Patents by Inventor Ralph W. Wright
Ralph W. Wright has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7419716Abstract: Methods for providing surface coverings with differential gloss, and surface coverings prepared by the method, are disclosed. The methods involve screen printing or rotogravure printing a relatively low gloss primer onto portions of a substrate surface covering. The primer-coated substrate is then coated with a relatively higher gloss coating composition, and the coating compositions are cured, advantageously in a single curing step. The result is a surface covering including a top coat having a lower gloss level overlying the primer and a higher gloss level in the regions not overlying the primer.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2003Date of Patent: September 2, 2008Assignee: AWI Licensing CompanyInventors: Dong Tian, Ralph W. Wright, Jr., Scott Whalen
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Patent number: 6908663Abstract: A method and composition for providing a colored high performance wear surface for floor coverings is disclosed. Specifically, the floor covering includes a substrate and a high performance layer comprising a radiation cured pigmented composition. The exposed surface of the floor covering has a stain resistance of less than about 150 Delta E units. A pigmented high performance wear layer can be added in register with a printed design on the substrate or in register with an embossed texture of the substrate. Additionally, a high performance topcoat wear layer may be added. The pigmented high performance layer may include a nacreous pigment.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2000Date of Patent: June 21, 2005Assignee: AWI Licensing CompanyInventors: Ralph W. Wright, Jr., Gary A. Sigel, Jennifer W. Sager, William J. Kauffman
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Patent number: 6908585Abstract: A method and composition for providing a colored high performance wear surface for floor coverings is disclosed. Specifically, the floor covering includes a substrate and a high performance layer comprising a radiation cured pigmented composition. The exposed surface of the floor covering has a stain resistance of less than about 150 Delta E units. A pigmented high performance wear layer can be added in register with a printed design on the substrate or in register with an embossed texture of the substrate. Additionally, a high performance topcoat wear layer may be added. The pigmented high performance layer may include a nacreous pigment.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2003Date of Patent: June 21, 2005Assignee: AWI Licensing CompanyInventors: Ralph W. Wright, Jr., Gary A. Sigel, Jennifer W. Sager, William J. Kauffman
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Patent number: 6866737Abstract: Disclosed is both a method and apparatus for mechanically embossing a surface covering. The apparatus includes an embossing tool comprising a slurry. The slurry includes both a filler and binder. The method includes printing a slurry onto a surface covering and compressing the slurry onto the surface covering to create a mechanically embossed texture onto the surface covering.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2001Date of Patent: March 15, 2005Assignee: AWI Licensing CompanyInventors: Ralph W. Wright, W. Craig Brossman, William B. Saporetti
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Publication number: 20040241416Abstract: Methods for providing surface coverings with differential gloss, and surface coverings prepared by the method, are disclosed. The methods involve screen printing or rotogravure printing a relatively low gloss primer onto portions of a substrate surface covering. The primer-coated substrate is then coated with a relatively higher gloss coating composition, and the coating compositions are cured, advantageously in a single curing step. The result is a surface covering including a top coat having a lower gloss level overlying the primer and a higher gloss level in the regions not overlying the primer.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2003Publication date: December 2, 2004Inventors: Dong Tian, Ralph W. Wright, Scott Whalen
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Publication number: 20040197515Abstract: A non-directional tile is obtained by surface applying and consolidating a relatively thin, non-porous, multi-colored, resin particulate decorative layer onto a backing layer. The non-directionality is the result of the proper selection of resin particle size distribution and the use of contrasting colors. The result is a tile that an ordinary observer cannot discern the machine direction and a tile floor having seams that are indiscernible by an ordinary observer.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2003Publication date: October 7, 2004Inventors: Jeffrey R. Shultz, Ralph W. Wright, Bennett E. Wallick, Laura Ann Gemperline, William J. Kauffman
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Publication number: 20030180509Abstract: A method and composition for providing a colored high performance wear surface for floor coverings is disclosed. Specifically, the floor covering includes a substrate and a high performance layer comprising a radiation cured pigmented composition. The exposed surface of the floor covering has a stain resistance of less than about 150 Delta E units. A pigmented high performance wear layer can be added in register with a printed design on the substrate or in register with an embossed texture of the substrate. Additionally, a high performance topcoat wear layer may be added. The pigmented high performance layer may include a nacreous pigment.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2003Publication date: September 25, 2003Applicant: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: Ralph W. Wright, Gary A. Sigel, Jennifer W. Sager, William J. Kauffman
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Publication number: 20030056885Abstract: Disclosed is both a method and apparatus for mechanically embossing a surface covering. The apparatus includes an embossing tool comprising a slurry. The slurry includes both a filler and binder. The method includes printing a slurry onto a surface covering and compressing the slurry onto the surface covering to create a mechanically embossed texture onto the surface covering.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2001Publication date: March 27, 2003Inventors: Ralph W. Wright, W. Craig Brossman, William B. Saporetti
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Patent number: 6511926Abstract: A sheet flooring product, including a homogeneous melt processable resin layer formed of a melt processable, non-plastisol layer, and an adjacent felt layer produced by a beater saturated method and having a substantially uniform thickness of between about 5 mils and about 40 mils. The melt processable resin layer is preferably applied by a hot melt calender (“HMC”) process to achieve enhanced can drop, refrigerator drag and indentation values.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 1999Date of Patent: January 28, 2003Assignee: AWI Licensing CompanyInventors: William J. Kauffman, Peter A. Christie, William B. Saporetti, Steven F. Hynicka, Ralph W. Wright, Jr.
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Patent number: 5578363Abstract: A flooring installation is characterized by installing an underlayment between the flooring material and the subfloor. The underlayment includes a polymeric layer, preferably a foamed polymeric layer, and a fiber mat, preferably a glass fiber. The foamed polymer interpenetrates at least the lower portion of the glass mat. A portion of the fiber mat is preferably unsaturated. The fiber mat may have an acrylic latex tie coat opposite the foamed polymer layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: November 26, 1996Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: Brenda L. Finley, Ralph W. Wright, Jr.
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Patent number: 5536530Abstract: A product having a textured surface thereon (and its process of manufacture) is disclosed wherein the textured surface is obtained by relieving the stress in pre-stressed polymeric chips that have been distributed as a single layer throughout a polymeric layer superimposed on a substrate.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 1995Date of Patent: July 16, 1996Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: Cheryl W. Landers, Ralph W. Wright, Jr.
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Patent number: 5506030Abstract: A product having a textured surface thereon (and its process of manufacture) is disclosed wherein the textured surface is obtained by relieving the stress in pre-stressed polymeric chips that have been distributed as a single layer throughout a polymeric layer superimposed on a substrate.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 1994Date of Patent: April 9, 1996Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: Cheryl W. Landers, Ralph W. Wright, Jr.
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Patent number: 5501895Abstract: A flooring installation is characterized by installing an underlayment between the flooring material and the subfloor. The underlayment includes (from the subfloor up) a foamed polymeric layer and a glass fiber mat. The foamed polymer interpenetrates at least the lower portion of the glass mat. The upper portion of the glass fiber mat is preferably unsaturated. The glass mat may have an acrylic latex tie coat opposite the foamed polymer layer.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 1992Date of Patent: March 26, 1996Inventors: Brenda L. Finley, Ralph W. Wright, Jr.
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Patent number: 5223322Abstract: A multi-dimensional image is obtained in a substantially flat surface covering by aligning the platelets of a platey material in the optical surface of the surface covering parallel to the exposed surface of the surface covering and realigning predetermined platelets to a predetermined angle with respect to the original alignment. The platelets can be realigned by pressing a gelled transparent or translucent element into the platey material containing layer or by mechanically embossing the platey material containing layer.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 1989Date of Patent: June 29, 1993Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: Timothy D. Colyer, Cheryl W. Landers, Ralph W. Wright, Jr.
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Patent number: 4530856Abstract: A decorative laminate and method of manufacture therefor are provided wherein the laminate has a differential texture and a differential gloss wherein the textured regions contain PVC resin particles and have a lower gloss than adjoining regions without PVC resin particles. The decorative article is useful as a floor covering.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 1984Date of Patent: July 23, 1985Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: William J. Kauffman, Ralph W. Wright
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Patent number: 4450194Abstract: A decorative laminate and method of manufacture therefor are provided wherein the laminate has a differential texture and a differential gloss wherein the textured regions contain PVC resin particles and have a lower gloss than adjoining regions without PVC resin particles. The decorative article is useful as a floor covering.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 1982Date of Patent: May 22, 1984Assignee: Armstrong World Industries, Inc.Inventors: William J. Kauffman, Ralph W. Wright
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Patent number: 4293910Abstract: The disclosure provides a storage protection (SP) array in each of two system controllers (SCs) in a multiprocessing system which has a shared main storage containing a plurality of basic storage modules (BSMs). The BSMs may be operated with block and page interleaved addresses. Each block in main storage is assigned a key-in-storage having an entry in one of the two arrays.A cross-interrogate (XI) bus connects between the SCs. Using the XI bus, each processor request is sent to an SP address register in every SP array.Each array is divided into a plurality of equal groups. Each group has a range identifier register and a comparator. The range identifier register is loaded with a value which controls the range of main storage addresses to which the group is assigned. All of the comparators in each array are connected to a high-order part of the SP address register for the array.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 1979Date of Patent: October 6, 1981Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Frederick O. Flusche, Kwang G. Tan, Ralph W. Wright