Method of manufacturing high-loft, nonwoven fabric

Claim 1

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric which comprises forming a thick open pattern of adhesive on a continuously moving supporting surface with the thick open pattern of adhesive being interconnected by thin webs of the same adhesive, preparing a web including flexible fibers extending longitudinally of the web, bonding the flexible fibers in said web to said thick open pattern of adhesive while said adhesive is in a tacky state so that it adheres to said surface with said fibers spanning said thin webs of the same adhesive within said thick open pattern, carrying said web on said surface to the edge of a gathering blade, looping the portions of said fibers spanning said thin webs of adhesive outwardly from said surface and consolidating said thin webs of adhesive and the adjacent portions of said thick open adhesive pattern into a substantially continuous adhesive backing for said outwardly looped fibers by impinging said fibers and adhesive against the edge of said gathering blade, and conveying said adhesive backing and outwardly looped fibers away from said surface and said gathering blade.

Claim 2

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric which comprises forming a thick open pattern of adhesive on a continuously moving supporting surface with the thick open pattern of adhesive being interconnected by thin webs of the same adhesive, preparing a web including flexible fibers extending longitudinally of the web, bonding the flexible fibers in said web to said thick open pattern of adhesive while said adhesive is in a tacky state so that it adheres to said surface with said fibers spanning said thin webs of the same adhesive within said thick open pattern, carrying said web on said surface to the edge of a gathering blade, looping the portions of said fibers spanning said thin webs of adhesive outwardly from said surface and consolidating said thin webs of adhesive and the adjacent portions of said thick open adhesive pattern into a substantially continuous adhesive backing for said outwardly looped fibers by impinging said fibers and adhesive against the edge of said gathering blade, and conveying said adhesive backing and outwardly looped fibers away from said surface and said gathering blade.

Claim 10

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric which comprises coating a continuously moving supporting surface with a substantially continuous thin film of adhesive having raised portions of said adhesive extending away from said surface in an open pattern, the open spaces of said open pattern being bridged by intervening portions of said thin film, preparing a web including flexible fibers extending longitudinally of the web, bonding the flexible fibers in said web to said thick open pattern of adhesive while said adhesive is in a tacky state so that it adheres to said surface with said fibers spanning said thin webs of the same adhesive within said thick open pattern, carrying said web on said surface to the edge of a gathering blade, looping the portions of said fibers extending between said raised portions of adhesive outwardly from said surface and consolidating successive transverse segments of said raised portions of adhesive and said intervening portions of said thin film of adhesive into a substantially continuous, adhesive backing for said outwardly looped fibers by impinging said fibers and adhesive against the edge of said gathering blade, and conveying said adhesive backing and outwardly looped fibers away from said surface and said gathering blade.

Claim 11

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric which comprises coating a continuously moving supporting surface with a substantially continuous thin film of adhesive having raised portions of said adhesive extending away from said surface in an open pattern, the open spaces of said open pattern being bridged by intervening portions of said thin film, preparing a web including flexible fibers extending longitudinally of the web, bonding the flexible fibers in said web to said thick open pattern of adhesive while said adhesive is in a tacky state so that it adheres to said surface with said fibers spanning said thin webs of the same adhesive within said thick open pattern, carrying said web on said surface to the edge of a gathering blade, looping the portions of said fibers extending between said raised portions of adhesive outwardly from said surface and consolidating successive transverse segments of said raised portions of adhesive and said intervening portions of said thin film of adhesive into a substantially continuous, adhesive backing for said outwardly looped fibers by impinging said fibers and adhesive against the edge of said gathering blade, and conveying said adhesive backing and outwardly looped fibers away from said surface and said gathering blade.

Claim 12

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric which comprises providing a driven printing roll having an open pattern of liquid adhesive on the surface thereof, advancing a continuously moving supporting surface over said printing roll to apply said open Pattern of liquid adhesive to said supporting surface, said printing roll and said supporting surface being driven at different speeds so as to draw thin webs of said adhesive across the open spaces of said open pattern of adhesive so that the adhesive applied to said supporting surface includes a thick open pattern of adhesive interconnected by said thin webs of the same adhesive, preparing a web including flexible fibers extending longitudinally of the web, bonding the flexible fibers in said web to said thick open pattern of adhesive while said adhesive is in a tacky state so that it adheres to said surface with said fibers spanning said thin webs of the same adhesive within said thick open pattern, carrying said web on said surface to the edge of a gathering blade, looping the portions of said fibers spanning said thin webs of adhesive outwardly from said surface and consolidating said thin webs of adhesive and the adjacent portions of said thick open adhesive pattern into a substantially continuous adhesive backing for said outwardly looped fibers by impinging said fibers and adhesive against the edge of said gathering blade, and conveying said adhesive backing and outwardly looped fibers away from said surface and said gathering blade.

Claim 13

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric which comprises providing a driven printing roll having an open pattern of liquid adhesive on the surface thereof, advancing a continuously moving supporting surface over said printing roll to apply said open Pattern of liquid adhesive to said supporting surface, said printing roll and said supporting surface being driven at different speeds so as to draw thin webs of said adhesive across the open spaces of said open pattern of adhesive so that the adhesive applied to said supporting surface includes a thick open pattern of adhesive interconnected by said thin webs of the same adhesive, preparing a web including flexible fibers extending longitudinally of the web, bonding the flexible fibers in said web to said thick open pattern of adhesive while said adhesive is in a tacky state so that it adheres to said surface with said fibers spanning said thin webs of the same adhesive within said thick open pattern, carrying said web on said surface to the edge of a gathering blade, looping the portions of said fibers spanning said thin webs of adhesive outwardly from said surface and consolidating said thin webs of adhesive and the adjacent portions of said thick open adhesive pattern into a substantially continuous adhesive backing for said outwardly looped fibers by impinging said fibers and adhesive against the edge of said gathering blade, and conveying said adhesive backing and outwardly looped fibers away from said surface and said gathering blade.

Claim 16

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric with a surface of looped flexible elements, from a web formed of a multiplicity of flexible, extended elements, comprising the steps of: embedding said web of flexible, extended elements at spaced points on said elements in a substantially continuous thin film of adhesive, activating the adhesive film to a softened, tacky state, gathering the softened adhesive film while outwardly looping the portions of said elements between said points, to form i. a flexible, substantially continuous, gathered adhesive backing layer, and ii. a multiplicity of loops providing the fabric surface with the ends of each loop embedded in said adhesive backing layer; and setting the gathered adhesive backing layer.

Claim 17

A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric with a surface of looped flexible elements, from a web formed of a multiplicity of flexible, extended elements, comprising the steps of: embedding said web of flexible, extended elements at spaced points on said elements in a substantially continuous thin film of adhesive, activating the adhesive film to a softened, tacky state, gathering the softened adhesive film while outwardly looping the portions of said elements between said points, to form i. a flexible, substantially continuous, gathered adhesive backing layer, and ii. a multiplicity of loops providing the fabric surface with the ends of each loop embedded in said adhesive backing layer; and setting the gathered adhesive backing layer.