US5277969A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Laminate material having a microfibrous polyurethanic base sheet and process for its preparation
Assignee: Alcantara SpA
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Filing: 1992-12-29
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Granted: 1994-01-11
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Expires: 2012-12-29
Abstract
Abstract An imitation leather laminate material comprises a base sheet consisting of 50 to 90% by weight of a microfiber felt wherein said microfibers are polyethylene terephthalate or polyamide 6 or polyamide 6--6 of from 0.05 to 0.4 denier, and 50 to 10% by weight of a polyurethane-polyurea polymer having an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity within the range from 10,000 to 50,000 centipoise (cps) when the solution is 25% by weight in dimethylformamide at a temperature of 20° C.; the resulting base sheet has final weight within 140 to 450 g/m 2 and density within 0.20 to 0.40 g/cm 3 and is backed with one or more functional substrates adhered thereto.
Inventors
- 👤 Carlo Borri
- 👤 Alessandro Piermattei
- 👤 Luigi Serpe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 10:58
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B5/00; B32B5/22; B32B5/24; B32B5/26; B32B27/00; B32B27/12; B32B5/02; B32B5/024; D; D06; D06N; D06N3/00; D06N3/0002; D06N3/0004; D06N3/12; D06N3/14; B32B2262/00; B32B2262/02; B32B2262/0261; B32B2262/0269; B32B2262/0276; B32B2262/0284; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/30; B32B2307/306; B32B2307/3065; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/903; Y10S428/904; Y10S428/92; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2982; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31551; Y10T428/31562; Y10T428/31565; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/30; Y10T442/3325; Y10T442/335; Y10T442/3358; Y10T442/3707; Y10T442/378; Y10T442/40; Y10T442/469; Y10T442/494; Y10T442/50; Y10T442/56
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 40
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A laminate material comprising: a) a base sheet comprising a polyester or polyamide microfiber felt of from about 0.05 to about 0.80 denier impregnated with a polyurethanic polymer, wherein said polyurethanic polymer has polyurethane and polyurea bonds and an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity ranging from about 10,000 to about 50,000 centipoise when said polymer solution comprises 25% by weight in dimethyl formamide at a temperature of 20° C., wherein said base sheet ranges from about 50% to about 90% by weight of said felt and correspondingly from about 50% to about 10% by weight of said polyurethanic polymer, and wherein said base sheet has a final weight of from about 140 to about 400 g/m 2 and a density of from about 0.20 to about .40 gm/cm 3 ; and b) a functional substrate attached to said base sheet.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
A laminate material comprising: a) a base sheet comprising a polyester or polyamide microfiber felt of from about 0.05 to about 0.80 denier impregnated with a polyurethanic polymer, wherein said polyurethanic polymer has polyurethane and polyurea bonds and an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity ranging from about 10,000 to about 50,000 centipoise when said polymer solution comprises 25% by weight in dimethyl formamide at a temperature of 20° C., wherein said base sheet ranges from about 50% to about 90% by weight of said felt and correspondingly from about 50% to about 10% by weight of said polyurethanic polymer, and wherein said base sheet has a final weight of from about 140 to about 400 g/m 2 and a density of from about 0.20 to about .40 gm/cm 3 ; and b) a functional substrate attached to said base sheet.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said felt is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide 6, polyamide 6--6, or combinations thereof and is from about 0.05 to about 0.40 denier, and wherein said polyurethanic polymer has an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity ranging from about 15,000 to about 28,000 centipoise when said polymer solution comprises 25% by weight in dimethylformamide at a temperature of 20° C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
67 words
The laminate material of claim 2, wherein said base sheet ranges from about 60% to about 75% by weight of said felt and correspondingly from about 40% to about 25% by weight of said polyurethanic polymer, and wherein said base sheet has a final weight of from about 160 to about 260 g/m 2 and a density of from about .20 to about .30 gm/cm 3 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
The laminate material of claims 2 or 3, wherein said polyurethanic polymer is the reaction product of 3-isocyanate methyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate, or of a diisocyanate of formula OCN--R--CH.sub.2 --R--NCO wherein R is a benzene or cyclohexane group, having a mixture of polyester glycols and polyether glycols having an average molecular weight of from 1900 to 2100 wherein the resulting prepolymer is extended by reaction with a chain extender.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The laminate material of claim 4, wherein said chain extender is water.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said felt comprises of flame resistant polyester.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The laminate material of claim 6, wherein said flame resistant polyester comprises a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate and a glycol of formula: ##STR3##
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises a woven fabric having about 55 to about 70 parts of polyester fibers and about 30 to about 45 parts of cotton fibers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises a knitted nylon fabric.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises a polyurethane foam layer of from about 2 to about 6 mm in thickness and a density of from about 18 to about 40 g/cm 3 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises a woven fabric of flame resistant polyester.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises a flame retarded polyurethane foam layer of from about 2 to about 6 mm in thickness and a density of from about 18 to about 40 g/cm 3 .
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
The laminate material of claim 10, further comprising a thermobonding layer interposed between said base sheet and said functional substrate, wherein said thermobonding layer is selected from the group consisting of thermobonding films and thermobonding foams having less than 1.2 mm in thickness.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
The laminate material of claim 8, further comprising an 8 to 10 mm thick polyurethane foam layer and a knitted nylon fabric attached to the laminate.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The laminate material of claim 8, further comprising a 2.5 to 3.5 mm thick polyurethane foam and a knitted polyethylene terephthalate fabric attached to the laminate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises a waterproofing film.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
The laminate material of claim 16, wherein said functional substrate comprises a woven fabric of polyester/cotton in a ratio of from about 70/30 to about 55/45 or a 100% flame retarded polyester.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The laminate material of claim 16, wherein said functional substrate comprises a polyurethane foam of from 2 to 6 mm in thickness.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The laminate material of claim 16, wherein said waterproofing film comprises a micropore polyurethane film.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The laminate material of claim 13, wherein said thermobonding layer comprises a natural or imitation leather substrate.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The laminate material of claim 1, wherein said functional substrate comprises wallpaper substrate.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
152 words
A process for preparing an imitation leather laminated material, comprising the steps of: preparing a felt of polyester or polyamide microfibers of from 0.05 to 0.80 denier, preparing a solution of a polyurethane-polyurea polymer having an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity within the range from 10,000 to 50,000 centipoise (cps) when the solution is 25% by weight in dimethylformamide at a temperature of 20° C., impregnating said felt with said polyurethane-polyurea to such an extent as to obtain after coagulating and drying steps a polyurethanic base sheet containing from 50 to 90% by weight of said felt and from 10 to 50% by weight of said polyurethane-polyurea polymer, the resulting base sheet having final weight within 140 to 450 g/m 2 and density within 0.20 to 0.40 g/cm 3 , and bonding the polyurethanic base sheet thus obtained with a functional substrate comprising one or more substrate materials.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
152 words
A process for preparing an imitation leather laminated material, comprising the steps of: preparing a felt of polyester or polyamide microfibers of from 0.05 to 0.80 denier, preparing a solution of a polyurethane-polyurea polymer having an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity within the range from 10,000 to 50,000 centipoise (cps) when the solution is 25% by weight in dimethylformamide at a temperature of 20° C., impregnating said felt with said polyurethane-polyurea to such an extent as to obtain after coagulating and drying steps a polyurethanic base sheet containing from 50 to 90% by weight of said felt and from 10 to 50% by weight of said polyurethane-polyurea polymer, the resulting base sheet having final weight within 140 to 450 g/m 2 and density within 0.20 to 0.40 g/cm 3 , and bonding the polyurethanic base sheet thus obtained with a functional substrate comprising one or more substrate materials.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
63 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein said microfibers are polyethylene terephthalate or polyamide 6 or polyamide 6--6 of from 0.05 to 0.4 denier, and said polyurethanic polymer has an average molecular weight corresponding to a polymer solution viscosity within the range from 15,000 to 28,000 centipoise (cps) when the solution is 25% by weight in dimethylformamide at a temperature of 20° C.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
50 words
A process according to claim 23, wherein said microfiber felt is 60 to 75% by weight and said polyurethanic polymer is 40 to 25% of said base sheet, the said base sheet having final weight within 160 to 260 g/m 2 and density within 0.20 to 0.30 g/cm 3 .
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
66 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein said polyurethane-polyurea polymer preparation comprises the steps of reacting 3-isocyanate methyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate, or a diisocyanate of formula OCN--R--CH.sub.2 --R--NCO where R is a benzene or cyclohexane group, with a mixture of polyester glycols and polyester glycols having an average molecular weight of from 1900 to 2100 to form a prepolymer, and reacting the resulting prepolymer with a chain extender.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process according to claim 25, wherein said prepolymer is reacted with water to obtain a polyurethane polyurea polymer.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process according to claim 26, wherein the water is used according to a water/glycols molar ratio within 1.50 and 1.71 and the extension reaction with water is carried out at a temperature within 30° to 80° C.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
58 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein said preparation step of cited microfiber felt comprises the step of coextruding a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate and a glycol of formula ##STR4## with a styrene polymer or copolymer having relative viscosity (n) 1.78±0.03, max. moisture 400 ppm, softening point 87° C., weight density 1.05, apparent density 0.65, rest angle 32.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
44 words
A process according to claim 22, comprising the step of bonding a woven fabric functional substrate, wherein said woven fabric is comprising 55 to 70 parts of polyester fibers and 30 to 45 parts of cotton fibers, or a 100 parts flame retarded polyester.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein said functional substrate is a knitted nylon or polyethylene terephthalate fabric.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
41 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein said functional substrate is a polyurethane foam layer or a flame retarded polyurethane foam layer of from 2 to 6 mm thickness and having a density of from 18 to 40 g/cm 3 .
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein said coupling step is carried out by means of a thermobonding layer selected from thermobonding films and thermobonding foams of less than 1.2 thickness.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process according to claim 29 or 30, wherein said fabric is bonded to said polyurethanic base sheet by means of thermobonding polymer powders.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process according to claim 30, wherein a polyurethane foam is bonded to said knitted fabric.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
22 words
A process according to claim 29, wherein a polyurethane foam of 2 to 6 mm thickness is bonded to said woven fabric.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
15 words
A process according to claim 22, comprising the step of bonding a waterproofing film substrate.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein a natural or imitation leather substrate is bonded by glues to said base sheet.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
22 words
A process according to claim 22, wherein a wallpaper substrate is bonded to said base sheet by means of polyvinyl based glues.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-01-10 | 1997-07-12 | 1998-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-01-10 | 2001-07-12 | 2002-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-01-10 | 2005-07-12 | 2006-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |