Method of production of a non-skid laminated sheet

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a non-skid laminated tray comprising the steps of: (a) providing an assembly comprising in stacked relation (i) a plurality of paper core sheets impreganted throughout with a thermosetting phenolic resin, (ii) first and second decorative sheets adjacent to and on either side of said core sheets, said decorative sheets being impregnated with a thermosetting phenolic resin the decoration thereon facing away from said core sheets, (iii) a sheet of a thermoplastic urethane elastomer film that melts at a temperature and pressure sufficient to cure said thermosetting resin in said assembly and having a thickness of about 0.001 to 0.005 inches adjacent to and covering at least a portion of one of said decorative sheets, and (iv) a polyester film having a thickness of about 0.001 to about 0.004 inches at least covering the surface of said urethane film and opposite to said decorative sheet; (b) hot pressing said assembly in a mold, at a temperature of about 250° to about 400° F. at a pressure of about 3000 to about 5000 p.s.i. for a time period of about 100 to about 200 seconds during which time said mold is partially opened a plurality of times to form a cured, permeable unitary, first stage laminated tray having an irregular thermoplastic surface and containing entrapped gas; (c) removing said polyester film; (d) maintaining said first stage laminate for a time period of at least about 3 hours to allow entrapped gas formed in step (b) to permeate said laminate and be released; (e) placing a second sheet of a thermoplastic urethane elastomer fim having a thickness of about 0.002 to about 0.006 inches on the thermoplastic surface of said first stage laminate; (f) placing a textured release paper over said urethane film-covered first stage laminate; (g)thereafter hot pressing said release paper and urethane sheet covered first stage laminate at a temperature of about 175° to about 350° F. and a pressure of about 250 to about 750 p.s.i. for a time period of about 20 seconds to about 4 minutes to form a non-skid laminate with an emobssed surface; (h) removing said release paper; (i) cooling and recovering said non-skid laminated tray.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing a non-skid laminated tray comprising the steps of: (a) providing an assembly comprising in stacked relation (i) a plurality of paper core sheets impreganted throughout with a thermosetting phenolic resin, (ii) first and second decorative sheets adjacent to and on either side of said core sheets, said decorative sheets being impregnated with a thermosetting phenolic resin the decoration thereon facing away from said core sheets, (iii) a sheet of a thermoplastic urethane elastomer film that melts at a temperature and pressure sufficient to cure said thermosetting resin in said assembly and having a thickness of about 0.001 to 0.005 inches adjacent to and covering at least a portion of one of said decorative sheets, and (iv) a polyester film having a thickness of about 0.001 to about 0.004 inches at least covering the surface of said urethane film and opposite to said decorative sheet; (b) hot pressing said assembly in a mold, at a temperature of about 250° to about 400° F. at a pressure of about 3000 to about 5000 p.s.i. for a time period of about 100 to about 200 seconds during which time said mold is partially opened a plurality of times to form a cured, permeable unitary, first stage laminated tray having an irregular thermoplastic surface and containing entrapped gas; (c) removing said polyester film; (d) maintaining said first stage laminate for a time period of at least about 3 hours to allow entrapped gas formed in step (b) to permeate said laminate and be released; (e) placing a second sheet of a thermoplastic urethane elastomer fim having a thickness of about 0.002 to about 0.006 inches on the thermoplastic surface of said first stage laminate; (f) placing a textured release paper over said urethane film-covered first stage laminate; (g)thereafter hot pressing said release paper and urethane sheet covered first stage laminate at a temperature of about 175° to about 350° F. and a pressure of about 250 to about 750 p.s.i. for a time period of about 20 seconds to about 4 minutes to form a non-skid laminate with an emobssed surface; (h) removing said release paper; (i) cooling and recovering said non-skid laminated tray.

Claim 3

A method of manufacturing a non-skid laminated sheet comprising the steps of: (a) providing an assembly comprising, in stacked relation: (i) a core impregnated throughout with a thermosetting resin, (ii) a decorative sheet adjacent to said core, said decorative sheet being impregnated throughout with a thermosetting resin, and (iii) a sheet of a thermoplastic material that melts at a temperature and pressure sufficient to cure said thermosetting resin in said assembly and having a thickness of about 0.001 to 0.010 inches adjacent to and covering at least a portion of said decorative sheet, and opposite in said stack from said core; (b) releasably hot pressing said assembly at a temperature of about 250° to 400° F. at a pressure of 3000 to 5000 p.s.i. to form a cured, permeable unitary first stage laminate having an irregular thermoplastic surface and containing entrapped gas; (c) maintaining said first stage laminate for a period of time sufficient for entrapped gas formed in step (b) to permeate said laminate and be released; (d) thereafter releasably hot pressing said first stage laminate at a temperature, a pressure, and for a period of time sufficient to soften said thermoplastic surface to form a unitary laminate with an aesthetic non-skid surface; and (e) cooling and recovering said laminate.

Claim 4

A method of manufacturing a non-skid laminated sheet comprising the steps of: (a) providing an assembly comprising, in stacked relation: (i) a core impregnated throughout with a thermosetting resin, (ii) a decorative sheet adjacent to said core, said decorative sheet being impregnated throughout with a thermosetting resin, and (iii) a sheet of a thermoplastic material that melts at a temperature and pressure sufficient to cure said thermosetting resin in said assembly and having a thickness of about 0.001 to 0.010 inches adjacent to and covering at least a portion of said decorative sheet, and opposite in said stack from said core; (b) releasably hot pressing said assembly at a temperature of about 250° to 400° F. at a pressure of 3000 to 5000 p.s.i. to form a cured, permeable unitary first stage laminate having an irregular thermoplastic surface and containing entrapped gas; (c) maintaining said first stage laminate for a period of time sufficient for entrapped gas formed in step (b) to permeate said laminate and be released; (d) thereafter releasably hot pressing said first stage laminate at a temperature, a pressure, and for a period of time sufficient to soften said thermoplastic surface to form a unitary laminate with an aesthetic non-skid surface; and (e) cooling and recovering said laminate.