Elastic Permeable Material and Method of Making Same

The present invention relates to a foam material, and more particularly to an elastic permeable material and a method of making the same.

The conventional cotton foam material is composed of open cells and is therefore soft and permeable; nevertheless it has a rather weak structural framework, thereby making it vulnerable to deformation under pressure. Such conventional cotton foam material can not be processed to form an object of a predetermined shape. In any event, the application of such cotton foam material as described above is rather limited even if the cotton foam material is made into something similar to a board, which is then cut into pieces having specified sizes. In fact, the basic structural framework of a the board made of cotton foam material is such that the board can not be used to form an object under heat and pressure. There is another kind of foam material, which is composed of closed cells and is therefore structurally stronger than the cotton foam material. However, this foam material above is limited due to its impermeability.

It is therefore the primary objective of the present invention to provide an elastic permeable material, which can be used to make an object by molding.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a simplified and cost effective method of making the above-mentioned elastic permeable material.

In keeping with the principles of the present invention, the foregoing objectives of the present invention are attained by an elastic permeable material and a method of making the same. According to the present invention, a foam material having closed cells is used to make a flat boardlike basic structure provided with a plurality of through holes, each of which is filled with a foam material having open cells. The basic structure is used as a main supporting component of the structural framework of the elastic permeable material while the foam material having open cells is used to provide the elastic permeable material with excellent permeability.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a basic structure of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing that a tapered recess of the basic structure of the first preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, is filled with an emulsified foam body.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing that the basic structure of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, is baked in an oven.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a top and bottom layer of the baked basic structure being peeled off.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing that an outer covering is adhered to the peeled basic structure as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing that the basic structure having thereon an outer covering, as shown, in FIG. 5, is subjected to heat under an exerted pressure which cause the basic structure to compress and to bring about a plurality of arcuate protuberances of permeable material.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing that the compressed basic structure, as shown in FIG. 6, is cut to form a shoe pad.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the manufacture of a basic structure of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing that the basic structure, as shown in FIG. 8, is provided with holes filled with liquid polyurethane.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing that the basic structure filled with liquid polyurethane, as shown in FIG. 9, is subjected to heat under an exerted pressure so as to foam.

Referring to FIGS. 1-7, a method of making a permeable shoe pad 40 of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to comprise the following steps.

(a) As shown in FIG. 1, a flat basic structure 10 made of ethylene vinyl acetate by injection molding or die foaming is provided with a top surface 11 having plurality of recesses 12 of a conical construction which have progressively smaller cross-sectional area in the direction away from the top surface.

(b) As shown in FIG. 2, the recesses 12 of the basic structure 10 are filled with a foam rubber material or an emulsified foam body 20.

(c) As shown in FIG. 3, the basic structure 10 filled with a foam rubber material or an emulsified polyvinyl chloride foam body 20 is baked in an oven and results in the foam rubber material or the emulsified polyvinyl chloride foam body 20 becoming sulfurized or gelatinized.

(d) As shown in FIG. 4, the sulfurized or gelatinized basic structure 30 has a top layer 31 and a bottom layer 32, which are peeled off so that the recesses 12 of the basic structure 10 forms through holes 12'. The sulfurized or gelatinized foam body 20 forms a permeable body 20' having open cells in through hole 12'.

(e) As shown in FIG. 5, the sulfurized or gelatinized basic structure 30 has a top surface 33 with an outer covering 35 of a permeable material adhered thereto.

(f) As shown in FIG. 6, the sulfurized or gelatinized basic structure 30 having an outer covering 35 is arranged in molding tool, which is then subjected to an exerted a heat under a pressure causing the basic structure 10 to compress from a thickness h to a thickness h'. However, upon being removed from the molding tool, the sulfurized or gelatinized permeable body 20' is restored its original volume forcing the top surface 33 to bulge, and thereby resulting in the formation of an arcuate protuberance 36 by the outer covering 35. In other words, the arcuate protuberance 36 is formed at the wider end of each trapezoidal through holes 12'. The permeable shoe pad 40 so formed has a plurality of ribs 41 (or grooves) located on the bottom surface thereof for enhancing gas exhaustion.

(g) As shown in FIG. 7, the shoe pad 40 is cut to a specified size.

It must be noted here that ethylene vinyl acetate material may be used to make a thick basic structure 10 by foaming in step (a). The thick basic structure 10 is then cut to a predetermined thickness before being arranged in a molding tool where the basic structure 10 forms recesses 12 under heat and exerted pressure.

A method of making a material 50 of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises the following steps.

(a) As shown in FIG. 8, a thick board 51 made of ethylene vinyl acetate foamed material is cut to provide a board piece 52 having a predetermined thickness. The board piece 52, is made of a basic structure having a plurality of closed cells, punched therein to form therein a plurality of through holes 53.

(b) As shown in FIG. 9, the board piece 52 (the basic structure) is arranged in a mold cavity 54. Each of the through holes 53 of the board piece 52 is filled with a predetermined quantity of liquid polyurethane 55.

(c) As shown in FIG. 10, the mold cavity 54 is covered with a top mold 56. The molding tool containing the board, piece 52 is heated under an exerted pressure as to cause the polyurethane material 55 to take the shape by foaming and filling the through holes 53.

(d) The molding tool referred to in step (c) is allowed to cool before being opened to remove the material 50. This material has a plurality of closed cells which form a foam basic structure 52 provided with through holes 53, each of which is filled with a foam permeable material 55' having open cells.

The material 50 embodied in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention may be peeled and then adhered to an outer covering. The material 50 may be also heated under an exerted pressure causing the foam basic structure 52 to become thin and the foam permeable material 55' to bulge. This process is similar to the the method described for first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The elastic permeable material of the present invention is composed of a foam elastic material having closed cells which form the basic structure. This basic structure has a network construction that serves to strengthen the structural framework of the elastic permeable material. The netlike basic structure of the elastic permeable material of the present invention is further provided with foam permeable material having open cells. This results in the elastic permeable material of the present invention being elastic, permeable, and resistant to deformation and breakage. In addition, the elastic permeable material of the present invention can be molded under heat and an exerted to form a predetermined shape. As a result, the elastic permeable material of the present invention may be used to make an inner construction for a chair, a mattress, or a protective mat, etc. Moreover, the elastic permeable material of the present invention may be peeled and then adhered to an outer covering for use as a permeable covering for a floor mat, a chair, or a mattress, or a protective mat, etc. The elastic permeable material of the present invention may be heated under an exerted pressure causing its basic structure to become thin and a plurality of arcuate protuberances to be formed on the surface of the elastic permeable material of the present invention. This elastic permeable material may be used to make a shoe pad, or a seat, or a mattress, etc.