Patent Application
20080254255
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a gel foam elastomer, and more particularly to the gel foam elastomer and method of manufacturing thereof.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
A great number of commercially available pads or mats, such as mouse pads, yoga mats and sports mats, are filled with silica-gel materials to achieve highly soft and comfortable properties. However, some disadvantages for such gel pads are found in the application.
Referring to
In addition to extremely complex processing procedures, the liquid gel 11 is difficult to fixed between the first and second substrates 01, 02, so some other reinforcement measures are required to prevent leakage of gel 11 from the gap joint, leading to much higher product cost and poorer economic efficiency. Given the fact that gel within existing gel mats cannot be reliably fixed in place, the liquid gel is prone to leak after a period of time. In such a case, the mats have to be discarded due to high viscosity of the gel. Thus, most typical gel mats have the disadvantages of shorter lifespan, poor durability and subsequent environmental impact.
Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved structure that can significantly improve efficacy.
To this end, the inventor has provided the present invention of practicability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years of experience in the production, development and design of related products.
The present invention provides an innovative gel foam elastomer and method of manufacturing thereof. The present invention overcomes the instability problem of existing liquid gels, while simultaneously maintaining an excellent softness property. Since the gel foam elastomer in a solid state can be easily covered, positioned or preformed, as shown in
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The features and the advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The gel foam elastomer and method of forming thereof are presented in the following preferred embodiment. The embodiments are provided for explanatory purposes only.
Referring to
grinding raw gel 20 (e.g. TPE) into a powdery raw gel 21, the raw gel being generally divided into granular or powdery gel;
grinding at least one foaming/bridging agent 30 (i.e. foaming agent and bridging agent being used interchangeably) into a powdery foaming/bridging agent 31, the foaming/bridging agent being divided into granular or powdery foaming/bridging agent;
blending the powdery raw gel 21 with the powdery foaming/bridging agent 31, adding assistants B, as shown in
generating a bonding effect, as shown in
When multiple foaming and bridging agents are employed, different reaction temperatures are optionally set for the foaming agent. Thus, the foaming agents with different reaction temperatures may yield various bonding states with the raw gel molecules to reach the desirable softness property. And, the bonding action of raw gel molecules allows the gel to change into a solid state.
The gel foam elastomer of the present invention shall be made of biodegradable TPE materials, which are more environmental-friendly than traditional PU or silicon materials. Also, the foaming loss of weight reduces the consumables and energy consumption, while also improving air quality compared to the traditional gel pouring process.
Next, the solid gel foam elastomer can be preformed into various shapes through the mold, while maintaining the softness property.
The gel foam elastomer of the present invention can be applied to a mat structure, for example, a yoga mat 50, as shown in
at least a gel foam elastomer 40B, which is a solid body by mixing raw gel with a foaming/bridging agent, the gel foam elastomer being fabricated into a mat structure of predefined area and thickness, with the softness property of a gel; and
at least a superficial layer 51, which is partially or fully covered onto the gel foam elastomer 40B, the superficial layer 51 of the preferred embodiment being fully covered onto the gel foam elastomer 40B.
In the aforementioned preferred embodiments, depressed portions 53 are shaped at the predefined locations on the superficial layer 51 via the sewing line 52, while a convex portion 54 is defined between the depressed portions 53. Thus, the yoga mat 50 exhibits the same rugged surface of a conventional sofa mat or chair mat, presenting excellent air permeability and comfort.
a mat body 61 of predefined area and thickness, which defines a mat surface 62;
a gel foam elastomer 40C, which is assembled onto the mat surface 62 of the mat body 61, the gel foam elastomer 40C being a solid body by mixing raw gel with a foaming/bridging agent and being fabricated into a predefined shape, similar to a hemispheric body, with a softness property from the gel; and
a superficial layer 63, which is covered onto the mat surface 62 of the mat body 61 to cover the gel foam elastomer 40C on the mat surface 62.
Additionally, the aforementioned mats could also be used as other sports mats.
