Multi-ply woven article having double ribs

Claim 2

A woven panel construction comprising a pair of woven face members disposed in generally parallel, space-apart relation along the length of the panel and having generally like widths, and a plurality of woven rib members disposed between said face members, said rib members being spaced-apart in pairs along the length of the face members and alternately extending between the face members in a zig zag configuration, the rib members of each pair being interwoven with both of the face members and substantially parallel and spaced-apart between the face members to define a relatively thin, generally planar opening between each pair which extends the entire distance between the face members in the direction of the plane thereof, the pairs of rib members defining major openings of generally triangular-shaped cross-sections on opposite sides of each of the relatively thin, generally planar openings and between the face members.

Claim 3

The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the pairs of rib members are interwoven with each other at common picks yarns as well as with the face members at each of the face members.

Claim 4

A woven fabric comprising a pair of opposite broad faces disposed in parallel, spaced-apart relation along the length of the fabric, each of the faces being comprised of at least one ply of the woven fabric including transverse fill yarns spaced along the length of the fabric and longitudinal warp yarns extending along the length of the fabric and interwoven with the fill yarns, and a pair of rib plies defining a plurality of rib members, which are spaced-apart in pairs along the length of the faces and alternately extending between the faces in a zig zag configuration, each ply comprised of transverse fill yarns spaced along the length of the fabric and longitudinal warp yarns which extend substantially along the entire length of the fabric and which are interwoven with the fill yarns, each of the rib plies being alternately interwoven with the plies comprising the opposite faces at spaced intervals along the length of the fabric, the warp yarns of each of the rib plies and the warp yarns of each of the faces being interwoven with common fill yarns at each interweaving of one of the rib plies with one of the faces, the pair of rib plies being disposed in generally parallel, spaced-apart relation between the opposite faces to define a series of thin, planar openings, each of which extends in a given direction through the entire distance between the opposite faces to define the length thereof and has a thickness in a direction normal to said given direction which is many times smaller than the length thereof, the pair of rib plies and the thin, planar openings therebetween dividing the space between the opposite faces into a plurality of spaces considerably larger in crosssectional area than the thin, planar openings, each of the spaces extending between the opposite faces and being bounded on opposite sides by different ones of the thin, planar openings.

Claim 5

A woven fabric comprising a pair of opposite broad faces disposed in parallel, spaced-apart relation along the length of the fabric, each of the faces being comprised of at least one ply of the woven fabric including transverse fill yarns spaced along the length of the fabric and longitudinal warp yarns extending along the length of the fabric and interwoven with the fill yarns, and a pair of rib plies defining a plurality of rib members, which are spaced-apart in pairs along the length of the faces and alternately extending between the faces in a zig zag configuration, each ply comprised of transverse fill yarns spaced along the length of the fabric and longitudinal warp yarns which extend substantially along the entire length of the fabric and which are interwoven with the fill yarns, each of the rib plies being alternately interwoven with the plies comprising the opposite faces at spaced intervals along the length of the fabric, the warp yarns of each of the rib plies and the warp yarns of each of the faces being interwoven with common fill yarns at each interweaving of one of the rib plies with one of the faces, the pair of rib plies being disposed in generally parallel, spaced-apart relation between the opposite faces to define a series of thin, planar openings, each of which extends in a given direction through the entire distance between the opposite faces to define the length thereof and has a thickness in a direction normal to said given direction which is many times smaller than the length thereof, the pair of rib plies and the thin, planar openings therebetween dividing the space between the opposite faces into a plurality of spaces considerably larger in crosssectional area than the thin, planar openings, each of the spaces extending between the opposite faces and being bounded on opposite sides by different ones of the thin, planar openings.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 3, wherein one of the rib plies is alternately interwoven with the opposite faces at a first plurality of spaced-apart regions along the length of the fabric and the other one of the rib plies is alternately interwoven with the opposite faces at a second plurality of spaced-apart regions disposed adjacent to but offset from the first plurality of spaced-apart regions in a common direction along the length of the fabric.