Curled flock fabric and method for making same

Claim 2

A mixed flock fabric comprising: a substrate; an adhesive coating on a surface of said substrate; a plurality of highly curled first flock fibres having a length of 0.1 to 0.4 inch adhering to said substrate, said first fibres being deposited thereon as straightened fibres having a sizing material adhering thereto for maintaining said highly curled first fibres in a straightened condition, said sizing being subsequently removed for recovery of said first fibres in a highly curled configuration; and a plurality of second flock fibres adhering to said substrate, said second fibres being deposited on said substrate free of sizing material, said fibres being substantially equally spaced from each other.

Claim 3

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first flock fibres are monocomponent fibres.

Claim 4

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first flock fibres are formed from heatsetting continuous thermoplastic monofilaments.

Claim 5

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first fibres have a stretchability in the range of 200% to 1000%.

Claim 6

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first fibres are formed from yarn having a denier in the range of 10 to 2000.

Claim 7

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first fibres are formed from filaments having deniers in the range of 1 to 5.

Claim 8

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first fibres substantially perpendicularly impinge the surface of said substrate.

Claim 9

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said stiffened first fibres are of a small denier and greater than 0.060 inch in length.

Claim 10

The fabric in accordance with claim 1, wherein said stiffened first fibres are of a small denier and as large as 0.400 inch in length.

Claim 11

A mixed flock fabric of different filaments comprising a substrate, a plurality of first flock fibres having a length of 0.1 to 0.4 inch adhered to and upstanding from the surface of said substrate, said first flock fibres being highly torqued or twisted stretch synthetic yarns having a high degree of stretchability, at least the upper portions of said first flock fibres having a highly curled configuration and a plurality of second flock of a different filament from said first flock fibres adhered to and upstanding from the surface of said substrate, substantially the entire surface of said substrate having first and second flock fibres adhered thereto.

Claim 12

A mixed flock fabric of different filaments comprising a substrate, a plurality of first flock fibres having a length of 0.1 to 0.4 inch adhered to and upstanding from the surface of said substrate, said first flock fibres being highly torqued or twisted stretch synthetic yarns having a high degree of stretchability, at least the upper portions of said first flock fibres having a highly curled configuration and a plurality of second flock of a different filament from said first flock fibres adhered to and upstanding from the surface of said substrate, substantially the entire surface of said substrate having first and second flock fibres adhered thereto.

Claim 13

The fabric defined in claim 10, wherein straight flock fibres are mingled with said curled flock fibres.

Claim 14

In a method of making a highly mixed flock fabric of different filaments, the steps which comprise: (a) arranging a plurality of highly curled filament yarns having a high degree of stretchability in the form of a warp with a multiplicity of said yarns arranged parallel to each other; (b) applying to said yarns a tension sufficient to straighten said highly curled filaments; (c) applying to said yarns, while tensioned under said sufficient tension and while thus straightened, a size material having capacity to maintain said filaments in a straightened condition, drying said size material while said yarns remain in a straightened condition; (d) cutting the straightened yarns into a first flock of fibre having lengths of 0.1 to 0.4 inch while said size material remains adhered to said filaments to form stiffened flock fibres; (e) electrostatically flocking said stiffened first flock fibres on a substrate so as to be impinged substantially perpendicularly thereon; (f) electrostatically introducing a second flock of fibres, said second flock of fibres being free of size material, and (g) removing the temporary size.

Claim 15

In a method of making a highly mixed flock fabric of different filaments, the steps which comprise: (a) arranging a plurality of highly curled filament yarns having a high degree of stretchability in the form of a warp with a multiplicity of said yarns arranged parallel to each other; (b) applying to said yarns a tension sufficient to straighten said highly curled filaments; (c) applying to said yarns, while tensioned under said sufficient tension and while thus straightened, a size material having capacity to maintain said filaments in a straightened condition, drying said size material while said yarns remain in a straightened condition; (d) cutting the straightened yarns into a first flock of fibre having lengths of 0.1 to 0.4 inch while said size material remains adhered to said filaments to form stiffened flock fibres; (e) electrostatically flocking said stiffened first flock fibres on a substrate so as to be impinged substantially perpendicularly thereon; (f) electrostatically introducing a second flock of fibres, said second flock of fibres being free of size material, and (g) removing the temporary size.

Claim 16

The method defined in claim 12, wherein the initial yarns are individually combined to form said wide, flat warp, each yarn being kept separate.

Claim 17

The method defined in claim 12, wherein said stiffened first flock fibres are electrostatically deposited upon said substrate in combination with a plurality of individual second flock fibres.

Claim 18

The method defined in claim 12, wherein said temporary size is a liquid size solution selected from starch or carboxymethylcellulose, and wherein said size is removed by washing with water.

Claim 19

The method defined in claim 12, wherein individual second flock fibres are concurrently flocked with said stiffened first fibres.

Claim 20

The method of making a fabric in accordance with claim 12, wherein said first flock of fibres are monocomponent fibres.

Claim 21

The method of making a fabric in accordance with claim 12, wherein said first flock of fibres have a stretchability in the range of 200% to 1000%.

Claim 22

The method of making a fabric in accordance with claim 12, wherein said first flock fibres are formed from filaments having deniers in the range of 1 to 5.

Claim 23

The method of making fabrics in accordance with claim 12 further comprising the steps of causing said first and second flock of fibres to substantially perpendicularly impinge the surface of said substrate.

Claim 24

The method according to claim 12 wherein the individual second flock fibres are electrostatically flocked on said substrate after the flocking of said first flock fibres.