Patent Application
20100260965
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to multi-layer molded articles.
2. Description of Related Art
Molded articles, such as molded shells, are widely used in many technologies. One example is a molded shell used with a portable electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone) for protecting internal electronic components. Another example is a molded shell used with furniture (e.g., a mini sofa) to provide decoration.
The molded shells may include a plastic substrate having some kind of decorative and/or protective (hereinafter “second”) layer formed thereon. The molded shell may be made using an insert molding process. The second layer is placed in the mold cavity and then bonds to the molten plastic, injected into the mold for forming the substrate.
However, moisture may easily enter between the shell and the second layer, making the second layer detach easily from the shell.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
Many aspects of the multi-layered molded article can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the multi-layered molded article. Moreover, in the drawings like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring to
The decorative layer 12 can be made of a flexible material. Exemplary flexible materials include leather (natural and artificial), all types of fabrics, woven clothes, textiles, and nylon. One surface of the decorative layer 12 acts as a bonding surface 122. The bonding surface 122 should have a rough or coarse surface, formed by, for example, a plurality of tiny pores or projections (schematically shown). For some flexible materials, the pores and projections of the bonding surface 122 may be a natural property of the material. For other flexible materials, the pores and projections may be formed by grinding or sandblasting the bonding surface 122. The tiny pores and projections of the bonding surface 122 interlock with the molten material used to make substrate 14, thereby increasing the bonding of the decorative layer 12 to the substrate 10.
The substrate 14 can be formed by injection molding a moldable material. The moldable material can be any of plastic, rubber, and silicone. The plastic material can be any of polyvinylchloride resin (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polyetherimide (PEI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP). In particular, ABS and PC exhibit good adhesion to many softer materials.
In this exemplary embodiment, after the decorative layer 12 is bonded to the substrate 14 to form a semi-manufactured article, the semi-manufactured article cut to form a main body 10. Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200710203350.8 | Dec 2007 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 12/168,222, filed Jul. 7, 2008 the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The patent application Ser. No. 12/168,222 in turn claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 from Chinese Patent Application 200710203350.8, filed on Dec. 21, 2007.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12168222 | Jul 2008 | US |
| Child | 12821272 | US |
