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:
Jan. 28, 2003
Filed:
Jul. 13, 2000
Robert C. Arnott, Spartanburg, SC (US);
J. Phillip Gold, Greenville, SC (US);
Milliken & Company, Spartanburg, SC (US);
Abstract
A roller shade material, such as 100% polyester, is passed through a bath, so that both sides of the material are coated by the bath. In a preferred embodiment, the bath includes an acrylic polymer finish, and a melamine-formaldehyde cross-linking agent. The acrylic polymer preferably is approximately 45% solid, and comprises about 47% to 48% of the bath by weight. The cross-linking agent preferably comprises about 2.5% of the bath by weight, and is about 80% solid material. The bath should have a pH in the basic range between about 7 and 9.5, and the preferred base used to adjust the pH is N,N-Diethylethanolamine. Optional compounds that may be added to the bath include an anti-stick compound and a defoaming agent. This treatment produces a roller shade having a clear coating that allows the color, texture and weave of the substrate to show, without hindering the ability of light to pass through the material. Further, and more importantly, the coating provides dimensional stability for the roller shade, which reduces or eliminates the tendency of the material to distort by bowing, cupping, or cambering, and preserves the hand and feel of the product.