US3772132A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flocked fabric and method for making same
Assignee: Malden Mills Industries Inc
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Filing: 1972-04-03
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Granted: 1973-11-13
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Expires: 1992-04-03
Abstract
Abstract There is disclosed a flocked fabric which is both highly drapeable and strong, and a method for making it. The fabric backing is napped prior to the application of adhesive thereto. The napping, or fiber maze, which extends from the fabric backing is entrained in the adhesive layer, as are the flock fibers. The fiber maze prevents the adhesive from substantially penetrating into the fiber backing and this, in turn, enhances the drapeability of the finished fabric and increases its tear strength.
Inventors
- 👤 G Dulin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 21:45
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H11/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/23907; Y10T428/23943; Y10T428/2395
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
34 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein said substrate is a yarn-based fabric and said adhesive layer fixes less than 35 percent of the crossing yarns in said substrate to each other.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein said substrate is a yarn-based fabric and said adhesive layer fixes less than 10 percent of the crossing yarns in said substrate to each other.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least twice as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least five times as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein the tear strength of the flocked fabric is at least 80 percent of the tear strength of said fibrous textile substrate alone.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein the tear strength of the flocked fabric is greater than the tear strength of said fibrous textile substrate alone.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fibrous maze is contained within said adhesive layer from the bottom to the top surfaces thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
A flocked fabric in accoRdance with claim 8 wherein the fibers in said maze are progressively intertangled from the bottoms to the tops thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 1 wherein the fibers in said maze are intertangled to reinforce said adhesive layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
A flocked fabric comprising a substrate having a fiber maze extending therefrom, a layer of adhesive encapsulating said fiber maze, and flock fibers embedded in and extending out from the upper surface of said adhesive layer, the average length of a fiber in said maze being at least two times as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein said substrate is a yarn-based fabric and said adhesive layer fixes less than 35 percent of the crossing yarns in said substrate to each other.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein said substrate is a yarn-based fabric and said adhesive layer fixes less than 10 percent of the crossing yarns in said substrate to each other.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein the tear strength of the flocked fabric is at least 80 percent of the tear strength of said substrate alone.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein the tear strength of the flocked fabric is greater than the tear strength of said substrate alone.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein said fiber maze is contained within said adhesive layer from the bottom to the top surfaces thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 11 wherein the fibers in said maze are progressively intertangled from the bottoms to the tops thereof.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
78 words
A flocked fiber comprising a fibrous textile substrate having a fiber maze extending therefrom, an adhesive layer disposed above said substrate and encapsulating said fiber maze, and flock fibers embedded in and extending out from the upper surface of said adhesive layer, said adhesive layer making only limited contact with said fibrous textile substrate such that the tear strength of the flocked fabric is at least 80 percent of the tear strength of the fibrous textile substrate alone.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 18 wherein said adhesive layer encapulates said fiber maze such that the maze extends all the way through the adhesive layer from the bottom surface to the top surface thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
31 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 18 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least twice as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 18 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least five times as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
In a flocked fabric having an adhesive layer and flock fibers embedded in and extending out from the upper surface thereof, the improvement comprising a fibrous maze contained within and for reinforcing said adhesive layer.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 22 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least twice as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 22 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least five times as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 24 wherein said fibrous maze is contained within said adhesive layer from the bottom to the top surfaces thereof.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
26 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 22 wherein said fibrous maze is continued within said adhesive layer from the bottom to the top surfaces thereof.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
A flocked fabric in accordance with claim 26 wherein the fibers in said maze are progressively intertangled from the bottoms to the tops thereof.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
67 words
A method for making a flocked fabric comprising the steps of forming a backing having a fibrous maze extending therefrom, said fibrous maze having a density sufficient to prevent subsequently applied adhesive from substantially pEnetrating therethrough to said backing, applying an adhesive layer to the surface of said backing from which said fibrous maze extends, and embedding flock fibers in the upper surface of said adhesive layer.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein the flock fibers embedded in said adhesive layer have a velvet appearance and the viscosity of said adhesive is in the range 35,000 - 65,000 centipoise, as measured on a Brookfield viscometer using a No. 4 spindle rotating at 6 rpm.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein the flock fibers embedded in said adhesive layer have a suede appearance and the viscosity of said adhesive is in the range 60,000-120,000 centipoise, as measured on a Brookfield viscometer using a No. 4 spindle rotating at 6 rpm.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein said backing is a yarn-based fabric and said fibrous maze is formed by napping a surface thereof.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 31 wherein said fibrous maze extends above said backing a distance which is greater than the thickness of the adhesive layer subsequently applied to said backing, and said fibrous maze is caused to be substantially completely encapsulated by said adhesive layer when it is applied to said backing.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein said fibrous maze extends above said backing a distance which is greater than the thickness of the adhesive layer subsequently applied to said backing, and said fibrous maze is caused to be substantially completely encapsulated by said adhesive layer when it is applied to said backing.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein said fibrous maze is formed such that the average length of a fiber therein is at least twice as great as the thickness of the subsequently applied adhesive layer.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein said fibrous maze is formed such that the average length of a fiber therein is at least five times as great as the thickness of the subsequently applied adhesive layer.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
69 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein the density of said fibrous maze is high enough and the viscosity of the applied adhesive is low enough to sufficiently prevent the applied adhesive from penetrating through said fibrous maze to said backing such that the tear strength of the flocked fabric is at least 80 percent of the tear strength of said backing alone.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
66 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein the density of said fibrous maze is high enough and the viscosity of the applied adhesive is low enough to sufficiently prevent the applied adhesive from penetrating through said fibrous maze to said backing such that the tear strength of the flocked fabric is greater than the tear strength of said backing alone.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 28 wherein said adhesive layer is applied to said backing such that said fibrous maze extends all the way through the adhesive layer from the bottom surface to the top surface thereof.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
43 words
In a method for making a flocked fabric in which flock fibers are embedded in and extend out from the upper surface of an adhesive layer, the improvement comprising the step of encapsulating a fibrous maze within and for reinforcing said adhesive layer.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 39 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least twice as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 39 wherein the average length of each fiber in said maze is at least five times as great as the thickness of said adhesive layer.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accoRdance with claim 39 wherein said fibrous maze is made to extend from the lower surface of said adhesive layer through said adhesive layer to the upper surface thereof.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method for making a flocked fabric in accordance with claim 39 wherein the fibers in said maze are controlled to be progressively intertangled from the bottoms to the tops thereof.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-11-12 | 1977-05-14 | 1977-11-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-11-12 | 1981-05-14 | 1981-11-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-11-12 | 1985-05-14 | 1985-11-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |