Tufted carpet with gas-expandable pile and method

Claim 2

A PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES A BACKING SHEET AND A PLURALITY OF EXPANDED CELLULAR POLYMERIC FIBERS SECURED TO THE BACKING SHEET, THE FIBERS PROVIDING A FIBROUS FACE SURFACE, THE FIBERS IN THE BACKING SHEET SECURED THERETO BY THE CONTACT AND THE COMPRESSION OF AT LEAST A PART OF THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE CELLULAR POLYMERIC FIBERS AGAINST THE MATERIAL IN THE BACKING SHEET.

Claim 3

The product of claim 1 wherein the backing sheet is a solid flexible thermoplastic sheet material.

Claim 4

The product of claim 2 wherein the backing sheet is a plasticized vinyl-chloride resin.

Claim 5

The product of claim 1 wherein the backing sheet is a cellular polymeric sheet material.

Claim 6

The product of claim 1 wherein the backing sheet is a nonwoven polymeric fibrous sheet material.

Claim 7

The product of claim 5 wherein the backing sheet is composed of a nonwoven polypropylene fibrous sheet material.

Claim 8

The product of claim 1 wherein the polymeric fibers comprise a solid intercore material surrounded by an outer cellular core material.

Claim 9

The product of claim 1 wherein the fibers are tufted loop-like back stitches on the back surface of the backing sheet.

Claim 10

The product of claim 1 wherein the fibers are tufted into and through the backing sheet, and only the fibers on the face surface are cellular fibers, and the fibers on the back surface are noncellular fibers and contain an unexpanded blowing agent.

Claim 11

The product of claim 1 wherein the fibers are tufted into and through the backing sheet, and only the fibers on the back surface are cellular fibers, and the fibers on the face surface are noncellular fibers and contain an unexpanded blowing agent.

Claim 12

The product of claim 1 wherein the fibers are tufted fibers, and a portion of the fibers are noncellular and contain a nonexpanded blowing agent, while the face and back fibers, or both, are cellular fibers.

Claim 13

The product of claim 1 wherein the cellular fibers in contact with the backing sheet extend from one or both surfaces of the backing sheet to a depth of 50 percent or more into the backing sheet.

Claim 14

The product of claim 1 wherein the face surface contains different areas of cellular fibers and noncellular fibers, the cellular fiber area and the noncellular fiber area differing in fiber height, creating a predetermined design effect on the carpet surface.

Claim 15

The product of claim 1 wherein the fibers are secured into and through the backing sheet, the product having a solid polymeric coating layer integrally bonded to the back surface of the backing sheet.

Claim 16

The product of claim 1 wherein the fibers are secured into and through the backing sheet, and the fibers are in a fully expanded condition on the face and back surfaces and through the material in the backing sheet.

Claim 17

In a method of preparing a fibrous product, which method comprises providing a plurality of gas-expandable polymeric fibers containing an expanding agent therein, securing such fibers to a backing sheet to form a fibrous face surface, and heating the fibers so secured to effect an expansion of the diameter of the fibers by the expanding agent, the improvement which comprises: heating the fibrous face surface or the back surface, or both surfaces, to a temperature sufficient to effect expansion of the expanding agent and the formation of cellular polymeric fibers on the heated surface, so as to expand the fibers on such surface, the expansion of the fibers extending at least partially into the backing sheet, the expansion of the fibers within the backing sheet securing the fibers therein by the contact of the expanded cellular fibers And the compression of the outer surface of such cellular fibers against the material of the backing sheet, while at least some of the gas-expandable fibers between the face and back surface retain their gas-expandable condition and contain an expanding agent.

Claim 18

In a method of preparing a fibrous product, which method comprises providing a plurality of gas-expandable polymeric fibers containing an expanding agent therein, securing such fibers to a backing sheet to form a fibrous face surface, and heating the fibers so secured to effect an expansion of the diameter of the fibers by the expanding agent, the improvement which comprises: heating the fibrous face surface or the back surface, or both surfaces, to a temperature sufficient to effect expansion of the expanding agent and the formation of cellular polymeric fibers on the heated surface, so as to expand the fibers on such surface, the expansion of the fibers extending at least partially into the backing sheet, the expansion of the fibers within the backing sheet securing the fibers therein by the contact of the expanded cellular fibers And the compression of the outer surface of such cellular fibers against the material of the backing sheet, while at least some of the gas-expandable fibers between the face and back surface retain their gas-expandable condition and contain an expanding agent.

Claim 19

The method of claim 16 which includes heating only the fibers on the face surface of the backing sheet to form cellular polymeric fibers on such face surface.

Claim 20

The method of claim 16 wherein the fibers extend into and through the sheet material, and includes heating only the fibers on the back surface of the backing sheet to form cellular polymeric fibers on the back surface, the expanded fibers extending into the backing sheet and toward the face surface.

Claim 21

The method of claim 16 which includes heating by directing radiant heat only towards the surface of the backing sheet to be heated.

Claim 22

The method of claim 16 which includes bonding a polymeric cellular backing layer to the back surface of the product.

Claim 23

The method of claim 16 wherein the backing sheet comprises a gas-expandable thermoplastic sheet material, which, on heating, expands to form a cellular backing sheet.

Claim 24

The method of claim 16 wherein the backing sheet comprises a nonwoven polypropylene fibrous sheet material.

Claim 25

The method of claim 16 wherein the fibers extend into and through the backing sheet and which includes heating both the face and back surfaces of the gas-expandable fibers to expand the fibers on the face and back surfaces, but insufficient to expand or fully expand the fibers within the backing sheet, the expansion of the fibers on the face and back surfaces locking the fibers into the backing material.