Multifilament polyolefin carpets of non-regular cross-section and method of manufacture

Claim 1

AS A NEW ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE A BLEND OF FIBERS IN STRAND FORM USEFUL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRIC FLOOR COVERING AND OTHER FABRIC TYPE PRODUCTS WHERE IT IS DESIRABLE TO IMPROVE THE RESISTANCE TO INDENTATION OF THE FABRIC PRODUCT FROM THE WEIGHT OF AN OBJECT RESTING ON THE FABRIC, SAID BLEND OF FIBERS CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT MAN-MADE FIBERS FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYOLEFINS, POLYESTERS, POLYAMIDES, POLYACRYLONITRILES, MODACRYLICS, CELLULOSE ESTERS AND VISCOSE, THE BLEND BEING PARTICULARLY CHARACTERIZED IN THAT ONE OF THE MAN-MADE FIBERS THEREIN IS PRESENT FROM A SUBSTANTIAL AND EASILY OBSERVABLE AMOUNT UP TO 50% OF THE BLEND BY WEIGHT AND THAT SAID ONE FIBER IN SAID STRAND IS COMPRISED OF AT LEAST 7 RELATIVELY SMALL NON-CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION FILAMENTS OF A DENIER PER FILAMENT LESS THAN 30 AND A TOTAL DENIER OF LESS THAN 6250, SAID FILAMENTS HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTION ALONG THE FIBER LENGTH AND SAID CROSS-SECTION CONSISTING OF THREE INTEGRALLY JOINED, SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICAL LOBES, SAID CROSS-SECTION HAVING A TIP RADIUS RATIO AND AN ARM ANGLE SUCH THAT SAID TIPS OF THE INDIVIDUAL FILAMENTS CONTACT OTHER FILAMENTS IN THE BLEND TO REINFORCE EACH OTHER AND THEREBY IMPART IMPROVED RESISTANCE AS AFORESAID, SAID FILAMENTS HAVING IN GENERAL A Y-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION IN WHICH THE RATIO OF THE LENGTH OF THE LEGS OF SAID Y TO THE WIDTH OF SAID LEGS IS WITHIN THE RANGE OF 3:1 TO 5:1.