HARD SURFACE, PRINTED, DECORATIVE, STRUCTURAL LAMINATE

Background of the Invention

[0001] Laminated structural materials such as imitation wood are presently

manufactured by printing a decorative design such as a selected wood grain pattern on a vinyl

sheet. This printing is conventionally digitally controlled. Sometimes to protect the printed surface on the vinyl sheet against wear and tear, a thermoplastic coating such as a vinyl is

extruded on the printed surface of the vinyl sheet. The printed vinyl sheet is attached by an adhesive usually applied under heat and pressure to a structural member of a desired size and

shape which structural member is made of conventional materials such as plywood, particle

board, medium density fibreboard and other rigid materials. The printed vinyl sheet may be

wrapped around and adhered to the edges of the structural member during its pressure adhesion

to the structural member.

Summary of the Invention

[0002] This invention is directed to a structural laminate member which utilizes a

decorative image carrying layer of the type which absorbs the inks which create the decorative

image, using conventional and digital printing techniques.

[0003] An object of this invention is a structural laminate which uses a thermoplastic,

adhesive coated laminating film as the layer protecting the printed decorative image carrying layer.

[0004] Another object of this invention is a structural laminate having an outer

protective layer susceptible of being printed by dye sublimation thermal transfer.

[0005] Yet another object of this invention is a structural laminate having an embedded

core which provides color to the laminate.

[0006] Other objects of the invention will be found in the following specification,

claims and drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the following

drawings wherein the thicknesses of the layers of the laminates are exaggerated for purposes of illustration:

[0008] Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a decorative laminate used in the manufacture of

the structural laminate of this invention;

[0009] Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the decorative laminate of Fig. 1 positioned for

attachment to a structural member;

[0010] Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing the forming of the structural

laminate of this invention is a vacuum mold with parts broken away;

[0011] Fig. 4 is a transverse cross-section view taken through the structural laminate of

this invention;

[0012] Fig. 5 is an enlarged, isometric view of a corner of the structural laminate of

this invention with portions removed to shown the decorative laminate covering the side and edges of the structural member;

[0013] Fig. 6 is an elevational view of another embodiment of a laminate used in the

manufacture of the structural laminate of this invention;

[0014] Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the laminate of Fig. 6 positioned for attachment

to a structural member;

[0015] Fig. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken through the modified structural

laminate of this invention at an intermediate stage of manufacture;

[0016] Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8 showing a dye diffusion ink carrier

sheet prior to transfer of the image on the carrier sheet to the outer layer of the laminate; and

[0017] Fig. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken through the modified

structural laminate after the application of the dye diffusion decorative design to the outer surface

of the structural laminate.

Description of the Invention

[0018] Fig. 1 of the drawings shows a decorative laminate 11 incorporating a first

embodiment of the novel aspects of this invention. Layer 13 is a sheet of an ink absorbable material such as a synthetic paper. Other suitable sheet materials including conventional paper may be used in place of the synthetic paper. A decorative layer 15 is applied to one surface of the sheet 13 using ink applied by any conventional or digital image transfer process. For

example, if the decorative laminate 11 were embodied in a structural member which resembles a wood stair tread, the decorative layer 15 would be printed to imitate the surface of a selected

piece of wood both in color and in grain pattern. In another aspect of the invention, the layer 13 may be left undecorated, that is, in its natural color which could be white or any other available

color, for reasons to be discussed hereinafter. The decorative layer 15, or the layer 13, if no

decorative layer is applied to the layer 13, is protected by a rigid laminating film 17 which is

thermoforaiable and provides a hard outer surface. The rigid laminating film may be selected

from thin films such as co-polyesters, PET, rigid PVC, polyolefin, polycarbonates, oriented PET, urethane, acrylic and thermoforaiable types of nylon. An ultraviolet inhibitor may be added to

the rigid laminating film 17. An extrudable barrier 18 may be applied to the surface of the layer

13 which is opposite to the surface to which the decorative layer 15 is applied. A layer 19 of a

suitable adhesive may be applied to the barrier layer 18. In the alternative, the adhesive layer 19 may be omitted from the layer 13 and located on the structural element forming the base of the

structural laminate of this invention as hereinafter described. The barrier 18 may be a copolymer, a polyester, a polyolefin or a nylon. The specific barrier layer 18 to be used will be

determined by the composition of the adhesive 19 which is selected for the laminate. The

function of the barrier 18 is to prevent the adhesive 19 from deeply penetrating the layer 13. At

times the barrier 18 will be the adhesive. When the adhesive 19 is supplied with the laminate 11 by the manufacturer it will be selected so that it will not penetrate the layer 13 and a barrier 18 may not be needed.

[0019] Fig. 2 of the drawings schematically shows the aforementioned decorative

laminate 11 placed on a structural member 21 prior to thermoforming of the decorative laminate

11 to the structural member 21. The structural member 21 is depicted as a parallelepiped with a

main surface 23 and side and edge surfaces generally referred to as 25 and an opposite main

surface 27. Because in this embodiment of the invention, the structural member 21 is depicted as

a parallelepiped, the side and edge surfaces 25 will extend at right angles to the main surface 25

and opposite main surface 27 and to each other but it should be understood that other shapes of

structural members may be used.

[0020] It should be noted in Fig. 2 of the drawings that the linear dimensions (length

and width) of the decorative laminate 11 are greater than the linear dimensions of the structural

element 21 so that the laminate will cover the side and edge surfaces 25 of the structural element 21 when the laminate 11 is thermoformed onto the structural element 21 as shown schematically

in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As depicted in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the decorative laminate 11 is

thermoformed onto the structural element 11 in a vacuum molding press 31 or a membrane press.

As is conventional, the vacuum molding press 31 includes a heated mold 33 having a cavity 35. A tool 37 moves the decorative laminate 11 and the structural member 21 into the cavity 35 of

the heated mold 33. The tool 37 includes a platen 39 having air passages 41 formed therein to

connect to a vacuum pump or the like (not shown) to draw the heated decorative laminate 11

against the main surface 23 and edge and side surfaces 25 of the structural member 21.

[0021] The completed decorative structural laminate 45 is shown in Fig. 4 of the

drawings in which the layers 13, 15, 17 and 19 of the decorative laminate 11 cover the main and side and edge surfaces of the structural member 21. The opposite main surface 27 of the structural member 21 is not covered by the decorative laminate 11. Covering of this surface of

the structural member 21 is optional.

[0022] Fig. 5 of the drawings diagrammatically shows a corner segment of the

decorative structural laminate 45 broken away from the laminate 45. A portion of the decorative

laminate 11 has been removed to show that the layers 15, 13, 17 and 19 cover the side and edges

[0023] Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 6 through 10 of the

drawings. In this other embodiment of the invention, the decorative laminate 51 includes a layer

13 which may be a synthetic or natural paper, has a rigid laminating layer 17 of the type previously described applied to one surface of the layer 13 but without a decorative ink applied in

between. An adhesive layer 19 may be applied to the opposite side of the layer 13 or the

adhesive may be applied to the structural element 21 in the manner previously mentioned. An

extrudable barrier 18 may be applied to the surface of layer 13 which will be adjacent to the

adhesive layer 19. The barrier 18 may be a co-polymer, a polyester, a polyolefin or a nylon. The specific barrier layer 18 to be used will be determined by the composition of the adhesive 19 which is selected for the laminate. The barrier 18 functions to prevent the adhesive 19 from

deeply penetrating the layer 13. The layer 13 may be white or may be colored in the manner that

synthetic and natural papers are conventionally colored.

[0024] Using the processes previously described in connection with the embodiment of

Figs. 1 to 5, a structural laminate 55 shown in cross-section in Fig. 8 of the drawings is formed. The layers 13, 17 and 19 of the laminate 51 overlie the main surface 23 and the side and edge

surfaces 25 of the structural element 21. In this embodiment of the invention, the rigid laminating film 17 is selected from materials that are capable of accepting dye diffusion thermal

transfer from a sacrificial carrier sheet 57 which is printed with a desired pattern or design 59

using dye sublimation inks. The sacrificial carrier sheet 57 is placed against the thermoformed

rigid plastic layer 17 and heat and pressure is applied to transfer the pattern or design 59 to the structural laminate 55. The sacrificial carrier sheet 57 is then removed leaving the pattern or

design 59 on the exterior of the structural laminate 55.