ELASCO EX. 1009
`Elasco v. Checkers
`U.S. Patent No. 7,943,851
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`Page 1 of 10
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 18,1999
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`Sheet 1 of 4
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`5,904,017
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`Page 2 of 10
`Page 2 of 10
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 18,1999
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`Sheet 2 of4
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`5,904,017
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`Page 3 of 10
`Page 3 of 10
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 18,1999
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`Sheet 3 of 4
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`5,904,017
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`3M
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`5,904,017
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`1
`l'HO'['0l.UMINl€SCF.NT EMERGENCY
`EGRESS ACCESSORY
`
`The present invention relates generally to an accessory
`including a photolurninesceat strip to identify escape routes
`during emergencies. More particularly, the present invention
`relates to an accessory including a photoluminescent strip
`coextruded with, or otherwise attached to, a nonluminescent
`material
`to form an integral product. The accessory is
`attachable to floors, walls, stairs or other Iixtures normally
`found in an office building. an institution. a factory or other
`buildings used by people.
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`undertaken. Additionally, the photoluminescent component
`can still wear oil‘ or be torn loose after the product has been
`installed.
`
`It has been known to make photoluminescent vinyl sheet
`goods and tiles utilizing the calendaring method. This elimi-
`nates the step of applying photoluminescent tapes or coat-
`ings to the products in a secondary process. The molded
`products disclosed in the prior art, however, are not
`provided, nor could they be easily manufactured,
`in con-
`tinuous strips. Additionally,
`the prior art discloses only
`rnolded products which are formed entirely from photolu-
`minescent material. Also, the prior tiles are laminated, and
`the pltotolumincscence does not extend through the tile to its
`back. No products comprised of an integral combination of
`photoluminesoertt and nonluminescent materials are dis-
`closed.
`
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,928 shows an egress detection system
`including at least three electroluminescent lamps in a linear
`arrangement and circuitry for sequentially illuminating the
`lamps. Each lamp contains two sets of indicators in the form
`of arrows pointing in opposite directions. The arrows point-
`ing toward one exit are illuminated in the case of one sensed
`danger and the arrows pointing in the opposite direction are
`illuminated in response to a second sensed danger.
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,050 discloses a continuous adhesive
`transparent sheet having discontinuous phosphorescent
`arrows or other indicia protruding therefrom. The indicia is
`either formed within or attached to the adhesive sheet. Ifthe
`indicia is formed within the sheet, the phosphorescent mate-
`rial is added in a secondary combining operation.
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,586 discloses a path-marking system
`employing a series of photoluminescent accessories. Each
`individual accessory has tactile characteristics of shape and
`surface contacts which.
`in combination, indicate direction
`and distance to the nearest evacuation exit.
`
`U.S. Pat. No. 2,169,657 discloses a woven floor covering
`made with yarn dyed with rhodamine, a substance which
`fluoresces when exposed to ultraviolet
`light. Another
`embodiment discloses a woven lloor covering printed with
`fluorescent or ultraviolet light-sensitive pigments. In another
`embodiment, a floor covering is painted with Iluoresoent
`paint.
`U.S. Pat. No. 2,387,512 discloses a photoluminesoent
`adhesive tape. The tape is provided with a layer of photo-
`luminescent pigment which is protected from the atmo-
`sphere by a transparent lilm which does not interfere with
`the activation of the photoluminescent pigment on exposure
`to light.
`The present invention improves upon the teachings of the
`prior art by providing a product comprised of a continuous
`strip of nonluminescent material coextruded with photolu-
`mirtescent material to form an integral product in which the
`two materials are molecularly bonded.
`SUMMARY OF TIIE INVENTION
`
`In accordance with the present invention, there is pro-
`vided an accessory comprised of a nonluminescent material
`and a photolumineseent material which are preferably coex-
`truded and molecularly bonded to fomt an integral product.
`It is an object of the present
`invention to provide an
`accessory including photoluminescent material which iden-
`tifies escape routes in the absence of light, such as during
`power outages.
`Another object of the present invention is to provide an
`accessory as described above which can be formed as wall
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`Many buildings contain egress routes which can be
`immersed in darkness in the event of a lire or other emer-
`gency.
`In such a situation,
`individuals cannot
`locate the
`building exits because escape routes and emergency exits
`are no longer visible.
`It has therefore been known and is desirable to provide
`buildings with illumination systems which identify escape
`routes in the event of an emergency. There are two general
`classes of systems available. The tirst
`is electrically-
`operated systems. These normally consist of a series of
`emergency lights powered by an emergency generator or by *
`batteries. The second is photoluminescent systems. These
`nonrially consist oliphotoluminescent products placed on the
`walls, floors, stairwells andfor around the door frarnes of
`escape routes.
`Some drawbacks of electrical systems are their expense
`and the fact that they require at power source, which can fail
`during an emergency. Furthermore. because of their expense
`they are typically only used at specific points along an
`escape route rather than along the entire route. Moreover,
`they are not continuous.
`Another problem with existing systems is that they are
`usually located high on walls or on the Hour. It would be
`advantageous if warning systems could have a low location
`on the walls, since people often drop to the floor in the case
`of fire or the like.
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`Photoluminescent materials are less expensive than the
`aforementioned electrical products or systems; therefore,
`they are economical enough to be used along, and therefore
`illuminate, the entire escape route. Such materials are easy
`to install and are relatively maintenance free. These mate-
`rials contain a photolurninescent component which absorbs
`and stores sunlight andfor artificial
`light. The materials
`become photoluminescent,
`i.e.
`they glow in darkness,
`thereby identifying escape routes. One problem with many
`photoluminescent materials is that they are applied on—site to
`walls or floors. This creates considerable labor expense.
`Furthermore, the materials can wear off or be torn loose.
`Examples of such materials are photoluminescertt
`tapes,
`paints and other products which are applied in a secondary
`process.
`The expense of on-site application is eliminated if the
`photoluminescent materials are combined with a nonlumi-
`nescent product in a factory and the combined product is
`installed on the egress route. In this case, the photolumi—
`nescent component, usually phololuminescent
`tape,
`is
`applied to another product, such as a molding, lloor tile, stair
`tread or wall panel, in a secondary combining operation. The
`labor required to combine the photoluminescent component
`with the nonluminescent product, however, still adds con-
`siderable cost because a separate manufacturing step, i.e. the
`application of the photoluminescent material. must be
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`bases, knob inserts for round raised disk tiles, stair tread
`covers, cove mouldings, base mouldings, corner bumper
`guards, cove caps, stair nosings, signs, signage and path
`markers, light switch covers, carpet cove caps, tactile wam—
`ing strips, guidance strips or other products like the forego-
`ing.
`Another object of the present invention is to provide an
`accessory wherein the nonlu minescent material and the
`photoluminesoent material are comprised oliextrudable plas-
`tics.
`
`Another object of the present invention is to provide an
`accessory as described above wherein the photoluminescent
`material forms a continuous visible strip on a surface of the
`accessory when the accessory is installed.
`Another object of the present invention is to provide an
`accessory as described above wherein the photoluminescent
`material contains zinc sulfide particles.
`Another object of the present invention is to provide an
`accessory as described above wherein the photoluminescent
`material is at least 0.070 inch (1.7 mm} thick.
`Another object of the present
`invention is to provide a
`photolumineseent safety accessory which is simple and
`economical in design.
`A further object is to provide a photolu minescent acces-
`sory which can be located low on a wall to enable it to be
`seen in darkness by a person crawling along a floor during
`an emergency.
`Additional objects, features and advantages will be appar-
`ent in the written description which follows and from the
`appended claims.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The invention may take form in certain parts and arrange-
`ment of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be
`described in detail in the specification and illustrated in the
`accompanying drawings wherein:
`FIG.
`I
`is a side perspective view of a stair tread in
`accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a heavy-duty stair
`tread with stair nosing in accordance with the present
`invention.
`
`FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a handrail cover.
`FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a wall base in
`accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 5 is a sectional top perspective view of a tactile
`warning strip in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a wall corner bumper
`guard in accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of a stair nosing in
`accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a carpet cove cap in
`accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of a wall cove base in
`accordance with the present invention.
`FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the machinery used in a
`preferred embodiment of a process to manufacture products
`in accordance with the present invention.
`DI:Z'I‘AILIiD DESCRIPTION OF A PREI-'-‘ERRED
`EMBODlMliN'l‘
`
`The invention includes flooring, wall, stair and walkway
`accessories for use in areas which becorne dark intermit-
`
`tently or during emergency situations. The invention is
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`comprised of a nonluminescent material and a photolumi-
`nescent material, preferably coextruded and rnolecularly
`bonded, to create a single, integrally-formed product. The
`respective compositions of the nonlumineseent material and
`the photolumincscent material are not critical to the teaching
`of the invention. In a preferred embodiment, however, the
`nonluminesccnt material and photoluminescent material are
`chosen so that they molecularly bond to one another during
`the extrusion process to create an integral product. This
`eliminates the need for secondary bonding agents such as
`adhesives. It also eliminates the labor required for a sec-
`ondary combining step where adhesive is used to join the
`photoluminesccnt material to the nonluminescent material.
`Preferably,
`the materials may be one of various plastic
`compounds such as polyethylene, polypropylene,
`polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride or ABS. Rubber may also be
`used.
`
`The preferred forming process is plastic, molding or
`extrusion. The processing of photoluminescent plastic com-
`pounds can be accomplished by plunger-type injection
`molding machines or single screw extruders which treat the
`photolurninescent pigment gently. Processing temperatures,,
`injection speeds or extrusion speeds should conform to
`manufacturer’s specifications.
`The photoluminescent material includes photolumines-
`cent pigment. In a preferred ernbodirnent, the photolumi-
`nescent pigment is a high-temperature processed crystalline
`zinc sulfide. Zinc-sulfide based pigments glow green-
`yellow. This largely matches the spectral sensitivity of the
`eyes, therefore, the pigments are capable of high lumines-
`cence intensity and are especially well-suited for marking
`and identification purposes. Zine sulfide pigments are
`capable of absorbing ambient UV-light, daylight or artificial
`light, store the light energy and discharge it over an extended
`period of time. Additionally, these pigments are not radio-
`active and are nontoxic. The thickness of the photolumines-
`cent layer should be at least U.07U—{).t[l(I inch (l.7—2.5 mm).
`If a white background is used in conjunction with the
`photoluminescent
`layer,
`the photoluminescent effect
`is
`intensified through refiection.
`In the preferred embodiment, the pigment has a minimum
`photometric requirement of 288.4-430 W-K when tested in
`accordance with European test method DIN 67510, part I.
`The heavy metal content is in compliance with BGA A-IX
`limit values when tested in accordance with European test
`method DIN 53770.
`
`requirements of the photoluminescent
`Other general
`material used in the invention are as follows:
`
`Properties
`
`Requirements
`
`Tests
`
`Photometric
`Properties
`Flarrtmabilily
`Resistance
`to Aging
`Resistance to
`Salt Spray Mist
`Resistance to
`Chemical
`Influences
`Resistance to
`Water and (_‘|can-
`irtg agents
`
`1
`Minimum iSi'|.ti - 32tI - W - K DIN 6? 510 part
`Minirnunt
`|t’trt.3 - J81} - W - K DIN ti? 510 part 2
`Class B 2
`DIN 4102 part 4
`No decline of
`DIN 53 38? ~ 2 - E
`photometric properties
`500 hrs.
`DIN 50021-53
`No visible changes
`after 120 hm.
`DIN 53 521i'tl..‘$'.I'_. paragraph
`8.ll; no visible changes
`
`DIN '.-"4 t]I5‘.UOS.89_.
`paragraph 6.7.3
`
`No changes
`
`DIN 31} 646 part 1!
`08.89, paragraph
`4.7: ID symbol I..
`
`The major benefit of the invention as disclosed herein is
`that it has superior brightness of photoluminescent proper-
`ties as compared with other products. A noticeable drop of
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`5,904,017
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`luminance during the first 30 minutes of darkness is com-
`mon to all photoluminesccnt materials. The products
`described herein, however, have shown a lower decline in
`brightness than other products during the lirst 30 minutes.
`Furthermore. the products described herein are visible for up
`to 8-10 hours of darkness.
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`Turning now to the drawings where the purpose is for
`showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
`and not for limiting same FIG. 1 shows a stair tread cover
`100 made in accordance with the present
`invention. Stair
`tread cover 100 is formed from a molded nonluminescent
`material with a photoluminesccnt material, such as photo-
`lurninescent
`tape, adhered thereto,
`to create an integral
`product.
`Tread cover 100 has an exterior surface 102 and an
`interior surface 104. Tread cover 100 includes a tread
`portion 106 for extending across a stair, and a nose portion
`108 formed perpendicular to portion 106. Tread portion 106
`has an area with slightly elevated areas, such as raised
`circles 110 to prevent people from slipping when stepping .
`on tread cover 100. Knob inserts 111 made of photolumi-
`nescent material are provided in some of the raised circular
`areas. Interior surface 104 is generally smooth and planar so
`that it may conform with the surface of the metal, concrete,
`or wood stair tread upon which tread cover 100 rests. Nose _
`portion 108 extends downward, resting against the stair riser
`when tread cover 100 is installed. Nose portion 108 has a
`juncture 112 formed with tread portion 106. A strip of
`photoluminesecnt material 114, which can be on the surface
`of a tape attached to tread portion 106 or formed integrally
`therewith,
`is provided near nose juncture 112. Strip 114
`could be on juncture 112, nose portion 108 or on two or more
`parts of tread cover 100. Strip 114 can extend from nose
`portion 108 onto the horizontal part of exterior surface 102
`adjacent juncture 112 and a separate photoluminescent strip
`parallel to juncture 112 on the horizontal pan of cover 100
`can also be provided. Knob insert 111 and strip 114 become
`luminous and is visible along the egress route when the
`ambient light is extinguished. Usually, only one ofthe knob
`inserts 111 or strip 114 would he used, rather than both of
`these materials.
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`Turing now to FIG. 2, heavy-duty stair tread cover 200 is
`shown. Stair tread cover 200 is formed from a nonlumines—
`cent material coextruded with a photolurninescent material
`to create an integral product. Tread cover 200 has an exterior
`side 202, an interior side 204, a tread portion 206 and a nose
`portion 208 formed perpendicular thereto, which meet at a
`nose-tread juncture 212. Tread portion 206 is composed of
`a series of lateral treads 210, which can he sets 211 of treads.
`Treads 210 engage shoes or boots to increase traction and
`help prevent slipping. On the part of the tread portion near
`juncture 212 is a photoluminescent strip 214, which can be
`on the surface of a tape secured to tread portion 206 or
`coextruded therewith. Another photolumirtescent strip 216 is
`provided on juncture 212. The interior side 204 has a rough _
`or sanded finish to enable tread cover 200 to be glued or
`otherwise lirmly engage the surface of the metal, concrete or
`wood stair tread to which tread 200 will be applied. Portions
`214 and 216 become luminous and are visible along the
`egress route when the ambient light is extingu ished.
`Turning now to FIG. 3, a handrail cover 300 is shown.
`l-Iandrail cover 300 is oompriserl of a noniumineseent por-
`tion 310 coextruded with a photoluminescent portion 312 to
`form an integral product. Cover 300 includes a smooth
`radiused exterior surface 314 and an interior surface 316.
`Ilandrail cover 300 has a generally semi-cylindrical
`configuration, and photoluminesoent portion is radiused as
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`well and forms part ofthe semi-cylinder. I-Iandrail cover 300
`is curved about a longitudinal axis and forms a cavity 318,
`which can fit around a handrail to which cover 300 can be
`mechanically or adhesively attached. Cover 300 is resilient,
`and can fit on handrails having a range of radiuses. Photo»
`lurnninescent portion 312 becomes luminotts and is visible
`along the egress route when the ambient
`light
`is extin-
`guished.
`Turning now to FIG. 4, a wall base 400 is shown. Wall
`base 400 is integrally formed from a nonluminescent mate-
`rial co-extruded with a photoluntinescent material. Wall base
`400 has a smooth continuous exterior surface 402 compris-
`ing a generally fiat, planar upper portion 404 and a flared
`lower portion 406. Lower portion 406 extends outward from
`upper portion 404. A lip 408 extends along the bottom of
`lower portion 406 forming the lower edge thereof. A pho-
`toluminescent strip 410 is continuously formed along exte-
`rior surface 402 at or as shown in FIG. 4, above the junction
`of upper portion 404 and lower portion 406. Photolumines-
`cent strip 410 becomes luminous and is visible along the
`egress route when the ambient
`light
`is extinguished. Wall
`base 400 is particularly useful since it is located low on the
`wall near the floor, and can easily be seen by persons who
`have dropped to the floor during a tire or other emergency.
`Referring to FIG. 5, a tactile warning strip 500 is shown.
`As is known to those skilled in the art, tactile warning strips
`are placed at the top of stairways, rail platforms or other
`areas to alert the visually impaired to danger of a fall. Tactile
`warning strip 500 is a generally flat member. preferably
`having a vinyl or rubber body portion, with laterally extend-
`ing raised vinyl or rubber treads 502, and photolurninesoent
`treads 504. Treads 504 are preferably integral with the body
`of strip 500, as are treads 502, and can be commonly
`extruded with the extrusion of strip 500. A set of grooves 503
`extend in parallel between treads 502 and 504; the diflerence
`in heights between grooves 503 and treads 502, 504 provide
`the tactile warning. Photoluminescent strip 504 becomes
`luminous and is visible along the egress route at the top of
`stairs, platforms or wherever it is placed, when the ambient
`light is extinguished.
`Considering FIG. 6, a corner bumper guard 600 is shown.
`Guard 600 has a front surface 602 and an interior surface
`604. The interior of guard 600 is preferably extruded vinyl.
`and the front of guard 600 is a photolumincscent strip 606.
`Photoluminesoent strip 606 is preferably continuously coex-
`truded with the nonluminesoent material 608 forming the
`interior of bumper guard 600 to form an integral product.
`Photoluminescent strip 606 becomes luminous and is visible
`along the egress route when the ambient
`light
`is extin-
`guished to warn of the presence of a corner of the wall to
`which guard 600 is attached.
`Turning now to FIG. 7, a stair nosing 700 is shown.
`Nosing 700 is formed by coextrutting a nonluminescent
`material with a photoluminescent material to form an inte-
`gral product. Nosing 700 has a tread portion 702 and a
`generally llat riser portion 704 formed at a right angle to
`tread portion 702, with portions 702 and 704 being con-
`nected at a nose portion 706. A photolurninescent strip 708
`is formed in tread portion 702, and is preferably coextruded
`with the other parts of nosing 700. Photoluminescent strip
`708 becomes luminous and is visible along the egress route
`when the ambient
`light
`is extinguished,
`to indicate the
`location of stairs to which stair nosing 700 is attached.
`Turning now to FIG. 8, a carpet cove cap 800 is shown.
`As is known in the art, a cove cap is a generally three-sided
`structure into the open face of which the edge of a carpet.
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`5,904,017
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`rug. or vinyl sheet material is inserted. The cove cap protects
`the edge of the carpet, rug, or vinyl sheet material and
`creates a neat sight line along the edge of a wall. Cap 800
`is formed of three generally flat, planar sections 802, 804
`and S06. Sections 802 and 806 are generally parallel to each
`other, section 802 being wider than section 806. Section 804
`is perpendicular to parallel sections 802 and 806 and joins
`the ends of the foregoing sections to form a cavity 808 for
`receiving the edge portion of a carpet, rug or of vinyl sheet
`material (in which case the cavity would be thinner). A
`carpet or rug cavity would usually be 54: inch in height,
`whereas a cavity for a vinyl sheet would usually have a
`height of 1/is inch. The entire cove cap is made of a photo-
`Iurninescent material. Photoluminescent cap 80!] becomes
`luminous and is visible along the egress route when the
`ambient light is extinguished.
`FIG. 9 shows a wall cove base 900 which is the subject
`of U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,923. In the embodiment shown. the
`gauge cove base 900 is formed of a nonluminescent material
`coextruded with a photolurninescent strip 902 to form an
`integral product. Cove base 900 has an upper portion 904.
`Upper portion 904 tapers into a curved edge 906 for engage-
`ment with a wall. The bottom of cove base 900 is undercut
`to form a cove 908. Photoluminescent strip 902 is continu-
`ously formed into an exterior wall 912. Photoluminesccnt
`strip 902 becomes luminous and is visible along the egress
`route when the ambient light is extinguished.
`Referring next to FIG. 10, a preferred process for manu-
`facturing the present invention is shown. The manufacturing
`equipment used in the preferred process includes a main
`extruder 50, a secondary extruder 70, an extrusion die 90 and
`a cooling tank 98.
`Main extruder 50 has a body 52 housing an interior cavity
`(not shown). An opening 54 in body 52 is located near the
`rear of extruder 50. Abin 56 is provided within opening 54
`and extends upward therefrom. An extruder head 58 is
`located at
`the front of extruder 50, opposite opening 54.
`Thermocouples 60 are connected to a controller 62 by wire
`leads 64. Control panel 62 thereby monitors and maintains
`the temperature in extruder head 58 and extmsion die 90.
`Heating means (not shown) heat
`the interior cavity of
`extruder 50 and a screw (not shown) extends longitudinally
`through body 52.
`Secondary extruder 70 has a body 72 housing an interior
`cavity (not shown). An opening 74 in body 72 is located near
`the rear of extruder 70. Abin 76 is provided within opening
`74. Bin 76 has four planar sides extending upward and
`outward from opening '74 to create a funnel effect. An
`extruder head 78 is provided at the front end of the extruder
`70, opposite opening 74. An extruder head extension 80 has
`an end which is mounted to extruder head 78 and an end
`which is insened into extrusion die 90. Thermocouples 82
`are connected to a controlfheating means 84 by wires 86.
`Controlfheating means 84 thereby monitors and maintains
`the temperature in extruder head 78 and extruder head
`extension 80. A screw (not shown) extends longitudinally
`through body 72.
`An extrusion die 90 is mounted on extruder head 58 of
`main extruder 50. Extrusion die 90 has a side 92 having
`input ports (not shown) mounted against extruder head 58
`and a side 94 having input ports (not shown) which are
`perpendicular
`to side 92 and which communicate with
`extruder head extension 80. Output side 96 is opposite to and
`generally parallel to side 92. The profile of the product to be
`extruded is formed in side 96.
`
`Tuming now to the manufacture of the present invention,
`the preferred process of manufacture is coextrusion. Non-
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`luminescent plastic or rubber resin is placed in bin 56 and
`enters the interior cavity of extruder body 52 through
`opening 54. In a preferred embodiment, bin 56 is continu-
`ously supplied with nonluminescent resin to allow for a
`continuous manufacturing process. An electric power source
`(not shown) powers the heating means and the screw,
`causing the heating means to heat
`the interior cavity of
`extruder S0 and causing the screw to turn.
`As nonlurninescent
`resin enters the inner cavity of
`extruder 50, the screw turns and pushes the resin forward.
`Heat is transferred to the resin causing it to melt into a liquid
`or semi-liquid plastic. The liquid or semi-liquid plastic is
`eventually pushed into the extruder head 58 and into the
`input ports in side 92 of extrusion dic 90.
`Photoluminescent resin material, which in a preferred
`embodiment is transparent resin mixed with zinc sulfide
`particles, is supplied in bin 76 of secondary extruder 70.
`Photoluminescent resin enters the interior cavity of extruder
`body 72 through opening 74. In a preferred embodiment, bin
`'76 is continuously supplied with nonluminescent resin to
`allow for a continuous manufacturing process. An electrical
`power source {not shown) powers the corttroltheating means
`84 and the screw, causing controliheating means 84 to heat
`the interior cavity of extruder 70 and causing the screw to
`turn.
`
`As photoluminesoent resin enters the interior cavity of
`extruder 70, the screw turns and pushes the resin forward.
`Heat istransferred to the resin causing it to melt into a liquid
`or scmi—liquid plastic. The liquid or scmi—liquid plastic is
`eventually pushed into extruder head 78. through extruder
`head extension 80 and into the input port
`in side 94 of
`extrusion die 90.
`
`The nonluminescent liquid or semi-liquid plastic and the
`luminescent liquid or semi—liquid plastic are combined and
`molecularly bonded within extrusion die 90. An integral
`product comprised of the nonluminescent material and the
`luminescent material is extruded from the output port in side
`96 of die 90. The integral product passes into cooling tank
`98 where it
`is cooled. Eventually the product is cut
`into
`linear lengths or coiled on cores and packaged in operations
`not shown.
`
`Modifications and alterations to the products heretofore
`described will occur to others upon a reading and under-
`standing of the present invention. For example, the photo-
`luminescent portion of an article of manufacture in accor-
`dance with the present invention may be narrower or wider
`than is shown in the preferred embodiments described
`above. In this respect. an entire exterior surface of a member
`may consist of photolumirtescent material. Additionally, the
`photoluminescent material does not have to be of a continu-
`ous width or thickness. It is only required that photolumi—
`nescent material be integrally formed into the accessory
`where it will be visible along the egress route.
`What is claimed is:
`1. Awall base comprising:
`a non-luminescent upper portion having a predetermined
`height, a flat back surface for engaging the lower base
`of a wall, a flat front surface generally parallel to said
`back surface and a curved surface connecting the upper
`portions of said back surface and said front surface;
`a non-luminescent flared lower portion integral with said
`upper portion and extending forwardly outward from
`said upper portion, said lower portion having a lip on
`the forward part of said lower portion. said lip extend-
`ing along the bottom of said lower portion to form a
`lower edge of said lower portion; and
`
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`5,904,017
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`9
`a photoluminescent strip extending laterally across said
`upper portion near said curved convex surface, said
`strip having a predetermined height less than the pre-
`detenninetl height of said upper portion and becoming
`luminous when the ambient light is extinguished;
`said non~luminescent upper portion and said photolumi~
`nescent strip being made from extrudable materials,
`and said non-luminescent upper portion and said pho-
`toluminescent strip having been coextruded and
`molecularly bonded to one another to form an inte-
`grally formed product.
`2. A wall cove base comprising:
`a non-luminescent fiat member having an upper portion
`and a lower gauging portion, said upper portion having
`a predetermined height. and said upper portion and said
`lower portion gauging portion having a generally pla-
`nar front surface and a substantially continuous rear
`surface for being attached to a wall surface, said lower
`gauging portion having a height and thickness less than
`the height and thickness of said upper portion, said
`from surface and said rear surface each having an upper
`
`IE)
`
`15
`
`10
`part of said front surface, a transition zone including a
`bottom wall on said upper portion which tapers down-
`wardly and forwardly toward said front planar surface,
`said bottom wall intersecting said front planar surface
`and forming a tip which points substantially down-
`wardly; and
`a photoluminescerit strip extending laterally across the
`front surface of said upper portion in clom proximity to
`said convex, curved surface, said photoluminescent
`strip having, a predetermined height which is less than
`the predetermined height of said upper portion, and
`said photolurninescent strip becoming luminous when
`the ambient light is extinguished;
`said non—1uminescenl upper portion and said photolumi~
`nescent strip being made from extrudable materials.
`said non-luminescent upper portion and said photolu-
`minescent strip having been coextruded and molecu-
`larly bonded to one another to form an integrally
`formed product.
`
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