Patent Application
20200232128
The present application relates to a dual function, multi-layer terry fabric.
Terry fabrics get their name from the weaving method used to create the fabrics, i.e., terry weaving. Terry fabrics, such as terry towels, generally correspond to warp pile fabrics including uncut pile loops on either side of the fabric. The pile loops on either side of the fabric can be used for absorbing liquids (e.g., water). As such, a terry fabric can be used for bathing and/or exercise activities in order to absorb excess water and/or sweat. However, because such fabrics are generally comprised of 100% cotton, they have a diminished evaporative cooling ability. Further, although synthetic-based fabrics have an improved evaporative cooling ability over the cotton-based fabrics, the synthetic-based fabrics are not as effective as absorbing liquid as the cotton-based fabrics.
Accordingly, there is a need for a solution which can overcome at least some of the deficiencies described herein above.
According to an embodiment, the invention relates to a terry fabric including a first side configured to exhibit absorbency capabilities and a second side configured to exhibit cooling capabilities. According to an embodiment, the first side can include a spun fiber loop including a plurality of pile warp yarn, and the second side can include a plurality of weft yarn and a plurality of ground warp yarn, wherein at least one of the plurality of weft yarn and the plurality of ground warp yarn includes synthetic filament yarn (and/or synthetic spun yarn).
The following description of embodiments provides non-limiting representative examples referencing numerals to particularly describe features and teachings of different aspects of the invention. The embodiments described should be recognized as capable of implementation separately, or in combination, with other embodiments from the description of the embodiments. A person of ordinary skill in the art reviewing the description of embodiments should be able to learn and understand the different described aspects of the invention. The description of embodiments should facilitate understanding of the invention to such an extent that other implementations, not specifically covered but within the knowledge of a person of skill in the art having read the description of embodiments, would be understood to be consistent with an application of the invention.
According to an embodiment, evaporative cooling performance can be added to a cotton-based terry fabric (e.g., towel) by inserting synthetic filament yarn (polyester or nylon-based) during the weaving process. Terry fabrics are generally comprised of 100% cotton or chief-value cotton (CVC) (i.e., greater than 50% cotton) and normally weigh between 340 to 370 grams per square meter (gsm). After a synthetic filament yarn is inserted, the improved terry fabric is capable of absorbing over four times its weight in liquid (e.g., sweat or water) on a loop side of the fabric, while also being able to conductively cool a person's skin on the flat, non-loop side, over 20 degrees Fahrenheit below a person's average core body temperature (e.g., in moderately warm weather conditions), as well as over 10,000 cumulative watts of cooling power after wet activation. According to an embodiment, the improved terry fabric can be comprised of a combination of synthetic and cotton yarn, which can respectively correspond to at least one of ground, pile, and weft yarn.
According to an embodiment, one side of the improved terry fabric is configured to be exhibit absorbency capabilities. This side can include a raised loop with a cotton pile height of greater than 0.5 millimeters on the loop side. The raised loop can be altered to other lengths depending on the amount of absorbency and weight desired. Further, the other side of the terry fabric is configured to exhibit cooling capabilities. This other side can include synthetic filament yarn configured to impart extra evaporative cooling performance to impart a cooling sensation to the user(s).
According to an embodiment, the wet-pick-up percentage (WPU %) of the improved terry fabric can be greater than 400% (or four times) of the weight of the fabric. Further, the improved terry fabric can generate a cumulative cooling power of greater than 10,000 W/m2 (watts per square meter) and can display a maximum interval watts per square meter (heat flux) output at one peak per minute of greater than 700 w/m2, as measured on the non-loop side of the fabric. Further, according to an embodiment, the improved terry fabric can stay wet for a duration of greater than 10 hours.
Further, the unique combination of synthetic filament yarn and spun cellulosic and/or synthetic yarn is configured to add the cooling properties (e.g., maximum interval cooling power and cool touch) as well as moisture transport and evaporation. In particular, special modified cross-section synthetic filament yarn can be added to the construction to aid in the moisture transport and evaporation. These yarns can also contain embedded cooling particle technology (e.g., jade or mica) to increase the Q-max rating (instant cool touch) of the material on the non-loop side. In addition, conjugated yarn (e.g., polyester and nylon) with a modified pie-shaped cross-section can be added in place of spun fibers to improve moisture retention and evaporation.
According to an embodiment, cooling can be activated as follows: after the material is used to absorb undesirable sweat, the improved terry fabric can then be wetted, wringed, and snapped to create a cooling device providing cooling primarily on the non-loop side of the fabric. Further, in order to inhibit microbial growth, the terry fabric can be treated with antimicrobial chemistry or special yarn can be added to it, thereby making it odor-free after repeated usage and wash care. However, chemicals are not required for the cooling material to impart cooling ability. Further, the improved terry fabric is machine washable and dryable. In addition, the improved terry fabric has a cooler touch (or higher Q-max) due to the usage of cooling yarn (e.g., synthetic filament yarn) on the non-loop side of the material.
As such, with the improved terry fabric, a single material is able to provide both absorbing and cooling, e.g., one side is configured to absorb liquid/moisture for drying sweat or absorbing moisture, while the other side is configured to provide conductive cooling. For example, as described above, one side (e.g., non-loop cooling side) can consist of either predominately polyester or nylon yarn, which can consist of modified cross-section yarn and can include embedded particles (e.g., jade or mica) that help to transport and evaporate moisture while providing a cool touch. The opposite side (e.g., loop absorbing side) can consist of predominately cotton yarn, which enables the improved terry fabric to absorb and hold moisture.
In view of the above, the improved terry fabric can provide the following benefits: (i) dual functions of absorbency and conductive cooling, (ii) temperature decrease of 30 degrees below average core body temperature when wet after 5 minutes, and a decrease of 20 degrees below average skin temperature after just 2 minutes, as measured within a controlled conditioned laboratory, (iii) duration of cooling over 10 hours in a conditioned lab environment, (iv) the WPU % is over four times it's weight, which is significantly higher than existing cooling fabrics in the market, and (v) increased Q-max (cool touch) on the cooling non-loop side of the material.
The cooling effect for the terry fabric 100 follows the principles of evaporative cooling. This principle details that water must have heat applied to change from a liquid to a vapor. Once evaporation occurs, this heat from the liquid water is taken due to evaporation resulting in cooler liquid. Once the terry fabric 100 is wetted with water and preferably wringed to remove excess water, snapping or twirling in the air is a recommended process as it helps facilitate and expedite the moisture movement from the absorbent side 110, where water is stored, to the cooling side 120, where water evaporation occurs. Snapping or twirling in the air also increases the evaporation rate and decreases the material temperature more rapidly by exposing more surface area of the material to air and increased air flow. More specifically, the terry fabric 100 functions as a device that facilitates and expedites the evaporative process.
Once the temperature of the remaining water in the cooling side 120 drops through evaporation, a heat exchange happens within water through convection, between water and fabric through conduction, and within fabric through conduction. Thus, the temperature of the terry fabric 100 drops. The evaporation process further continues by wicking water away from the absorbent side 110 to the cooling side 120 until the stored water is used up. The evaporation rate decreases as the temperature of terry fabric 100 drops. The temperature of the terry fabric 100 drops gradually to a certain point where equilibrium is reached between the rate of heat absorption into material from environment and heat release by evaporation.
Once the wetted terry fabric 100 is placed onto one's skin, cooling energy from the terry fabric 100 is transferred through conduction. After the cooling energy transfer has occurred, the temperature of the cooling fabric increases to equilibrate with the skin temperature. Once this occurs, the wetted terry fabric 100 can easily be re-activated by the snapping or the twirling method to again drop the temperature.
As depicted in Table 1 below, the woven terry 200 can be configured in a number of ways, where “C” corresponds to cotton or regenerated cellulosic spun fiber (where the fiber size ranges from 8 Ne (English Cotton Count) to 60 Ne (English Cotton Count), “S” corresponds to synthetic filament yarn (where the filament size ranges from 10 Denier to 300 Denier), “CS” corresponds to a cotton/synthetic blended spun fiber (where the fiber size ranges from 8 Ne to 60 Ne), and “SS” corresponds to synthetic spun fiber (where the fiber size ranges from 8 Ne to 60 Ne).
According to an embodiment, S can be one of polyester, nylon, and a polyester/nylon blend. Similarly, SS can also be one of polyester, nylon, and a polyester/nylon blend. Further, CS can be one of a cotton/polyester blend, a cotton/nylon blend, a cotton/polyester/nylon blend, a cotton/Modal blend, a cotton/Tencel blend, a cotton/rayon blend, and a cotton/Viscose blend. According to an embodiment, other combinations of yarn for the woven terry 200 can also be included. For example, Pile 1 can be SS, Grounds 1 and 2 can be SS, and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Picks are S.
As depicted in Table 2 below, the woven terry 200 can be configured in a number of ways.
According to an embodiment, the synthetic filament yarn includes a thickness that is half the thickness of a cotton yarn. As such, in order to balance the thickness of the cotton yarn, two ends of the synthetic filament yarn can be added instead of one. This can be achieved by covering a predominately synthetic spun or filament yarn with another synthetic yarn filament.
According to an embodiment, by increasing the thickness of the synthetic filament yarn not only does the weight of the synthetic filament yarn balance the weight of the cotton, but the cooling intensity of the overall terry fabric increases as well.
Further, according to an embodiment, although the invention has been described in relation to a 3-pick terry construction, it can also be implemented in a 2, 3, 4, 5, or even more pick terry construction. In this regard, the invention can be implemented in any fabric utilizing a terry construction.
In the foregoing Description of Embodiments, various features may be grouped together in a single embodiment for purposes of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Description of Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the invention.
Moreover, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the present disclosure that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed systems without departing from the scope of the disclosure, as claimed. Thus, it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the present disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of, and incorporates by reference thereto in its entirety, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/795,211, filed on Jan. 22, 2019.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62795211 | Jan 2019 | US |
