US5389166A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Water barrier formed from a clay-fiber mat
Assignee: Amcol International Corp
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Filing: 1992-12-16
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Granted: 1995-02-14
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Expires: 2012-12-16
Abstract
Abstract A method of manufacturing a water barrier fabric, in flexible or rigid form, and articles manufactured thereby, formed by dispersing a water-absorbent material, in powdered or granular form, among a mass of fibers during the formation of a loose mat of said fibers, to homogeneously disperse the powdered or granular water-absorbent material above, below and on each side of the fibers forming the mat, and thereafter densifying and structurally consolidating the mat, to secure the fibers in position surrounding and entrapping the water-absorbent material, such as by sewing, quilting, needle punching or otherwise bonding the fibers into a consolidated, structurally secure fabric at least partially filled with the powdered or granular water-absorbent material. In a preferred embodiment, one, or both, major surfaces of the fabric is coated with a water-insoluble adhesive to substantially increase the tensile strength of the fabric and to prevent shifting of fibers when installed on sloping surfaces.
Inventors
- 👤 Alec W. White
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 11:29
CPC Classifications
B; B09; B09B; B09B1/00; E; E02; E02B; E02B3/00; E02B3/04; E02B3/12; E02B3/122; E02D; E02D31/00; E02D31/002; E02D31/004; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S210/00; Y10S210/901; Y10S210/902; Y10S210/911; Y10S55/00; Y10S55/09; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24033; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24521; Y10T428/24537; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24893; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/249976; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/10; Y10T442/102; Y10T442/109; Y10T442/121; Y10T442/159; Y10T442/20; Y10T442/2008; Y10T442/2738
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
65 words
An article of manufacture comprising a mat of fibers having a powdered or granular material distributed among the fibers throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the article and consolidated sufficiently by sewing or needle punching to prevent substantial loss of the powdered or granular material during handling and installation, said article including an adhesive coating to increase the strength of the product.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
65 words
An article of manufacture comprising a mat of fibers having a powdered or granular material distributed among the fibers throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the article and consolidated sufficiently by sewing or needle punching to prevent substantial loss of the powdered or granular material during handling and installation, said article including an adhesive coating to increase the strength of the product.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the powdered or granular material is a water-absorbent material, and wherein the adhesive coating is a water-insoluble adhesive applied on an outer surface in an amount sufficient to increase the tensile strength of the article.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the powdered or granular material comprises sodium bentonite clay, and the adhesive is water-soluble.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the article contains a weight ratio of powdered or granular material to fiber within the range of about 0.2 to about 80 parts by weight of powdered or granular material per part of fiber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the article contains a weight ratio of powdered or granular material to fiber with the range of about 1 to about 20 parts by weight of powdered or granular material per part of fiber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the article contains a weight ratio of powdered or granular material to fiber with the range of about 8 to about 15 parts by weight of powdered or granular material per part of fiber.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The article of claim 1 further including an elongated reinforcing material aligned along the length of the article and encased therein between major upper and lower surfaces.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the article is flexible and capable of being rolled upon itself.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the article includes a volume of a defined thickness containing essentially no powdered or granular material between fibers in said defined thickness such that the article is capable of venting gas laterally through said volume.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the fibrous mat is formed from fibers of a plurality of different materials.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
51 words
The article of claim 9, wherein the article includes a water-absorbent powdered or granular material filling a portion of the mat, and the article includes a concentration of fibers throughout a thickness of the article disposed under the water-absorbent material, wherein the fiber concentration has essentially no powdered or granular material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
60 words
The article of claim 1, wherein a portion of the fibers comprise thermoplastic fibers and wherein the fibers are secured together by heating the fibers sufficiently to tackify the fibers such that adjacent contacting fibers adhere together, and thereafter cooling the tackified fibers to a temperature below their melt temperature while adjacent, adhered fibers are in Contact with each other.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The article of claim 1, wherein the fibers are adhesively secured together with a water-insoluble adhesive.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
82 words
A water submersible article of manufacture comprising a mat of fibers having a powdered or granular material distributed among the fibers throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the article and consolidated sufficiently by sewing or needle punching to prevent substantial loss of the powdered or granular material during handling and installation, wherein the article further includes a heavy material distributed essentially coextensive with a major surface of the article to provide an overall mat specific gravity greater than 1.0.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
82 words
A water submersible article of manufacture comprising a mat of fibers having a powdered or granular material distributed among the fibers throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the article and consolidated sufficiently by sewing or needle punching to prevent substantial loss of the powdered or granular material during handling and installation, wherein the article further includes a heavy material distributed essentially coextensive with a major surface of the article to provide an overall mat specific gravity greater than 1.0.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The article of claim 14, wherein the heavy material is a metal screen or a metal-containing mineral.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The article of claim 15, wherein the water-absorbent material comprises sodium bentonite clay.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
93 words
An article of manufacture that is buoyant in water comprising a mat of fibers having a powdered or granular material distributed among the fibers throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the article and consolidated sufficiently by sewing or needle punching to prevent substantial loss of the powdered or granular material during handling and installation, including an adhesive coating over at least one major surface, wherein the article further includes a buoyant material distributed essentially coextensive with a major surface of the article to provide buoyancy of the article on water.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
93 words
An article of manufacture that is buoyant in water comprising a mat of fibers having a powdered or granular material distributed among the fibers throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the article and consolidated sufficiently by sewing or needle punching to prevent substantial loss of the powdered or granular material during handling and installation, including an adhesive coating over at least one major surface, wherein the article further includes a buoyant material distributed essentially coextensive with a major surface of the article to provide buoyancy of the article on water.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The article of claim 17, wherein the buoyant material is selected from the group consisting of expanded perlite and expanded vermiculite.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
13 words
The article of claim 17, wherein the water-absorbent material comprises sodium bentonite clay.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
16 words
The article of claim 17, wherein the article has a specific gravity less than about 0.90.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
162 words
A method of manufacturing a fabric at least partially filled with a powdered or granular material dispersed throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the fabric comprising: depositing fibers onto a support surface to form a loose mat of fiber having spaces between adjacent fiber; depositing the powdered or granular material among the fibers such that the powdered or granular material is received in a portion of said spaces between adjacent fibers; compressing the fibers together to eliminate a substantial portion of said spaces that are not filled with said powdered or granular material; securing the fibers together by sewing or needle punching while the fibers are in the compressed state to structurally consolidate the fibers together and form a partially filled fabric and to lock the powdered or granular material in position between said fibers; and coating an outer surface of the consolidated fabric with an adhesive in an amount sufficient to increase the tensile strength of the article.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
162 words
A method of manufacturing a fabric at least partially filled with a powdered or granular material dispersed throughout at least a portion of a thickness of the fabric comprising: depositing fibers onto a support surface to form a loose mat of fiber having spaces between adjacent fiber; depositing the powdered or granular material among the fibers such that the powdered or granular material is received in a portion of said spaces between adjacent fibers; compressing the fibers together to eliminate a substantial portion of said spaces that are not filled with said powdered or granular material; securing the fibers together by sewing or needle punching while the fibers are in the compressed state to structurally consolidate the fibers together and form a partially filled fabric and to lock the powdered or granular material in position between said fibers; and coating an outer surface of the consolidated fabric with an adhesive in an amount sufficient to increase the tensile strength of the article.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the fibers are secured together by needle punching a portion of the fibers together to intertangle fibers together sufficiently to structurally consolidate the fibers into a handleable fabric prior to coating with adhesive.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the powdered or granular material is a water-absorbent material.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 23, wherein the water-absorbent material comprises sodium bentonite clay.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the weight ratio of powdered or granular material to fiber is in the range of about 1 to about 80 to 1.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the weight ratio of powdered or granular material to fiber is in the range of about 0.2 to about 20 to 1.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the weight ratio of powdered or granular material to fiber is in the range of about 1 to about 15 to 1.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 21 further including the step of applying a sealing material to at least one major surface of the fabric.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 28, wherein the sealing material is a flexible sheet material secured with a water-insoluble adhesive.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 29, wherein the flexible sheet material is a water-impermeable sheet material.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 21, further including the step of forming a plurality of slits in at least one major surface of the fabric, after consolidation, for extrusion of powdered or granular material therethrough.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the fibers have a length within the range of about 0.5 inch to about 25 inches.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 32, wherein the fibers have a denier of about 1 to about 5000.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 21 further including securing a layer of a rigid material to the fabric to form a fabric capable of standing vertically against a wall prior to securing the fabric against said wall.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 34, wherein the rigid material is applied to an interior of the fabric, between fibers, during the manufacture of the partially filled fabric.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 35 including the steps of: depositing lower fibers onto a support surface to form a loose mat of lower fibers above the support surface; depositing said rigid material over said loose mat of fibers; depositing upper fibers over said rigid material; and depositing powdered or granular material surrounding said upper fibers.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 36, including the step of depositing a sheet of polymeric netting onto one of the outer surfaces of the fabric.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 36, wherein said rigid material is a sheet of corrugated cardboard that is substantially coextensive with said mat of lower fibers.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the fibers are secured together by sewing.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method of impeding the flow of Radon gas comprising disposing the article of claim 1 between the Radon gas and an area to be protected from said gas.
Claim 45
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of manufacturing a fibrous material having contained therein or thereon a powdered or granular abrasive material, wherein the fibrous material is sewn or needle punched to consolidate fibers of the fibrous material and hold the powdered or granular material in place, the improvement comprising first wetting the abrasive material or the fibers prior to sewing or needle punching the fibrous material together, and coating at least one major surface of the article, after consolidation, with a water-insoluble adhesive.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of manufacturing a fibrous material having contained therein or thereon a powdered or granular abrasive material, wherein the fibrous material is sewn or needle punched to consolidate fibers of the fibrous material and hold the powdered or granular material in place, the improvement comprising first wetting the abrasive material or the fibers prior to sewing or needle punching the fibrous material together, and coating at least one major surface of the article, after consolidation, with a water-insoluble adhesive.
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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) | 1998-02-13 | 1998-08-15 | 1999-02-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-02-13 | 2002-08-15 | 2003-02-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-02-13 | 2006-08-15 | 2007-02-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |