Appeal No. 1997-2248
Application No. 08/378,513
of a fiber-reinforced polyester resin coating and a
resin-impregnated polyester fabric. As described by Bonnes,
in a
preferred method for making the handle
a wood core section is produced by traditional methods
. . . . The layers of the outer shell are prepared by
producing a sheet molding compound (“SMC”). Such an SMC
is produced by drawing glass fibers 42 through resin bath
44 onto a flat mesh belt 46. . . . The resultant
material
is passed through calender rolls 50 which press it into
flat sheet 52. . . .
An outer veil layer is prepared using polyester
fabric impregnated with resin . . . . When ready
for use, the sheets 52 are rolled flat and patterns
58, which will conform to core 12, are cut from the
sheet, as shown in FIG. 6. Patterns 58 are then
wrapped around the wood core beginning with an SMC
layer. As preferably embodied herein, two or three
SMC layers are wrapped around the wood core. Next,
the outer veil layer is wrapped around the wood
core. All of the layers are gathered and
precompressed about the core.
The wrapped wood core is placed in a compression
molding apparatus, as known in the art, and
subject to compression molding which, as embodied
herein, occurs
under 400 tons of hydraulic pressure and at a curing
temperature of 250E-300E F. generated using steam
heat. Under these conditions, the resin reflows uniformly
throughout the various layers and then cures.
Furthermore, resin penetrates the outer surface of the wood
and bonds outer shell 14 to the wood core 12 [column 5,
line 58, through column 6, line 31].
Notwithstanding the examiner’s rather generous assessment
6
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