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US 5,494,718 AGranted
Rigidizer for plastic vessels
AssigneeThe Geon Company
InventorsSusan K. Adams, M. Timothy Chernock, Martin Warchola, Martin E. Woods
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AssigneeThe Geon Company
InventorsSusan K. Adams, M. Timothy Chernock, Martin Warchola, Martin E. Woods
Estimating the term…
A shaped rigid thermoplastic cradle and leveler for vessels such as sanitaryware is disclosed. The cradle and leveler are separately formed or integrally shaped from a single thermoformed sheet of rigid thermoplastic material. The rigid thermoplastic material has a flexural modulus of at least about 300,000 psi to provide sufficient rigidity in the sidewall of the cradle. The leveler includes an integral floor leveling means for providing a designed pitch so as to conform to the desired pitch of the floor region of the vessel toward the drain hole. The floor region comprises a plurality of tapering, alternating upper and lower contacting regions. Between each adjacent upper contacting region is defined unsupported span regions having the shortest distance between adjacent upper contact regions of not more than 12 inches (30.5 cm). Preferably the shortest distance between adjacent upper contact regions defining the unsupported span is from 2.5 inches to about 6 inches. A variety of rigid thermoplastic materials are adaptable herewith and include acrylonitrile-butadiene- styrene copolymers, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, acrylonitrile-styrene-methacrylate copolymers, polystyrene, styrene-alpha methyl styrene copolymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and polyvinyl chloride. The most preferred embodiment comprises rigid fiber reinforced polyvinyl chloride.
A shaped, rigid tub or sanitaryware vessel supporting structural article for a vessel, for a vessel said article comprising a cradle, a leveling means for supporting said vessel, and a drain hole said cradle contains a sidewall having a height of at least 12 inches and thickness of at least 0.060 inches, wherein said sidewall terminates in a flange, and wherein said leveling means comprises a plurality of lower contacting regions and upper contacting regions, between said lower and upper contacting regions are defined a plurality of unsupported span regions having the shortest distance between adjacent upper regions (span) of from 2.5 to 6 inches, and wherein the height of the upper contacting region is varied to provide a slope in the direction of said drain hole, wherein said support article comprises a glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic having a flexural modulus of at least 300,000 psi containing 2% to 50% by weight of dispersed short glass fibers having a diameter of from 8 to 25 millimeter and length before use of from 1 to 20 millimeter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.