Imitation leather material and method of preparing such material

Claim 2

A sheet laminate material suitable for use as a shoe-upper material, which laminate material comprises: a. a thin, flexible, organic, polymer, top skin layer; b. a flexible supporting fabric material; and c. a foam layer intervening between and bonded to the top skin layer and the fabric layer, which foam layer comprises a resilient, flexible, substantially open-cell, polymeric foam layer having a thickness of from about 5 to about 30 mils, and which foam layer has been derived from a latex composition which consists essentially of i. a film-forming, organic, cross-linkable, carboxylated polymer, ii. a water-soluble, long-chain, free, acidcontaining, partially neutralized, acrylate polymer in a thickening amount of from about 2 to 10 phr, iii. a methylol cross-linking agent in an amount sufficient to cross-link the organic film-forming carboxylated polymer and the acidic acrylate polymer, and iv. the latex composition having an acidic pH and a foamable viscosity.

Claim 3

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the polymer of the top skin layer comprises a flexible urethane polymer or a vinyl-halide.

Claim 4

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the surface of the top skin layer is thermoplastic polymer characterized by an embossed surface design thereon.

Claim 5

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the supporting sheet fabric material comprises a woven fabric sheet material.

Claim 6

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the organic film-forming carboxylated polymer comprises a carboxylated diene-nitrile copolymer, a diene-nitrile-acrylate copolymer, a diene-acrylate copolymer, a carboxylated vinyl polymer or a vinyl-halide-acrylate copolymer.

Claim 7

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the organic film-forming carboxylated polymer is a water-soluble carboxylated vinyl-chloride-alkyl-acrylate copolymer, or a carboxylated butadiene-acrylontrile polymer.

Claim 8

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the crosslinking agent comprises a water-soluble methylol aminoplast resin in an amount of from about 0.5 to 20 phr.

Claim 9

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the latex composition contains a silicone fluid cell-control agent.

Claim 10

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the latex composition contains from about 0 to 50 phr of particulate filler material.

Claim 11

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the foam layer has a dry foam density of from about 35 to 50 pcf.

Claim 12

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the acrylate polymer is a copolymer of an alkyl acrylate with from about 20 to 80% of an acrylic or methacrylic acid.

Claim 13

The laminate of claim 11 wherein the alkyl acrylate is ethyl acrylate.

Claim 14

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the cross-linking agent is a water-soluble melamine-formaldehyde condensate.

Claim 15

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the top skin layer has a thickness of from about 0.5 to 2.0 mils.

Claim 16

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the latex composition has a foaming viscosity of from about 5000 to 30,000 cps.

Claim 17

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the acrylate polymer is partially neutralized by ammonia.

Claim 18

The laminate of claim 1 wherein the latex composition has a pH of from about 5.0 to about 6.5.

Claim 19

A sheet laminate material suitable for use as a shoe-upper material, which laminate comprises: a. a thin, flexible, organic, polymer, top skin layer comprising a urethane or a plasticized vinyl-halide resin, and having a thickness of from about 0.5 to 2.0 mils, the top skin layer characterized by a surface design thereon; b. a flexible, supporting, woven, sheet fabric material; c. a foam layer intervening between and bonded to the top skin layer and the fabric material, which foam layer comprises a resilient, flexible, substantially open-cell polymeric foam layer having a thickness of from about 5 to 30 mils, and which foam layer has been obtained by frothing and heating a latex composition which consists essentially of i. a cross-linkable, carboxylated, diene-nitrile, elastomeric, film-forming, organic polymer, ii. a water-soluble, long-chain, free acidcontaining, partially ammonia-neutralized, acrylate polymer in an amount of from about 2 to 10 phr, iii. a water-soluble, methylol, aminoplast resin as a cross-linking agent to cross-link the film-forming polymer and the acrylate polymer, said cross-linking agent present in an amount of from about 0.5 to 20 phr, and iv. the latex composition having an acidic pH of from about 5.0 to about 6.5.

Claim 20

A sheet laminate material suitable for use as a shoe-upper material, which laminate comprises: a. a thin, flexible, organic, polymer, top skin layer comprising a urethane or a plasticized vinyl-halide resin, and having a thickness of from about 0.5 to 2.0 mils, the top skin layer characterized by a surface design thereon; b. a flexible, supporting, woven, sheet fabric material; c. a foam layer intervening between and bonded to the top skin layer and the fabric material, which foam layer comprises a resilient, flexible, substantially open-cell polymeric foam layer having a thickness of from about 5 to 30 mils, and which foam layer has been obtained by frothing and heating a latex composition which consists essentially of i. a cross-linkable, carboxylated, diene-nitrile, elastomeric, film-forming, organic polymer, ii. a water-soluble, long-chain, free acidcontaining, partially ammonia-neutralized, acrylate polymer in an amount of from about 2 to 10 phr, iii. a water-soluble, methylol, aminoplast resin as a cross-linking agent to cross-link the film-forming polymer and the acrylate polymer, said cross-linking agent present in an amount of from about 0.5 to 20 phr, and iv. the latex composition having an acidic pH of from about 5.0 to about 6.5.