21678 results about "Polyvinyl chloride" patented technology

The present invention relates to a light emitting medium which includes a container and a liquid core. In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the liquid core includes an aqueous solution or mixture of a water-soluble polymer. The refractive indices of the liquid core and that of the container may be different. However, the aqueous solution or mixture may have a lower or higher refractive index than that of the container. The mixture may be completely transparent or translucent and have a color other than clear. The container may be of any material that is translucent or transparent and be of any color.The raw materials for the light emitting medium in accordance with the present invention are less costly than known light guides and offer numerous advantages when compared to other illumination light guides. Water advantageously is a major raw material of the present invention. The water-soluble polymer component may be used in relatively minute amounts. For example, a liquid core in accordance with the present invention can be formed from up to 99.9% water and 0.01% water-soluble polymers, although higher amounts of water-soluble polymer may result in better characteristics. The container material may be formed from typically available polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride, acrylics and methacrylics or polyolefins and be formed by commonly known processes, such as extrusion, blow-molding and injection molding.In one embodiment of the invention, the light emitting medium in accordance with the present invention is combined with at least one light emitting diode (LED), a power source and a switching device to form a self contained illumination device. In another embodiment of the invention, images are formed on the container in different colors. Multiple LEDs of various wavelengths are selectively illuminated to simulate motion of the images.

Polymeric materials and products, including sheet flooring materials prepared from the polymeric materials, and processes for preparing the polymeric materials, are disclosed. The polymeric materials include a polylactic acid-based polymer in combination with plasticizer and a compatibilizer, and optionally include a filler. The polymeric material can include between about 30 to about 50 percent by weight polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene glycol, polyglycolide, ethylene vinyl acetate, polycarbonate, polycaprolactone, polyhydroxyalkanoates, or polyolefins modified with polar groups, for example, ionomers. The plasticizer is typically an epoxidized vegetable oil or esterified and epoxidized vegetable oil and is typically present in an amount of between about 10 and about 50% by weight. In some embodiments, the compatibilizer is a polyolefin modified with one or more polar functional groups, and is typically present in an amount of between about 5 and about 10% by weight. The material can be used in decorative surface coverings, such as a floor coverings, particularly when it is in the form of a polymeric sheet. The polymeric material can be present in at least one layer of a floor covering, which floor covering can also include one or more additional layers such as wear layers, foamed or foamable layers, top coat layers and design layers. The additional layers can also include the polymeric material.