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:
Jul. 13, 1999
Filed:
Sep. 09, 1997
James E Keesling, Bartlesville, OK (US);
Phillips Petroleum Company, Bartlesville, OK (US);
Abstract
A process to produce an article having a granite-like appearance is disclosed which consists essentially of (a) extruding a first mixture to form a second mixture; and (b) using the second mixture to form an article having a granite-like appearance. The first and second mixtures are in the form of particles where the first mixture consists essentially of about 99 to about 90 wt. % of a first particle composition and about 1 to about 10 wt. % of a second particle composition. The first particle composition consists essentially of a first polymer which consists essentially of a thermoplastic (co)polymer of ethylene and the second particle composition consists essentially of a colorant and a second polymer which consists essentially of a crosslinked thermoset (co)polymer of ethylene. The second polymer does not have a density which is substantially isopycnic compared to the first polymer Extrusion is performed at a temperature above the melting point of the first polymer but below the melting point of the second polymer and the decomposition temperature of the first polymer. In preferred embodiments, the first polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and hexene having a density of 0.880 to 0.952 g/cm.sup.3 and the second polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and hexene having a density of less than 0.941 g/cm.sup.3 or greater than 0.946 g/cm.sup.3, or the first polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and hexene having a density greater than 0.958 g/cm.sup.3 and the second polymer is a copolymer of ethylene and hexene having a density less than 0.941 g/cm.sup.3.