AU2019219745A1

AU2019219745A1 - Foam product

Info

Publication number: AU2019219745A1
Application number: AU2019219745A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Yeh TZONG IN
Original assignee: Agit Global IP Holdings LLC
Current assignee: Agit Global IP Holdings LLC
Priority date: 2016-08-29
Filing date: 2019-08-20
Publication date: 2019-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-29
Also published as: AU2019219745B2; AU2016222303B2; AU2016222303A1

Abstract

A foam product includes a foam core and a soft shell. The foam core includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads. Each of the expanded beads is made of a pre-expanded bead. The foam core defines in its top 5 surface a recess. The recess has an inner wall on which some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and protruded. The soft shell is disposed within the recess of the foam core and has an outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess. In particular, the soft shell has at its outer wall a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, 10 outermost beads in the recess of the foam core. FIG. FIG. A 11

Description

FOAM PRODUCT

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional application of co-pending Application No. 2016222303, filed on August 29, 2016.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein and in Australian specification 2016222303, from which the present specification is divided. Reference may be made in the description to subject matter which is not in the scope of the appended claims but relates to subject matter claimed in the parent specification. That subject matter should be readily identifiable by a 10 person skilled in the art and may assist putting into practice the invention as defined in the appended claims.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a foam product, and more particularly to a closed-cell foam product.

2. Description of the Related Art

Nowadays, if a foam product is too wide to be carried under the arm, such as a standup paddle board, it may employ a recessed grip handle structure so that a user may have the fingers of a hand be inserted into the 20 grip handle structure to carry the paddle board under the arm.

One type of standup paddle board is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 9,120,218. In this paddle board, the grip handle structure is constructed from a rigid plastic material, such as Nylon.RTM. fiber and installed flush into the deck of the paddle board at the center of gravity of the board to provide the

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 proper balance when the board is carried using the grip handle. More specifically, the grip handle structure is glued to the foam core of the paddle board using an epoxy resin glue.

Another type of standup paddle board is illustrated in U.S. Patent Pub.

No. 2014/0315453. In this paddle board, a recess is defined in a top surface of the foam core of the paddle board, and an upper foam skin covers the top surface of the foam core. In particular, a portion of the upper foam skin extends along the profile of the recess in the foam core to form a grip handle structure for carrying the paddle board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a new foam product with a different structure as compared to the conventional foam product.

Specifically, the foam product generally includes a foam product comprising a foam core defining in its top surface a recess, the recess having an inner wall; and a soft shell disposed within the recess of the foam core and having an outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess, wherein the soft shell has a space configured in size to receive at least one finger of a human hand.

Preferred embodiments of the invention may have the following additional characteristics, either alone or in combination:

The soft shell is made of a cross-linked polyethylene foam, wherein the cross-linked polyethylene foam is an irradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam. Preferably, the soft shell has a thickness of 2 mm to 3 mm. Morever, 25 the space of the soft shell has an upper space and a lower, enlarged space to

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 permit bending of the finger.

In one embodiment, the soft shell includes a shell body and a pair of extensions extending from opposite sides of the shell body, each of the extensions has two sheets attached to each other, and the recess of the foam 5 core is sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.

In another embodiment, the soft shell includes a shell body and a flange extending from a top edge of the shell body, and the recess of the foam core is sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.

The foam core include a first foam body and a second foam body disposed in the first foam body; the second foam body is more rigid than the first foam body; and the recess is defined in the second foam body of the foam core, wherein the first foam body of the foam core comprises expanded polystyrene, and the second foam body of the foam core comprises a copolymer of expanded polystyrene and expanded polyethylene.

The foam product is one of a board, a stand up paddle board, sit on top kayak, small sail boat, windsurf board, a snow board, and a skiing board.

The present invention includes an upper foam skin with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the foam core, wherein the upper foam 20 skin defining a first hole aligned with an opening of the space of the soft shell.

In one embodiment, the foam product comprises a non-foam plastic film with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the upper foam skin, wherein the non-foam plastic film defining a second hole aligned with the 25 first hole of the upper foam skin.

2019219745 20 Aug 2019

In one embodiment, the foam product includes a lower foam skin with a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the foam core, and a non-foam plastic plate with a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the lower foam skin.

In one embodiment, the foam product further comprises a foam skin with a surface bonded to a surface of the foam core, the foam core including a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads, wherein some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and protruded on the surface of the foam core, and the foam skin has at its 10 surface a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads on the surface of the foam core.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the 15 accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foam product in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates that the foam product shown in FIG. 1 is carried by a user;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 1, showing that fingers of a hand are inserted into a recessed grip handle structure of the foam product;

FIG. 3 A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 3;

2019219745 20 Aug 2019

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the foam product shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a foam product in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the 10 foam product shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 9A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 7 taken along the line X-X;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 7 taken along the line XI-XI;

FIG. 11A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 13 is another cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 13A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 13B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG.

13;

2019219745 20 Aug 2019

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 14B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 5 14;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of a foam product in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the foam product shown in FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, there is shown a first embodiment of the foam 15 product 100 according to the invention. The foam product 100 is a standup paddle board with a grip handle structure 6. A user can easily hold the foam product 100 using the grip handle structure 6 under the arm for transporting the foam product 100 in a comfortable and secure manner, as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the foam product 100 further includes a foam core 1, an upper foam skin 2 and a lower foam skin 3. In this embodiment, the upper foam skin 2 is shaped like a half-shell and has a bottom surface glued to a top surface as well as side surfaces of the foam core 1. The lower foam skin 3 has a top surface glued to a bottom surface of the foam core 1.

The foam core 1 is made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). The upper foam

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 skin 2 and the lower foam skin 3 are both made of a relative softer material, such as expanded polyethylene (EPE) and each has a thickness of about 4 mm to 5 mm. The foam product 100 further includes a non-foam plastic film 4 and a non-foam plastic plate 5 for protection. The non-foam plastic film 4 has a bottom surface directly heat-laminated to the top surface of the upper foam skin 2. The non-foam plastic film 4 may be colored or include a pattern visible from the outside of the film 4. On the other hand, the non-foam plastic plate 5 is directly heat-laminated to the bottom surface of the lower foam skin 3. And, the non-foam plastic plate 5 is made of a wear-resistant 10 material, such as polyethylene (PE). Referring back to FIG. 3, the grip handle structure 6 includes a soft shell 61 and an opening 62 extending through the upper foam skin 2 and the non-foam plastic film 4. The soft shell 61 is preferably made of an irradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam, with a thickness of about 2 mm to 3 mm.

FIG. 5 illustrates the foam core 1 with a recess 10 in which the soft shell 61 is disposed. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, the foam core 1 includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 11. Each of the expanded beads is made of a pre-expanded polystyrene bead. The foam core 1 defines the recess 10 in its top surface. The recess 10 has an upper space 101 and a 20 lower, enlarged space 102. The soft shell 61 is suited in the recess 10 of the foam core 1 and has an upper space (not numbered) configured in size to receive four fingers of a human hand, and a lower, enlarged space (not numbered) to permit bending of the fingers, as shown in FIG. 3, as well.

It is noted that, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads 11 25 are exposed and protruded on the inner wall of the recess 10 of the foam

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 core 1. The soft shell 61 has its outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess 10 of the foam core 1. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 6A, the soft shell 61 has a plurality of cavities 610 at its outer wall. The cavities 610 of the soft shell 61 are sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads 11 in the recess 10 of the foam core 1. In contrast, the inner wall of the soft shell 61 is relatively more flat than the outer wall of the soft shell 61. In other words, the cavities 610 are defined only in the outer wall of the soft shell 61, not the inner wall of the soft shell 61. The soft shell 61 and the foam core 1 are firmly bonded together due to the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces between the soft shell 61 and the foam core 1. Besides, it should be noted that the soft shell 61 and the foam core 1 may be directly heat bonded to each other with similar materials. Alternatively, an adhesive may be employed in between the soft shell 61 and the foam core 1 to further enhance the bonding between the two.

Referring to FIGS. 7-11, there is shown a second embodiment of the foam product 200 according to the invention. The foam product 200 of the second embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 100 of the first embodiment in appearance, and has a grip handle structure 6 for being grasped. However, the foam product 200 is slightly different from the foam product 100 in the interior structure. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 100 is made of a single foam body with the same material; however, the foam product 200 is a combination of two foam bodies with different materials and densities.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the foam core 1 and the soft shell 61 of the foam product 200. As shown, the foam core 1 includes a first

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 foam body la and a second foam body lb embedded in the first foam body la. Specifically, the second foam body lb is more rigid than the first foam body la. The recess 10 is defined in the second foam body lb of the foam core 1. The first foam body la is made of expanded polystyrene, and the 5 second foam body lb is made of a copolymer of expanded polystyrene and expanded polyethylene. As best seen in FIG. 9, the recess 10 has an upper space 101 and a lower, enlarged space 102. The soft shell 61 is suited in the recess 10 of the second foam body lb of the foam core 1, and has an upper space (not numbered) configured in size to receive four fingers of a human 10 hand, and a lower, enlarged space (not numbered) to permit bending of the fingers, as shown in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 10, the foam product 200 further includes an upper foam skin 2 and a lower foam skin 3. The upper foam skin 2 is shaped like a half-shell and has a bottom surface glued to a top surface as well as side 15 surfaces of the foam core 1. The lower foam skin 3 has a top surface glued to a bottom surface of the foam core 1. The upper foam skin 2 and the lower foam skin 3 are both made of a relative softer material, such as expanded polyethylene (EPE) and each has a thickness of about 4 mm to 5 mm. The foam product 200 further includes a non-foam plastic film 4 and a non-foam 20 plastic plate 5 for protection. The non-foam plastic film 4 has a bottom surface directly heat-laminated to the top surface of the upper foam skin 2. And, the non-foam plastic film 4 may be colored or include a pattern visible from the outside of the film 4. The non-foam plastic plate 5 is directly heat-laminated to the bottom surface of the lower foam skin 3. And, the 25 non-foam plastic plate 5 is made of a wear-resistant material, such as

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 polyethylene (PE). As shown in FIG. 11, the grip handle structure 6 includes a soft shell 61 and an opening 62 extending through the upper foam skin 2 and the non-foam plastic film 4. The soft shell 61 is preferably made of an irradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam, with a thickness of about 2 mm to

3 mm.

Referring back to FIGS. 9 and 9A, the second foam body lb of the foam core 1 includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 11. Each of the expanded beads 11 is made of a pre-expanded bead. Similarly, the first foam body la of the foam core 1 is made of a tightly packed cluster of 10 expanded beads 11, not shown, but with a different material. As shown in

FIGS. 11 and 11 A, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads 11 are exposed and protruded on the inner wall of the recess 10 of the second foam body lb. The soft shell 61 has its outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess 10 of the foam core 1. More specifically, the soft shell 61 has a 15 plurality of cavities 610 at its outer wall. The cavities 610 of the soft shell 61 are sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads in the recess 10 of the second foam body lb. In contrast, the inner wall of the soft shell 61 is relatively more flat than the outer wall of the soft shell 61.

In this manner, the soft shell 61 and the second foam body lb are firmly bonded together due to the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces between the soft shell 61 and the second foam body lb. It should be noted that the soft shell 61 and the second foam body lb may be directly heat bonded to each other with similar materials. Alternatively, an adhesive may further be employed to further enhance the bonding of the soft shell 61 and 25 the second foam body lb.

io

2019219745 20 Aug 2019

Referring to FIGS. 12-13, there is shown a third embodiment of the foam product 300 according to the invention. The foam product 300 of the third embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 200 of the second embodiment in appearance and in structure. For example, the foam 5 core 1 of the foam product 300 also includes a first foam body la and a second foam body lb. However, the foam core 1 and the upper foam skin 2 of the foam product 300 are bonded in a different manner.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 12A, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads are exposed and protruded on the top surface of the first 10 foam body la of the foam core 1. Referring to FIG. 13, the upper foam skin 2 has at its bottom surface a plurality of cavities 20 sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads 11 on the top surface of the first foam body 1 a, except that a small area of the bottom surface of the upper foam skin 2 is adhered to the top surface of the second foam body lb.

In other words, the upper foam skin 2 is partly bonded to the second foam body lb via adhesives, and is mostly bonded to the first foam body la via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 13A. Likewise, the soft shell 61 is bonded to the second foam body lb via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 13B.

Referring to FIGS. 14, 14A and 14B, there is shown a fourth embodiment of the foam product 400 according to the invention. The foam product 400 of the fourth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of the third embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 400 includes a first foam body la and a second foam body (not shown); and the upper foam skin 2 is bonded to the first foam body la via

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 14B. However, as shown in FIG. 14A, the foam core 1 and the lower foam skin 3 of the foam product 400 are bonded in a different manner.

As shown in FIG. 14A, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads are exposed and protruded on the bottom surface of the first foam body la of the foam core 1. The lower foam skin 3 has at its top surface a plurality of cavities 30 sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads 11 on the bottom surface of the first foam body la. As such, the lower foam skin 3 is firmly bonded to the first foam body la 10 via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces as well.

Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown a fifth embodiment of the foam product 500 according to the invention. The foam product 500 of the fifth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of the third embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 500 includes 15 a first foam body la and a second foam body lb; and the upper foam skin 1 is bonded to the first foam body la via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces. However, the soft shell 61 of the foam product 500 is slightly different from that of the foam product 300.

As shown in FIG. 15, the soft shell 61 includes a shell body 611 and a 20 pair of extensions 612 extending from opposite sides of the shell body 611.

Each of the extensions 612 has two sheets (not numbered) attached to each other. The recess 10 of the second foam body lb of the foam core 1 is sized and shaped to receive the whole soft shell 61, namely both the shell body 611 and the extensions 612.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, there is shown a sixth embodiment of

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 the foam product 600 according to the invention. The foam product 600 of the sixth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of the third embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 600 includes a first foam body la and a second foam body lb; and the upper 5 foam skin 1 is bonded to the first foam body 1 a via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces. However, the soft shell 61 of the foam product 600 is slightly different from that of the foam product 300.

As shown in FIG. 16 or 17, the soft shell 61 includes a shell body 611 and a flange 613 extending from a top edge of the shell body 611. The recess

10 of the second foam body lb of the foam core 1 is sized and shaped to receive the whole soft shell 61, namely both the shell body 611 and the flange 613.

As described above, the present invention provides a foam product in which the soft shell and/or the foam skin may be firmly bonded to the foam core using the characteristic of the expanded beads of the foam core. The foam product may be one of a stand up paddle board, sit on top kayak, small sail boat, a windsurf board, a snow board, a skiing board, and other craft boards that are too wide to be carried under the arm. It is noted that the foam product is not limited to be shaped like a board or plate. Instead, the foam product would be non-flattened with a different shape.

It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A foam product comprising:

a foam core defining in its top surface a recess, the recess having an inner wall; and

2. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the soft shell is

10 made of a cross-linked polyethylene foam.

3. The foam product as recited in claim 2, wherein the cross-linked polyethylene foam is an irradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam.

4. The foam product as recited in claim 3, wherein the soft shell has a thickness of 2 mm to 3 mm.

15 5. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the space of the soft shell has an upper space and a lower, enlarged space to permit bending of the finger.

5 a lower foam skin with a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the foam core, and a non-foam plastic plate with a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the lower foam skin.

16. The foam product as recited in claim 1, further comprising a foam skin with a surface bonded to a surface of the foam core, the foam

5 and the recess is defined in the second foam body of the foam core.

5 a soft shell disposed within the recess of the foam core and having an outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess, wherein the soft shell has a space configured in size to receive at least one finger of a human hand.

6. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the soft shell includes a shell body and a pair of extensions extending from opposite

20 sides of the shell body, each of the extensions has two sheets attached to each other, and the recess of the foam core is sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.

7. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the soft shell includes a shell body and a flange extending from a top edge of the shell

25 body, and the recess of the foam core is sized and shaped to receive the

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 soft shell.

8. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the foam core include a first foam body and a second foam body disposed in the first foam body; the second foam body is more rigid than the first foam body;

9. The foam product as recited in claim 8, wherein the first foam body of the foam core comprises expanded polystyrene, and the second foam body of the foam core comprises a copolymer of expanded polystyrene and expanded polyethylene.

10 10. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the foam product is one of a board, a stand up paddle board, sit on top kayak, small sail boat, windsurf board, a snow board, and a skiing board.

11. The foam product as recited in claim 1, further comprising an upper foam skin with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the

15 foam core, wherein the upper foam skin defining a first hole aligned with an opening of the space of the soft shell.

12. The foam product as recited in claim 11, further comprising a non-foam plastic film with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the upper foam skin, wherein the non-foam plastic film defining a second

20 hole aligned with the first hole of the upper foam skin.

13. The foam product as recited in claim 8, further comprising an upper foam skin with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the foam core, wherein the upper foam skin defining a first hole aligned with an opening of the space of the soft shell.

25

14. The foam product as recited in claim 13, further comprising a

2019219745 20 Aug 2019 non-foam plastic film with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the upper foam skin, wherein the non-foam plastic film defining a second hole aligned with the first hole of the upper foam skin.

15. The foam product as recited in claim 11, further comprising

10 core including a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads, wherein some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and protruded on the surface of the foam core, and the foam skin has at its surface a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads on the surface of the foam core.