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US 5,177,124 AGranted
Plastic molded pieces having the appearance of a solid metallic piece
AssigneeIntaglio Ltd.
InventorsRoger Questel, Martin Epstein
Life of this patent
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AssigneeIntaglio Ltd.
InventorsRoger Questel, Martin Epstein
Estimating the term…
A utilitarian and/or decorative object and a method for forming the object fabricated mainly of a plastic material, such as polyester, having a metallic outer face which thereby imparts to this object the appearance and/or hand of a like object made entirely of metal. In this technique, a mixture of a liquid monomer, a curing agent therefor, a dispersion of metal particles and floatable particles are poured into a mold for forming the object. The metal particles are permitted to settle in the mold or the mold is centrifuged to cause the metal particles to migrate toward the outer or lower region of the piece and concentrate in this region before the monomer polymerizes and hardens to bind the particles. At the same time the floatable particles, such as glass or ceramic microspheres, rise to the inner or upper region of the piece and concentrate in this region before the monomer polymerizes and upon hardening of the monomer maintains the article in the desired shape without distortion from warping from uneven shrinkage. After removal from the mold, the outer face of the piece is polished and buffed to remove the fine plastic skin from the surface of the metal particles and to polish the exposed metal surface, whereby the resultant plastic piece simulates the appearance of a solid metal piece.
An object fabricated of a cured plastic resin having a surface of a concentrated mass of metal particles integrally formed with an bound together by the cured plastic resin and having another surface, also integrally formed with and bound together by plastic resin including floatable particle means for maintaining even shrinkage during curing whereby the shape of said object is maintained.
An object fabricated of a cured plastic resin having a surface of a concentrated mass of metal particles integrally formed and bound together with the cured resin and having another surface, also integrally formed with the cured plastic resin including means for maintaining even shrinkage during curing whereby the shape of said object is maintained, the object being planar, the metal particles being bronze, brass, aluminum, pewter or copper and the means for maintaining even shrinkage being nonmetallic floatable particles and comprising means for preventing warping due to uneven shrinkage during the curing of the object.
An object fabricated primarily of a cured plastic resin and having a surface formed by a concentrated mass of metal particles which are more dense than the uncured resin and which are bound together by the resin and having another surface formed by a concentrated mass of floatable particles which are less dense than the uncured resin and which are bound together by the resin, the surface formed by the concentrated mass of metal particles being polished to remove the cured resin at the outer surface and to expose the metal particles thereby imparting a metallic appearance to the object.
An object fabricated of a cured plastic resin and having a decorative outer surface, formed by a concentrated mass of metal particles which are more dense than the uncured resin from which the cured plastic resin was formed and integrally formed and bound together with the cured plastic resin, and having a functional inner surface, formed by a concentrated mass of floatable particles which are less dense than the uncured resin and integrally formed and bound together with the cured plastic resin, the decorative outer surface having a surface with the metal particles exposed thereby imparting a metallic appearance to the object, the inner functional surface being an abraded surface with the floatable particles exposed thereby creating a surface which is adapted to be bound to another object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.