Patent US4794038A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4794038A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Polyester fiberfill
Assignee: Invista North America LLC
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Filing: 1986-10-21
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Granted: 1988-12-27
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Expires: 2006-10-21
Abstract
Abstract Polyester fiberfill having spiral crimp that is randomly-arranged and entangled in the form of fiberballs with binder fibers, preferably with a minimum of hairs extending from the surface of the fiberballs, so as to be air-transportable on account of the low cohesion between the balls. A process for making such fiberballs by repeatedly air-tumbling small tufts of such fiberfill/binder/blend against the wall of a vessel. Improved bonded batts or molded articles or other bonded articles obtained by bonding such fiberballs.
Inventors
- 👤 Ilan Marcus
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 21:15
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47G; A47G9/00; B; B68; B68G; B68G1/00; D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/02; D04H1/40; D04H1/42; D04H1/4326; D04H1/435; D04H1/4382; D04H1/43825; D04H1/43828; D04H1/43835; D04H1/4391; D04H1/43914; D04H1/43918; D04H1/54; D06; D06M; D06M15/00; D06M15/19; D06M15/37; D06M15/507; B68G2001/005; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2922; Y10T428/2929
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
46 words
Fiberballs of average dimension about 2 to about 15 mm consisting essentially of randomly-arranged, entangled, spirally-crimped polyester fiberfill having a cut length of about 10 to about 100 mm, intimately blended with binder fibers in amount about 5 to about 50% by weight of the blend.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
46 words
Fiberballs of average dimension about 2 to about 15 mm consisting essentially of randomly-arranged, entangled, spirally-crimped polyester fiberfill having a cut length of about 10 to about 100 mm, intimately blended with binder fibers in amount about 5 to about 50% by weight of the blend.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
Fiberballs according to claim 1, wherein the binder fibers comprise sheath-core bicomponent fibers of cut length about 10 to about 100 mm, the sheath component of which is lower melting binder material, whereas the core component is polyester component of melting point higher than that of the binder material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
Fiberballs according to claim 2, wherein the binder material comprises about 5 to about 50% of the weight of the bicomponent fiber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
Fiberballs according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the binder fiber is spirally-crimped.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
Fiberballs of average dimension about 2 to 15 mm, consisting of essentially of randomly-arranged, entangled, spirally-crimped bicomponent polyester/binder material fibers, having a cut length of about 10 to about 100 mm, wherein the bicomponent fibers are of sheath-core configuration, the sheath component being of lower melting binder material, whereas the core component is polyester component of melting point higher than that of the binder material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
Fiberballs of average dimension about 2 to 15 mm, consisting of essentially of randomly-arranged, entangled, spirally-crimped bicomponent polyester/binder material fibers, having a cut length of about 10 to about 100 mm, wherein the bicomponent fibers are of sheath-core configuration, the sheath component being of lower melting binder material, whereas the core component is polyester component of melting point higher than that of the binder material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
Fiberballs according to claim 1, wherein the fiberfill has a coating cured thereto of a slickener consisting essentially of chains of poly(alkylene oxide).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
Fiberballs according to claim 1, wherein the fiberfill is coated with a segmented copolymer of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene oxide) in amount about 0.05 to about 1% of the weight of the fiberfill.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
Fiberballs according to claim 1, wherein the fiberfill is coated with a modified poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(propylene oxide) grafted with functional groups to permit crosslinking.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
Process for making polyester fiberballs from a blend of spirally-crimped polyester fiberfill with binder fibers, wherein small tufts of the blend are repeatedly tumbled by air against the wall of a vessel to provide the fiberballs.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
Process for making polyester fiberballs from a blend of spirally-crimped polyester fiberfill with binder fibers, wherein small tufts of the blend are repeatedly tumbled by air against the wall of a vessel to provide the fiberballs.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
68 words
Process for making polyester fiberballs from spirally-crimped bicomponent polyester/binder material fibers, wherein the bicomponent fibers are of sheath-core configuration, the sheath component being of lower melting binder material, whereas the core component is polyester component of melting point higher than that of the binder material and wherein small tufts of the spirally-crimped fibers are repeatedly tumbled by air against the wall of a vessel to provide the fiberballs.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
68 words
Process for making polyester fiberballs from spirally-crimped bicomponent polyester/binder material fibers, wherein the bicomponent fibers are of sheath-core configuration, the sheath component being of lower melting binder material, whereas the core component is polyester component of melting point higher than that of the binder material and wherein small tufts of the spirally-crimped fibers are repeatedly tumbled by air against the wall of a vessel to provide the fiberballs.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
Process according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the tufts are tumbled against a cylindrical wall of a vessel by air stirred by blades attached to a shaft rotating axially in the vessel.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
Process according to claim 11, wherein the small tufts and the air are recirculated through the vessel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
Process acording to claim 9 or 10, wherein the tufts are formed by feeding loose fibers into the vessel, and by rotating the shaft and blades at a speed such that the fiberfill is separated into the small tufts.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
Process according to claim 9 or 10, wherein small tufts that are not elongated are formed before feeding them into the vessel for rounding and condensing by air-tumbling.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
Process according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the fibers are treated with a slickener to reduce the hairiness of the resulting fiberballs.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
Process for making a bonded product, wherein an assembly of fiberballs according to claim 1 are heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
Process for making a bonded product, wherein an assembly of fiberballs according to claim 6 are heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
Process for making a bonded product, wherein an assembly of fiberballs according to claim 7 are heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
Process for making a bonded product, wherein an assembly of fiberballs according to claim 8 are heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
Process according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the fiberballs are first mixed with random binder fiber before forming an assembly and heat-bonding.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
20 words
Process for making bonded fiberballs, wherein individual fiberballs according to claim 1 are individually heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
Process for making bonded fiberballs, wherein individual fiberballs according to claim 6 are individually heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
20 words
Process for making bonded fiberballs, wherein individual fiberballs according to claim 7 are individually heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
20 words
Process for making bonded fiberballs, wherein individual fiberballs according to claim 8 are individually heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
Process for making bonded fiberballs, wherein individual fiberballs according to claim 5 are individually heat-bonded in an airstream and cooled.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
Process for making a loose bonded assembly, wherein bonded fiberballs are made according to any one of claims 21-25 and then assembled in a ticking.
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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) | 1991-12-27 | 1992-06-27 | 1992-12-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-12-27 | 1996-06-27 | 1996-12-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-12-27 | 2000-06-27 | 2000-12-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |