Method for forming a vacuum bonded non-woven batt

Claim 1

A method of constructing a high density resilient batt comprising the steps of: (a) blending at least first and second staple polymer fiber constituents to form a homogeneous intermixture of said fibers, said first fiber constituent having a low predetermined melting temperature and said second fiber constituent having a high predetermined melting temperature; (b) forming a web of said blended fibers; (c) overlaying a plurality of said webs to form a thick multilayer web structure having homogeneous layers of the same first and second staple fibers throughout its thickness; (d) positioning said multilayer web structure on an air permeable support; (e) applying a vacuum through said multilayer web structure downstream from one side of the web to the other and through said air permeable support sufficient to substantially reduce the thickness and increase the density of the multilayer web structure uniformly throughout the thickness of the web structure by vacuum pressure alone; (f) heating the multilayer web structure to a temperature at or above the low melting temperature of said first fiber constituent and below the melting temperature of said second fiber constituent while under vacuum and in its reduced thickness state to release the plastic memory of the fibers of siad first fiber constituent in their compressed configuration and fuse the fibers of said first fiber constituent to themselves and to the fibers of the second fiber constituent to form a batt having intimately interconnected and fused web layers and intimately interconnected and fused first and second fiber constituents; and (g) cooling the multilayer web structure to reset the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent to form a batt having a density and thickness substantially the same as induced in said multilayer web structure by the vacuum.

Claim 2

A method of constructing a high density resilient batt comprising the steps of: (a) blending at least first and second staple polymer fiber constituents to form a homogeneous intermixture of said fibers, said first fiber constituent having a low predetermined melting temperature and said second fiber constituent having a high predetermined melting temperature; (b) forming a web of said blended fibers; (c) overlaying a plurality of said webs to form a thick multilayer web structure having homogeneous layers of the same first and second staple fibers throughout its thickness; (d) positioning said multilayer web structure on an air permeable support; (e) applying a vacuum through said multilayer web structure downstream from one side of the web to the other and through said air permeable support sufficient to substantially reduce the thickness and increase the density of the multilayer web structure uniformly throughout the thickness of the web structure by vacuum pressure alone; (f) heating the multilayer web structure to a temperature at or above the low melting temperature of said first fiber constituent and below the melting temperature of said second fiber constituent while under vacuum and in its reduced thickness state to release the plastic memory of the fibers of siad first fiber constituent in their compressed configuration and fuse the fibers of said first fiber constituent to themselves and to the fibers of the second fiber constituent to form a batt having intimately interconnected and fused web layers and intimately interconnected and fused first and second fiber constituents; and (g) cooling the multilayer web structure to reset the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent to form a batt having a density and thickness substantially the same as induced in said multilayer web structure by the vacuum.

Claim 3

A method of constructing a high density resilient batt comprising the steps of: (a) blending at least first and second staple polymer fiber constituents to form a homogeneous intermixture of said fibers, said first fiber constituent having a low predetermined melting temperature and said second fiber constituent having a high predetermined melting temperature; (b) forming a thick web of said blended fibers into a web structure having at least one homogeneous layer throughout the thickness of the web structure; (c) positioning said web structure on an air permeable support; (d) applying a vacuum through said web structure downstream from one side of the web to the other and through said air permeable support sufficient to substantially reduce the thickness and increase the density of the web structure uniformly throughout the thickness of the web structure by vacuum pressure alone; (e) heating the web structure to a temperature at or above the low melting temperature of said first fiber constituent and below the melting temperature of said second fiber constituent while under vacuum and in its reduced thickness state to release the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent in their compressed configuration and fuse the fibers of said first fiber constituent to themselves and to the fibers of the second fiber constituent to form a batt having intimately interconnected fused first and second fiber constituents; and (f) cooling the web structure to reset the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent to form a batt having a density and thickness substantially the same as induced in said web structure by the vacuum.

Claim 4

A method of constructing a high density resilient batt comprising the steps of: (a) blending at least first and second staple polymer fiber constituents to form a homogeneous intermixture of said fibers, said first fiber constituent having a low predetermined melting temperature and said second fiber constituent having a high predetermined melting temperature; (b) forming a thick web of said blended fibers into a web structure having at least one homogeneous layer throughout the thickness of the web structure; (c) positioning said web structure on an air permeable support; (d) applying a vacuum through said web structure downstream from one side of the web to the other and through said air permeable support sufficient to substantially reduce the thickness and increase the density of the web structure uniformly throughout the thickness of the web structure by vacuum pressure alone; (e) heating the web structure to a temperature at or above the low melting temperature of said first fiber constituent and below the melting temperature of said second fiber constituent while under vacuum and in its reduced thickness state to release the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent in their compressed configuration and fuse the fibers of said first fiber constituent to themselves and to the fibers of the second fiber constituent to form a batt having intimately interconnected fused first and second fiber constituents; and (f) cooling the web structure to reset the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent to form a batt having a density and thickness substantially the same as induced in said web structure by the vacuum.

Claim 10

A method of constructing a high density resilient batt comprising the steps of: (a) blending at least first and second staple polymer fiber constituents to form a homogeneous intermixture of said fibers, said first fiber constituent comprising polyester having a low predetermined melting temperature and said second fiber constituent comprising polyester having a high predetermined melting temperature; (b) forming a thin web of said blended fibers; (c) overlaying at least six of said webs to form a thick multilayer web structure having homogeneous layers of the same first and second fibers throughout its thickness and having a density of approximately four ounces per cubic foot; (d) positioning said multilayer web structure on an air permeable support; (e) applying a vacuum through said multilayer web structure downstream from one side of the web to the other and through said air permeable support sufficient to reduce the thickness of the web structure 75% and increase the density of the multilayer web structure 400% uniformly throughout the thickness of the web structure by vacuum pressure alone; (f) heating the multilayer web structure to a temperature at or above the low melting temperature of said first fiber constituent and below the melting temperature of said second fiber constituent while under vacuum and in its reduced thickness state to release the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent in their compressed configuration and fuse the fibers of said first fiber constituent to themselves and to the fibers of the second fiber constituent to form a batt having intimately interconnected and fused web layers and intimately interconnected and fused first and second fiber constituent; and (g) cooling the multilayer web structure to reset the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent to form a batt having a density and thickness substantially the same as induced in said multilayer web structure by the vacuum.

Claim 11

A method of constructing a high density resilient batt comprising the steps of: (a) blending at least first and second staple polymer fiber constituents to form a homogeneous intermixture of said fibers, said first fiber constituent comprising polyester having a low predetermined melting temperature and said second fiber constituent comprising polyester having a high predetermined melting temperature; (b) forming a thin web of said blended fibers; (c) overlaying at least six of said webs to form a thick multilayer web structure having homogeneous layers of the same first and second fibers throughout its thickness and having a density of approximately four ounces per cubic foot; (d) positioning said multilayer web structure on an air permeable support; (e) applying a vacuum through said multilayer web structure downstream from one side of the web to the other and through said air permeable support sufficient to reduce the thickness of the web structure 75% and increase the density of the multilayer web structure 400% uniformly throughout the thickness of the web structure by vacuum pressure alone; (f) heating the multilayer web structure to a temperature at or above the low melting temperature of said first fiber constituent and below the melting temperature of said second fiber constituent while under vacuum and in its reduced thickness state to release the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent in their compressed configuration and fuse the fibers of said first fiber constituent to themselves and to the fibers of the second fiber constituent to form a batt having intimately interconnected and fused web layers and intimately interconnected and fused first and second fiber constituent; and (g) cooling the multilayer web structure to reset the plastic memory of the fibers of said first fiber constituent to form a batt having a density and thickness substantially the same as induced in said multilayer web structure by the vacuum.