Process for producing decorative multi-level embossed surface covering

Claim 1

The process for producing a surface covering having a decorative multi-level wear surface including embossed portions which differ in elevation and shading, the shading and embossing being in register with each other, said process comprising (a) depositing a plastisol coating onto the upper surface of a carrier; (b) depositing at least one layer of unfused thermoplastic granules of resinous dryblend onto the plastisol coating while said coating is still wet; (c) heating to gel the plastisol coating and cause partial melting of at least surface portions of the dryblend granules at their points of contact; (d) cooling and thereby forming bonds between adjacent granules of the resinous dryblend to form a cohesive, porous layer; (e) producing a design on said cohesive porous layer by applying at least one settable resinous ink to at least a portion of the upper surface thereof in sufficient amounts and viscosities to permit penetration thereof through at least 10 mils (0.254 mm) of its thickness at the points of application, said design including fully printed and completely non-printed areas, and at least portions of said design being formed by applying the ink in minute, closely spaced dots, the adjacent edge portions of at least a majority of which are variably separated from each other in distances ranging from about 5 to 60 mils (0.13 to 1.52 mm) by non-ink-containing portions of the dryblend layer to control the overall elevation and shading, in the ultimate finally fused sheet, of the dot-containing design portions and the non-ink-containing portions of the sheet between the dots, these elevations decreasing as the spacings of the dots increase; and (f) heating the composite sheet for final fusion of all resinous material to form a non-porous sheet wherein the portions of the design containing the dots differ in elevation and shading from that of the fully printed and completely non-printed design portions thereof.