Patent US3940532A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3940532A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Needled textile fabric with a thin polymeric coating thereon
Assignee: CHATHAM MANUFACTURING Inc
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Filing: 1974-04-02
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Granted: 1976-02-24
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Expires: 1994-04-02
Abstract
Abstract There is provided a needled textile fabric having high bulk density, entangled fibers, a controlled axis of flexure and a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface to the face surface thereof. The products are made by needling layers of fibers having a needle pick-up gradient into a dense structure, with a bulk density gradient. The needled fabric is coated with a polymeric coating on the face surface of the structure where the thickness of the coating is from 4 to 20 mils. The fabric is suitable for use as an artificial leather.
Inventors
- 👤 II Alexander M. Smith
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 15:24
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H18/00; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/44; D04H1/46; D04H1/48; D04H1/70; D04H1/72; D06; D06N; D06N3/00; D06N3/0002; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/904; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24355; Y10T428/24438; Y10T428/24942; Y10T428/24992
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
An artificial leather comprising 1. a needled textile fabric base of high bulk density and a controlled axis of flexure and being composed of needled textile fibers coherently entangled into an integral structure with a face surface and back surface, said structure having an overall bulk density of at least 6 pounds per cubic foot and a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface to the face surface, said needled structure having an axis of flexure which lies within about 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface; and 2. a polymeric coating disposed on the face surface of the said fabric base and where the thickness of the coating is from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
An artificial leather comprising 1. a needled textile fabric base of high bulk density and a controlled axis of flexure and being composed of needled textile fibers coherently entangled into an integral structure with a face surface and back surface, said structure having an overall bulk density of at least 6 pounds per cubic foot and a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface to the face surface, said needled structure having an axis of flexure which lies within about 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface; and 2. a polymeric coating disposed on the face surface of the said fabric base and where the thickness of the coating is from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the bulk density gradient of the structure is provided by a needle pick-up gradient which decreases from the back surface to the face surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the bulk density gradient of the structure is provided by a needled plurality of layers of fibers and the average fiber length and/or the average fiber denier of the layers decreases from the back surface to the face surface, the denier of the fibers being between 1/2 and 8 and the unstressed length being between about one-fourth inch and 4 inches.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
91 words
The artificial leather of claim 3 wherein the plurality of layers of fibers have relatively long unstressed fiber lengths of at least three-fourths inch and wherein at least one layer of fibers superimposed and needled on and into the face surface of said structure has relatively short unstressed fiber lengths of less than three-fourths inch, whereby the bulk density at or near to the face surface of the structure is increased and defines a dense region of bulk density higher than the bulk density of the remaining portion of the structure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The artificial leather of claim 4 wherein the axis of flexure of the structure lies at least close to the dense region.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the coherent fiber entanglement of the structure includes some of the fibers being oriented into rows of fiber chain entanglement, the rows extending lengthwise of the structure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the overall bulk density of the structure is at least 8 pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the overall bulk density of the structure is at least 12 pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
56 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein fibers of the structure at and adjacent to the face surface have been shrunk and define a compacted region after shrinkage which extends into the structure a distance less than the thickness of the structure and wherein no substantial reduction in planar area of the structure has taken place.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the structure has open interstices between the fibers and the interstices have a filler impregnated therein.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The artificial leather of claim 10 wherein the filler is an elastomer in the form of solid particles.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The artificial leather of claim 11 wherein the particles are in the form of clusters of particles which are predominantly loosely bonded to the fibers of the structure.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The artificial leather of claim 10 wherein the filler impregnated in the structure has a weight between 10% and 200% of the weight of the fibers in the structure.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The artificial leather of claim 13 wherein the bulk density of the filled structure is between 20 and 45 pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The artificial leather of claim 10 having a buffed or sanded face surface whereby the face surface of the structure is cleaned, smoothed and rendered suitable for receiving a finish and/or coating.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the polymeric coating is microporous or macroporous.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
The artificial leather of claim 16 wherein the polymeric coating is a preformed film of open-celled foamed polyurethane which has been heated and pressed to form a microporous to macroporous film which is laminated to the said base.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the coating is from 4 to 12 mils.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the elastic memory of the polymeric coating is insufficient to prevent the fibers of the base from retaining a permanent set.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
20 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the polymeric coating is composed of a plurality of individual layers of coatings.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The artificial leather of claim 20 wherein at least some of the layers of coatings are composed of different polymers.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
115 words
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot, a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface of the fabric base to the face surface of the fabric base and the axis of flexure of the fabric base lies within 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface, a relatively constant area under stress and capable of taking a permanent set, and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
115 words
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot, a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface of the fabric base to the face surface of the fabric base and the axis of flexure of the fabric base lies within 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface, a relatively constant area under stress and capable of taking a permanent set, and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The artificial leather of claim 22 wherein the fiber entanglement is fiber chain entanglement.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
28 words
The artificial leather of claim 22 wherein the structure has a filler disposed therein and has an overall bulk density of at least 13 pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
102 words
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of staple fibers needled into an integral structure having random fiber entanglement and an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot, a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface of the fabric base to the face surface of the fabric base and the axis of flexure of the fabric base lies within 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface, and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
102 words
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of staple fibers needled into an integral structure having random fiber entanglement and an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot, a bulk density gradient wherein the bulk density increases from the back surface of the fabric base to the face surface of the fabric base and the axis of flexure of the fabric base lies within 0.4 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface, and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
22 words
The artificial leather of claim 25 wherein the overall bulk density of the structure is at least 13 pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
22 words
The artificial leather of claim 25 wherein the overall bulk density of the strucutre is at least 14 pounds per cubic foot.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
39 words
The artificial leather of claim 25 wherein the overall bulk density of the structure is at least 13 pounds per cubic foot and wherein the structure includes some of the fibers being oriented into rows of fiber chain entanglement.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
73 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 wherein the fibers at the face surface of the structure have polymer thereon and the fibers are bonded together to form a surface matrix consisting primarily of fibers randomly arranged in directions parallel to the surface of the fabric with an end of the fibers of the surface matrix rooted in the structure of the fabric and the polymeric coating is disposed on the said surface matrix.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
16 words
The artificial leather of claim 1 having from 12,000 to 25,000 needle punches per square inch.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
74 words
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot and the axis of flexure which lies within 0.3 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
74 words
An artificial leather comprising a fabric base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 12 pounds per cubic foot and the axis of flexure which lies within 0.3 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface and a polymeric coating disposed on a face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
108 words
An artificial leather comprising a textile base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 8 pounds per cubic foot, a ratio of bulk density at or near the back surface of the structure to the bulk density at or near the face surface of the structure of at least 1:2 and the axis of flexure of the needled structure lies within 0.3 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface and a polymeric coating disposed on the face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
108 words
An artificial leather comprising a textile base of textile fibers needled together into an integral structure having coherent fiber entanglement, an overall bulk density of at least 8 pounds per cubic foot, a ratio of bulk density at or near the back surface of the structure to the bulk density at or near the face surface of the structure of at least 1:2 and the axis of flexure of the needled structure lies within 0.3 of the distance from the face surface to the back surface and a polymeric coating disposed on the face surface of the base and having a thickness of from 4 to 20 mils.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
15 words
The artificial leather of claim 32 wherein the bulk density ratio is at least 1:3.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
16 words
The artificial leather of claim 33 wherein the bulk density ratio is between 1:3 and 1:8.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
20 words
The artificial leather of claim 32 wherein the ratio of perpendicular moduli of the structure is no greater than 1:2.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
17 words
The artificial leather of claim 35 wherein the ratio of perpendicular moduli is no greater than 1:1.5.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
16 words
The artificial leather of claim 32 wherein the artificial leather has a constant area under stress.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3206351A
Cited
US3817820A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-02-23 | 1979-08-25 | 1980-02-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-02-23 | 1983-08-25 | 1984-02-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-02-23 | 1987-08-25 | 1988-02-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |