Method for manufacturing foil laminated tabletops
AssigneeHollanding Inc.
InventorJohn R. Edwards
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates generally to foil laminated tabletops and to methods for their manufacture. Tabletops according to the present invention can be laminated over their entire upper and side surfaces with a continuous sheet of thin foil, the foil typically comprising a plastic material. The foil layer ends at an angular lower edge where the side surface intersects the lower surface of the tabletop. By providing an angle preferably greater than about 120.degree. about the lower edge, the lower edge of the tabletop preferably does not feel sharp and the edge of the foil is at least partially hidden from view. The present invention also provides foil laminated tabletops having an upper surface provided with functional retaining recesses for retaining items on the tabletop.
Claims22
A method for manufacturing a foil laminated tabletop, comprising:
- forming a tabletop from a solid substrate, said substrate comprising an upper surface, a lower surface and a side surface;
- the side surface extending downwardly from the upper surface to the lower surface to join the upper and lower surfaces;
- the lower surface lying in a flat lower plane, the upper surface being substantially parallel to the lower plane;
- the side surface and the lower surface intersecting at an angular lower edge;
- an included angle measured about the lower edge through the substrate from the lower plane to a tangent to the side surface at the lower edge being at least about 120 degrees;
- laying a sheet of thin plastic foil over the upper surface of the tabletop, the plastic foil having an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface;
- loading the substrate covered with the plastic foil into a membrane form press, the press having a pressure chamber in which pressure is applied to the substrate and the plastic foil;
- applying pressure to the substrate and the foil in the pressure chamber of the membrane form press, the inner surface of the plastic foil becoming directly adhered to the substrate, the plastic foil extending as a smooth, free of joints, continuous sheet over the entirety of the upper surface and down over the side surface to the lower edge to closely adopt profiles of the upper and side surfaces with excess foil extending from the side surface of the tabletop at the lower edge and said excess foil not adhered to the substrate;
- removing the foil laminated tabletop from the membrane form press;
- and
- trimming the excess plastic foil from the tabletop along the lower edge to form an end surface of the foil joining the inner and outer surfaces of the foil and lying substantially in the lower plane.
A method for manufacturing a foil laminated tabletop, comprising:
- forming a tabletop from a solid substrate, said substrate comprising an upper surface, a lower surface and a side surface;
- the side surface extending downwardly from the upper surface to the lower surface to join the upper and lower surfaces;
- the side surface and the lower surface intersecting at an angular lower edge;
- the upper surface lying in a flat upper plane;
- the lower surface having a border portion extending inwardly from the lower edge;
- in a cross-sectional reference plane normal to the side surface and normal to the upper plane, the border portion being linear and disposed at an elevation angle equal to or greater than 0.degree. and less than about 20.degree. relative to the upper plane;
- an included angle measured about the lower edge through the substrate in said reference plane at any point along the lower edge from the border portion to a tangent to the side surface at the lower edge being at least about 120 degrees;
- laying a sheet of thin plastic foil over the upper surface of the substrate, the plastic foil having an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface;
- loading the substrate covered with the plastic foil into a membrane form press, the press having a pressure chamber in which pressure is applied to the substrate and the plastic foil;
- applying pressure to the substrate and the foil in the pressure chamber of the membrane form press, the inner surface of the plastic foil becoming directly adhered to the substrate, the plastic foil extending as a smooth, free of joints, continuous sheet over the entirety of the upper surface and down over the side surface to the lower edge to closely adopt profiles of the upper and side surfaces with excess foil extending from the side surface of the tabletop at the lower edge and said excess foil not adhered to the substrate;
- removing the foil laminated tabletop from the membrane form press;
- and
- trimming the excess plastic foil from the tabletop along the lower edge to form an end surface of the foil joining the inner and outer surfaces of the foil and being substantially collinear with the border portion in the reference plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.