Patent ID: 7494696

Claim:
A method for preparing an article coated with a fused polyvinyl chloride coating from a solid portion containing a prearrangement of anchoring apertures interspersed amongst larger leveling apertures, said method comprising: a) providing the prearrangement of the anchoring apertures in a sufficient number and uniform distribution throughout an interior portion of the solid portion so as to permit the fused polyvinyl chloride coating to firmly anchor onto the solid portion, b) selectively positioning the larger leveling apertures throughout the solid portion so as to allow an excessive deposition of an unfused plasticized polyvinyl chloride coating material to drain from the solid portion and form a substantially planar coating of the unfused plasticized polyvinyl chloride upon the article covering said anchoring apertures and said solid portion, c) coating the solid portion and anchoring apertures with the unfused plasticized polyvinyl chloride coating material by allowing the unfused coating material to impregnate the anchoring apertures and coat the solid portion therewith, d) permitting excessive deposits of the unfused coating material to drain from the solid portion to provide unfused plasticized polyvinyl chloride coating material of a substantially planar surface covering the solid portion and the anchoring apertures of said solid portion, and e) fusing the unfused plasticized polyvinyl chloride coating material onto the solid portion to provide an article coated with fused plasticized polyvinyl chloride coating of a substantially planar surface covering the solid portion and the anchoring apertures with the fused coating being firmly anchored onto the anchoring apertures of said article; wherein the solid portion comprises a solid metal portion and the selective positioning of the larger leveling apertures includes the positioning of a greater density of the leveling apertures along the peripheral margin of the solid metal portion than within the interior portion of the solid metal portion; and wherein the leveling apertures comprise an aperture open area amounting to less than 25% of a total surface circumscribed by the peripheral edges of the coated metal article.