Soft cover for vehicles and process for making

1. A soft cover for a vehicle, at least a portion of said cover comprising a foam composite having

a) a water resistant top layer,

b) a flexible foam layer, and

c) a protective bottom layer;

said composite being flexible, dimensionally stable and tear resistant, wherein the flexible foam layer has a thickness of from about 0.5 to about 1.5 mm.

2. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foam layer comprises a plurality of foam layers having densities that are different from one another.

3. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the overall foam composite exhibits a Shore A hardness of about 45 to about 85.

4. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the overall foam composite exhibits a Shore A hardness of about 55 to about 75.

5. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the overall foam composite is sufficiently flexible to be bendable to an angle of 45 degree at a force less than about 300 g*cm as measured by the Cantilever Bending Test.

6. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the overall foam composite has a density of from about 15 to about 41 ounces per square yard.

7. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the overall foam composite has a density of from about 21 to about 30 ounces per square yard.

8. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the overall foam composite has a density of from about 18 to about 24 ounces per square yard.

9. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the water resistant top layer is a film.

10. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the water resistant top layer is a film formed from a film-forming plastic selected from the group consisting of poly(urethane)of s both of the poly(ether) and the poly(ester) form, poly(ester)s), flexible poly(vinyl)s, elastomeric poly(olefin)s, poly(isobutylene), neoprene, and low density poly(ethylene)s.

11. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the water resistant top layer comprises a fabric.

12. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the water resistant top layer comprises a woven fabric.

13. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foam layer has an internal cohesive strength of at least about 4.5 lbs/in.

14. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foam layer is a closed cell foam.

15. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foam layer is an open cell foam.

16. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the flexible foam layer is formed from a foamable polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of plasticized polyvinyl chloride, plasticized polyester, or plasticized polyolefin.

17. A method of manufacturing a soft cover of claim 1 , comprising the steps of

a) preparing a foam composite comprising the steps of

i) preparing a three layer web construction comprising a water resistant top layer, a foam precursor film layer, and a protective bottom layer, and

ii) exposing the three layer web construction to an activation temperature sufficient to expand the foam precursor film layer, thereby forming a foam composite; and

b) cutting the foam composite to size for manufacturing a soft vehicle cover; and

c) assembling a soft cover for a vehicle using the cut foam composite as prepared in step b).

18. A method of manufacturing a soft cover of claim 1 , comprising the steps of

a) preparing a foam composite by assembling a three layer web construction comprising a water resistant top layer, a foam layer, and a protective bottom layer to form a foam composite;

b) cutting the foam composite to size for manufacturing a soft vehicle cover; and

c) assembling a soft cover for a vehicle using the cut foam composite as prepared in step b).

19. A method of use a soft cover, comprising

a) providing a soft cover of claim 1 ,

b) attaching said soft cover to a vehicle in a manner for removably covering a portion of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the soft cover is attached to retractably enclose a predetermined compartment in the vehicle.

21. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the protective bottom layer is a textile.

22. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the protective bottom layer is a sateen woven textile.

23. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the protective bottom layer is a 100% polyester sateen woven textile.