Method of making patterned flexible sheet-like articles

A method of manufacturing finished articles of flexible plastic material includes formation of a sheet of plastic material with a first portion having a raised pattern on one surface thereof and at least partially curing the sheet. The first portion having the raised pattern is removed from the sheet and a second portion of plastic material having a raised pattern on one surface and of a color contrasting with that of the first portion is formed in that area of the sheet from which the first portion was removed. A plastic backing layer is formed on the sheet and the article thus formed is cured. The backing layer may be of a color contrasting with that of the second portion of plastic material, or the first portion may be allowed to remain and its back surface may be coated with a layer of plastic of a color contrasting with that of the first portion after which the backing layer is applied.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing flexible sheet-like 
articles having a raised bead pattern on one surface thereof. More 
particularly, it relates to a method of manufacture, from plastic 
materials, of articles such as tablecloths, place mats, doilies, shower 
curtains, drapes, aprons and the like comprising a perforated lace-like, 
three dimensional plastic pattern bonded to a backing sheet of flexible 
plastic material or to a layer of plastic material or to both. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,216 discloses a method of manufacturing finished 
articles of flexible plastic material, as follows: forming a sheet of 
plastic material of substantially uniform thickness, forming at least one 
pair of closely spaced continuous beads of plastic material, the sheet and 
the beads being placed in overlying contact with each other while at least 
one of them is still less than fully cured, curing the still less than 
fully cured material while simultaneously bonding the sheet and the beads 
together to form a cured flexible plastic sheet having bonded to one 
surface thereof at least one pair of closely spaced continuous beads of 
flexible plastic material demarcating the desired finished article from 
unwanted scrap material comprising the rest of the sheet, and separating 
the scrap material from the finished article by tearing the sheet between 
the beads. 
The foregoing method is useful in the production of articles of the class 
described especially where the desired pattern has irregular or indented 
edges and it is desired to conform the edges of the backing sheet or layer 
to the edges of the pattern. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
I have conceived and contribute by the present invention a method of making 
patterned flexible sheet-like articles of plastic wherein a three 
dimensional pattern such as a lace-like pattern, for example, is bonded to 
a backing sheet or layer which may be of contrasting color, the pattern 
being spaced inwardly of the edge of the sheet-like article to leave an 
unpatterned marginal area between the edge of the article and the pattern. 
According to one aspect of the invention, I provide a method of 
manufacturing a finished article of flexible plastic material according to 
which I form a sheet of plastic material of substantially uniform 
thickness with a first portion having a raised pattern on one surface 
thereof. The sheet is then at least partially cured and the first portion 
having the raised pattern is removed from the sheet. I then form a second 
portion of plastic material having a raised pattern on one surface thereof 
of a color contrasting with the color of the first pattern and in that 
area of the sheet from which the first pattern was removed. A backing 
layer of plastic material of substantially uniform thickness is formed on 
the sheet and the article thus formed is cured. 
The first and second portions of plastic material may be formed at an area 
of the sheet of plastic material spaced inwardly of the perimeter thereof 
to provide a rectangular pattern for example inwardly of the edges of a 
tablecloth or the like, and the backing layer may be formed of a color 
contrasting with that of the second portion of plastic material. 
There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more important features of 
the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows 
may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to 
the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional 
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which 
will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the 
art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is 
based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other 
structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is 
important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such 
equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the 
invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 illustrates a succession of plate type 
molds or dies 10 fed from a loading station 11 onto a moving endless 
conveyor 12, each of the molds being positioned on the conveyor 12 with 
its upper surface 14 bearing an engraved pattern. 
As the molds 10 pass along on the conveyor 12 in the direction of the 
arrow, each successive mold is coated with a first or pattern layer of 
plastic material 15 by a reverse roll coater 16 to which the plastic is 
continuously supplied from a reservoir 17. 
While my invention would be useful in the manufacture of articles from a 
variety of plastic materials, a vinyl dispersion plastisol is well suited 
as a raw material in the practice of the invention. 
The first layer of plastic completely fills the die or mold pattern on the 
dies 10 with excess material deposited on the upper surface 14 of the 
molds 10. 
The coated molds 10 are next moved progressively beneath a series of doctor 
blades 19, five being shown, which gradually wipe the excess plastic of 
the first layer from the upper surface 14 of each mold 10. As each mold 
leaves the downstream blade 19a, its upper surface 14 has been wiped clean 
of excess material leaving only a sheet or layer 13 of plastic material of 
substantially uniform thickness with a portion having a raised pattern on 
its lower surface, the pattern being formed by the filling of the engraved 
mold pattern. 
Each mold 10 is next conveyed through a tunnel type oven 20 wherein the 
plastic material is at least partially cured in one of the molds 10. If 
vinyl plastisol is used, a curing time of 130 seconds at 390.degree. F. 
has been found to be satisfactory under normal conditions. 
As the molds bearing the partially finished articles emerge from the oven 
20, they may be cooled by fans, water sprays or by a water immersion tank 
21, as shown in FIG. 1. 
After cooling, the dies 10 are removed from the conveyor 12, the molds are 
manually stripped of the flash 1 and the portion 2 of the plastic having 
the raised pattern thereon as shown in FIG. 3, these portions being 
readily separable from the memainder of the plastic sheet on the mold by 
being stripped by tearing between adjacent beads formed in the plastic 
sheet for that purpose. 
The molds 10 bearing the plastic sheet 13 from which the flash 1 and 
portion 2 have been removed is again fed from loading station 11 to the 
conveyor 12 for further processing. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the molds 
are fed to the roll coater 16 for application from reservoir 17 of a layer 
of plastic material 15a of a color contrasting with the color of the sheet 
13 and which fills the areas on the molds from which plastic had been 
stripped, as at 1a and 2a of FIG. 4, excess material again being removed 
by doctor blades 19. 
The molds 10 then pass beneath apparatus 23 which applies a backing layer 
of plastic material to the upper surface of the material then on the molds 
(see 28 in FIG. 4). 
Apparatus 23 may take the form of a transversely reciprocating spray nozzle 
22 fed by flexible hoses with air and plastisol, respectively. Such a 
device applies a uniform second layer of plastic material to the entire 
surface facing the nozzle. Although other means could be used to apply the 
backing layer, it is essential only that the second layer be compatible 
with the plastic to which it is applied for complete bonding. 
If desired, the backing layer may be of a color contrasting with that of 
the plastic applied to the engraved portion of the mold. 
The molds are fed to the curing tunnel 20 and immersion tank 21 after which 
the newly formed flash is stripped and the formed article is washed. 
Referring briefly to FIG. 7, the partially completed article is shown with 
the flash, the patterned portion 2 and the sheet 13. FIG. 8 illustrates 
the finished article with the flash removed, the final patterned portion 
defining a lace-like pattern, for example, and with a backing sheet bonded 
to the underside of the article as viewed. It will be appreciated that the 
molds may be engraved to form a textured surface on the otherwise 
unpatterned sheet or layer 13, if desired, to present a linen-like effect, 
for example. 
FIGS. 9 to 11 illustrate an embodiment of the invention according to which 
the patterned portion itself may be of several colors. 
Thus, the mold 40 is formed so that the unpatterned portion is at a level 
slightly lower than the patterned portion. A layer of plastic 41 is 
applied to the mold surface and is wiped by the doctor blades to leave a 
thin, uniform layer on the mold surface including the patterned surface so 
that pattern itself is filled as at 41a. It will be appreciated that since 
portions of the pattern are not connected to the primary portion, these 
unconnected portions will not be stripped but will remain in the mold. For 
example, individual depressions in the mold of FIG. 9 may contain charges 
of plastic 41a that will not be stripped, but will remain in the mold 
along with layer 41. The plastic thus deposited is at least partially 
cured and cooled, and the primary portion of the design is stripped. 
However in this case, the patterned area of the mold is formed so that 
while the primary patterned design is continuous, that is, is defined by a 
continuous engraved mold pattern, secondary portions of the pattern may be 
unconnected to the primary portion. The mold bearing the plastic is again 
fed to the machine of FIG. 6. 
During a second pass, a plastic of a color contrasting with that of the 
first applied plastic is applied only to the patterned portion of the mold 
to provide a pattern of a second color. A third color may be applied as a 
layer 42 of FIG. 10 only on the patterned portion, if desired, and to 
which it bonds. The backing layer 44 is applied by the apparatus 23 of 
FIG. 6 as already described and the combined structure is cured, cooled 
and stripped to provide the finished article of FIG. 11 shown removed from 
the mold. The resulting product may be a table cloth as shown in FIG. 8, 
for example, wherein the main unpatterned portion of the cloth itself is 
of a first color, the portions 41a may be seen as a series of small, 
closely spaced, raised elements such as dots, quartrefoils or the like, of 
the same color as the main unpatterned portion, the primary design may be 
a second color or clear and the backing layer may be clear, or of yet a 
third color especially if the primary design is clear. 
It will be understood that, if it is intended that the patterned portion be 
of the same color as the unpatterned portion of the article, then the 
first formed patterned portion is not stripped and replaced, but in 
subsequent processing through the machine, the layers 42 and 44 are 
applied and bonded as shown, and that various color and clear plastic 
layers may be used depending on the visual impression desired. 
I believe that the practice of my novel method will now be understood and 
that the several advantages of my invention will be fully appreciated by 
those persons skilled in the art.