Method of sewing textile webs together

Claim 1

A METHOD OF JOINING TOGETHER THE ENDS OF LENGTHS OF TEXTILE WEBS SO AS TO PROVIDE A SEAM SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM RAISED PORTIONS WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) BUTTING THE ENDS OF LENGTHS OF TEXTILE WEBS; (2) SEWING THE ENDS OF THE WEBS TOGETHER TO FORM A BUTT SEAM WITH A BICOMPONENT SEWING THREAD COMPRISING (A) FROM 20% TO 70% OF A THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT HAVING A FLOW TEMPERATURE, BETWEEN ABOUT 100* AND 225*C., WHICH IS BELOW THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THE WEB SUBSTANTIALLY DEGRADES WHEN HEATED FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE, AND (B) FROM 80% TO 30% OF A SECOND FIBROUS COMPONENT WHICH NEITHER FLOWS NOR SUBSTANTIALLY DEGRADES WHEN HEATED FOR UP TO ABOUT ONE MINUTE TO THE FLOW TEMPERATUR OF THE THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT; (3) APPLYING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO THE SEAM TO PRESS THE RAISED PORTIONS OF THE THREAD IN THE SEAM TIGHTLY INTO THE FACE OF THE WEB; (4) APPLYING SUFFICIENT HEAT, HWILE THE SEAM IS UNDER PRESSURE SO AS TO HEAT THE WEB AT THE SEAM POSITION TO AT LEAST THE FLOW TEMPERATURE OF THE THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT BUT BELOW THE DEGRADATION TEMPERATURE OF BOTH THE WEB AND THE SECOND FIBROUS COMPONENT, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT THE THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT TO FLOW; AND (5) COOLING THE SEAM AND RELEASING THE PRESSURE THEREFROM.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF JOINING TOGETHER THE ENDS OF LENGTHS OF TEXTILE WEBS SO AS TO PROVIDE A SEAM SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM RAISED PORTIONS WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) BUTTING THE ENDS OF LENGTHS OF TEXTILE WEBS; (2) SEWING THE ENDS OF THE WEBS TOGETHER TO FORM A BUTT SEAM WITH A BICOMPONENT SEWING THREAD COMPRISING (A) FROM 20% TO 70% OF A THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT HAVING A FLOW TEMPERATURE, BETWEEN ABOUT 100* AND 225*C., WHICH IS BELOW THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THE WEB SUBSTANTIALLY DEGRADES WHEN HEATED FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE, AND (B) FROM 80% TO 30% OF A SECOND FIBROUS COMPONENT WHICH NEITHER FLOWS NOR SUBSTANTIALLY DEGRADES WHEN HEATED FOR UP TO ABOUT ONE MINUTE TO THE FLOW TEMPERATUR OF THE THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT; (3) APPLYING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO THE SEAM TO PRESS THE RAISED PORTIONS OF THE THREAD IN THE SEAM TIGHTLY INTO THE FACE OF THE WEB; (4) APPLYING SUFFICIENT HEAT, HWILE THE SEAM IS UNDER PRESSURE SO AS TO HEAT THE WEB AT THE SEAM POSITION TO AT LEAST THE FLOW TEMPERATURE OF THE THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT BUT BELOW THE DEGRADATION TEMPERATURE OF BOTH THE WEB AND THE SECOND FIBROUS COMPONENT, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT THE THERMOPLASTIC FIRST FIBROUS COMPONENT TO FLOW; AND (5) COOLING THE SEAM AND RELEASING THE PRESSURE THEREFROM.