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. 10, 2006
Filed:
Aug. 26, 2002
Ashish K. Mithal, North Chelmsford, MA (US);
David Gordon, Groton, MA (US);
Raymond Chan, Framingham, MA (US);
Thomas E. Ellsworth, Wilmington, MA (US);
William A. Gallop, Westminster, MA (US);
Ashish K. Mithal, North Chelmsford, MA (US);
David Gordon, Groton, MA (US);
Raymond Chan, Framingham, MA (US);
Thomas E. Ellsworth, Wilmington, MA (US);
William A. Gallop, Westminster, MA (US);
Waddington North America, Inc., Chelmsford, MA (US);
Abstract
A plastic cutlery item, fabricated primarily from a plastic material, such as polystyrene, having a metallic coating that imparts to this cutlery item the appearance of metal cutlery or silverware. The plastic cutlery or tableware items are molded using traditional injection molding techniques, and subjected to a vacuum metallizing process in an individualized non-contiguous manner, where a thin metallic layer is deposited on at least one of their surfaces. The resultant items simulate the appearance of solid metal cutlery or tableware. In the most preferred embodiment of the invention the plastic cutlery or tableware items are molded from a light-transmitting grade of Polystyrene resin and are coated with a thin stainless steel layer through vacuum sputtering deposition on only one of the surfaces.