Filling material and process for manufacturing same

Claim 2

Filling material comprising a multiplicity of crimped fibers joined together at one end which spread spherically or radially about said one end, said fibers having a fineness of 0.05 to 30 denier, a crimping rate of at least 5%, and a maximum length of 50 mm, said fibers having 3 to 25 crimps per inch, said crimps being located in mutually deviating phases, and said fibers having a density of 30,000 to 1,500,000 denier/cm 2 at said end thereof.

Claim 3

Filling material as set forth in claim 1, wherein said filling material is composed of cotton-like fragments each composed of 10 to 200 fibers.

Claim 4

Filling material as set forth in claim 2, wherein said fibers have a fineness of 0.5 to 15 denier.

Claim 5

Filling material as set forth in claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein said fibers comprise polyester.

Claim 6

A continuous process for manufacturing filling material, said process comprising the steps of: opening a tow of crimped fibers at a rate of at least 30%, said fibers having a fineness of 0.05 to 30 denier, a crimping rate of at least 5%, and from 3 to 25 crimps per inch; compressing at least one end of said opened tow until said tow has a fiber density of 30,000 to 1,500,000 denier/cm 2 at said end thereof; cutting said tow at said end thereof to expose a tow end surface; joining said fibers together at said tow end surface while said tow is maintained in its compressed position; cutting away a tow length of no more than about 50 mm from said end surface while said tow is maintained in its compressed position, whereupon said tow length is released from compression, and spreads spherically or radially about said end surface to form a spherically or radially spread fiber product; and repeating the foregoing sequence of steps to form a multiplicity of spherically or radially spread fiber products.

Claim 7

A continuous process for manufacturing filling material, said process comprising the steps of: opening a tow of crimped fibers at a rate of at least 30%, said fibers having a fineness of 0.05 to 30 denier, a crimping rate of at least 5%, and from 3 to 25 crimps per inch; compressing at least one end of said opened tow until said tow has a fiber density of 30,000 to 1,500,000 denier/cm 2 at said end thereof; cutting said tow at said end thereof to expose a tow end surface; joining said fibers together at said tow end surface while said tow is maintained in its compressed position; cutting away a tow length of no more than about 50 mm from said end surface while said tow is maintained in its compressed position, whereupon said tow length is released from compression, and spreads spherically or radially about said end surface to form a spherically or radially spread fiber product; and repeating the foregoing sequence of steps to form a multiplicity of spherically or radially spread fiber products.

Claim 8

The process of claim 5 further comprising the step of opening said fiber products, and dividing each of them into smaller fragments of cotton-like filling material.

Claim 9

The process of claim 5 or 6 wherein said tow is opened at a rate of at least 50%.

Claim 10

The process of claim 5 or 6 wherein said tow has a fiber density of 100,000 to 700,000 denier/cm 2 at said end surface thereof.

Claim 11

The process of claim 5 or 6 wherein said fibers are joined together at said tow end surface by melt adhesion.

Claim 12

The process of claim 5 or 6 wherein said fibers are joined together at said tow end surface by solvent adhesion.

Claim 13

The process of claim 5 or 6 wherein said fibers are joined together at said tow end surface by a bonding agent.