AU2008201120B2

AU2008201120B2 - Foam Product

Info

Publication number: AU2008201120B2
Application number: AU2008201120A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Tzong In Yeh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-03-11
Filing date: 2008-03-11
Publication date: 2013-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 2028-03-11
Also published as: AU2008201120A1

Abstract

A foam product includes a foam core, a foam buffer and a foam skin. The foam core includes a top surface and a bottom surface and defines at least one recess in an area of the top surface wherein the area is to be imparted during use 5 with respect to other areas of the top surface. The foam buffer has butter elasticity than does the foam core and is securely received in the recess of the foam core. In addition, the foam skin is bonded to and entirely covers a top surface of the foam buffer and the other areas of the foam core.

Description

Regulation 3-2 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT, 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: TZONG IN YEH Actual Inventor TZONG IN YEH Address for service in A J PARK, 1,evel 11, 60 Marcus Clarke Street, Canbem ACT Australia: 2601, Australia Invention Title: FOAM PRODUCT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me. Pa69W/'71200_1i.DOC FOAM PRODUCT BACKG ROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention 5 The present invention relates to a foam product in particular to a foam product with at least one foam buffer locally embedded in a specific area thereof. 2. Related Prior Art 1 0 A conventional foam product comprises a foam board (or a foam core) and a skin encasing the foam board. The foam board is made of foam materials. The skin is bonded to the foam board via a bonding medium. In U.S. Patent Nos. 5,658,179 and 4,850,913, a sports board comprises a foam core and a film/foam sheet laminate covering the foam core. The 15 foam core is composed of foam materials and shaped into a predetermined figure. The laminate is heat-laminated to all the surfaces of the foam core. U.S. Patent No. 5,211,593 discloses a foam-core structure with a graphics-imprinted skin. The foam-core structure and the method for making the same are similar with those of the patents mentioned above, but more 20 complicated. Additionally, U.S. Patent No. 4,767,369 discloses a water ski including a core and an outer skin enveloping the core. The water skin further includes struts positioned between a top surface of the core and the outer skin. The struts traverse a longitudinal portion of the ski and provide for two primary 25 functions. First, they provide structural integrity to support foot bindings. Second, they provide torsional rigidity to the ski. In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features 30 of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such 2 54SmI230external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form any part of the common general knowledge in the art. 5 SUMMARY OF INVENTION An embodiment of this invention seeks to provide a foam product embedded with a foam buffer against external force, or at least seeks to provide the public with a useful choice. The present invention provides a foam product compr sing: 1 0 a foam core comprising a top surface and a bottom suface, and defining at least one recess in an area of the top surface; a foam buffer being securely received in the recess of the foam core; and a first foam skin bonded to and entirely .covering a top surface of the 15 foam buffer and other areas of the top surface of the foam cote. The present invention further provides a foam product comprising: a foam core defining at least one first area and a second area on a top surface thereof; a foam buffer with a bottom surface bonded to the first area of the top 2 0 surface of the foam core; a first foam skin with a bottom surface partly bonded to a top surface of the foam buffer and partly bonded to the second area of the top surface of the foam core. There is described herein a foam product that includes a foam core, a 25 foam buffer and a foam skin. The foam core comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, and defines at least one recess in a predetermined area of the top surface where a user may impact more frequently than do to other areas of the top surface. The foam buffer has better elasticity than does the foam core and is securely received in the recess of the foam core. In addition, the foam 3 5451230-I skin is bonded to and entirely covers a top surface of the foam buffer and the other areas of the foam core. Benefits and ad antages of the present invention will become clear as the description proceed. 5 In the description in th s specification reference may be made to subject matter which is not within the scope of the appended claims. That subject matter should be readily iden tfiable by a person skilled in the art and may assist in putting into pr ctice e invention as defined in the presently appended claims. 10 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is an explosive view of a foam product accordi g to the 15 preferred embodiment c'f the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the foam product of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a regionally enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 2; and FIG. 4 is a further regionally enlarged view of the foamh product shown 20 in FIG. 3. DETAILED DE CRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference tc FIG$. 1-4, description will be given pf a foam product according to on embodiment of this invention. The foam product described herein is a bo yboa d. However, the foam produc according to 25 another embodiment of hi5 nivention may also be applied for many other applications, such as sp rts goods, recreational equipments, ci shion, etc. For instance, the foam prod ct m~y be used in sports goods, e.g. a snowboard, a sailboard or a slider. Alternatively, the foam product may be applied to other cushion, e.g. a bicycle saddle or a luggage cushion. 4 545 1230-1 Referring to FIG. 1, the foam product includes a foam core 10, a first foam skin 21, a second foam skin 22, a pair of third foam skins 23, a first patterned laminate 30, a r lurality of shaped foam buffers 51, 52, 53 and a plastic board including a second patterned laminate 40 and a plastic plate 43. 5 FIG. 2 is a cross-s ctional view of the foam product. As shown in FIG. 2, the foam core 10 's composed of a plurality of foam beads 104 bonded with one another tightly. The foam beads 104 are made of foam particles, such as polypropylene (P ), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS) or the like, and those foam beads 104 are pre-foamed. 10 FIG. 3, a regionally enlarged view of FIG. 2, shows that the foam core 10 has a top surface 101, 4 bottom surface 102 and edges 103. Three recesses 61, 62, 63 corresponding to the three foam buffers 51, 52, 53 are defined in predetermined reas of the top surface 101 of the foam core 10, where the areas are to be impacted during use with respect to other areas of the 15 top surface 101. The fozm buffers 51, 52, 53 have better elasticity that does the foam core 10 and are ecurely received in the recesses 61, 62, 63 of the foam core 10. In other words, the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 of the present invention may be located n any suitable position on the top surface 101 of the foam cores 10 and the pre erred position is where the foam product will be 2 0 exerted or pressed. Each of the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 has a density greater than that of the fir: t foam skin 21, preferably in a range of 1.5 to 12 pcf, so that the foam product iq more tactile and even. Similarly, the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 may be made o PE, PP, PS, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) or the like. Prefei ably, the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 are made of 25 materials selected from th se with physical-chemical characteristics similar to those of the foam beads 164 of the foam core 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 are disposed on the predetermined areas of the top surface 101 of the foam core 10 where a user may touch or lie prone while surfing. In such a fashion, the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 can protect the foam 30 core 10 from excessive stress and distortion over a long period of time so that 5 5451230-1 the foam product is strong and endurable. In another example, if the foam product is used in a boat or a canoe, one or more foam buffers may need to be placed in other suitable positions so as to match up with the body of the boat or the body of the canoe. 5 Referring back to FIG. 2, the foam core 10 is entirely encased by the first, second and third foam skins 21, 22, 23. The foam skins 21, 22, 23 are made of the same polyethylene foam with fame density and are directly heat laminated to the foam core 10 correspondingly without an intermediate element. More specifically, the first foan skin 21 is fully bonded to and 10 entirely covers top surfaces of the foam butfers 51, 52, 53 and the other areas of the foam core 10. The second foam skin 22 is heat laminated to the bottom surface 102 of the foam core 10. Laterally opposed third foam skins 23 are laminated to the side edges 103 of the foam core 10 respectively. Since the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 are disposed in the recesses 61, 62, 63 of the 15 foam core 10 and bonded with the foam core 10, and also is covered by and bonded with the first foam skin 21, there is no room for the foam buffers 51, 52, 53 to move. Each of the polyethylene foam skins 21, 22 23 has a density greater than that of the foam core 10 and is in the range of 1.5 to 10 PCF. Hence the foam skins 21, 22, 23 have smoc ther surfaces, which improve the 20 interfacial bonding strength during the heat lamination between the foam core 10 and the nonzfoam patterned laminate 30 In another example where the foam core 10 is made of non-polyethylene foam, such as polystyren foam or polypropylene foam, and the foam skins 21, 22, 23 and the foam buff ers 51, 52, 53 are made of 25 polyethylene foam, the foam skins 21, 22, 23 and the foam buffers 51,52,53 are adhesively bonded to the foam core 10 ia a bonding me or an adhesive. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first patterned laminate 30 includes an inner plastic film 31, an outer plastic film 39, and a pattern 33. The inner 30 plastic film 31 has a top joined to the outer plastic film 32 and a bottom 6 54S230-1 directly heat laminated to a top of the first foam skin 21. The pattern 33 may be printed on the top of the inner plastic film 31 or a bottom of the outer plastic film 32 in such a way that the pattern 33 is placed in between the inner and outer plastic films 31, 32. The pattern 33 is thereby pro ected from direct 5 exposure to the outside of environment. In addition, the outer film 32 is made of a transparent material so the pattern 33 is visible from outside of the outer plastic film 32. Referring to FIG. 4, the first patterned laminate 30 together with the first foam skin 21 is embossed or cast via a mold to define a plurality of 10 concaves 301 in an exterior surface 321 of the patterned laminate 30. In such a manner, the bonding strength between the patterned laminate 30 and the foam skin 21 is enhanced. Furthermore, the concaves 301 enable the users to grab the foam product with greater tenacity. Similar to the first patterned laminate 30, the opposed second patterned 15 laminate 40 of the plastic board includes an inner plastic film 41 and an outer plastic film 42 and a pattern (not shown) placed in between the inner and outer plastic films 41, 42. The inner plastic film 41 is laminated to a bottom of the second foam skin 22. The outer plastic film 42 is joined to a bottom of the inner plastic film 41. The plastic plate 43 which is thicker than the outer 20 plastic film 42 is laminated to a bottom of the outer plastic film 42 to enhance wear resistance. In addition, the outer film 42 and the plastic plate 43 are made of transparent materials so the pattern of the second patterned laminate 40 is visible from outside of the plastic plate 43 and is also protected from direct exposure to the outside of environment. 25 As stated above, the foam core 10 as well as the patterns is protected from erosion by exposure to ultraviolet light, moisture and abrasion. Furthermore, the patterns are visible from outside of the foarr product that attracts the users' attentions. In order to enhance the bonding between the foam core 10, the foam 30 buffers 51, 52, 53 and the first foam skin 21, a bonding medit m (not shown) 7 5451230-1 may be either applied to a contact side of the first foam skin 21 or to the top surface 101 of the foam core 10 and sides of the foam buffers 51, 52, 53. Preferably, the bonding medium is formed on the contact side of the first foam skin 21 for bonding the first foam skin 21 to the top surface 101 of the foam 5 core 10. The foam buffers 51, 52, 53 can further comprise additional bonding mediums to bond themselves to the foam core 10. n particular, materials of the bonding mediums are selected according to those of the foam beads 104 of the first foam core 10. In addition, the bonding mediums are made of the materials with excellent bonding ability to the foam beads 104 1 0 and the foam buffers 51, 52, 53, such as a multi-property copolymer mixed with PE, PS or the like. The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to limit the scope of the protection accorded this invention. The scope of protection is to be measured by the following claims, which should 15 be interpreted as broadly as the inventive contribution permits. The term "comprising" as used in this specification means "consisting at least in part of'. When interpreting each statement in this s ecification that includes the term "comprising", features other than that or those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related terms such as "comprise" and 20 "comprises" are to be interpreted in the same manner. 8 5451230-1

Claims

1. A foam product comprising: a foam core comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, and defining at least one recess in an area of the top surface; 5 a foam buffer being securely received in the recess of the foam core; and a first foam skin bonded to and entirely covering a top surface of the foam buffer and other areas of the top surface of the foam core.

2. The foam product of claim 1 further comprising a first patterned laminate bonded to the first foam skin wherein the first patterned laminate includes 1 0 an inner plastic film, an outer plastic film and a pattern laminated between the inner and outer plastic films and being visible from outside of the outer plastic film.

3. The foam product of claim 1 further comprising a second foam skin laminated to the bottom surface of the foam core. 15

4. The foam product of claim 3 wherein the foam core, the foam buffer, the first foam skin and the second foam skin are made of polyethylene foam; and the density of the first foam skin is greater than that of the foam core but less than that of the foam buffer.

5. The foam product of claim 2 further comprising a secon foam skin 20 laminated to the bottom surface of the foam core, wherein the first and second foam skins are made of same material with same density.

6. The foam product of claim 5 further comprising a second patterned laminate bonded to the second foam skin wherein the second patterned laminate includes an inner plastic film, an outer plastic film and a pattern 25 laminated between the inner and outer plastic films and being visible from outside of the outer plastic film.

7. The foam product of claim 6 further comprising a plastic plate laminated to the outer plastic film of the second patterned laminate; the plastic plate 9 54smo30- being thicker than the first patterned laminate; and the patttern of the second patterned laminate being visible from outside of the plastic plate.

8. The foam product of claim 1 further comprising a bonding medium wherein the foam core is made of non-polyethylene foam; and the first 5 foam skin and the foam buffer are made of polyethylene foam and bonded to the foam core via the bonding medium.

9. The foam product of claim 8 wherein the foam core is made from a material selected from the group of polystyrene foam and polypropylene foam.

10 10. The foam product of claim 1 wherein the foam buffer has better elasticity than does the foam core.

11. The foam product of claim 3 wherein the first and the second foam skins are made of same material with same density.

12. The foam product of claim 1 wherein the foam core is made of 15 polystyrene foam; and the foam buffer is made of polyethylene foam.

13. The foam product of claim 12 wherein the first foam skin is made of polyethylene foam.

14. A foam product comprising: a foam core defining at least one first area and a second area on a top 2 0 surface thereof; a foam buffer with a bottom surface bonded to the first rea of the top surface of the foam core; a first foam skin with a bottom surface partly bonded to a top surface of the foam buffer and partly bonded to the second area of the top surface 25 of the foam core.

15. The foam product of claim 14 wherein the foam buffer h is better elasticity than does the foam core. 10

5451230-1

16. The foam product of claim 14 wherein the foam core is made of polystyrene foam; and the foam buffer is made of polyethylene foam.

17. The foam product of claim 16 wherein the foam skin is made of polyethylene foam. 5

18. The foam product of claim 14 further comprising a patterned laminate having a pattern visible from outside, a bottom surface of the patterned laminate bonded to a top surface of the first foam skin.

19. The foam product of claim 18 further comprising: a second foam skin having a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of 10 the foam core; and a plastic board having a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the second foam skin.

20. A foam product being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 15 11 s4sino0-