Patent Application
20060223401
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The present invention relates to the structural design of an allergen-barrier fabric, and more specifically to a fabric capable of barring minute allergen particles, while retaining superior air permeability and comfort.
Dust Mites, in general, are a major cause of allergy and asthma, which are triggered when allergy sufferers sensitive to dust mite come in contact with excessive allergens. Dust mites are usually 100 microns to 500 microns in size, and mite eggs and droppings are usually 10 microns to 30 microns. Allergen-barrier fabrics are developed to improve the malaise experienced by allergy sufferers, and fabrics are made into cloths and beddings to bar the allergy-causing particles from allergy sufferers.
The conventional allergen-barrier fabrics on the market are manufactured by coating impervious film on a woven fabric, or laminating two or more non-woven fabrics, or applying chemical treatments (sprayed or impregnated with chemical solution) to the fabric in the finishing process. There are serious drawbacks in the above-mentioned conventional allergen-barrier fabrics. For example, the allergen-barrier fabrics that are coated with films or membranes, or made by laminating two or more non-woven fabrics, are typically stiff, rough, and uncomfortable; have poor air permeability, and produce disturbing noises (rustling when users move in their beds). The chemically treated fabrics lose their anti-allergic capability for the applied chemical substance gradually deteriorates after repeated washing. The drawbacks such as poor air-permeability, low-efficacy in preventing allergens, and uncomfortableness, are subjected to improvement.
Smith et al. patented an allergen-barrier fabric, U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,770, claimed as “Durable, comfortable, air-permeable allergen-barrier fabrics”. Though the fabrics can attain a mean pore size of 4 to 10 microns by using the calendering method, the fabric's fabrication process is highly complicate. Moreover, after repeated washing, the fibers shaped by calendering gradually restore to the original shape, hence the pores of the fabric are enlarged, thus losing its anti-allergic capability.
The primary objective of the present invention is to design an allergen-barrier fabric, which bars minute allergens and retains superior air permeability and comfort.
A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide an allergen-barrier fabric which maintains its effectiveness in blocking allergens after repeated washing.
The present invention thus realizes the above-mentioned objectives: an allergen-barrier fabric, woven from different fibers with various mix ratios, or 100% single fiber. The fabric has the warp and filling yarns totaling from 253 to 2400 thread counts per square inch, generating a mean pore size ranging from 0.2 to 10 microns; thus is capable of barring minute allergen particles while retaining superior air permeability and comfort.
As shown in
The design of present invention enables the allergen-barrier fabrics to attain a pore size between 0.2 microns to 10 microns, which is far smaller than dust mites 2 with sizes of 100 microns to 500 microns, mite eggs 3 with sizes of 10 microns to 30 microns, and mite droppings 4 with size of 10 microns to 30 microns. Therefore, the fabric 1 does not require any finishing process such as coating and chemical treatment. In the case that a fabric follows the design of the present invention, its effectiveness in preventing allergens is unaltered even after repeated washing. Moreover, the fabric is capable of barring minute allergen particles while retaining superior air permeability and comfort.
In addition, the present invention applies the sizing technique on the yarns, which significantly increases the clearness of air-jet loom's solenoid valve and the yarn strength. As a result, thinner filament yarns can be utilized to weave a fabric with higher density, generating a mean pore size of the fabric between 0.2 microns to 10 microns. The pore size remains in an ideal range after repeated washing. In contrast, fabrics according to the U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,770, are firstly woven from thicker yarns or in lower yarn-density, then further processed by calendering to compress the yarns in order to shrink the pore size. The pore size of the fabric according to the said patent cannot be as small as the pore size of the fabric according to the present invention. Moreover, the fabric requires complex finishing processes, and loses its efficacy after repeated washing. From this perspective, the present invention can indeed overcome the drawbacks of the currently known construction techniques, hence realizing the objectives of the present invention.
Examples illustrating the constructions of fabric described in the present invention:
A proper fabric according to the present invention is woven from 40/1 ring spun combed cotton made of plant fibers, woven in a twill-weave construction. The fabric has the warp yarns and the filling yarns totaling 270 thread counts per square inch. The mean pore size of the fabric is measured by mean pore size analysis to be 6 microns.
A proper fabric according to the present invention is woven from 60/1 ring spun combed cotton made of plant fibers, woven in a twill-weave construction. The fabric has the warp yarns and the filling yarns totaling 400 thread counts per square inch. The mean pore size of the fabric is measured by mean pore size analysis to be 3.5 microns.
A proper fabric according to the present invention is woven from 80/1 ring spun combed cotton made of plant fibers, woven in a twill-weave construction. The fabric has the warp yarns and the filling yarns totaling 470 thread counts per square inch. The mean pore size of the fabric is measured by mean pore size analysis to be 2.6 microns.
A proper fabric according to the present invention is woven from 75-denier yarns made of synthetic fibers, woven in a plain-weave construction. The fabric has the warp yarns and the filling yarns totaling 264 thread counts per square inch. After applying calendering, the mean pore size of the fabric is measured by mean pore size analysis to be 1.5 microns.
A proper fabric according to the present invention is woven from 120/1 ring spun combed cotton made of plant fibers, woven in a twill-weave construction. The fabric has the warp yarns and the filling yarns totaling 1000 thread counts per square inch. The mean pore size of the fabric is measured by mean pore size analysis to be 1.4 microns.
A proper fabric according to the present invention is woven from 120/1 ring spun combed cotton made of plant fibers, woven in a twill-weave construction. The fabric has the warp yarns and the filling yarns totaling 1200 thread counts per square inch. The mean pore size of the fabric is measured by mean pore size analysis to be 0.9 microns.
