Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02458284 2004-02-23
SLIDER HAYIrTG IMPROVED RESISTA1~1CE TO EROSION AhID WEAR
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to a slider, used for sliding on snow, grass,
sand or the
like. The slider is a foam core to which layer are laminated to protect
against erosion,
wear and ultraviolet light. In the context of this spec~cation, the slider is
anyone of the
embodiments. The slider is a bodyboard, a snow board, a snow sled, a grass
sliding board,
sand sliding board, surfing board or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
'The slider of the prior art is a board made of plastic that has handles
attached on the
surface of the board and has a design printed in a central area of the board.
The plastic is
typieaily a hard plastic in order that the board could be wear resistant.
However, the solid
plastic board is generally not comfortable for the user and the board is also
heavy for the
users, especially children to cant'. Besides, the design simply printed on the
surface of the
board is easily wom off due to the frequent contact with the user.
Another slider of the prior art is a board made of expanded foam. An outer
film is
generally laminated to a top surface of the foam board and several strips are
laminated to
edges of the foam board. The slider made of foam is more comfortable for the
users to
2 0 contact with and lighter for the users to carry with than a slider made of
solid plastic.
However, It is known that the ultraviolet damages of expanded foam;
furthermore, the
outer film and the strip also degrade under the sunshine after a period of
time. Air-cells of
the foam board fracture when abraded. Once the air-cells are broken, water
retains in the
open cells and erosion reduces the life of the slider. Furthermore, the design
of a slider
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
mostly is printed on the outer film and the strips; therefore, the design on
the board
deteriorates very quickly.
The designs or patterns on the sliders are convenient means for the owners to
identify
their sliders. Therefore, an enduring pattern of the slider performs a useful
and decorative
function.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
it is a primary object of the invention to provide a slider whose surfaces
resist accelerated
erosion due to moisture, dirt and ultraviolet sunlight.
It is another object of the invention that a pattern imprinted on the slider
resists wear and
tear.
Another object of the invention is that the slider is comfortable to the
touch.
In one embodiment, this invention discloses a slider comprising a foam core, a
top layer,
a pattern, and a bottom layer. The foam core has a top surface, a bottom
surface and edge
surfaces. The top layer is a composite layer heat laminated to the top surface
and edge
surfaces of the foam core. A pattern is formed within the top layer and the
pattern is
visible from outside of the top layer. The bottom layer is heat laminated to
the bottom
surface of the foam core.
In another embodiment, this invention comprises a top layer comprising an
outer film, an
2 o inner film, a pattern, and a foam skin. The outer film has a top surface
and a bottom
surface, which the pattern is printed on. The inner film has a top surface
heat laminated to
the bottom surface of the outer film and a bottom surface, which heat laminate
to a top
surface of the foam skin. A bottom surface of the foam skin is heat laminated
to the top
surface and edge surfaces of the foam core.
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
In a further embodiment, this invention comprises a bottom layer comprising a
foam skin
and a plastic board. The foam skin has a top surface, which is heat laminated
to the
bottom surface of the foam core and a bottom surface, which is heat laminated
to the
plastic board. The plastic board is a composite board and a pattern is printed
within the
plastic board.
Other features of the invention include bonding films that enable foam
materials such as
polystyrene to be heat laminated to polyethylene.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
l0
The invention will be more clearly understood after referring to the following
detailed
description read in conjunetian with the drawings wherein:
Fig. l is an exploded prospective view of the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig 2 is a cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 3 is a regionally enlarged cross sectional view of the first embodiment
of the present
invention;
Fig.4 is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig.S is a cross sectional view of the third embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig.6 is a cross sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present
invention;
2 0 Fig.7 is a cross sectional view of the Efth embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig.$ is a cross sectional view of the sixth embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the seventh embodiment of the present
invention; and
Fig. 10 is across sectional view of the eighth embodiment;
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Fig.l, Fig.2 and Fig. 3, the first embodiment of the present
invention
comprises a foam core 1, a top layer 4, a first pattern 3a, and a bottom layer
5. The foam
core 1 has a top surface 10, a bottom surface I 1 and edge surfaces i 2. The
top layer 4 is
heat laminated to the top surface 10 and edge surfaces 12 of the foam core 1,
and the
bottom layer 5 is heat laminated to the bottom surface 11 of the foam core 1.
The foam
core 1 is made of polyethylene and has a density in the range of 1.2 to 8 PCF
(pounds per
cubic foot) so the foam core is light and flexible. Furthermore, both a single
and a
l0 composite foam core apply to this invention.
The top layer 4 is a composite layer, which comprises a first outer film 41
and a first
inner film 42. Both the first outer film 41 and first inner film 42 are made
plastic. The
first pattern 3a is printed on a bottom surface 412 of the first outer film 41
and is visible
from outside of the first outer film 41. The first inner film 42 has a top
surface 421 which
is heat laminated to the bottom surface 412 of the first outer film 41. The
first pattern 3a
is thereby protected from direct exposure to the outside of environment. A
bottom surface
422 of the first inner film 42 is heat laminated to the top surface 10 and
edge surfaces 12
of the foam core I. In addition, the first outer elm 41 is made of a
transparent material so
the first pattern 3a is visible from outside of the slider.
A preferred method for making the slider is described as follows: (1} making
the first
outer film 41 having a thickness in the range from 0.02mm to 0.15rnm by
extrusion; (2)
printing the first pattern 3a on the bottom surface 412 of the first outer
~Irn 41 using
black and white printing or color printing techniques; (3) extruding the first
inner film 42
in the range from 0.01 ntm and 0.1 Smm by the extrusion machine; (4) spreading
the
molten first inner film 42 on the bottom surface 412 of the first outer film
41, providing
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
the first inner film 42 not only is heat laminated to the bottom surface 412
of the fist outer
film 41 but also overlays the first pattern 3a; and (5) heating the bottom
surface 422 of the
first inner film 42 to molten conditions and pressing the top layer 4 to the
top surface 10
and the edge surfaces 12 of the foam core 1. The process of combining the
first outer film
41 and the first inner film 42 or combining the first inner film 42 and the
foam core 1 is
called heat laminating, alternatively heat fusion or heat sealing.
During the process of combining the top layer 4 and the foam core I, the top
layer 4 is
placed on a hot mold (not shown). The mold surface has a plurality of
ernbassments,
when the mold surface covered by the top layer 4 is pressed against the foam
core 1,
concaves 40 are formed; therefore the top surface 41 i of the first outer film
41 forms a
plurality of concaves 40 forming depressions in the surface of the foam core
1. The
concaves 40 enhance the area of contact between the top layer 4 and the foam
core 1
thereby increasing the strength of the seal of the top layer 4 and the foam
core 1.
Furthermore, the concaves 40 enable the users to grab the slider with greater
tenacity.
With reference to Fig. 4, the second embodiment of the present invention
includes the
entire structure of the Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, such as a foam core l, a top layer
4, a first pattern
3a, arid a bottom layer 5. In Fig. 4 the top layer 4 further comprises a first
polyethylene
foam skin 43 interposed between the first inner film 42 and the top surface 10
and edges
surfaces 12 of the foam core 1. In addition, the first polyethylene foam skin
43 has a top
2 0 surface 431 heat laminated to the bottom surface 422 of the first inner
film 42 and a
bottom surface 432 heat laminated to the top surface 10 and edge surfaces 12
of the foam
core 1. The first polyethylene foam skin 43 has a greater density than the
foam core 1 and
has a density in the range of 1.5 to 10 PCF. Therefore, the first polyethylene
foam skin 43
has smoother surfaces, which also improve the surface of the top layer 4 to
have smooth
2 5 and tight surfaces during the heat lamination to the first foam skin 43.
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
Fig. 5 is a third embodiment of the present invention, which includes all the
embodiments
of the first embodiment, such as a foam core 1, a top layer 4, a first pattern
3a, and a
bottom layer 5. In Fig. 5, the bottom Iayer 5 is a composite layer and
comprises a second
polyethylene foam skin 51 and a plastic board 52. T'he second polyethylene
foam skin 51
has a top surface 511 being heat laminated to the bottom surface 11 of the
foam core 1
arid a bottom surface 512 being heat laminated to the plastic board 52. The
second
polyethylene foam skin 51 has a greater density than the foam core 1 and has a
density in
the range of 1.5 to 10 PCF.
A preferred method for making the bottom layer 5 of the third embodiment is
described
as follows: (1) extruding the plastic plate 52 to a thickness in range from
0.3mm to 1.5
mm; and (2) spreading the molten plastic board 52 on the bottom surface 512 of
the
second polyethylene foam skin 51. Therefore, the plastic board 52 is tightly
heat
laminated to the second polyethylene foam skin 51. Thereafter, heating the top
surface
511 of the second polyethylene foam skin 51 to a softened state and then
laminating the
bottom layer 5 to the bottom surface 11 of the foam core 1. The bottom layer 5
is tightly
heat laminated to the polyethylene foam core 1.
With reference to Fig. b, the fourth embodiment of the invention comprises all
the
elements of the second embodiment. In Fig. 6, the bottom layer 5 further
comprises a
second polyethylene foam skin 51 and a plastic board 52. The second
polyethylene foam
2 0 skin 51 has a tap surface 5 i 1 being heat laminated to the bottom surface
11 of the foam
core 1 and a bottom surface 512 being heat laminated to the plastic board 52.
The second
polyethylene foam skin 51 has a greater density than the foam core I and has a
density in
the range of 1.5 to 10 PCF.
Fig. 7 is the fifth embodiment of this invention comprises all the elements of
the fourth
2 5 embodiment. In addition, the plastic board 52 of the fifth embodiment
further comprises a
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
second pattern 3b, a second outer fihn 521, a second inner film 522, and a
plate 523. The
second outer film 52I, second inner film 522 and the plate 523 are made
plastic. The
second pattern 3b is printed on a top surface 521 a of the second outer film
521 and is
visible from outside of the second outer film 521. The second inner fiIrn 522
has a top
surface 522a heat laminated to the bottom surface 512 of the second
polyethylene foam
skin 51 and a bottom surface 522b heat laminated to the top surface 52Ia of
the second
outer film 521. The second pattern 3b is thereby protected from direct
exposure to the
outside of environment. In addition, the second outer film 521 is made of a
transparent
material so the second pattern 3b is visible from outside of the slider.
With reference to Fig. 8, the sixth embodiment of the invention comprises a
foam core
100 made of non-polyethylene materials, such as polystyrene and polypropylene
materials and has a density in the range of 0.8 to 8 PCF. The sixth embodiment
comprises
a top layer 4, a first bonding film ba, a second bonding film 6b and a bottom
layer 5.
Polystyrene is inexpensive and easy to extrude as the foam core 100. However,
it is
difficult to heat laminate polyethylene directly to polystyrene. Therefore,
the first bonding
film 6a and the second bonding film db are used to overcome the lamination
problems. In
Fig. 8, the top layer 4 is heat laminated to the top and edge surfaces of the
foam core 100
by the bonding film 6a. The bottom layer 5 is heat laminated to the bottom
surface of the
foam core 100 by the bonding film 6b.
2 0 With reference to Fig. 9, the seventh embodiment of the invention
comprised a foam core
1, a top layer 4, and a base plate 5. The top layer 4 is heat laminated to the
top surface and
extends around the upper half of the edge surfaces 12 of the foam core 1. The
bottom
layer 5 is heat laminated to the bottom surface and extends around the lower
half of the
edge surfaces 12 of the foam core 1. Therefore, both edges of the top layer 4
and bottom
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CA 02458284 2004-02-23
layer 5 sealed. The structure of the seventh embodiment also applies to the
above-
mentioned embodiments.
With reference to Fig. l0, the eighth embodiment of the invention comprises a
polyethylene foam core 1 having a density in the range of 1.5 to 10 PCF, a top
layer 4,
and a bottom layer 5. The polyethylene foam care I has a top surface 10 and a
bottom
surface 1 I . Both the top layer 4 and the bottom layer 5 are composite layers
and the
elements of the composite layers are shown in the above-mentioned embodiments.
Furthermore, the eighth embodiment comprises two holes ? through the slider
for being
handhold.
Accordingly, the top layer 4 and the bottom layer 5 prefect the foam core 1 as
well as the
first pattern 3a and the second pattern 3b from erosion by exposure to
ultraviolet light,
moisture and abrasion. Furthermore, the first and second patterns 3a, 3b being
visible
from outside of the slider that attracts the users attentions.
Numerous characteristics and advantages of the invention have been set forth
in the
foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of
the invention,
and the novel features thereof are pointed out in appended claims. The
disclosure,
however, is illustrated only, and changes may he made in detail, especially,
in matters of
shape, size and arrangement of parts, materials and the combination thereof
within the
principle of the invention, to the full extent indicated by the broad general
meaning of the
2 o terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
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