US5958539A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thermoplastic article having textile fiber fabric embedded therein
Assignee: Hunter Douglas Industries Switzerland GmbH
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Filing: 1998-06-12
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Granted: 1999-09-28
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Expires: 2018-06-12
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a novel thermoplastic article having a fabric comprised of textile fibers embedded therein produced by applying heat and pressure to a laminate comprising, in order, (1) an upper sheet material, (2) a fabric comprised of textile fibers, and (3) a lower sheet material to produce a thermoplastic article having the fabric embedded therein. The upper and lower sheet materials are formed from a copolyester having an inherent viscosity of 0.5 to 1.2 dL/g, when measured at 25° C. using 0.50 grams of polymer per 100 mL of a solvent consisting of 60 weight percent phenol and 40 weight percent tetrachloroethane, comprising (i) diacid residues comprising at least 80 mole percent terephthalic acid residues; and (ii) diol residues comprising from 98 to 1 mole percent ethylene glycol residues and from 2 to 99 mole percent residues derived from 1,3- or, preferably, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol in which the ethylene glycol and cyclohexanedimethanol residues constitute at least 80 mole percent of the diol residues.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Dennis Eckart
- 👤 Raymond Lynn Goodson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 19:35
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B27/00; B32B27/12; B32B27/36; B32B5/00; B32B5/02; B32B5/024; B32B5/026; B32B2262/00; B32B2262/02; B32B2262/0246; B32B2262/0261; B32B2262/0276; B32B2262/04; B32B2262/06; B32B2262/062; B32B2262/08; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/40; B32B2307/41; B32B2307/412; B32B2307/414; B32B2307/50; B32B2307/554; B32B2307/70; B32B2307/718; B32B2309/00; B32B2309/08; B32B2309/10; B32B2309/105; B32B2317/00; B32B2317/10; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/16; Y10T428/162; Y10T428/163; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24058; Y10T428/24074; Y10T428/24091; Y10T428/24099; Y10T428/24107; Y10T428/24942; Y10T428/2495; Y10T428/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
162 words
A thermoplastic article having a fabric comprised of textile fibers embedded therein obtained by applying heat and pressure to a laminate comprising, in order, (1) an upper sheet material having a thickness of about 0.76 to 6.4 mm, (2) a fabric comprised of textile fibers selected from cotton, wool, silk, rayon, polyesters, synthetic polyamides, acrylic, modacrylic and cellulose acetate fibers, and (3) a lower sheet material having a thickness of about 0.76 to 6.4 mm; wherein the upper and lower sheet materials are formed from a copolyester having an inherent viscosity of 0.5 to 1.2 dL/g, when measured at 25° C. using 0.50 grams of polymer per 100 mL of a solvent consisting of 60 weight percent phenol and 40 weight percent tetrachloroethane, comprising: (i) diacid residues consisting essentially of terephthalic acid residues; and (ii) diol residues consisting essentially of ethylene glycol residues and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues wherein the mole ratio of ethylene glycol residues: 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues is about 10:90 to about 90:10.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
162 words
A thermoplastic article having a fabric comprised of textile fibers embedded therein obtained by applying heat and pressure to a laminate comprising, in order, (1) an upper sheet material having a thickness of about 0.76 to 6.4 mm, (2) a fabric comprised of textile fibers selected from cotton, wool, silk, rayon, polyesters, synthetic polyamides, acrylic, modacrylic and cellulose acetate fibers, and (3) a lower sheet material having a thickness of about 0.76 to 6.4 mm; wherein the upper and lower sheet materials are formed from a copolyester having an inherent viscosity of 0.5 to 1.2 dL/g, when measured at 25° C. using 0.50 grams of polymer per 100 mL of a solvent consisting of 60 weight percent phenol and 40 weight percent tetrachloroethane, comprising: (i) diacid residues consisting essentially of terephthalic acid residues; and (ii) diol residues consisting essentially of ethylene glycol residues and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues wherein the mole ratio of ethylene glycol residues: 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues is about 10:90 to about 90:10.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
A thermoplastic article according to claim 1 wherein the upper and lower sheet materials have a thickness in the range of about 0.76 to 6.4 mm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
78 words
A thermoplastic article according to claim 1 wherein the upper sheet material has a thickness in the range of about 1.6 to 3.2 mm, the mole ratio of ethylene glycol residues: 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol residues is about 60:40 to about 80:20, and the copolyester has an inherent viscosity of 0.6 to 0.9 dL/g, when measured at 25° C. using 0.50 grams of polymer per 100 mL of a solvent consisting of 60 weight percent phenol and 40 weight percent tetrachloroethane.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A thermoplastic article according to claim 3 wherein the article includes an abrasion-resistant coating on one or both of the exterior surfaces of the article.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A thermoplastic article according to claim 4 wherein the abrasion resistant coating is a heat-, ultraviolet- or electron beam-cured material on a film of poly(vinyl chloride), PETG copolyester, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(methyl methacrylate) or polycarbonate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A thermoplastic article according to claim 4 wherein the abrasion resistant surface is provided as a flourinated hydrocarbon, poly(perfluoroethylene), acrylic or oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) film having a thickness in the range of about 0.051 to 0.178 mm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
A thermoplastic article according to claim 11 wherein the upper sheet material is transparent and the lower sheet material is translucent or opaque.
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) | 2002-09-27 | 2003-03-29 | 2003-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-09-27 | 2007-03-29 | 2007-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-09-27 | 2011-03-29 | 2011-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |