Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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MASKING MEMBER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a masking member which
protects a part of a surface o an article from a surface
treatment such as coating, plating, vacuum evaporation,
phosphatizing~ and the like. More particularly, ~he present
invention relates to a masking member produced by the molding
of a sheet having a shape corresponding with a part of a
surface of an article to be protected from a surface
treatment wherein said masking member has (a) projection(s)
which is(are) inserted into (a) hole(s) or (an) indention(s)
of said part~ When a surface treatment is effected on
the surface of an article, and if said surface of said
article has (a) part(~) on which said surface treatment
should not be effected for the reason that another surface
treatment is effected on said part(s) after said surface
treatment of said surface treatment spoils the appearance
of said article and so on, said part(s) of said surface of
said article may be covered and protected with said masking
member.
DESC~IPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Hitherto, adhesive tape has been used as a masking member
to protect a part of a surface of an article such as a
bumper of an automobile and the like. Namely, the adhesive
tape is attached to said part of said surface to protect
said surface from said surface treatment and after said
surface treatment, said adhesive tape is removed from said
surface. Said surface may not be effected by said surface
treatment since said part of said surface was covered with
said adhesive tape during said surface treatment.
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Nevertheless, adhesive tape as a masking member has faults
in that attaching and removing of the adhesiv~ tape to/from
said part of said surface take time and have a high labor
cost, and further, the adhesive tape attached to said part
of said suxface is buried in the layer of said surface
treatment and it is very difficult to find the end of said
buried adhesive tape to remove said adhesive tape. Said
faults of adhesive tape may seriously obstruct a mass-
production line such as a coating line for automobiles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to save
trouble when the masking member is attached/removed to/from
a part to be protected. According to the present invention,
there is provided a masking member produced by the molding
of a sheet having a shape corresponding with a part of a
surface of an article to be protected from a surface treat-
ment wherein said masking member has (a) projection(s) which
is inserted into (a) hole~s) or (an) indention(s) of said
part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE_DRAW NGS
FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 relate to an embodiment o~ the present
invention.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of ~he masking member.
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the front part of
an automobile.
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the front part of
the automobile after coating.
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FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the lower half part of
the bumper to which the masking member is att~ched.
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FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the front part of
the automobile after the masking member is removed from
the bumper.
FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 relate to another embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG~ 6 is a perspective view of the masking member.
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing that the masking
member is attached to a part of a surface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The masking member of the present invention is made of a
sheet such as from plastics or rubber such as polystyrene,
polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer,
polyvinylchloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polymethacrylate,
styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer,
polybutadine polyisoprene, polyisobutylene, polychloroprene,
isoprene-isobutylene copolymer, natural rubber, polyurethane,
melamine resin, urea resin, phenolresin, epoxyresin and
the like; foams of said plastics; or said rubber; fiber
sheet such as fabricrubber, knitting, non-woven fabric,
paper, corrugated cardboard and the like; thermoplastic
resin - impregnated fiber sheet; thermosetting resin -
impregnated fiber sheet; wooden sheet such as wood board,
hardboard, plywood and the like; metal sheet and the like;
laminated sheet consisting of a plural number of sheets
selected fxom the group of said sheets. In cases where
said masking member is made of a sheet from plastics or
rubber, it is desirable to mix inorganic filler such as
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calcium carbonate, silica, talc, clay, bentonite, stone
powder, blast furnace slag, flyash, and the like into said
plastics or rubber since heat resistance, mechanical
properties and the like of said masking member are improved
by said inorganic filler and further, when a used masking
member is buxnt in a combustion furnace, a smaller combustion
energy is produced so that said combustion furnace will
stand long use. Usually, 10 to 500 weight parts, desirably
20 to 400 weight parts of said inorganic filler are mixed
into said plastics. Further organic filler such as wood
powder, organic, fiber powder, walnut powder, coconut powder,
flour, chaff powder and the like may be mixed into said
plastics or rubber. Still further, dyestuff, pigment,
autioxidant, ultraviolet absorber plasticizer and the
like may be mixed into said plastics or rubber. Polyolefin
such as polyethylene, polypropylene and the like are
desirable plastics for the material of the sheet of the
masking member of the present invention since said polyoldfin
has high solvent resistance and is inexpensive, and of
course, polyolefin in which saicl inorganic filler is mixed
is a desirable material for saicl masking member. Polystyrene
foam is also a desirable material for said masking member
since said polystyrene foam is light and inexpensive,
nevertheless, since said polystyrene foam has a low solvent
resistance and a low heat resistance, it is desirable to
l~minate a suitable plastic or rubber onto said polystyrene
foam.
Vacuum forming, press molding, casting, extrusion, injection,
molding, paper making and the like may be used to produce
the masking member of the present invention.
The masking member of the present invention is easily
attached to a part of a surface of an article to be
protected by inserting (a) projection(s) of said masking
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member into said hole~s) or indention(s) of said part and
said masking member is easily removed from said part by
extracting said projection(s) of said masking member from
said hole(s) or indention(s) of said part. Accordingly,
said masking member of the present invention can be correctly,
easily, and securely attached to a part of a surface by the
guide of said hole(s) or indention(s) of said part and said
projection(s~ of said masking member.
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Fig. 1 to Fig. 5 relate to an embodiment of the present
inventio~. Referring now to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5, a masking
member (110) is produced by the molding of a sheet (111)
and has a shape corresponding with the surface of the
lower half (211) of a bumper (210) of an automobile (310)
and a bending part (111B) is elongated from the lower edge
of said masking member (110~ and projections(l11A) are
formed on the surface of said bending part (111B). Further,
a reinforcing rib (113) is formed in said masking member (110)
and an adhesive layer (112) is formed on the upper edge of
the inside of said masking member (110).
Said masking member (110) is correctly, easily, and securely
attached on said lower half (211) of said bumper (210) by
inserting said projections (111A) of said masking member
(110) into said holes (212A) of the bending part (212B)
which is elongated from the lower half (211) of said bumper
(210) and adhering said adhesive layer (112) to the upper
edge of said lowex half (211) of said bumper (210), and
then a paint (410) i5 coated on said bumper (210) as shown
in Fig. 3. After said coating, said masking member (110)
is easily removed from said bumper (210) and said paint (410)
is not coated on said lower half (211) of said bumper (210)
while said paint (410) is coated on the upper half ~212)
of said bumper (210) as shown in Fig. 5~
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Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 relate to another embodiment of the
present invention. Referring now to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7,
a masking member ( 120) is produced by the molding of a
sheet (121) and has a shape corresponding with a part ~221)
of the surface (220) of the underside of an automobile, and
a pair of projections (121A), (121B) are formed in said
masking member ( 120) .
Said masking member (120) is attached on said part (221)
of said surface ( 220) of said underside of said automobile
by inserting said projections (121A), (121B) of said masking
member (120) into said holes (221A), (221B) of said part
(221) of said surface (220) . In a case that the minimum
diameters of said holes (221A), (221B) of said part (221 ~
are respectively a little smaller than the maximum diameters
of said projections (121A), (121B) of said masking member
(120), said projections (121A), (121B) are tightly inserted
into said holes (221A), (221B) and as the result, said
masking member is securely attached to said part (221)
without an adhesive layer. In this case, it is desirable
that a laminated sheet consisting of a soft elastic sheet
such as a soft-type polyvinylchloride foam sheet, soft-type
polyurethane foam sheet, soft-type melamine resin foam sheet,
foam rubber she~t, felt sheet and the like, and a rigid
sheet such as a hard-type polyvinylchloride sheet,
polystyrene sheet, polyethylene sheet, polypropylene sheet,
resin-impregnated fiber sheet, hard-type paper, hard-type
wooden sheet, metal sheet and the like is used as the
material of said masking member (120). In said masXing
mem~er (120), said soft elastic sheet is located outside
said projections (121A)/ (121B) and said rigid sheet is
located inside said pro~ections (121A), (121B). Said
surface (220) of said underside of said automobile is
then coated with a paint. After said coating, said masking
member (120) is removed from said part (221) of said surface
(220).