AU3260700A

AU3260700A - Bodyboard

Info

Publication number: AU3260700A
Application number: AU32607/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Tzong In Yeh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-05-11
Filing date: 2000-05-09
Publication date: 2000-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 2020-05-09
Also published as: TW595542U; AU767455B2

Description

r-/uuu 1 1 28/5/91 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: BODYBOARD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me

BODYBOARD

The present invention relates to a bodyboard having a protection layer heat-laminated on the board so as to protect the board made of expandable polymer from being corroded by sea water.

A conventional surfboard includes a foam core made of EPS or PU, a fibrous mates or fibrous fabric wound around the foam core, a synthetic resin saturated with the fibrous fabric, and a surface layer laminated on the mixture of the fibrous fabric and the synthetic resin, thereby forming a finished laminate. The surface layer is not used to protect the foam core due to the mixture of the fibrous *10o fabric and the synthetic resin being stiff and rigid enough. However, the surfboard made of the mixture of a reinforced fibrous fabric and a synthetic resin generally has S a stiff and rigid structure so that it easily hits and hurts a user when the user falls into the sea during surfing. Therefore, a bodyboard is produced to overcome the d rawback of the surfboard.

oooo A conventional bodyboard shown in Fig. 1 includes a board 10 made of expanded polyethylene, and a surface layer 11 made of expanded polyethylene bonded on the outside of the board 10. The polyethylene for making the board is S expandable at a foaming rate of 25 to 30 times so that there are many "air-cells" contained in the board 10 and the air-cells 13 will decide the floating feature of the board 10. The polyethylene for making the surface layer 11 is at a foaming rate of to 15 times. Therefore, the air-cells 13 contained in the surface layer 11 are smaller than the air-cells contained in the board 10. Two side strips 12 are bonded to the two sides of the board 10 and the two side strips 12 are made of the same material of the surface layer 11.

In contrast, the bodyboard made of expanded polyethylene material usually has a soft and flexible structure, thereby preventing from injuring the user so as to assure the user's safety. Therefore, the bodyboard can be used to overcome the drawback of the surfboard which easily hurts the users. In general, the bodyboard and the surfboard respectively belong to two different fields.

Usually, colors or patterns are formed on the surface layer 11 so that the bodyboard presents an aesthetic quality, however, the colors or patterns will be quickly faded under the sunshine. In addition, the surface layer 11 cannot be used to protect the board 10 from directly contacting water, dirt or scum, and cannot be used i 10 to protect the board 10 made of expanded polyethylene from being corroded by sea water. Further, the surface layer 11 will be broken under the sunshine or by friction for a period of time. It is known that the ultraviolet rays will damage the expanded 0 polyethylene. Once the air-cells 13 contained in the surface layer 11 are broken, water will be introduced into the dents formed by the broken air-cells, thereby 00o* reducing the floating feature of the bodyboard. Moreover, the surface layer 11 is used to isolate the board 10 from the surroundings, however, the ultraviolet rays of the sunshine will directly project on the surface layer 11 so that the air-cells contained in the surface layer 11 are easily broken, thereby decreasing the aesthetic quality of the bodyboard, and thereby greatly effecting the lifetime of the bodyboard.

The surface color of the bodyboard is essentially provided by the color of the surface layer 11 which is made by an extruder that is used to produce surface layers 11 of different colors. However, when the color of the surface layer 11 is changed during the manufacturing process, the extruder has to consume an amount of waste material mixed with different colors. Therefore, the manufacturer of making the surface layer 11 often asks the manufacturer of making the bodyboard to buy a great deal of and a determined amount of surface layers with different colors, thereby greatly increasing the costs and the amount of stock.

Referring to Fig. 2, surface layers 111 and 112 are respectively bonded on the outside of the board 10 so as to provide different colors or patterns on the outside of the board 10. However, a long gap or seam 14 will be defined between two adjacent surface layers 111 and 112. Therefore, two black lines are defined between the surface layers 111 and 112 on the outside of the board 10 because dirt and scum are retained in the long seam 14. Furthermore, the seam 14 easily results in de- 10 lamination of the surface layers 111 and 112.

The present invention intends to provide a bodyboard which includes a ••go protection layer heat-laminated on the board and the protection layer includes a plastic film in which ultraviolet inhibitor and anti-oxidant are added so as to keep the S protection layer fresh for a long period of time.

The present invention provides a bodyboard including a board made of an expandable polymer, and a protection layer heat-laminated on the board and *ooo including at least one plastic film heat bonded to the board. The protection layer is preferably added with ultraviolet inhibitor and anti-oxidant so as to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the sunshine from directly projecting on the board made of expandable polymer, thereby protecting the board. The protection layer has a thickness ranged between 0.01 mm and 0.1 mm.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protection layer includes a plurality of plastic films heat bonded on the board, and each of the plastic films has a different color formed thereon.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the bodyboard further includes a surface layer heat-laminated between said protection layer and said board.

Preferably, the board has a serrated surface defined in the outside thereof.

These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.

In the drawings: 10 Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional bodyboard in accordance with the prior art; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another conventional bodyboard in accordance with the prior art; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of a bodyboard in accordance with the present o* 1 5 invention; Fig. 4 is a perspective assembly view of the bodyboard as shown in Fig. 3; *see Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a bodyboard in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a perspective assembly view of the bodyboard as shown in Fig. Fig. 7 is a partially cross-sectional view to show the protection layers heat laminated on the board as shown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a partially cross-sectional view of a bodyboard in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein a surface layer is laminated between the protection layer and the board of the bodyboard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, a bodyboard in accordance with the present invention includes a board 20 made of an expandable polymer, and a protection layer heat-laminated on the board 20 and including a plastic film 21 heat bonded to the board 20. The plastic film 21 of the protection layer is preferably added with ultraviolet inhibitor and anti-oxidant so as to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the sunshine from directly projecting on the board 20 made of expandable polymer, thereby protecting the board 20. The expandable polymer is made of a foam material such as PE, PP, PS, PU, PVC, PET, PO, etc., and the plastic film 21 is preferably made of the same material as the expandable polymer.

The plastic film 21 of the protection layer has a thickness preferably ranged between 0.01 mm and 0.1 mm so as to protect the board 20 from directly contacting water, dirt, and scum, and to protect the board 20 from being directly projected by the ultraviolet of sunshine.

In general, as shown in Fig. 4, the board 20 is preferably made of a foam material such as expanded polyethylene (PE) that contains many "air-cells" therein o which decide the floating feature of the board 20. The air-cells will be broken under the sunshine during a long period of time, and may be broken due to continuous friction during long-term utilization. In addition, the ultraviolet rays will damage the air-cells of the expanded polyethylene. Once the air-cells contained in the board are broken, water will be introduced into the broken air-cells, thereby greatly reducing the floating feature of the board 20 of the bodyboard.

The plastic film 21 of the protection layer permanently bonded to the board can be used to protect the board 20 from directly contacting water, dirt or scum, and can be used to protect the board 20 made of expanded polyethylene from being corroded by sea water or being damaged due to continuous friction. The plastic film 21 can also be used to prevent water from infiltrating into the expanded board thereby maintaining the floating feature of the board 20. In addition, the plastic film 21 containing ultraviolet inhibitor and anti-oxidant can be used to isolate the board from the surroundings so as to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the sunshine from directly projecting on the surface of the board 20, thereby preventing the air-cells from being broken, and thereby protecting the board Referring to Figs. 5 to 7, in accordance with another embodiment of the .0 10 present invention, the protection layer includes three plastic films 21 having different colors or patterns, and the three plastic films 21 are heat-laminated on the top of the board 20 and are tightly juxtaposed with each other so that the board 20 presents a color variation via the three plastic films 21 having different colors or patterns, thereby increasing the aesthetic quality of the bodyboard. The three plastic films 21 ""1 5 of the protection layer are tightly juxtaposed to each other by a pre-fabricated heating process to form an integral plastic strip having different colors or patterns, 0* which is then heat-laminated on the top of the board 20 by way of heat-laminating so that there is no gap or seam defined between the adjacent plastic films 21, best shown in Fig. 7, thereby efficiently preventing water from being retained between the plastic films 21 and the board Referring to Fig. 8, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, a surface layer 22 is heat-laminated between the plastic film 21 of the protection layer and the board 20. The surface layer 22 can be made of the same material as the board 20 but has a lower foaming rate. The plastic film 21 is initially heat laminated on the expanded surface layer 22, and the surface layer 22 together with the plastic film 21 are then heat laminated on the board In such a manner, the manufacturer of making the bodyboard only has to buy the surface layer 22 which is colorless or has only one color. When colors or patterns are required, the plastic film 21 with colors or patterns can be directly heat laminated on the surface layer 22 to provide the aesthetic quality of the bodyboard.

Therefore, it does not have to print colors or patterns on the surface layer 22. Thus, the manufacturer of making the bodyboard can decide the colors and amounts of the plastic films 21 so that he does not have to be limited by producers who makes the 010 surface layer 22 of different colors or patterns. More important, the plastic film 21 is thin, thereby saving the space of stock. In addition, the plastic film 21 is easily ;i obtained so that the bodyboard can be easily fabricated without limit of amount.

Alternatively, when heat bonding the plastic film 21 of the protection layer onto the board 20, the heat pressed mold can be designed to have predetermined vote concave/convex spots or three-dimensional patterns thereon. By such an arrangement, the board 20 can be formed with a serrated surface or anti-slip bosses defined in the outside thereof so as to prevent the users from slipping.

o 0 It should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bodyboard including: a board made of an expandable polymer; and a protection layer heat-laminated on said board and including at least one plastic film heat bonded to said board, said protection layer being added with ultraviolet inhibitor and anti-oxidant so as to prevent the ultraviolet rays of the sunshine from directly projecting on said board made of expandable polymer, thereby protecting said board.

2. The bodyboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said protection layer includes a plurality of plastic films heat bonded on said board, and each of said plastic films has a different color printed thereon.

3. The bodyboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said protection layer has a thickness ranged between 0.01 mm and 0.1 mm.

4. The bodyboard as claimed in claim 1, further including a surface layer heat-laminated between said protection layer and said board.

5. The bodyboard as claimed in claim 1, wherein said board has a serrated surface defined in the outside thereof. 0S* DATED this 9th day of May 2000. TZONG IN YEH WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN. VIC. 3122.