Anti-microbial carpet underlay and method of making

Abstract

A carpet underlay including an effective amount of an antimicrobial compound. A rebonded carpet pad may include foam particles bonded together by a binder including zinc pyrithione. The underlay may include a laminating film on one or both sides of the pad. The laminating film may include zinc pyrithione as an effective antimicrobial.

1 . A carpet underlay comprising a pad comprising: 
 foam particles bound together with a binder comprising an effective amount of an anti-microbial compound.    
     
     
         2 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 1 , wherein the anti-microbial compound comprises zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         3 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 2 , wherein the binder comprises at least about 7500 ppm of the anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         4 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 2 , wherein the binder comprises from about 7500 ppm to about 12500 ppm of the anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         5 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 4 , wherein the binder comprises one tenth of the weight of the pad, whereby the pad comprises from about 750 to about 1250 ppm of the anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         6 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 2 , wherein the pad comprises at least about 750 ppm of the anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         7 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 2 , wherein the pad comprises from about 750 to about 1250 ppm of the anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         8 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 1 , further comprising a film laminated to the pad.  
     
     
         9 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 8 , wherein the film is thermally laminated to the pad.  
     
     
         10 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 8 , wherein the film comprises an effective amount of an anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         11 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 10 , wherein the anti-microbial compound comprises zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         12 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 11 , wherein the film comprises at least about 500 ppm of zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         13 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 11 , wherein the film comprises from about 500 ppm to about 1500 ppm of zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         14 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 11 , wherein the pad comprises at least about 1100 ppm zinc pyrithione and the film comprises at least about 500 ppm zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         15 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 11 , wherein the pad comprises at least about 750 ppm zinc pyrithione and the film comprises at least about 850 ppm zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         16 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 11 , wherein the concentration of zinc pyrithione in the pad plus the concentration of zinc pyrithione in the film comprises at least about 1600 ppm.  
     
     
         17 . A carpet underlay comprising: 
 a foam pad, and    an LLDPE laminating film comprising an effective amount of an anti-microbial compound laminated to the foam pad.    
     
     
         18 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 17 , wherein the antimicrobial compound comprises zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         19 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 18 , wherein the laminating film comprises at least about 500 ppm of zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         20 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 18 , wherein the laminating film comprises from about 500 ppm to about 1500 ppm of zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         21 . A carpet underlay according to  claim 18 , wherein the foam pad comprises a rebonded polyurethane foam pad.  
     
     
         22 . An LLDPE laminating film comprising an effective amount of an anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         23 . A laminating film according to  claim 22 , wherein the antimicrobial compound comprises zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         24 . A laminating film according to  claim 23 , comprising at least about 500 ppm of zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         25 . A laminating film according to  claim 23 , comprising from about 500 ppm to about 1500 ppm of zinc pyrithione.  
     
     
         26 . A method for making rebonded carpet pad, comprising: 
 mixing zinc pyrithione with a polyol to form an antimicrobial polyol mixture concentrate,    blending the antimicrobial polyol mixture concentrate with a binder stream, and    selecting a percentage of zinc pyrithione mixed with the polyol and the addition ratio of the antimicrobial polyol mixture concentrate with the binder stream to provide an overall concentration of zinc pyrithione in the binder of at least about 7500 ppm    
     
     
         27 . A method for making rebonded carpet pad according to  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 mixing zinc pyrithione with a triol polyol to a 20% strength antimicrobial polyol mixture concentrate, and    blending the 20% strength antimicrobial polyol mixture concentrate with a binder stream at at least a 3.90% addition level.    
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 27 , further comprising blending the 20% strength antimicrobial polyol mixture concentrate with a binder stream at a 3.90% to 6.5% addition level.  
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 mixing the binder with foam particles.    
     
     
         30 . A method according to  claim 29 , wherein the ratio of binder to foam particles is about 1:10 and results in an overall concentration of zinc pyrithione in the carpet pad of at least about 750 ppm.  
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 29 , further comprising shaping the mixture of binder and foam particles into a block, curing the binder and slicing the block to form carpet pad.  
     
     
         32 . A method according to  claim 31 , further comprising laminating a film to at least one side of the carpet pad.  
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 32 , wherein the film comprises an effective amount of an anti-microbial compound.  
     
     
         34 . A method of making an anti-microbial film comprising: 
 incorporating zinc pyrithione into an LLDPE resin concentrate,    mixing the resin concentrate with an LLDPE copolymer resin mixture to form a resin blend,    extruding the resin blend into a film, and    selecting a percentage of zinc pyrithione incorporated into the LLDPE resin concentrate and a percentage of resin concentrate in the resin blend to provide a concentration of zinc pyrithione in the film of at least about 500 ppm.    
     
     
         35 . A method of making an anti-microbial film according to  claim 34 , further comprising: 
 selecting a percentage of zinc pyrithione incorporated into the LLDPE resin to be at least about 10% by weight, and    selecting a percentage of resin concentrate in the resin blend to be at least about 1% by weight.    
     
     
         36 . A method according to  claim 34 , wherein the LLDPE copolymer resin mixture comprises about 60% to 70% by weight copolymer and about 30% to about 40% LLDPE by weight, including the resin concentrate.  
     
     
         37 . A method according to  claim 34 , further comprising extruding the resin blend at a temperature of from about 450 to 550 degrees F. with a blow up ratio of between 1.8 and 2.5:1.  
     
     
         38 . A method according to  claim 37 , further comprising extruding the resin blend at a temperature of from about 450 to 500 degrees F.