Process for the production of a foam backed article

Claim 1

A process for the production of a foam-backed article, said process comprising the steps of forming a covering from a plurality of covering parts by sewing the parts together along joining seams, the thus formed covering having an inner side and an outer side, laying the outer side of the thus formed covering onto a preliminary mold, positioning a one-piece airtight film so that it overlies the whole of said covering, laying said film onto the inner side of said covering, sealing a peripheral edge portion of said film to said preliminary mold, applying a vacuum to the outer side of said covering while it is laid on said preliminary mold, thereby sucking said film into intimate contact against the whole of the inner side of said covering, bonding said film to the inner side of the covering, removing the covering from the preliminary mold, turning the covering inside out, introducing the covering into a thermo-forming mold cavity, which is the negative of the preliminary mold, so that the outer side of the covering abuts the thermo-forming mold cavity, closing the thermo-forming mold and injecting a foam forming material in the cavity.