US4551378A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Nonwoven thermal insulating stretch fabric and method for producing same
Assignee: 3M Co
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Filing: 1984-07-11
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Granted: 1985-11-05
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Expires: 2004-07-11
Abstract
Abstract A nonwoven stretch fabric is provided. The fabric is produced from a web of bicomponent fibers bonded together by fusion of fibers at points of contact and thermally crimped in situ in the web. The fabric has good uniformity, good thermal insulating properties, and is produced by subjecting a fibrous web of thermally bondable, thermally crimpable bicomponent fibers to heated gas supplied continuously to the top of the web and intermittently to the bottom of the web.
Inventors
- 👤 Patrick H. Carey, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 19:31
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/54; D04H1/541; D04H1/04; D04H1/06; D04H1/42; D04H1/4391; D04H1/44; D04H1/50; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24826; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2904; Y10T428/2905; Y10T428/2909; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/608; Y10T442/627; Y10T442/629; Y10T442/637; Y10T442/638
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
30 words
A substantially uniform stretch fabric comprising a nonwoven web of bicomponent fibers bonded together by fusion of fibers at points of contact and thermally crimped in situ in the web.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
30 words
A substantially uniform stretch fabric comprising a nonwoven web of bicomponent fibers bonded together by fusion of fibers at points of contact and thermally crimped in situ in the web.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
11 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric is thermal insulating.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fabric of claim 2 wherein the thermal insulating property of the fabric is at least about 7K.m 2 /watt/g/m 2 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the force necessary to stretch the fabric to 50% extension is less than about 900 g.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the bicomponent fiber components are in a side-by-side configuration.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the bicomponent fiber components are in an eccentric sheath/core configuration.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the bicomponent fibers comprise a first component and a second component, the first component having a melting point temperature at least 10° C. greater than the melting point temperature of the second component and the second component comprising at least 50% of the outer surface of the fiber.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
The fabric of claim 7 wherein the bicomponent fibers are capable of developing from about 10 crimps/cm to about 100 crimps/cm on thermal treatment when heated as individual fibers in an unrestrained state to a temperature of about 3° C. to 10° C. above the melting point temperature of the lower melting component of the fiber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the fabric thickness is about 0.4 to 2.0 cm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the fabric weight is about 40 to 300 g/m 2 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the bulk density of the fabric is about 0.005 to 0.025 g/cm 3 .
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
10 words
The fabric of claim 1 further comprising monocomponent staple fibers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
11 words
The fabric of claim 12 wherein said staple fibers are polyester.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric is repeatedly stretchable to an amount at least 50% above the original fabric length.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
53 words
A process for producing a substantially uniform stretch fabric comprising forming a fibrous web of thermally bondable, thermally crimpable bicomponent fibers and then subjecting the web to heated gas supplied continuously to the top of the web and intermittently to the bottom of the web to cause crimping and bonding of the fibers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
53 words
A process for producing a substantially uniform stretch fabric comprising forming a fibrous web of thermally bondable, thermally crimpable bicomponent fibers and then subjecting the web to heated gas supplied continuously to the top of the web and intermittently to the bottom of the web to cause crimping and bonding of the fibers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the web is in a substantially completely unrestrained state when heated gas is supplied to both the top and bottom of the web.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
53 words
The process of claim 15 wherein said bicomponent fibers comprise a first component and a second component, the first component having a melting point temperature at least 10° C. greater than the melting point temperature of the second component and the component comprising at least 50% of the outer surface of the fiber.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
58 words
The process of claim 17 wherein said bicomponent fibers are capable of developing from about 10 crimps/cm to about 100 crimps/cm when, in an unrestrained state as individual fibers, said fibers are treated with heated gas at a temperature of about 3° C. to 10° C. above the melting point of the lower melting component of the fiber.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-11-04 | 1989-05-06 | 1989-11-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-11-04 | 1993-05-06 | 1993-11-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-11-04 | 1997-05-06 | 1997-11-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |