The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 02, 2021
Filed:
Jan. 11, 2019
Ennis Paint, Inc., Thomasville, NC (US);
Glen Alan Martyn, Le Verne, CA (US);
Scott Nelson Coke, Anaheim, CA (US);
Ennis-Flint, Inc., Greensboro, NC (US);
Abstract
This invention provides a convenient method of forming and applying a thermoplastic material for roadway markings, comprising: obtaining individual components of a thermoplastic composite material suitable for roadway markings; mixing and heating the individual components to produce a fully compounded form of the thermoplastic composite material; solidifying and prilling the fully compounded form of the thermoplastic composite material to produce a plurality of thermoplastic prills; on a marking vehicle or mobile apparatus, introducing the thermoplastic prills to an on-board melter to produce a liquid phase of the thermoplastic prills; and applying the liquid phase of the thermoplastic prills to a roadway, thereby marking the roadway. Compositions and systems are also described. Surprisingly, prills melt in approximately half the time as the powder/granular form. Also, the melter can be operated at lower temperature, leading to less discoloration of material.