Bonded non-woven fibrous products and methods for making them

Claim 2

AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A NON-WOVEN FIBROUS PRODUCT IN WHICH THE FIBERS AR DISTRIBUTED IN RANDOM ARRAY, THE FIBERS OF WHICH AR PREDOMINANTLY FIBERS WHICH ARE INCAPABLE OF FELTING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CELLULOSIC FIBERS, NYLON FIBERS, VINYL RESIN FIBERS, POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL TEREPHTHALATE) FIBERS, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, FIBERS IN THE PRODUCT BEING BONDED TOGETHER BY A BINDER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE THICKNESS OF THE PRODUCT AND COMPRISING A WATER-INSOLUBLE EMULSION COPOLYMER OF MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERIC UNITS COMPRISING 0.5 TO 10% BY WEIGHT OF A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTIANG OF ACRYLIC ACID, METHACRYLIC ACID, ITACONIC ACID, AND AMMONIUM AMINE, AND ALKALI METAL SALTS THEREOF WITH AT LEAST ONE ESTER OF AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC ACID AND METHACRYLIC ACID WITH AN ALCOHOL HAVING 1 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS, SAID COPOLYMER BEING CROSS-LINKED TO AN INSOLUBLE CONDITION WHEREBY THE PRODUCT IS SUBSTANTIALLY RESISTANT TO DRY-LEANING, THE AMOUNT OF BINDER BEING FROM 2 TO 400% OF WEIGHT OF FIBERS IN THE PRODUCT, AND THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF THE COPOLYMER BEING AT LEAST 100,000.

Claim 3

A PROCESS OF MAKING A NON-WOVEN FABRIC WHICH COMPRISES ASSOCIATING, IN RANDOM ARRAY WITHIN A WEB OR MAT, A MASS OF FIBERS COMPRISING A PREDOMINANT PROPORTION OF FIBERS WHICH ARE INCAPABLE OF FELTING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CELLULOSIC FIBERS, NYLON FIBERS, VINYL RESIN FIBERS, POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL TEREPHTHALATE) FIBERS, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, BRINGING INTO CONTACT WITH THE FIBERS, SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMILY THROUGH THE FIBROUS MASS, AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION CONTAINING 2 TO 60% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-INSOLUBLE EMULSION COPOLYMER, HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 100,000 OF MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATUTRATED MONOMERIC UNITS COMPRISING 0.5 TO 10% BY WEIGHT OF COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC, METHACRYLIC, AND ITACONIC ACIDS, AND AMMONIUM, AMINE, AND ALKALI METAL SALTS THEREOF WITH AT LEAST ONE ESTER OF AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC ACID AND METHACRYLIC ACID WITH AN ALCOHOL HAVING 1 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS, AND DRYING THE FIBROUS MASS CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 400%, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF FIBERS, OF THE COPOLYMER AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE T1 OF THE COPOLYMER TO EFFECT FUSION OF THE COPOLYMER AND BONDING OF THE FIBERS THEREBY, AND HEATING THE DRIED FIBROUS PRODUCT AT A TEMPERATURE OF 110* TO 350* C. TO INSOLUBILIZE THE BINDER WITH RESPECT TO DRY-CLEANING SOLVENTS.

Claim 4

A PROCESS OF MAKING A NON-WOVEN FABRIC WHICH COMPRISES ASSOCIATING, IN RANDOM ARRAY WITHIN A WEB OR MAT, A MASS OF FIBERS COMPRISING A PREDOMINANT PROPORTION OF FIBERS WHICH ARE INCAPABLE OF FELTING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CELLULOSIC FIBERS, NYLON FIBERS, VINYL RESIN FIBERS, POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL TEREPHTHALATE) FIBERS, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, BRINGING INTO CONTACT WITH THE FIBERS, SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMILY THROUGH THE FIBROUS MASS, AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION CONTAINING 2 TO 60% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-INSOLUBLE EMULSION COPOLYMER, HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF AT LEAST 100,000 OF MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATUTRATED MONOMERIC UNITS COMPRISING 0.5 TO 10% BY WEIGHT OF COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC, METHACRYLIC, AND ITACONIC ACIDS, AND AMMONIUM, AMINE, AND ALKALI METAL SALTS THEREOF WITH AT LEAST ONE ESTER OF AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLIC ACID AND METHACRYLIC ACID WITH AN ALCOHOL HAVING 1 TO 12 CARBON ATOMS, AND DRYING THE FIBROUS MASS CONTAINING FROM 2 TO 400%, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF FIBERS, OF THE COPOLYMER AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE T1 OF THE COPOLYMER TO EFFECT FUSION OF THE COPOLYMER AND BONDING OF THE FIBERS THEREBY, AND HEATING THE DRIED FIBROUS PRODUCT AT A TEMPERATURE OF 110* TO 350* C. TO INSOLUBILIZE THE BINDER WITH RESPECT TO DRY-CLEANING SOLVENTS.