Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FOAM PRODUCT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foam product, and more particularly
to a closed-cell foam product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, if a foam product is too wide to be carried under the arm,
such as a standup paddle board, it may employ a recessed grip handle
structure so that a user may have the fingers of a hand be inserted into the
grip handle structure to carry the paddle board under the arm.
One type of standup paddle board is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.
9,120,218. In this paddle board, the grip handle structure is constructed from
a rigid plastic material, such as Nylon® fiber and installed flush into
the
deck of the paddle board at the center of gravity of the board to provide the
proper balance when the board is carried using the grip handle. More
specifically, the grip handle structure is glued to the foam core of the
paddle
board using an epoxy resin glue.
Another type of standup paddle board is illustrated in U.S. Patent Pub.
No. 2014/0315453. In this paddle board, a recess is defined in a top surface
of the foam core of the paddle board, and an upper foam skin covers the top
surface of the foam core. In particular, a portion of the upper foam skin
extends along the profile of the recess in the foam core to form a grip handle
structure for carrying the paddle board.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a new foam product with a different structure
as compared to the convention foam product.
In one aspect, the foam product of this invention includes a foam core
and a soft shell. The foam core includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded
beads. Each of the expanded beads is made of a pre-expanded bead. The
foam core defines in its top surface a recess. The recess has an inner wall on
which some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and
protruded. The soft shell is disposed within the recess of the foam core and
has an outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess. In particular, the
soft shell has at its outer wall a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to
respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads in the recess of the foam
core.
In another aspect, the foam product of this invention includes a foam
core and a foam skin. The foam core includes a tightly packed cluster of
expanded beads. Each of the expanded beads is made of a pre-expanded
bead. The foam core has an outer surface on which some outermost beads of
the expanded beads are exposed and protruded. The foam skin has an inner
surface attached to the outer surface of the recess. In particular, the foam
skin has at its inner surface a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to
respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads on the outer surface of
the foam core.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the
invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the
following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the
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accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foam product in accordance with a
first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates that the foam product shown in FIG. 1 is carried by
a user;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in
FIG. 1, showing that fingers of a hand are inserted into a recessed grip
handle structure of the foam product;
FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 1
taken along the line IV-1V;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the
foam product shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a foam product in accordance with a
second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the
foam product shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 9A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 7
taken along the line X-X;
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FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 7
taken along the line XI-XI;
FIG. 11A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance
with a third embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 12;
FIG. 13 is another cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in
FIG. 12;
FIG. 13A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 13;
FIG. 13B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG.
13;
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance
with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 14A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 14;
FIG. 14B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG.
14;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of a foam
product in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of a foam product in
accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the
foam product shown in FIG. 16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1-6, there is shown a first embodiment of the foam
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product 100 according to the invention. The foam product 100 is a standup
paddle board with a grip handle structure 6. A user can easily hold the foam
product 100 using the grip handle structure 6 under the arm for transporting
the foam product 100 in a comfortable and secure manner, as depicted in
FIGS. 2 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 4, the foam product 100 further includes a foam
core 1, an upper foam skin 2 and a lower foam skin 3. In this embodiment,
the upper foam skin 2 is shaped like a half-shell and has a bottom surface
glued to a top surface as well as side surfaces of the foam core 1. The lower
foam skin 3 has a top surface glued to a bottom surface of the foam core I.
The foam core I is made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). The upper foam
skin 2 and the lower foam skin 3 are both made of a relative softer material,
such as expanded polyethylene (EPE) and each has a thickness of about 4
mm to 5 mm. The foam product 100 further includes a non-foam plastic film
4 and a non-foam plastic plate 5 for protection. The non-foam plastic film 4
has a bottom surface directly heat-laminated to the top surface of the upper
foam skin 2. The non-foam plastic film 4 may be colored or include a pattern
visible from the outside of the film 4. On the other hand, the non-foam
plastic plate 5 is directly heat-laminated to the bottom surface of the lower
foam skin 3. And, the non-foam plastic plate 5 is made of a wear-resistant
material, such as polyethylene (PE). Referring back to FIG. 3, the grip
handle structure 6 includes a soft shell 61 and an opening 62 extending
through the upper foam skin 2 and the non-foam plastic film 4. The soft shell
61 is preferably made of an irradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam, with a
thickness of about 2 mm to 3 mm.
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FIG. 5 illustrates the foam core 1 with a recess 10 in which the soft
shell 61 is disposed. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, the foam core 1 includes
a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 11. Each of the expanded beads
11 is made of a pre-expanded polystyrene bead. The foam core 1 defines the
recess 10 in its top surface. The recess 10 has an upper space 101 and a
lower, enlarged space 102. The soft shell 61 is suited in the recess 10 of the
foam core 1 and has an upper space (not numbered) configured in size to
receive four fingers of a human hand, and a lower, enlarged space (not
numbered) to permit bending of the fingers, as shown in FIG. 3, as well.
It is noted that, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads 11
are exposed and protruded on the inner wall of the recess 10 of the foam
core 1. The soft shell 61 has its outer wall attached to the inner wall of the
recess 10 of the foam core 1. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3A and
6A, the soft shell 61 has a plurality of cavities 610 at its outer wall. The
cavities 610 of the soft shell 61 are sized and shaped to respectively receive
the protruded, outermost beads 11 in the recess 10 of the foam core I. In
contrast, the inner wall of the soft shell 61 is relatively more flat than the
outer wall of the soft shell 61. In other words, the cavities 610 are defined
only in the outer wall of the soft shell 61, not the inner wall of the soft
shell
61. The soft shell 61 and the foam core 1 are firmly bonded together due to
the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces between the soft shell 61 and
the foam core 1. Besides, it should be noted that the soft shell 61 and the
foam core 1 may be directly heat bonded to each other with similar materials.
Alternatively, an adhesive may be employed in between the soft shell 61 and
the foam core 1 to further enhance the bonding between the two.
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Referring to FIGS. 7-11, there is shown a second embodiment of the
foam product 200 according to the invention. The foam product 200 of the
second embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 100 of the first
embodiment in appearance, and has a grip handle structure 6 for being
grasped. However, the foam product 200 is slightly different from the foam
product 100 in the interior structure. For example, the foam core 1 of the
foam product 100 is made of a single foam body with the same material;
however, the foam product 200 is a combination of two foam bodies with
different materials and densities.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the foam core 1 and the soft
shell 61 of the foam product 200. As shown, the foam core 1 includes a first
foam body la and a second foam body lb embedded in the first foam body
la. Specifically, the second foam body lb is more rigid than the first foam
body la. The recess 10 is defined in the second foam body lb of the foam
core 1. The first foam body la is made of expanded polystyrene, and the
second foam body lb is made of a copolymer of expanded polystyrene and
expanded polyethylene. As best seen in FIG. 9, the recess 10 has an upper
space 101 and a lower, enlarged space 102. The soft shell 61 is suited in the
recess 10 of the second foam body lb of the foam core 1, and has an upper
space (not numbered) configured in size to receive four fingers of a human
hand, and a lower, enlarged space (not numbered) to permit bending of the
fingers, as shown in FIG. 9.
As shown in FIG. 10, the foam product 200 further includes an upper
foam skin 2 and a lower foam skin 3. The upper foam skin 2 is shaped like a
half-shell and has a bottom surface glued to a top surface as well as side
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surfaces of the foam core 1. The lower foam skin 3 has a top surface glued to
a bottom surface of the foam core 1. The upper foam skin 2 and the lower
foam skin 3 are both made of a relative softer material, such as expanded
polyethylene (EPE) and each has a thickness of about 4 mm to 5 mm. The
foam product 200 further includes a non-foam plastic film 4 and a non-foam
plastic plate 5 for protection. The non-foam plastic film 4 has a bottom
surface directly heat-laminated to the top surface of the upper foam skin 2.
And, the non-foam plastic film 4 may be colored or include a pattern visible
from the outside of the film 4. The non-foam plastic plate 5 is directly
heat-laminated to the bottom surface of the lower foam skin 3. And, the
non-foam plastic plate 5 is made of a wear-resistant material, such as
polyethylene (PE). As shown in FIG. 11, the grip handle structure 6 includes
a soft shell 61 and an opening 62 extending through the upper foam skin 2
and the non-foam plastic film 4. The soft shell 61 is preferably made of an
irradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam, with a thickness of about 2 mm to
3 mm.
Referring back to FIGS. 9 and 9A, the second foam body lb of the
foam core 1 includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 11. Each of
the expanded beads 11 is made of a pre-expanded bead. Similarly, the first
foam body 1 a of the foam core 1 is made of a tightly packed cluster of
expanded beads 11, not shown, but with a different material. As shown in
FIGS. 11 and 11A, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads 11 are
exposed and protruded on the inner wall of the recess 10 of the second foam
body lb. The soft shell 61 has its outer wall attached to the inner wall of
the
recess 10 of the foam core 1. More specifically, the soft shell 61 has a
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plurality of cavities 610 at its outer wall. The cavities 610 of the soft
shell 61
are sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads
11 in the recess 10 of the second foam body lb. In contrast, the inner wall of
the soft shell 61 is relatively more flat than the outer wall of the soft
shell 61.
In this manner, the soft shell 61 and the second foam body lb are firmly
bonded together due to the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces
between the soft shell 61 and the second foam body lb. It should be noted
that the soft shell 61 and the second foam body lb may be directly heat
bonded to each other with similar materials. Alternatively, an adhesive may
further be employed to further enhance the bonding of the soft shell 61 and
the second foam body lb.
Referring to FIGS. 12-13, there is shown a third embodiment of the
foam product 300 according to the invention. The foam product 300 of the
third embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 200 of the
second embodiment in appearance and in structure. For example, the foam
core 1 of the foam product 300 also includes a first foam body la and a
second foam body lb. However, the foam core 1 and the upper foam skin 2
of the foam product 300 are bonded in a different manner.
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 12A, some outermost beads 11 of the
expanded beads are exposed and protruded on the top surface of the first
foam body la of the foam core 1. Referring to FIG. 13, the upper foam skin
2 has at its bottom surface a plurality of cavities 20 sized and shaped to
respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads 11 on the top surface of
the first foam body la, except that a small area of the bottom surface of the
upper foam skin 2 is adhered to the top surface of the second foam body lb.
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In other words, the upper foam skin 2 is partly bonded to the second foam
body lb via adhesives, and is mostly bonded to the first foam body la via
the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 13A.
Likewise, the soft shell 61 is bonded to the second foam body lb via the
inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 13B.
Referring to FIGS. 14, 14A and 14B, there is shown a fourth
embodiment of the foam product 400 according to the invention. The foam
product 400 of the fourth embodiment is generally identical to the foam
product 300 of the third embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the
foam product 400 includes a first foam body la and a second foam body (not
shown); and the upper foam skin 2 is bonded to the first foam body 1 a via
the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 14B.
However, as shown in FIG. 14A, the foam core 1 and the lower foam skin 3
of the foam product 400 are bonded in a different manner.
As shown in FIG. 14A, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded
beads are exposed and protruded on the bottom surface of the first foam
body la of the foam core 1. The lower foam skin 3 has at its top surface a
plurality of cavities 30 sized and shaped to respectively receive the
protruded, outermost beads 11 on the bottom surface of the first foam body
I a. As such, the lower foam skin 3 is firmly bonded to the first foam body la
via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces as well.
Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown a fifth embodiment of the foam
product 500 according to the invention. The foam product 500 of the fifth
embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of the third
embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 500 includes
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a first foam body la and a second foam body lb; and the upper foam skin 1
is bonded to the first foam body la via the inter-engaged convex and
concave surfaces. However, the soft shell 61 of the foam product 500 is
slightly different from that of the foam product 300.
As shown in FIG. 15, the soft shell 61 includes a shell body 611 and a
pair of extensions 612 extending from opposite sides of the shell body 611.
Each of the extensions 612 has two sheets (not numbered) attached to each
other. The recess 10 of the second foam body lb of the foam core 1 is sized
and shaped to receive the whole soft shell 61, namely both the shell body
611 and the extensions 612.
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, there is shown a sixth embodiment of
the foam product 600 according to the invention. The foam product 600 of
the sixth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of the
third embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 600
includes a first foam body la and a second foam body 1 b; and the upper
foam skin 1 is bonded to the first foam body la via the inter-engaged convex
and concave surfaces. However, the soft shell 61 of the foam product 600 is
slightly different from that of the foam product 300.
As shown in FIG. 16 or 17, the soft shell 61 includes a shell body 611
and a flange 613 extending from a top edge of the shell body 611. The recess
10 of the second foam body lb of the foam core 1 is sized and shaped to
receive the whole soft shell 61, namely both the shell body 611 and the
flange 613.
As described above, the present invention provides a foam product in
which the soft shell and/or the foam skin may be firmly bonded to the foam
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core using the characteristic of the expanded beads of the foam core. The
foam product may be one of a stand up paddle board, sit on top kayak, small
sail boat, a windsurf board, a snow board, a skiing board, and other craft
boards that are too wide to be carried under the arm. It is noted that the
foam
product is not limited to be shaped like a board or plate. Instead, the foam
product would be non-flattened with a different shape.
It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that
various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details
without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this
disclosure.
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