Patent Publication Number: US-2018037051-A1

Title: Non-Porous Thermofoil Decorative Object and a Method For Thermoforming a Non-Porous Substrate

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to co-pending United States provisional patent application entitled “Thermofoil Decorative Object,” having Ser. No. 62/371,871, filed on Aug. 8, 2016, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Three-dimensional (3D) or textured decorative wall covers create additional dimension and charisma to a room that traditional painting and wallpapers lack. Existing decorative wall covers range from high-end, expensive commissioned wall arts, such as hand-sculpted wall mural, to more affordable wall tiles, and to even more reasonably priced wall panels. Common decorative wall panels include engineered wood boards, such as Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF) panels, and cupboard panels that are painted or coated with thermofoil. 
     Thermofoil is a thin plastic material, such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), thermoformed to a substrate, generally wood boards, as a surface finish. Thermofoil comes in various colors, texture, and sheen levels, such as high-gloss wood grain versions or metallic finishes. To start thermoforming, a substrate is generally sprayed with a two part heat activated glue that preferably comprises adhesive and hardener and placed on a pedestal or a pin system underneath a sheet of thermofoil. Then, the thermofoil is heated to a high-enough temperature and pressed to bond with the substrate, typically at its top surface and edges. Known methods for heating and pressing include bladder pressing, vacuum forming, and high pressure heated vacuum pressing with or without a membrane. 
     Compared to painting, thermoforming a wall panel is time saving and requires little labor, yet the result can look as good as, if not better than, a painted panel. Existing thermoforming techniques can only be applied to porous substrates because otherwise, during pressing, gas may be trapped between the thermofoil and a non-porous substrate and form air bubbles. Gas may also come from adhesives sprayed/applied on the substrate. If bubbles are formed, not only the result would not look as desired but the thermofoil may eventually peel. Commonly used porous substrates for wall panels are heavy and nonresistant to moisture and fire. In contrast, synthetic materials, such as polyurethane (PU) and thermoplastics, may be lightweight while resistant to moisture or flame, but these materials are non-porous and thus not ideal to be thermoformed. 
     Therefore, it is desirous to have decorative objects that are covered with thermofoil so that they are aesthetically pleasing, yet affordable. 
     It is also desirous to have thermofoil decorative objects that use lightweight and water/flame resistant non-porous materials as substrates. 
     SUMMARY 
     The structure, overall operation and technical characteristics of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of preferred embodiments and the illustration of the related drawings as follows. 
     The invention is incorporated in a non-porous thermofoil decorative object and a methods for thermoforming a non-porous substrate. An embodiment of the decorative object comprises a non-porous substrate and a thermofoil thermoformed to the substrate. Exemplary materials of a non-porous substrate include metal, glass, and plastic, but a preferred non-porous substrate is made of lightweight, water resistant, and flame resistant materials, such as rigid polyurethane. 
     In various embodiments of the decorative object, the thermofoil may be made of different materials, such as Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Polycarbonate (PC) thermoplastics, and have various textures, colors, and sheen levels. An exemplary thermofoil may comprise additional decorative elements such as beads, metallic sprinkles, and so forth. 
     In the exemplary embodiment of the decorative object, the non-porous substrate has a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least one exhaust port extending from the top surface to the bottom surface. An exemplary thermofoil is preferably thermoformed to a non-porous substrate at its top surface and edges but not at the bottom surface. The opening of an exemplary exhaust port at the bottom surface is preferably not blocked so that bubble formation between the thermofoil and the top surface may be avoided during pressing and bonding, otherwise the thermofoil may eventually peel away. Furthermore, the at least one exhaust port of an embodiment is preferably strategically placed so that bubble formation is prevented by not trapping gas at all or allowing any gas trapped to eventually escape. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the decorative object, the top surface of the substrate is contoured and/or textured to be aesthetically appealing, and the bottom surface is configured to attach to another object. For instance, an exemplary substrate may have a contoured top surface and a flat bottom surface so that the bottom surface can be affixed to a wall with adhesives or any other means. 
     In this embodiment, if the top surface further comprises a terraced surface, or other steeply raised level (such surfaces collectively referred to herein as a “steeply raised level”), the exhaust port is preferably located where gas can be trapped while thermoforming, such as at an edge of the raised level, or at any location where gas even if trapped may escape. If the top surface of the substrate in an alternate embodiment has more than one steeply raised levels, the substrate preferably has a plurality of exhaust ports each strategically placed as aforementioned to avoid or reduce trapped air. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the decorative object, the exhaust port of the substrate is configured to be big enough to avoid bubble formation from trapped gas but not too big that would cause a perceivable depression of the thermofoil after the thermofoil is pressed and bonded to the substrate. The diameter of an exemplary exhaust port is preferably in a range of 1/32″- 5/32″, most preferably 3/32″. 
     As to methods for thermoforming a non-porous object, a preferred embodiment comprises the steps of:
         (1) Retrieving the non-porous object that has a top surface, a bottom surface, and an exhaust port extending from the top surface to the bottom surface;   (2) Retrieving a thermofoil; and   (3) Thermoforming the thermofoil to the top surface of the object with the thermofoil covering the exhaust port at the top surface.       

     A non-porous object used in various embodiments of the thermoforming method may have one or more features of the substrates in the embodiments of the decorative object as stated above. Similarly, a thermofoil used in an embodiment of the thermoforming method may incorporate at least one feature, such as the textures and colors, of the thermofoils illustrated above. 
     An embodiment of the thermoforming method may further include a step of piercing through the object to create the exhaust port. Another embodiment of the method may further comprise a step of molding to create the object with the exhaust port at a desired location. In another preferred embodiment, a glue may further be applied to the object on the top surface and any other sides of the object before the object is thermoformed, and the glue may comprise adhesives and hardener. An exemplary adhesive may be heat-activated or pressure-activated. A preferred embodiment may further include a step of sanding or rubbing the object to remove any imperfections on its surface(s). In an alternate embodiment of the thermoforming method, the thermofoil may be thermoformed onto only a portion, rather than the whole, of the top surface. Yet another embodiment of the thermoforming method may further comprise a step of trimming an unwanted portion of the thermofoil. 
     Additionally, an exemplary step for thermoforming the thermofoil to the top surface of the object, step 3 above, may include using any existing thermofoil pressing machines, such as Italpresse® thermofoil lamination presses or Black Bros.™ membrane &amp; vacuum presses, or any thermoforming methods known in the art. An exemplary step for thermoforming the thermofoil to the object may include: (a) placing the object on a pedestal, a riser, or a pin system in a tray inside a chamber; (b) placing the pre-heated thermofoil over the object inside the chamber; (c) closing and sealing the chamber; and (d) drawing the heated thermofoil against the object by vacuum from below the thermofoil. 
     A preferred step for thermoforming the thermofoil to the object may include: (a) placing the object on a pedestal, a riser, or a pin system in a tray inside a chamber; (b) placing a thermofoil over the object; (c) closing and sealing the chamber; (d) drawing the thermofoil against an heated upper platen or any heat source above the thermofoil by vacuum above or air pressure below; (e) heating the thermofoil; (f) releasing the thermofoil from the upper platen or heat source; (g) drawing the heated thermofoil against the object by vacuum from below the thermofoil; and (h) applying positive air pressure from above the thermofoil for more detailed profile and bond strength. 
     An alternate preferred third step for thermoforming the thermofoil to the object may further include: (a) placing the object on a pedestal, a riser, or a pin system in a tray inside a chamber; (b) placing a thermofoil between a membrane and the object; (c) closing and sealing the chamber; (d) drawing the membrane and thermofoil against an heated upper platen or any heat source above the membrane by vacuum above or positive air pressure below; (e) heating the thermofoil by having the heat transferred from the platen or heat source, through the membrane, and then to the thermofoil; (f) releasing the membrane and the thermofoil from the platent or heat source; (g) drawing the heated membrane and thermofoil against the object by vacuum from below the thermofoil; (h) applying air pressure from above the membrane for added profile definition and bond strength between the thermofoil and the object; and (i) applying cold compressed air between the membrane and the thermofoil to separate them. 
     One object is to provide a lightweight, water/fire resistant, decorative object. 
     Another object is to provide a decorative object covered with thermofoil to be aesthetically appealing, yet affordable. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OR PICTURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the non-porous thermofoil decorative object. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the embodiment, along a virtual line  3 - 3 , in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is the perspective view of the substrate of an alternate embodiment of the non-porous thermofoil decorative object. 
         FIG. 5  is the cross sectional view of another embodiment of the non-porous thermofoil decorative object. 
         FIG. 6  shows a wall partially covered with multiple embodiments of the non-porous thermofoil decorative object in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Exemplary embodiments of the thermofoil decorative object and/or portions thereof are shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . A preferred embodiment  100  is shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . This embodiment  100  has a non-porous substrate  110  and a thermofoil  120 . The substrate  110  comprises a contoured top surface  111 , a flat bottom surface  112 , an exhaust port  113  extending from the top surface  111  to and bottom surface  112 , and six edges  114 . The thermofoil  120  preferably has an aesthetically appealing texture such as imitation wood grain and is thermoformed onto the top surface  111  and the edges  114 . The exhaust port  113  is covered by the thermofoil  120  so that the exhaust port  113  is not seen from the top. In this preferred embodiment  100 , the exhaust port  113  is located at the center of the substrate  110  and has a  3 / 32 ″ diameter. The preferred embodiment  100  may be displayed individually or attached to a wall with other similar embodiments, as in  FIG. 6 , to give the space a more dramatic focal point. 
       FIG. 4  shows a non-porous substrate  200  of another embodiment. This exemplary substrate  200  has a contoured top surface  210 , a bottom surface (not shown), and two exhaust ports  220  and  230 . The top surface  210  of this embodiment has two steeply raised levels  211  and  212 . The exhaust ports  220  and  230  are preferably located at the edges of the raised levels  211  and  212  respectively. 
       FIG. 5  shows an alternate embodiment  300  that comprises a non-porous substrate  310  thermoformed with a thermofoil  320  only at the substrate&#39;s contoured top surface  311 . The substrate  310  has an exhaust port  313  extending from the top surface  311  to the bottom surface  312  and located near a side of the substrate  310 . 
     While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those ordinarily skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit disclosed herein. For instance, a substrate of an embodiment may have different dimensions, profiles, and designs. An exemplary substrate may be a simple flat square block, a contoured polygon, a panel with multiple bumps on the top surface, and so forth. The substrates of different embodiments may have different numbers of exhaust ports at various locations and formed by different methods known in the art. The thermofoil in an embodiment may have various thickness, textures, colors, and sheen levels. Thermoforming a non-porous object in an embodiment may be done by any thermoforming methods known in the art. Therefore, the invention is intended to cover all techniques, devices, or structures known in the art and not be limited in scope except by the purview of the appended claims.