COASTER AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME

Abstract: A coaster is composed of a top layer (12) formed of a plastic material and a bottom layer (14) formed of a fibrous material adapted for writing a message thereon. The two layers are secured together to form a unitary product (10). The coaster has a picture exposed to view on the top layer side and serves a dual function: that of the coaster itself and of a greeting card.

Description: COASTER AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Technical Field The invention ' relates to a coaster and to a process of making the same. More specifically, the invention relates to the production of a specially designed coaster" which serves a dual function, i. e. that of a greeting card for use in writing a message from a trip to a relative or a friend and thereafter that of a coaster per se for use by the recipient of the message by placing the coaster under the glass of " beverage to protect the surface of furniture from possible damage due to moisture thus performing the expected function of a coaster. Background and Prior Art Certain types of coasters have been suggested in the patent literature or are available on the market. These include a coaster made of two layers of absorbent " blotting paper with an intermediate layer of a waterproofing glue, as described in U. S. patent No. 2,00^,166. Another coaster of disposable character is disclosed in U. S. patent No. 2,856,727, wherein it is formed of a pair of discs with a base ' of a porous material positioned therebetween. Still another type of a coaster made of transparent plastic material in form of a shallow tray with a rising circular edge is described in U. S. patent No. 3 20,68^. The latter coaster includes a clearance inside thereof for insertion and removal of an ornamental or advert- iεing card. A coaster made of absorbent paper of a blotter type with imprinted or engraved non-absorbent lines on the top surface is disclosed in TJ. έ. patent No. 3,3 2 <-8,8θO. Other types of coeisters have been made from a " single layer of plastic material or of fibrous material or from * a combination of metal base with a cellulose or synthetic material which constitutes its top surface. In addition, various types of postcards and mailing cards or pouches for photographs and the like have been disclosed in.the prior art. A representative of those is a postcard described in U. S. patent No. ■" *,079,881 which is useful for mailing a separate photograph to be removed by the recipient by tearing portions of the postcard. Other articles of similar character are disclosed in the following patents: French No. 2,273,730 showing a mailing pouch for stamps, German No. 1,813,239 describing a greeting card from which a decorative picture can be detached and U. S. No. 816,8?0 describing a mailing card for protecting one or more photographs. However, such postcards are not only different in structure from the product of this invention, but are either unsatisfactory or unusable as a coaster for protection of furniture. In addition to the above-mentioned patents, the following patents may be considered of interest in the broad area of greeting cards: TJ. S. 2,0*t5,9^; 3*386,199; 3,522,673 and 3,736,685. Accordingly, it is apparent that none of the coasters or mailing cards of the prior art discussed hereinabove teach the unique concept of this invention wherein the combination of a coaster and a greeting card as a unitary, inseparable product is provided. Summary of Invention and Advantages According to this invention, there is provided, as a new article of manufacture, a unitary, reusable coaster which comprises a top layer formed of a transparent plastic material and a bottom layer formed of a non-absorbent, water-resistant fibrous material, such as paper, which is adapted for writing thereon, the two layers being secured together to their entire opposite surfaces to form a flat, single product. A pictorial representation is included inseparably in the coaster of this invention. Such representation is exposed to view on the top side of the coaster, while a written message can be placed on the bottom side of the coaster. Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is the provision of a novel type of a coaster which serves a dual function of a greeting postcard and of a reusable coaster itself. A further object of this invention is to provide a new, flat coaster, the bottom surface of which is capable of receiving a writing ink, while the top surface exhibits an inseparable pictorial representation, the coaster being adapted to protect the top of furniture from moisture derived from a glass of beverage placed thereon. Still another object of the invention is to provide a coaster and a process of making and using the same wherein the coaster may be manufactured inexpensively from readily available sheet materials which are secured together and cut into individual articles of a coaster size. Still another object of the invention is to provide a coaster and a process of using the same for protection of furniture, wherein the coaster is water-repellent and may be reused many times thus providing a lasting souvenir from a sender of a message. These and other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent from reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. In the drawing: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coaster illustrating its top surface showing a pictorial representation. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2 - 2 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 i a similar enlarged sectional view of another embodiment of the invention. FIG. is a similar sectional view of still another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In a preferred embodiment of this invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the flat coaster 10 comprises essentially a top- layer 12 and a bottom layer "] which are secured together to form a unitary product. The top layer 12 is formed of a non-absorbent, transparent plastic material, such as a vinyl film, polyethylene, polypropylene film or the like. The bottom layer Λk is made of a fibrous material, such as paper or thin cardboard which is adapted for writing thereon. A suitable fibrous material having this property is internally rosin-sized in the course of its manufacture to render it non-absorbent, preferably treated with a wet-strength resin or a rubber latex to impart water resistance thereto and calendered to give it a smooth surface. A white or light-colored writing paper that is surface coated with clay or titanium dioxide coating mixture is satisfactory. The paper should be characterized by substantial stiffness and some flexibility. A light-weight card stock having characteristics similar to those of a conventional postcard is likewise suitable for use in the manufacture of a coaster according to this invention. The top layer in form of a plastic film may be deposited onto the surface of the fibrous material by extrusion of a molten resin from a conventional extruder onto a continuously moving surface of a fibrous sheet in such a manner that the extruded clear film will adhere to the entire surface of the fibrous sheet thus forming a unitary product. Prior to the deposition of the plastic film, the top surface of the fibrous sheet which is to be overlaid with the plastic film is provided by any of the known printing or photographic procedures wit a desired pictorial representation, such as a famous landmark or the like, preferably in multicolor, and optionally with a few printed words, as shown by way of an example, in FIG. 1. It is also within the scope of this invention to imprint the plastic film in lieu of the fibrous sheet with a desired pictorial view in accordance with any of the known techniques and then laminate the plastic film bearing the pictorial representation to the fibrous sheet. The resulting composite product comprising the fibrous sheet and the plastic film exhibits a picture which forms an integral and inseparable part thereof and is exposed to view on the side of the plastic top layer. The composite sheet product is then cut into individual articles of the size approximating a commercially availab coaster. The shape of the final product may vary. Thus it may be rectangular, similar in size to a conventional postcard, square, rou oval, hexagonal or any other desired geometrical configuration. The surface of the bottom layer Λ should, however, be sufficiently larg to accomodate at least a greeting message to be written by the sende and optionally the name and address of the addressee. When the space available on the bottom side of the coaster is insufficient to include the name and address, the coaster may conveniently be insert in an envelope preferably of matching size and mailed to the person to whom it is to be forwarded by writing the name and address on the envelope. The coaster of this invention may also be manufactured by laminating a preformed plastic film to the surface of a fibrous shee This may conveniently be accomplished by employing a self-sealing plastic film and uniting the film and the fibrous sheet by passing them through a nip of two rotating rolls which may be heated, if necessary, to achieve the desired firm adhesion of the two surfaces. For instance, a suitable plastic material, such as a thermoplastic film may be bonded to the fibrous sheet without the use of adhesive by contacting the two opposing surfaces under high pressure sufficient to produce a strong, intimate chemical and/or mechanical bond therebetween. One surface of the plastic film which is to be bonded to the fibrous sheet may be pretreated by any of the known methods to enhance its bonding power to the fibrous sheet. UJR OΛ It is to be noted that the two layers 12 and * \ may also be united using any commercially available bonding agents which can be applied to o ' ne side of the plastic fila or of the fibrous sheet to be contacted before the two materials are subjected to passage through a nip of " two rolls or bonded by any other known pressing methods. Thus, the final product having an inseparably imprinted picture exposed' to view on the top side thereof includes an inter¬ mediate layer of an adhesive bonding agent 16 in addition to the plastic layer i≥ and the fibrous layer 1-^, as shown in FIG. 3- The sheet materials employed in this embodiment are of substantially I the same characteristics as those described hereinabove. Another embodiment of this invention includes the provision of a coaster comprising multiple layers of plastic and fibrous materials. This ' may be accomplished, for example, by embedding a fibrous sheet ~~ %* having an imprinted pictorial representation on the top side thereof between two transparent plastic films 12 which are sealed along their respective edges thus providing a narrow clear and transparent margin 18 of about 3»2 mm. to 12.7 mm * around the embedded fibrous sheet Another sheet of writing paper 1^ of the character described hereinabove is bonded by adhesive agent 1 to the r»l f* surface of the intermediate plastic film which does not expose the pictorial representation. A coaster produced in this manner is shown in FIG. k. It exhibits enhanced rigidity, water resistance and durability in use. The novel and unique combination of a coaster and a greeting card made in accordance with the process of this invention clearly shows a picture of a view or of a landmark on the side of the plastic material and provides ample space on the opposite side for writing j a message, optionally including the name and address of recipient. The important feature of the present invention is that traveling people desirous of sending a message from their trip on a postcard with an inseparable pictorial representation of a local point of interest to their friends or relatives can do so by using the product of the invention which may be used by a recipient in its original form as a long lasting souvenir as an ornamental coaster for protection of furniture when placed under a glass or a bottle containing a beverage. It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in regard to specific " details of this invention whi

Claims: CLAIMS 1. As a new article of manufacture, a reusable, unitary coaster comprising a top layer and a bottom layer, characterized by said top layer being formed of a transparent plastic material and said bottom layer being formed of a non-absorbent, water-resistant fibrous material adapted for writing thereon, said top layer being bonded to the entire surface of said bottom layer, said coaster being provided with an inseparable pictorial representation exposed to view on said top layer side and being further characterized by a dual function of a greeting card and of the coaster itself. 2. The coaster of claim 1 , characterized in that said fibrous material is writing paper. 3. The coaster of claim 1 , characterized in that a fibrous sheet having said pictorial representation is embedded between said top layer and an intermediate layer of plastic film, said top layer and said intermediate layer being sealed along their respective edges, said intermediate layer being adhesively bonded to said bottom layer. *. The coaster of claim 3ι characterized in that said top layer and said intermediate layer are sealed so as to provide a narrow clear margin around said fibrous sheet. 5« A method of protecting furniture from damage caused by moisture derived from a glass of beverage, characterized by placing the coaster of claim 1 on top of the furniture and placing the glass of beverage on said coaster. 6. A process of making a coaster according to claim 1, characterized by providing a fibrous sheet having one side adapted for writing thereon and the opposite side bearing an inseparable pictorial representation, securing to said opposite side of said fibrous sheet a transparent plastic sheet and cutting the resulting composite into individual articles of coaster size. 7« A process of claim 6, characterized in that said fibrous sheet comprises water-resistant coated paper. 8. A process of claim 6, characterized in that said fibrous sheet is secured to said plastic sheet by applying an adhesive ■ therebetween. 9. A process of claim 6, characterized in that said fibrous sheet is secured to said plastic sheet by passing the two sheets through a nip of two rotating rolls. 10. The coaster as claimed in claims 1 to 4, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Inventors: PETRAS H
Applicants: PETRAS H
Application year: 1980
Main classification: B42D15
IPC codes: B32B27, B42D15