IE913742A1 - Support Binder - Google Patents

Abstract

A support binder in the form of a scrim having a plurality of spaced frame elements forming openings. Foam material surrounds said frame elements and extends into some of said openings. The foam material has a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating thereon. Preferably, the foam material comprises support pillows which extend into and substantially close alternate openings to give a checkerboard configuration to the support binder.

Description

The present invention is directed to an .improved binder for carpeting and more particularly to an improved support binder to be used for holding carpets and area rug:, onto floors or other carpets.

The present invention is an improvement over the binder disclosed in Ward Patent No. 4,234,649 and Ward Patent No. 4,405,663 which arc owned by the same· entity which owns this application, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

When laying down wall-to-wall carpeting, or when placing an area rug on the floor or over other carpotinf pads and cushions arc often placed beneath the rugs or carpets to improve the wear and tear on the carpet or rug. Over tho years, a number of such pads and cushions have been used to accomplish this purpose. Examples of some of these earner pads and cushions are disclosed in Langerfeld German Utility Model No. 7,124,118 and lioopengarden Patent Nos. 4,557,774 and 4,797,170. Λ number ol problems uriso with Lho uao ol’ these ear Her pads and cushions.

Some installation systems require additional adhesives to be applied either to the i’loor oi- to the pad at the installation site and in still other systems the carpets are not removable and reusable without damage to the pad, floor or carpet.

In some glue-down installations, there is danger of toxic fumes ox' odors which sometimes produce a sick building syndrome. Other glue-down installations are very slow since it is necessary to determine the proper glue to be used and the amount of glue used, and the glue must be placed on either the floor, or pad, or carpet There is also tho danger that some glue may go on the face of the carpet and damage it. Moreover, with glue installation open time is required to cure the glue and the carpet cannot be used immediately because of this.

In glue-down installations, the carpet cannot be adjusted -2IE 913742 with ease which is a particular drawback when patterned carpet is installed and must be matched at the seams.

In glue-down installations, removal of the carpet or pad is expensive and floors must be roi'inished in order to be recovered and bo used with a different carpet.

In other types of installation, tackless strip.· are required. in such installations the carpet is placet over a pad and stretched over the tackless strips. Only a professional using special tools can do this.

Another problem is delamination and wrinkling of the carpet which sometimes occurs with certain pads.

Delamination occurs when the carpet backing separates from the carpet face.

Also, with the tackiess and glue-down methods, if the carpet gets wet it cannot be easily removed to be dried and may even be permanently damaged.

Another problem with the prior art systems is that tiiey cannot be made rigid, and so the carpet or tile is not dimensionally stable. -3IE 913742 Also, with those prior art systems one side does not have greater adhesive strength than the other side.

Some additional installation problems arise from cushions or pads consisting of a web roinforcciumit interposed between two layers of solid foam backing over which a pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied. These do not have the ability to breathe since they art? solid and they can also not be easily removed i'rom the floor.

Furthermore, since existing cushions or pads are solid and do not have the capability of permitting air to flow through, it is difficul t for lion t to pass therethrough and moisture does not easily evaporate thus becoming trapped under the pad and creating mildew.

Objects The present invention overcomes' the disadvantages outlined above and has for one of its objects an improved support binder which avoids carpet deiaiui nation, wrinkling or other damage. -4IE 913742 Another object of 'the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which will prevent the foam from becoming detached from the binder.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which prevents the plasticizer from migrating.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which may be made rigid so that the carpet or tile installed with the binder can be dimensionally stable.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder in which the adhesive strength on one side may be greater than the adhesive strength on the other side.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which will not require additional adhesives to be applied either to the floor, the carpet or the bindei' at the installation site . -5IE 913742 Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which is removable and reusable without damage to the binder, floor or carpet.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which will not have any toxic fumes or odors and which will avoid sick building syndrome.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder wherein installation of carpets will be much quicker since it is not necessary to apply any glue either on the floor, the binder or the carpet.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which will make it unnecessary to determine the proper glue to use and wherein there is no danger that any glue will go on the face of the carpet as to damage it. -6IE 913742 * Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which will make it unnecessary to determine the correct amount of glue needed since the binder itself already has glue on it.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support bindei’ which does not require open time to cure the glue.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which has tax advantages over other underlay systems since the carpet installation can be deemed removable, reusable, and thus not permanent.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which eliminates the use of tackiess strips so that the binder may be installed by laymen without special tools and with ease since it is not necessary to stretch the carpet. -7IE 913742 Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder wherein a plastic liner covers the uppei’ surface of the binder to permit the carpet to be repeatedly adjusted during installation which is of particular importance when a patterned carpet must be matched at the seams.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which allows for ail installation that is less expensive because installers can install carpeting faster, and because there is no requirement for expensive stretching equipment.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder wherein removal expense will be greatly decreased when the carpet and the binder are to be removed.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder wherein floors can be recovered immediately upon removal of the carpet since the floor is clean and immediately ready for a new carpet. -8I Another object «of the present invention is the provision of an iuipi'oved support binder wherein the carpet can be used immediately as soon as it is installed and can be walked on immediately since there is no glue and no curing time.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder which permits the carpet to be easily removed and dried and put back down again if it ever gets wet.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved support binder having openings therein which permit the ready and easy flow of air through the support binder. This permits heat to flow therethrough, and prevents liquids from being trapped therebeneath.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice. -9IE 913742 J3rief Description of the Drawing Λ preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen fox- purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, wherein: Fig. la is a schematic plan view of a scrim which is used in the formation of the support bindeiof the present invention.

Fig. lb is a view similar to Fig. la showing the scrim of Fig. la coated with a foamable material before foaming.

Fig. Ic is similar to Figs, la and lb showing the support bindei’ after- the foamable material has been foamed.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. Ic.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the support binder of the present invention ready to be used. -10IE 913742 Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing one way oi using the support binder of the present invention to iioid a carpet onto a floor.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. showing the support binder holding a carpet on to a floor.

Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view showing another embodiment of the support binder of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Description Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs, la to 5, the support binder B of the present invention comprises a scrim 1 which is preferably made of a plurality of parallel first frame elements or threads and a plurality of parallel second frame elements or threads 3 which intersect each other to form a plurality of first and second alternate square openings 4 and 5 respectively, between first and second threads 2 and 3. The scrim 1 may be formed by weaving, knitting or -11IE 913742 by any other well known method so that the first and second frame elements 1 and 2 may intersect with each other either by alternately crossing over and under each other (Fig. G) or by being formed planar to each other (Fig. la). The first and second alternate openings 4 and 5 are different types of openings, as will be more fully explained hereinbelow. In the drawings, the scrim is shown as having the first and second threads 2 and as being parallel, at right angles to each other and equidistance to each other to form the plurality of first and second alternate square openings 4 and 5. However, . it will be understood that the positions of the first and second threads 2 and 3 may be changed so that the scrim 1 may have a configuration other than that shown in Fig. la and still be within the purview of the present invention.

First alternate openings 4 are devoid of anything and remain empty. However, second alternate openings are provided with a plurality of span threads 6 which -12IE 913742 bridge second alternate openings 5 to connect main first threads 2 togcthei* and to form a plurality of rectangular spaces 7 which are thin and parallel to each other.

The span threads 6 are parallel to each other and to the second threads 3. This forms the scrim 1 into a checkerboard pattern where second alternate openings have span threads 6 therein and first alternate openings are empty and devoid of any span threads. While the span threads 6 are shown as being preferably perpendicular to the first threads 2 and parallel to each other and second threads 3, it will be understood that the span threads 6 may assume different positions in second alternate openings 5 without departing from the invention.

The scrim 1 is coated with a foamable material so that the entire periphery of each first and second threads 2 and 3 as well as the entire periphery of each span thread 6 is coated with the foamable material 10.

Preferably, there is no foamable material in the first alternate openings 4 which do not have any span threads 6. Any well known or conventional means may be used -13IE 913742 to prevent the foamable niaterial 10 from being deposited in the first alternate openings 4 which have no span threads 6 therein. For example, checkerboard masking sheets (not shown) may be used during the coating operation to prevent any of the foamable niaterial 10 from spreading in the first alternate openings 4. It is also possible to chemically inhibit the foamable material from spreading into the first alternate openings 4; or it is possible.·. to limit the amount of foamable material on the first and second threads 2 and 3 so that when the foamable material is blown it will not spread into the first alternate openings 4.

In addition, it is possible to limit the depositibn of the foamable material 10 in the first alternate openings by squeezing the coating through a nip roller. In . addition, it may be possible to either dip coat or blow coat the scrim 1 and thereafter blow out the foaniable material from the first alternate openings 4. -14IE 913742 The foamable material 10 is then subjected to heat or other chemical process for a certain amount of time so that the foamable material 10 will blow up or foam to form a resilient support pillow 11 in each of the second alternate openings 5, as shown in Fig. lc. It will be noted that the foam material of the support pillows 11 completely fills the spaces 7 between the span threads 0 in second alternate openings 5 as well t as the spaces between first and second threads 2 and in second alternate openings 5. In effect, when the foamable material 10 in the second alternate openings blows up, the foamable material 10 on the first and second threads 2 and 3 and on the span threads 6 will expand and fuse and will merge into each other to become a single foam support pillow 11 which completely fills the second alternate spaces 5. It will be noted that while the foamable material 10 on the first and second threads 2 and 3 forming first alternate empty openings expands slightly into the first alternate empty openings 4, the openings 4 remain free of any foam material. -15IE 913742 In effect, the resulting structure is a support binder B having planar uppei' and lower faces 15 and 16, respectively, and presenting a checkerboard pattern having alternate open spaces 4 devoid of any foam material separated by alternate foam support pillows 11. The alternation of the support pillows 11 with the open spaces 4 in a checkerboard pattern extends planarly in all directions.

The support pillows 11 are thick as compared to the thickness of the first and second threads 2 and 3 and the span threads 6. The support pillows 11 are spongy, pliable and resilient.

The support binder B preferably has a pressuresensitive adhesive 12 rolled over at least one face of the support binder B. In the drawing, the entire outer surfaces of the support pillows 11 are coated with a thin coating of a pressure-sensitive adhesive 12. However, it is within the purview of the present invention to coat less than the entire surface of the support pillows 11. If desired, pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 may also -16IE 913742 be sprayed onto the support binder B or may be dipped in a batli of pressure-sensitive adhesive. The preferred pressure-sensitive adhesive is a non-oxidizing pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising permanently tacky modified acrylic vinyl acetateethelyne copolymer material. A pair of release liners 17 and 18 are applied to the upper and lower faces 15 and 16 of the support binder B in order to prevent the support binder B from sticking either to itself or some other article until it is ready to be used. The release liners 17-18 shown in the drawings may be made of vinyl or polyethylene or any other suitable material. In the drawings, a pair of release liners and 18 have been shown. While two release liners and 18 are shown in the drawing, it is also within the purview of the present invention to use a single release liner 17 or 18 attached to one face 15 or 16 of the support binder B. In addition, the release liners or 18, or both, may have openings therein. -17IE 913742 The foam support pillows 11 in the openings may be formed in any well-known manner. both closed cell and open cell technology may be used in order to form the foam support pillows 11 in the openings 5.

One preferred method of forming the resilient foam pillows comprises coating the first and second threads 2 and and the span threads 6 of the scrim 1 with the foamable material 10. The foamable material 10 perferably comprises a mixture of polyvinyl chloride (hereinafter PVC), a plasticizer such as dioctyl-phthalate (hereinafter DOP) and a blowing agent such as azodicarbonamide (hereinafter AZO). It has been found that 100 parts of DOP to about 100 parts of PVC and 2 to 4 parts of AZO give excellent results. It is also possible to make the foamable material from urethane, latex or any other material which will blow into a foam either chemically or mechanically.

For example, 4, 41 - oxybis (benzene sulponyl) hydrazine (OBSH) may be used without departing from the present invention. The scrim 1 with the foamable material 10 -18IE 913742 is placed in an oven i at about 400° F. for about one minute so that it blows up and foams into a : spongy cons is tency to form the pillows 11.

Details of other foaming agents which may also be used in connection with this invention are described in Modern Plastics Mid-October 1989-90 Encyclopedia issue on pages 184, 187, 188, 274, 276, 278, 279, 282, 283 and 286, as well as page 626 of the Modern. Plastics 1984-85 Encyclopedia issue, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Alternative polymers, plasticizers and foaming agents may be used. A list of foaming agents for various thermoplastics is presented on page 628 of the Modern Plastics 1984-85 Encyclopedia issue, which is incorporated herein by reference. Specific chemicals cited for use with flexible PVC (plasticized PVC) from this list are azodicarbonamide, dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, 4, 4^ - oxybis (benzenesulfonyl) hydrazine and p-toluenesulfonyl semicarbazide. Other foaming agents could be used. -19IE 913742 ,A wide variety qf plasticizers can be used in lieu of DOP. General criteria for the selection of plasticizers are presented on pages 200 and 203 of the Modern Plastics 1989-90 Encyclopedia issue and a list of candidate plasticizers is presented on pp. 668-677 of the same issue. These pages are incorporated'herein by reference. The choice and amount of plasticizer depends on the compatibility and flexibilizing efficiency of the plasticizer for the base polymer.

Other polymers aside from PVC may also be used.

Thermoplastic elastomers can be used instead of plasticized PVC. Plasticized polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or plasticized polystyrene (PS) could be substituted for plasticized PVC to achieve similar mechanical performance. PS and PMMA are less desirable than PVC because of flammability considerations. Polyolefins can also be converted into flexible foams for use in the support binder.

As indicated above, methods of producing thermoplastic foams by extrusion are summarized on pp. 274, 276 and 278 of Modern Plastics 1989-90 Encyclopedia issue. -20IE 913742 The foam extrudate can be used to coat the threads directly.

* Reactive foaming may also be used to make the foamed pillows. Reactants to produce flexible urethane foam can be doctored onto the scrim. A sizing die or moving contoured belt can be used to control the shape of pillows as the urethane cures. Polyurethane, foam processing is summarized on pp. 279-286 of the Modern Plastics 1989-90 Encyclopedia issue. In general, a polyol (such as a polyether) may be reacted with an isocyanate to form a flexible foam.

In addition, the support binder may be formed or coated with a urethene barrier in order to prevent the migration of the plasticizer.

The support binder B made in accordance with the present invention may be used to install wall-to-wall carpeting C as is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 or may be used to install an area rug over a floor or over another rug or carpet. The manner of installing the support binder B and a carpet C is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and is substantially identical to the manner of installing the binder and carpet shown in United States Patent No. 4,234,649. -21IE 913742 .At the installation site the support binder is placed on the floor F with its lower face id on the floor and held thereon by the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating 12 on pillows 11. Thereafter, a carpet C is placed over the support binder B and over the upper release liner 17 covering its upper face 15. Ail the necessary cutting, seaming, etc. may be performed to the carpet C before the upper release liner 17 is removed from the upper face 15 of the support binder B. Thereafter, the liner 17 is removed and the carpet C is placed over the top face 15 of the support binder B and held thereon by the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating 12 on pillows 11.

With this construction the support binder B will support a rug or carpet C and prevent it from slipping, moving, wrinkling, etc. The carpet C may be easily removed from the upper· face 15 of the support binder B because of the pressure-sensitive adhesive 12 that is holding the carpet C to it. The support binder B may also be -22IE 913742 easily removed from the 'floor F because it is held there by the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating 12 on the pillows 11.

Figs. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the scrim 1 comprises first and second threads 2 and 3 at right angles to each other. First and second threads 2 and 3 may be woven, knitted or made in any other well known manner. In this embodiment, the scrim 1 does not have the checkerboard configuration of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs, la to 5. Rather, in this embodiment, all the spaces 30 formed by the first and second threads 2 and are open. Each of the first and second threads 2 and is coated with a foamable material (similar to the one described in connections with Figs. la. - 5) so as to cover the first and second threads 2 and 3. Each of the first and second threads 2 and 3 is coated with the foamable material so as to cover the entire periphery of the first and second threads 2 and 3. -23IE 913742 'When the foamable material is blown up, it forms a spongy loam coating 31 which surrounds and completely covers each oi the intersecting first and second threads and 3. However, the foam coating 31 intrudes only partially into each of the open spaces 30 so that an opening 30 is left in each of the open spaces formed by the intersecting first and second threads 2 and 3.

In a manner similar to the embodiment of Figs. la to , the spongy loam coating 31 is much thicker than the underlying first and second threads 2 and 3 to give the finished support bindei' BB sufficient resiliency to support a carpet or an area rug.

The support binder BB is then dipped in a bath of pressure-sensitive adhesive to form a thin coating thereof over the thick foam coating 31. This may also be accomplished by spraying or roiling. Upper and lower release liners (similar to those shown in the embodiment of Figs, la to 5) may then be applied to the upper and lower faces of the finished support binder BB. As described -24IE 913742 in the embodiment pf Figs, la-5, a single release liner may be used and the release liners may have openings . therein. The use of the support binder BB is the same as that described in connection with the embodiment of Figs. la-5.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved support binder which avoids carpet delamination, wrinkling or other damage, which will prevent the foam from becoming detached from the binder, which prevents the plasticizer from migrating and which may be made rigid so that carpet or tile installed on the binder can be dimensionally stable. With the improved support binder of the present invention, the adhesive strength on one side may be greater than the adhesive strength on the other side and with pressure-sensitive adhesive coating on the binder, additional adhesives need not be added either to the floor, the carpet or the binder at the installation site. The support binder is removable and reusable without damage to the pad, -25IE 913742 * floor or carpet, and will not have any toxic fumes or odors (to avoid sick building syndrome). Moreover, installation of carpets with the present invention will be much quicker since it is not necessary to apply any glue either on the floor, the binder or the carpet and it will not be necessary to determine the proper glue for installation. It will also be seen that the support binder may, in accordance with the present invention, have openings therein which permit the.free and easy flow of air therethrough.

As many and varied modifications of the subject matter of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description given hereinabove, it will be understood that the present invention is limited only as provided in the claims appended hereto.

Claims (35)

1. THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH ΛΝ EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A support binder comprising a scrim having a plurality of frame elements, at least some of said frame elements being spaced from each other to form openings foam material surrounding at least some of said frame elements, said foam material extending into at least some of said openings, at least a portion of said support binder having a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating thereon.

2. A support binder as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said frame elements comprises first and second threads intersecting each other.

3. A support binder as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said foam material extending into and substantially closing at least some of the said openings.

4. A support binder as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said foam material comprises support pillows closing at least some of said openings.

5. Λ support binder as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said support pillows have a thickness greater than the thickness of the frame elements.

6. A support binder as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said support pillows close alternate openings to give the support binder a checkerboard, pattern,.

7. A support binder as claimed in Claim 6, wherein some of the said openings comprise a plurality of thread segments and wherein said thread segments connect said first and second threads together.

8. A support binder as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said first and second threads are perpendicular to each other.

9. A support binder as claimed in Claim 8, wherein said thread segments are parallel to each other and to said second threads and are perpendicular to said first threads.

10. A support binder as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the said pressure-sensitive adhesive coating surrounds said foam material. -2IE 913742

11. Λ support binder as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating coats each of the said support pillows.

12. A support binder as claimed in Claim 11, wherein at least one release liner is mounted on one face of the support binder.

13. A support binder as claimed in Claim 12, wherein openings are provided in said release liner.

14. A support binder as claimed in Claim 12, wherein a release liner is mounted on each face of the support binder.

15. A support binder as claimed in Claim 12, wherein a urethane barrier coats said foam material. 1(5. Λ support binder as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the foam material comprises polyvinyl chloride and a plasticizer.

16. 17. A support binder as claimed in Claim 16, wherein foain material comprises 100 parts of polyvinyl chloride to 100 parts of plasticizer. -3IE 913742

17. 18. A support binder as claimed in Claim 1G, wherein said plasticizer is dioctyl-phthalate.

18. 19. A support binder as claimed.in Claim 12, wherein said pressure-sensitive adhesive is an acrylic acetate-ethelyne copolymer material.

19. 20. The method of making a support binder from a scrim having a plurality of space, frame elements. ., to form openings, comprising coating at least some of the same frame elements with a,foamable material, causing the foamable material to expand to form a foam material, and coating at least a portion of the support binder with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

20. 21. A method as,claimed in Claim 20, wherein the foamable material is caused to expand into and to substantially close at least some of the openings.

21. 22. A method as claimed in Claim 21, wherein the foamable material is caused to expand into pillows which are thicker than the frame elements,.

22. 23. A method as set forth in Claim 22 wherein the pillows are formed in alternate openings in the scrim. -4IE 913742

23. 24. Δ method as set forth in Claim 23 wherein the foamable material comprises polyvinyl chloride, a plasticizer and a blowing agent.

24. 25. A method as set forth in Claim 24 wherein 100 parts polyvinyl chloride and 100 parts plasticizer are used.

25. 26. Λ method as set forth in Claim 25 wherein about 2-4 parts of the blowing agent is used.

26. 27. A method as set forth in Claim 26 wherein the plasticizer is dioctyl-phthalate.

27. 28. A method as set forth in Claim 27 wherein said blowing agent is azodicarbonamide.

28. 29. A method as set forth in Claim 28 wherein the foamable material is heated to blow it up.

29. 30. A method as set forth in Claim 29 wherein the foamable material is heated to a temperature of approxi mately 400° Fahrenheit.

30. 31. A method as set forth in Claim 30 wherein said foamable material is heated for approximately one minute. -5IE 913742 -632. A method as set forth In Claim 31 wherein said pressure-sensitive adhesive is rolled onto the scrim.

31. 33. A method as set forth in Claim 32 wherein said pressure-sensitive adhesive comprises an acrylic acetate-ethelyne copolymer material.

32. 34. Λ method as set forth in Claim 33 wherein a release liner is applied over at least one face of the support binder.

33. 35. A method as set forth in Claim 23 wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive coating is applied over the said support pillows.

34. 36. A support binder whenever made by a method according to any one of claims 20 to 35.

35. 37. A support binder or underlay for carpeting, substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, any one of the accompanying drawings.