Method of extruding a skin coated foamed plastic article

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING IMPROVED, LIGHTWEIGHT, SKIN COATED, EXTRUDED, PLASTIC ARTICLES, COMPRISING: (A) EXTRUDING A FOAMED PLASTIC BASE MATERIAL THROUGH A PRIMARY DIE; (B) EXPANDING THE PLASTIC MATERIAL EXTRUDED FROM SAID PRIMARY DIE AND FORMING IT TO ITS FINAL CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION BY FEEDING IT FROM SAID PRIMARY DIE THROUGH AN AUXILIARY DIE OF GREATER CORE SIZE THAN THE PRIMNARY DIE; (C) FUSING A COATING TO SAOD PLASTIC BASE MATERIAL AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID AUXILIARY DIE BY FEEDING A STREAM OF COATING MATERIAL ONTO AND DISTRIBUTING IT OVER THE SURFACE OF SAID PLASTIC MATERIAL AS THE LATTER MOVES THROUGH THE AUXILIARY DIE WHILE MAINTAINING SAID BASE MATERIAL AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO PROMOTE THE ADHESION OF THE COATING MATERIAL TO THE BASE MATERIAL; AND (D) COOLING THE EXTRUDED, COATED AND EXPANDED BASE MATERIAL WITHOUT FURTHER CHANGING THE CONFIGURATION OF THE ARTICLE AS IT EMERGES FROM THE AUXILIARY DIE.