTICLE: A METHOD OF DISTRIBUING THE MIXTURE OF BEADS TODIFFERENT PARTS OF SAID MOULD COMPRISING
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
INSERTING A DEFLECTOR PLATE INTO THE MOULD THROUGH A SLOT IN THE WALL THEREOF SEPARATE FROM THE FILLER OPENING,
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
INSERTING A DEFLECTOR PLATE INTO THE MOULD THROUGH A SLOT IN THE WALL THEREOF SEPARATE FROM THE FILLER OPENING,
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
FEEDING THE MIXTURE OF BEADS IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID FILLER OPENING AND ON TO AN ANGLE OF THE DEFLECTOR PLATE, WHEREBY THE DEFLECCTOR PLATE SEPARATES THE FLOW OF BEADS INTO TWO OR MORE STREAS AND DFLECS THE STREAM TOWARDS DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MOULD,
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
FEEDING THE MIXTURE OF BEADS IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM THROUGH SAID FILLER OPENING AND ON TO AN ANGLE OF THE DEFLECTOR PLATE, WHEREBY THE DEFLECCTOR PLATE SEPARATES THE FLOW OF BEADS INTO TWO OR MORE STREAS AND DFLECS THE STREAM TOWARDS DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE MOULD,
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
feeding the mixture of beads in a continuous stream through said filler opening and on to an edge of the deflector plate, whereby the deflector plate separates the flow of beads into two or more streams and deflects the streams towards different parts of the mould,
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
feeding the mixture of beads in a continuous stream through said filler opening and on to an edge of the deflector plate, whereby the deflector plate separates the flow of beads into two or more streams and deflects the streams towards different parts of the mould,
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of rigidly securing one end of the deflector plate to the wall of the mould and manually deforming the plate so as to vary the position of said edge in the stream of beads and thereby vary the distribution of beads in the mould.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
161 words
A method of manufacturing the frame of a wing chair by the method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the mould is arranged with the cavity thereof corresponding to that of the chair in an inverted position with the lower extremities of the mould defining the upper portion of the chair back and the front portion of the chair seat respectively the filler opening being provided at the top of the mould at the junction between the walls of the mould defining the rear of the chair back and the underside of the chair seat, and the deflector comprises a baffle plate mounted on the wall of the mould below the filler opening and arranged to split the flow of beads entering the mould into two streams and direct one of the streams towards the part of the mould cavity defining the chair back and the other stream towards the part of the mould cavity defining the chAir seat.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
withdrawing the deflector plate through said slot after said parts of the mould have been filled with beads, and
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
withdrawing the deflector plate through said slot after said parts of the mould have been filled with beads, and
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
WITHDRAWING THE DEFLECTOR PLATE THROUGH SAID SLOT AFTER SAID PARTS OF THE MOULD HAVE BEEN FILED WITH BEADS, AND
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
WITHDRAWING THE DEFLECTOR PLATE THROUGH SAID SLOT AFTER SAID PARTS OF THE MOULD HAVE BEEN FILED WITH BEADS, AND
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
11 words
CLOSING SAID SLOT PRIOR TO HEATING THE BEADS IN THE MOULD.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
11 words
CLOSING SAID SLOT PRIOR TO HEATING THE BEADS IN THE MOULD.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
11 words
closing said slot prior to heating the beads in the mould.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
11 words
closing said slot prior to heating the beads in the mould.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
71 words
A method as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the baffle plate is positioned so that the ratio of the volume rates of flow of the beads in the two streams is approximately equal to the ratio of the volumes of the two parts of the mould cavity defining the chair back and chair seat, whereby said two parts of the mould cavity fill up at approximately the same rate.
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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) | 1978-11-10 | 1979-05-12 | 1979-11-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-11-10 | 1983-05-12 | 1983-11-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-11-10 | 1987-05-12 | 1987-11-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |