AU2003249771B2 - Refurbishable covering - Google Patents

Description

WO 2004/012559 PCT/AU2003/000996 REFURBISHABLE COVERING FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to protective surface coverings for articles, including but not limited to, a refurbishable protective covering for items of furniture such as kitchen cupboard doors or appliances, such as refrigerator and dishwasher doors, and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Kitchen cabinets, refrigerators and dishwashing machines and other electrical "white goods" items are usually painted with a durable enamel or a two part polyurethane paint or similar finish. Unfortunately, such surfaces are prone to marking, scratches and general wear and tear over time. Damage to such items is difficult to repair as the surfaces often have to be completely stripped of the old finish before repainting with a matching or closely matching finish. Furthermore, if a modified or different interior design is required, it is not unusual to install new furniture and appliances rather than refurbish all the kitchen cupboard doors and to repaint refrigerators and dishwashing machines in matching colours. The refurbishment and repainting is a labour intensive, time consuming and consequently often a relatively expensive exercise.

Prior art surface finishes often include the application of two pack and single pack coatings. This adds additional cost to the total finish where multiple coats are required and where additional coats are required to give the product depth and colour. Furthermore, the surface on which the paint is applied is often imperfect which is only noticed when the final coat is applied.

Preparation of painted surfaces involves the removal of grit in the paint and also requires buffing when the painted surfaces are dry. Poor preparation, the presence of silicon grit in the paint or surface imperfections on the article result in the need for re-coating and therefore is time and labour intensive. In order WO 2004/012559 PCTiAU2003/000996 -2to obtain professional finishes, multiple undercoats must be applied and the surfaces must be prepared by repeated sanding. This can result in damage to the actual surface of the finish as well as require excessive amounts of paint and preparation materials. As mentioned previously, the turnaround time for refurbishing articles is increased. Present art products attempting to solve the above problems of painted surfaces include the use of vinyl wrap, laminated board and solid coloured plastic surfacing. The disadvantages or limitation associated with such prior art products include where vinyl wrap is used, the potential of fading from sunlight, peeling or blistering from heat. Vinyl cannot be repaired when it is marked as it cannot be buffed, and scratches are easily visible.

In respect of laminated board, such board is usually non-heat resistance, chips easily and is prone to glue becoming unstuck and the edging strip peeling from heat.

In respect of solid coloured plastic surfacing, such surfacing can tear and crack and is very easily damaged and cannot be repaired.

Further disadvantages of painted surfaces include not only the labour and expenses associated with applying a two pack finish, but also the expense of sanding and preparation, and, sanding dust and the use of chemical undercoats are health and environmental issues.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to seek to ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

In one aspect, the invention resides in a refurbishable covering for the surface of an article, the covering being of a resilient transparent or translucent material, the said covering having an inner surface and outer surface, said inner surface being formed to be in substantial conformity with the surface of the WO 2004/012559 PCTiAU2003/000996 -3article, said inner surface further being adapted to be coated with a decorative material, wherein in use, said inner surface of the covering is attached to the surface of the article to provide a refurbishable covering therefor, wherein marks or scratches in said outer surface can be removed without affecting the decorative appearance imparted by the decorative material coating said inner surface.

Preferably, the inner surface of the covering is in substantially complete contact with the surface of the article.

Preferably, the inner surface of the covering is formed by moulding, and in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is formed by vacuum moulding.

In another particularly preferred embodiment the inner surface of the covering is press moulded to fit the article surface.

In a less preferred embodiment, and depending on the material used, the covering may be hand or machine moulded to fit the article surface.

Preferably, the refurbishable covering is made from one of the following polymers: Polyethyleneterphthalate; acrylic resins, such as polymethylmethacrylate and the resin available under the trade mark PERSPEX; ionomer resins, such as those available under the trade mark SURLYN; polyvinylchloride; polyethylene; polypropylene; polyacetal resins; polyimide resins, such as those available under the trade mark KAPTON; poly vinyl fluoride resins, such as those available under the trade mark TEDLAR.

The coverings of the invention have a practical range of thickness from 0.1 millimetres to 10.0 millimetres. Coverings larger than 10.0 millimetres are WO 2004/012559 PCTiAU2003/000996 -4not usually commercially viable, although they would achieve the advantages of the invention.

Preferably the covering is clear, however it may be tinted or have a satin or semi gloss finish to one or both of the inner and outer surfaces.

Preferably the decorative material is a paint, either a single, two part or three part mixture. Also possible is the use of a sheet material such as vinyl or the use of decals which are adhered to the covering inner surface, thereby providing a decorative appearance.

The outer surface of the covering is refurbishable to remove scratches, chips and other surface markings which occur over time through normal wear and tear. Preferably, the outer surface of the covering is refurbishable by buffing with a known buffing preparation, using conventional buffing equipment, including that normally used in the automotive area.

In one particular embodiment of the invention the refurbishable covering is removable from the article and is removed to be refurbished, or, the covering can be removed and replaced with another covering to impart a different decorative appearance.

In the case where the covering is removable, it may be fixed by means of any one or more of adhesive; magnetic strips; double sided tape; velcroTM; clips or other detachable fastening means. Where an adhesive is used and the covering is to be removable, it is preferred to use a heat sensitive adhesive to facilitate subsequent removal.

The covering can also be removably fixed to the article by means of the edges thereof, for example, by a clip to an edge facing of the article.

WO 2004/012559 PCTiAU2003/000996 The refurbishable covering is particularly suitable to be applied to items such as kitchen cabinet doors, refrigerators, dishwashers, shop fitting components and items, cornices and mouldings, bedroom furniture and other furniture, but is not limited to these items.

The refurbishable covering is intended to provide an alternative durable surface to any article which is usually painted, varnished or treated with a preservative.

Throughout the specification the term "substantial conformity" in relation to the inner surface of the covering, means that the inner surface closely matches the surface of the article in its configuration.

Throughout the specification the term "substantially complete contact" in relation to inner surface of the covering, means that at least most of the inner surface is in contact with the surface of the article.

In order that the present invention be more readily understood a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig 1 shows a covering of the invention to be applied to a cupboard door, together with the cupboard door; and Fig 2 is a cross-section view along line 2-2 in Fig 1.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a cupboard door 10 having a rebated section 12 adjacent to the periphery thereof.

There is also shown a covering 14 which has been vacuum moulded so that its inside surface, seen at 16 in Fig 2, conforms substantially to the outer surface of cupboard door WO 2004/012559 PCTiAU2003/000996 -6- Referring now to Fig 2 covering 14 is shown having an outer surface 18 and an inner surface 16. Inner surface 16 has been coated with a decorative material 20 which in this instance is a two part paint of a preferred colour, which is applied to inner surface 16 and allowed to dry.

Covering 14 is made from an ionomer resin, available under the trade mark SURLYN, and has an average thickness of 0.7 millimetre taking into account the variation in thickness due to the forming of the covering to the outside surface of cupboard door Covering 14 is fastened to the outside surface of cupboard door 10 by means of a heat sensitive adhesive applied to it after decorative material 20 has been allowed to dry. Covering 14 is applied to cupboard door 10 while the adhesive is in a heated condition and the composite article is then allowed to dry.

The outer surface 18 of covering 14 is refurbishable and surface scratches and marks may be buffed off outer surface 18 to restore the surface, by the use of conventional buffing agents and buffing equipment. Re-heating of the composite article is possible to a point where the heat sensitive adhesive softens sufficiently allows removal of covering 14 for either refurbishment or replacement of the decorative coating As will be appreciated the refurbishment of outer surface 18 does not contact or affect decorative coating 20 which remains unaffected by the refurbishment. This allows the restoration of the appearance of the composite article to a condition approximating its new condition.

In the following Examples of refurbishable coatings, reference is made back to the Example 1 and the drawings, where like parts carry corresponding numbers.

WO 2004/012559 PCTiAU2003/000996 -7- Example 2 Covering 114 was formed from polyethyleneterphthalate resin having a thickness of 0.3 millimetres. In this instance the decorative coating 120 is an ink based preparation which was applied by an ink jet printer.

Example 3 Covering 214 was made from polyvinyl chloride resin having a thickness of 1.0 millimetres. A coating applied to the PVC was a three part paint, sprayed on the inside surface 216 of covering 214.

Example 4 In this Example the covering was formed from a polyvinyl fluoride resin available under the trade mark TEDLAR. The covering was millimetres in thickness and the decorative coating was applied by a dye diffusion technique.

Example The covering in this Example was formed from a polyimide resin available under the trade mark KAPTON.

The covering had a top flange extending over the top edge of the cupboard door 310 and the thickness of the covering 314 was 0.4 millimetres.

Covering 314 was fastened to the outside surface of the cupboard door by the use of double side adhesive tape. While the visual affect was the same as in the preceding examples there was some tendency of covering 314 to "drum" which in some instances may not be acceptable, although the benefits of the invention are still retained as the polyimide resin is able to be readily refurbished without impinging upon the decorative coating.

In all of the above Examples, the material from which the covering is made is either transparent or highly translucent, so that the full affect of the decorative coating is able to be seen.

WO 2004/012559 PCTIAU2003/000996 -8- As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art the use of ink jet and dye diffusion techniques enable decorative appearance such as wood grain and other patterns to be obtained on the inside surface of the covering.

Where the terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or "comprising" are used in this specification, they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components referred to, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or group thereof.

Claims (9)

1. A refurbishable covering for the surface of an article, the covering being of a resilient transparent or translucent material, the said covering having an inner surface and outer surface, said inner surface being formed to be in substantial conformity with the surface of the article, said inner surface further being adapted to be coated with a decorative material, wherein in use, said inner surface of the covering is attached to the surface of the article to provide a refurbishable covering therefor, wherein marks or scratches in said outer surface can be removed without affecting the decorative appearance imparted by the decorative material coating said inner surface.

2. A refurbishable covering as claimed in claim 1 wherein said inner surface of the covering is in substantially complete contact with said surface of the article.

3. A refurbishable covering as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said decorative material is selected from the group consisting of paint, ink and dye.

4. A refurbishable covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the covering is attached to said surface of the article in a manner which is releasable.

A refurbishable covering as claimed in claim 4 wherein the covering is attached to said surface of the article by means of one or more of the group consisting of adhesive, double side tape, magnetic strips, and velcroTM WO 2004/012559 PCT/AU2003/000996

6. A refurbishable covering as claimed in claim 5 wherein the covering is attached to said surface of the article by means of heat sensitive adhesive.

7. A refurbishable covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said inner surface of the covering is formed by vacuum moulding or press moulding.

8. A refurbishable covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the covering is made of a plastics material selected from the group consisting of Polyethyleneterphthalate; acrylic resins, including polymethylmethacrylate and the resin available under the trade mark PERSPEX; ionomer resins, including those available under the trade mark SURLYN; polyvinylchloride; polyethylene; polypropylene; polyacetal resins; polyimide resins, including those available under the trade mark KAPTON; poly vinyl fluoride resins, including those available under the trade mark TEDLAR.

9. A refurbishable covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said outside surface of the covering may be buffed using conventional buffing preparations and equipment to restore said outside surface to approximate its original condition. A refurbishable covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness thereof is from 0.1 millimetres to 10.0 millimetres.