Non-woven fabrics and a process for treating the same

Claim 1

A NON-WOVEN FABRIC COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF THERMOPLASTIC FIBERS DISPOSED IN AN INTERMINGLED THREEDIMENSIONAL ARRANGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH, WIDTH AND DEPTH OF SAID FABRIC, SAID FIBERS BEING BONDED TOGETHER AT SPACED POINTS BY RESNOUS BONDING MATERIAL TO FIXEDLY JOIN SAID FIBERS TOGETHER TO FORM AN INTRGRAL NONWOVEN STRUCTURE, SAID NON-WOVEN FABRIC HAVING A NETWORK OF INTERCOMMUNICATING VOIDS BETWEEN SAID FIBERS THROUGHOUT SAID FABRIC, SAID NON-WOVEN FABRIC HAVING BEEN COMPACTED WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF ANY BONDING MATERIAL TO A LESS OPEN, HIGHET DENSITY, COMPACTED STATE FROM THE STATE IN WHICH SAID FABRIC WAS ORIGINALLY MADE, AND SAID NONWOVEN FABRIC BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE APPLICATION OF HEAT THERETO OF A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE PLASTIC FLOW TEMPERATURE OF BOTH SAID THERMOPLASTIC FIBERS AND SAID RESINOUS BONDING MATERIAL FOR EXPANSION TO GENERALLY THE ORIGINAL MORE OPEN, LOW DENSITY STATE THEREOF.