Prior Art
In the prior art it is almost always specified what kind of material the retardant is to be applied to, with substantial differences in composition depending on the actual substrate to be protected.
Furthermore, in most cases the materials to be applied are unsafe, toxic or noxious, making them unsuitable for household use or for other purposes which entail human contact or handling; furthermore, their preparation and/or application may entail cumbersome and involved techniques. Presently published fire retardant literature does not disclose the need to keep the fire retardant mixtures in suspension as colloidal mixture to obtain the desired fire protecting quality of a mixture, and to increase and enhance the shelf-life of the product.
Currently there is no single intumescent-based fire-retardant coating material having all of the following features:    1. a coating material allowing ease of application by spraying, brushing, roller application, or the like; and,    2. a coating material maintaining its consistency over time and keeping all of its components perfectly mixed and blended with one another in a colloid state; and,    3. a coating material that can be applied with minor variations to a large variety and diversity of substrates;    4. a coating material comprising non-toxic or minimally toxic ingredients;    5. a coating material that is suspended in a water based solvent to be non-toxic or having no toxicity when applied, after curing on all kinds of surfaces, including wood, plastics, sheetrock, toys, formica, rubber, etc.; and,    6. a coating material providing a low rate of thermal transmission, especially where low weight is critical, such as in aircraft and ships;    7. a coating material drying quickly and efficiently;    8. a coating material with good adhesion and stability.    9. a coating material for home and non-professional use.    10. a coating material for incorporation and application in building materials and structures.
None of the so-far disclosed flame retardant compositions teach the process and principles outlined in the present application. U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,328, issued to Bertelli, discloses flame-resisting paints obtained by reacting aldehydes with compounds containing amido, carbonyl (>C═O), and >C═S containing compounds inserted in a cyclic structure, or reaction products from aliphatic or aromatic diisocyanates or triisocyanates with organic compounds having reactive hydrogen atoms. U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,374, issued to Priest, discloses a non-flammable impregnant for polyether-derived polyurethane foam substrates, characterized by a carboxylated neoprene latex and alumina trihydrate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,442, issued to Pearson, discloses an aqueous resinous system produced by reacting an aldehyde with phosphoric acid, and adding an alkanolamine, urea, and melamine in aqueous solution. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,380,593 and 4,740,527 issued to Von Bonin, disclose intumescent products obtained by a complex reaction sequence employing polyisocyanates as starting materials. U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,228, issued to Vajs et al., discloses a flexible coating providing protection up to 1000 * C, obtained in two stages; a first stage produces an intumescent foam layer and the second relies on vitrification of an agent carried in the intumescent layer, preferably a silicic base. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,879,320 and 4,963,296, issued to Hastings, disclose a fluid intumescent film-forming binder such as polyvinyl acetate, acrylic resin, vinyl acrylic resin, silicone resin, epoxy or polyurethane, or combinations thereof, that can be rendered electrically conductive by incorporating conductive particles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,793, issued to Kobayashi, discloses the use of carbides, borides, nitrides, synthetic resins containing phosphorus and/or sulphur, and other compounds capable of forming Lewis bases on heating. U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,515, issued to Gottfried, discloses a fluid intumescent base material, which additionally includes a binding agent, solvents, and pigment, with the addition of flame spread, oxygen and thermal transmission reducing materials, refractory fibers, mechanical enhancers, water resistant and elasticity agents.
Furthermore, none of the currently disclosed flame retardant composition teaches the use of colloid forming compositions to obtain a stable, paste-like, easy to apply flame suppressant and fire retardant product.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds