Patent US4773959A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4773959A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for the manufacture of printed and embossed floor covering
Assignee: RESILIENT HOLDINGS Inc
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Filing: 1986-09-16
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Granted: 1988-09-27
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Expires: 2006-09-16
Abstract
Abstract An improved means is disclosed for continuously forming tiles that are embossed in register with a printed design. A printed design is first applied to a base coat and a wear coat is laminated over the design. Advantageously, the wear coat is applied to the printed web before it is heated for lamination. Before embossing occurs, the laminated product is cooled until partial setting occurs, and the embossing roll is sprayed with water in order to minimize the likelihood that the laminated product will adhere to the embossing roll. To avoid distorting the web during lamination and embossing, proper web tension is maintained by controlling the rotational speeds of the laminating drum and the embossing roll so that a desired ratio is preserved. The web is then cut into oversized tiles that shrink to size during annealing.
Inventors
- 👤 Merrill M. Smith
- 👤 Donald C. Ferguson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 19:39
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B38/00; B32B38/06; B29; B29C; B29C59/00; B29C59/02; B29C59/04; B29C59/046; B29D; B29D99/00; B29D99/0057; B32B37/00; B32B37/04; B32B37/08; B32B37/14; B32B37/26; B32B38/14; B32B38/18; B32B38/1825; B32B38/1833; B44; B44C; B44C1/00; B44C1/24; D; D06; D06N; D06N7/00; D06N7/0005; D06N7/0007; D06N7/001; D06N7/0028; B29C2793/00; B29C2793/009; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/10; B29L2031/104; B29L2031/30; B29L2031/3005; B29L2031/3017; B32B2309/00; B32B2309/02; B32B2471/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1002; Y10T156/1039; Y10T156/1041; Y10T156/17; Y10T156/1702; Y10T156/1705
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
395 words
Apparatus for making, on a continuous basis, a composite vinyl tile comprising means for forming a continuous base web on a moving supported surface, said web being formed from a vinyl composition, said moving surface being made of a material such that the base web will adhere to the surface when the web is hot but can be removed from it when the web is cooled, means for raising the temperature of said web, means for transferring a printed design from a pre-printed stable carrier sheet to the continuous base web, said printed design being formed by a vinyl material compatible with said base web, said printed design including a first portion which constitutes a decorative design for the finished product and a second portion which provides registration indicia for use in the manufacture thereof, means for laminating a clear plastic wear layer over the printed design on the base web, means for aligning the web, after the base web is laminated, by means of the printed registration indicia so that the web is aligned with an embossing roll in both the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the web and the direction that is the same as the direction of travel of the web, means for mechanically embossing the printed side of the base web with depressions in registration with the printed decorative design, means for cooling the base web, means for stripping the cooled web from the moving surface, means for aligning the web by means of the printed registration indicia so that the web is aligned with a cutting tool in both the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the web and the direction that is the same as the direction of travel of the web, means for cutting the base web into tiles so that the decorative design is in register with the edges of the tile, and means for annealing the cut tiles, characterized by means for continuously controlling the speed of the continuously moving base web in the laminating step relative to the speed of the continuously moving base web in the embossing step in order to maintain proper web tension so that the web does not expand laterally in the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the web or stretch in the same direction as the direction of travel of the web.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
395 words
Apparatus for making, on a continuous basis, a composite vinyl tile comprising means for forming a continuous base web on a moving supported surface, said web being formed from a vinyl composition, said moving surface being made of a material such that the base web will adhere to the surface when the web is hot but can be removed from it when the web is cooled, means for raising the temperature of said web, means for transferring a printed design from a pre-printed stable carrier sheet to the continuous base web, said printed design being formed by a vinyl material compatible with said base web, said printed design including a first portion which constitutes a decorative design for the finished product and a second portion which provides registration indicia for use in the manufacture thereof, means for laminating a clear plastic wear layer over the printed design on the base web, means for aligning the web, after the base web is laminated, by means of the printed registration indicia so that the web is aligned with an embossing roll in both the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the web and the direction that is the same as the direction of travel of the web, means for mechanically embossing the printed side of the base web with depressions in registration with the printed decorative design, means for cooling the base web, means for stripping the cooled web from the moving surface, means for aligning the web by means of the printed registration indicia so that the web is aligned with a cutting tool in both the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the web and the direction that is the same as the direction of travel of the web, means for cutting the base web into tiles so that the decorative design is in register with the edges of the tile, and means for annealing the cut tiles, characterized by means for continuously controlling the speed of the continuously moving base web in the laminating step relative to the speed of the continuously moving base web in the embossing step in order to maintain proper web tension so that the web does not expand laterally in the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the web or stretch in the same direction as the direction of travel of the web.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for cooling the web with water prior to mechanical embossing so that stretching of the web by the embossing roll will not occur.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for pre-annealing the web after it has been stripped from the moving surface, and means for cooling the pre-annealed web before it is cut.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a rotating drum for applying the wear layer to the base web, the surface speed of said drum being less than that at which the base web is driven through the embossing means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the surface speed of the rotating drum is approximately 98 to 99% of that at which the base web is driven.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the surface speed of the rotating drum is approximately 98.2% of that at which the base web is driven.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the embossing means comprises a backup roll and an embossing roll and the apparatus further comprises a rotating drum for applying the wear layer to the base web, the surface speed of said drum being less than the surface speed of said backup roll.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the surface speed of the rotating drum is approximately 98 to 99% of the surface speed of the backup roll.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the surface speed of the rotating drum is approximately 98.2% of the surface speed of the backup roll.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tiles are cut oversized and are shrunken to their proper size during annealing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
71 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plastic base web is formed from a vinyl composition comprising a minor portion of plasticized vinyl chloride polymer, and/or vinyl acetate copolymer, containing at least 80% vinyl chloride, uniformly mixed with a major proporion of mineral filler, said minor portion constituting about 16 to 25% by weight of the composition and said major portion constituting about 75 to 84% by weight of the composition.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-09-27 | 1992-03-28 | 1992-09-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-09-27 | 1996-03-28 | 1996-09-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-09-27 | 2000-03-28 | 2000-09-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |