AU705199B2

AU705199B2 - Method of forming a decorative surface

Info

Publication number: AU705199B2
Application number: AU62082/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ian James Langman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-08-18
Filing date: 1996-08-13
Publication date: 1999-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2016-08-13
Also published as: AU6208296A

Description

c-al P/00/011 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT o r Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for service is: IAN JAMES LANGMAN IAN JAMES LANGMAN WRAY ASSOCIATES 239 Adelaide Terrace Perth, WA 6000 Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "Method of Forming a Decorative Surface" Details of Associated Provisional Application No(s): PN4877 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- I I---dl The present invention relates to the method of creating a decorative surface.

In partic,.jlar, the invention relates to forming of a decorative surface on substantially translucent or transparent elements which have a visible face whereby the decorative surface is applied to the reverse face such that it can be seen from the visible face. The invention has application to panels such as tiles, windows and the like. In addition the invention has application to formed elements such as baths, spa baths, swimming pools, hand basins, sinks and the like formed decorative elements which are formed of a plastics sheet material. A particular example of the form of sheet material to which the method according to the invention can be applied includes acrylic sheet material.

Throughout this specification the term "panel" shall be taken to include any item including those of the form referred to above which is formed from a sheet S material which is transparent or translucent and which has a visible face being a *l surface of the panel for direct viewing by an observer when installed and in normal a use and a reverse face being the surface of the panel opposing the visible face l.

:.Accordingly, the invention resides in a method of creating a decorative surface on a panel comprising etching the reverse face, applying a plurality of discrete coloured elements to the reverse face and coating the reverse face having the S. coloured elements applied thereto with a composition to provide a substantially •a inert protective coating.

S. According to a preferred feature of the invention, the elements comprise coloured droplets, or flecks of a hardenable composition capable of bonding to the reverse surface. The droplets or flecks can be of a variety of colours. Preferably the droplets of any one colour are unable to mix with droplets of any other colour on application.

According to an alternative preferred feature the method comprises initially applying to the reverse surface a layer of a hardenable polymeric composition cwhich when hard provides a transparent coating, and applying the coloured s~ 1 -3elements to the layer before it hardens. Preferably said elements comprise solid coloured particles. According to one preferred form, the coloured particles comprise flakes or chips.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention the protective coating is opaque.

According to an alternative preferred feature of the previous feature the protective coating is transparent.

According to an alternative preferred feature of the previous feature the protective coating is translucent.

10 According to a further preferred feature, the panel is formed from a plastics .material. The plastics material can comprise an acrylic composition.

According to a preferred form of the invention the etching of the surface comprises sanding the surface.

According to a preferred feature, the coated reverse face is coated with fibre reinforced plastic. If desired the plastics resin of the fibre reinforced plastic is heated before it is applied to the coated reverse face.

According to a further preferred features, the coated reverse face is covered by a layer of plastics sheeting. The application of the plastics sheeting can be effected by vacuum forming.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of several specific embodiments. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a schematic cross-section of a panel coated according to the method of the first embodiment; and -4- Figure 2 is a schematic sectional election of a panel coated according to the method of the second embodiment.

Each of the embodiments relates to methods of providing a decorative surface on a panel formed of a transparent acrylic plastics material. The panel may comprise a tile or a formed element, having a visible face which conforms to the inner shape of an item such as a bath, spa-pool, hand basin or the like.

The method according to method of the first embodiment comprises providing a decorative finish to a panel 11. The method initially comprises etching the reverse face 13 of the panel 11 using a fine grade sand paper to provide a "frosted" appearance to the reverse face of the panel. The reverse surface 13 is then coated by a layer of droplets 14 of a coloured vinyl composition where the droplets can have a variety of colours and whereby the droplets will adhere to the reverse face. The droplets are formed of a hardenable composition which is such that the droplets of any one colour will not combine with and/or are immiscible with the droplets of any other colour on application to the reverse surface whereby as a result the colours will remain separate. The droplets are applied to the surface from a spraying nozzle by a substantially conventional spraying technique. Once hardened the layer of droplets 14 is then coated with S* a protective base coat 15 which can be coloured and be transparent, or translucent or opaque in order to provide a background colour to the array of "coloured specks as seen through the visible face. The base coat 15 may then be coated with further coating 16 which is substantially inert and is resistant to heat, abrasion and the like.

As a result of the method of the first embodiment, a decorative appearance is provided to the transparent panel 11 as viewed through the visible face where the decorative appearance comprises a random array of specks of differing colours, the density of which can vary according to the density of the application of droplets to the reverse face. The base coat 15 serves to provide a background colour to the array of specks and can render the panel opaque if desired.

The method of the second embodiment is very similar to that of the first embodiment with the exception that prior to the application of the elements, the reverse surface 113 is coated with a layer 117 of a transparent hardenable plastics liquid composition which is capable of bonding to the reverse face. In addition prior to the initial layer 117 hardening, the surface has applied to it the layer 114 of coloured particles which in the case of the second embodiment comprise flakes or chips which are formed of a substantially inert material such as vinyl. The particles become bonded to the initial layer 117. On the hardening of the initial layer 117, a base coat 115 and if desired an outer protective coat 116 is applied over the layer of particles 114 as in the case of the previous embodiment. The layer of particles 114 can comprise flakes or chips of a variety of colours and shapes.

The method of the third embodiment of the invention comprises a variation from the first method of the embodiment as shown at Figure 1 and comprises applying to the reverse face 13 of the panel a plurality of filaments which can be sprayed onto the reverse face from a spray gun to form a random array of **coloured lines over the reverse face 13. The filaments are formed of a liquid plastics composition which can be sprayed from a spray nozzle which instead of producing a discrete set of droplets will produce one or more continuous streams which maintain their integrity on the passage from the spray nozzle to the reverse surface.

In the case of each of the embodiments, on completion of the application of the coating to the reverse face a further reinforcing and/or protective layer can be applied to the coated reverse face. In one form the reinforcing and/or protective layer is formed by applying fibres which can be formed of glass, carbon, or like reinforcing fibres onto the coated reverse face with a suitable resin. According to one preferred feature the resin can be heated prior to its application to the -6coated reverse face. The application of the hot resin serves to improve the bonding to the coated reverse face by fusing the reinforcing coating to the base coating to provide an integral structure once the resin has set.

In another form of each of the embodiments a further layer of acrylic sheeting is applied over the coated reverse face by vacuum forming. The further a layer can be bonded to the reverse face by means of a suitable resin or adhesive.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the to the particular of each of the embodiments described above. In particular, the invention is not limited to use with transparent acrylic sheet material but can be applied to any form of transparent or translucent sheet material including glass.

s e cooe e•

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Claims

1. A method of creating a decorative surface on a panel which is at least substantially translucent or transparent and which has a visible face being a surface of said panel for direct viewing by an observer when installed and a reverse face being the surface of the panel opposing said visible face, the method comprising etching the reverse face, applying a plurality of discrete coloured elements to the reverse face and coating the reverse face having the coloured elements applied thereto with a composition to provide a substantially inert protective coating.

2. A method as claimed at claim 1 wherein the elements comprise coloured droplets, or flecks of a hardenable composition capable of bonding to the reverse surface. •r 3. A method as claimed at claim 2 wherein the droplets or flecks can be of a S. S "variety of colours. 15 4. A method as claimed at claim 3 wherein the droplets of any one colour are unable to mix with droplets of any other colour on application.

5. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the method also comprises initially applying to the reverse surface a layer of a hardenable polymeric composition which when hard provides a transparent 4. S 20 coating and applying the coloured elements to the layer before it hardens.

6. A method as claimed at claim 5 wherein said elements comprise solid S° coloured particles.

7. A method as claimed at claim 5 wherein the coloured particles comprise flakes or chips. -1 -I -S

8. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the protective coating is opaque.

9. A method as claimed at any one of claims 1 to coating is transparent.

10. A method as claimed at any one of claims 1 to coating is translucent.

11. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding is formed from a plastics material. 7 wherein the protective 7 wherein the protective claims wherein the panel S S S S S 0

12. A method as claimed at claim 11 wherein the plastics material comprises an acrylic composition.

13. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the panel is formed from glass.

14. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the etching of the surface comprises sanding the surface.

15. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the coated reverse face is coated with fibre reinforced plastic.

16. A method as claimed at claim 15 wherein the plastics resin of the fibre reinforced plastic is heated before it is applied to the coated reverse face.

17. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the coated reverse face is covered by a layer of plastics sheeting.

18. A method as claimed at claim 17 wherein the layer of plastics sheeting is applied by vacuum forming.

19. A method substantially as herein described. s A panel having a decorative finish pplied thereto according to the method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims.

21. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises a bath.

22. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises a spa-bath shell.

23. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises a hand basin.

24. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises a swimming pool shell. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises a tile. 10 26. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises a lampshade. •o 0o

27. A panel as claimed at claim 20 wherein said panel comprises an item formed of a shaped plastics sheeting. O..

28. A panel substantially as herein described S'S. Datedthis EIGHTH dayof MARCH 1999. IAN JAMES LANGMAN Applicant Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant I ABSTRACT A method of creating a decorative surface on a panel (11) comprising etching the reverse face applying a plurality of discrete coloured elements (14) to the reverse face (13) and coating the reverse face having the coloured elements applied thereto with a composition to provide a substantially inert protective coating 9* 9 9 «o *P .t o 4 <J 4 ,Ir