US4908263A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Nonwoven thermal insulating stretch fabric
Assignee: 3M Co
•
Filing: 1988-05-13
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Granted: 1990-03-13
•
Expires: 2008-05-13
Abstract
Abstract A nonwoven thermal insulating stretch fabric is provided. The fabric comprises 10 to 90 weight percent elastomeric melt blown microfiber web, the microfibers having an average diameter of less than about 25 micrometers, and 10 to 90 weight percent crimped bulking fibers. The microfibers are bonded to the bulking fibers at points of contact and the fabric has substantially uniform stretch properties such that the fabric will recover to at least 90 percent of the original dimensions within one hour after being elongated to 125 percent of the original length.
Inventors
- 👤 John F. Reed
- 👤 Daniel E. Meyer
- 👤 Thomas P. Hanschen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 12:30
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/54; D04H1/56; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/903; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2904; Y10T428/2905; Y10T428/2909; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2922; Y10T428/2924; Y10T428/298; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/601; Y10T442/602; Y10T442/608; Y10T442/627; Y10T442/632; Y10T442/633; Y10T442/635; Y10T442/636
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A nonwoven thermal insulating stretch fabric comprising 10 to 90 weight percent elastomeric melt blown microfiber web, the microfibers having an average diameter of less than about 25 micrometers, and about 10 to 90 weight percent crimped bulking fibers, the microfibers being bonded to the bulking fibers at points of contact and the fabric having substantially uniform stretch properties such that the fabric will recover to within about 10 percent of the original dimensions within one hour after being elongated to 125 percent of the original length.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
87 words
A nonwoven thermal insulating stretch fabric comprising 10 to 90 weight percent elastomeric melt blown microfiber web, the microfibers having an average diameter of less than about 25 micrometers, and about 10 to 90 weight percent crimped bulking fibers, the microfibers being bonded to the bulking fibers at points of contact and the fabric having substantially uniform stretch properties such that the fabric will recover to within about 10 percent of the original dimensions within one hour after being elongated to 125 percent of the original length.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said elastomeric melt blown microfibers comprise thermoplastic elastomeric materials.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
The fabric of claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric materials are elastomeric polyurethanes, elastomeric polyesters, elastomeric polyamides, elastomeric A-B-A' block copolymers wherein A and A' are styrenic moieties and B is an elastomeric midblock, or combinations thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fabric of claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic elastomeric material is an elastomeric polyurethane material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein the average diameter of the microfiber is between about 3 and 12 micrometers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said crimped bulking fibers are natural and synthetic staple fibers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said crimped bulking fibers are polyester, acrylic, polyolefin, polyamide, rayon, or acetate staple fibers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said crimped bulking fibers have an average of more than about one half crimp per centimeter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said crimped bulking fibers have an average crimp frequency of at least two crimps per centimeter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said crimped bulking fibers preferably have an average length of between about 2 and 15 cm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said crimped bulking fibers are at least about 3 denier.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric comprises 25 to 75 weight percent elastomeric melt blown microfibers and 25 to 75 weight percent crimped bulking fibers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said elastomeric melt blown microfibers have an average diameter of less than about 15 micrometers.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric has thermal resistance of at least 0.9 clo/centimeter.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric has a thermal insulating efficiency by weight of at least 8×10 -3 clo-m 2 /gram.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric retains greater than 50% of its original thickness and thermal insulation efficiency after laundering or dry cleaning.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The fabric of claim 1 wherein said fabric retains greater than 75% of its original thickness and thermal insulation efficiency after laundering or dry cleaning.
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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) | 1993-03-12 | 1993-09-11 | 1994-03-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-03-12 | 1997-09-11 | 1998-03-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-03-12 | 2001-09-11 | 2002-03-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |