Patent Application
20050048253
The present invention relates generally to dyed fabrics, and, in particular, to dyed fabrics that incorporate solution dyed and non-solution dyed yarns.
Pile fabrics are well-known. These fabrics are manufactured by introducing tufts, loops, or other erect yarns on all or part of the fabric surface. Pile fabrics are commonly used in floor covering or mat products, as well as broadloom carpets and area rug products. “Broadloom” refers to carpets woven in widths from 54 inches to 18 feet, as distinguished from narrow loom widths of 27 to 36 inches.
Typically, mat products and broadloom carpet products, which include pile fabrics, are made with non-solution dyed yarns, because these types of yarns are relatively inexpensive. As used herein, “non-solution dyed yarns” refers to yarns that are not pre-colored by the addition of a pigment or dye to the polymer melt or spinning solution prior to extrusion of the yarn fibers. In other words, non-solution dyed yarns are dyed after the formation of the yarn fibers by various methods such as atmospheric dying.
However, pile fabrics made of non-solution dyed yarns will fade over time with repeated washing. Exposure to light, UV radiation, and inclement weather may also contribute to the fading of the mat and carpet products employing non-solution dyed yarns. Additionally, the color of the mat and carpet products can fade or discolor when chemicals, such as bleach, are spilled on the mats. Finally, soiling and stains can degrade the appearance and value of the mat and carpet products including pile fabrics made with non-solution dyed yarns.
The use of pile fabrics containing only solution-dyed fabrics enhances the retention of color of the mat and carpet products. Because solution-dyed, otherwise referred to as “mass-colored,” fabrics are colored during the formation of yarn fibers, the colors of the fabrics are fast to most destructive agents, such as light, weather, and washing. Unfortunately, these solution-dyed fabrics, as well as the products that incorporate the fabrics, are very expensive.
Accordingly, there remains a need for floor covering products that are made of fabrics that can better retain color without being cost prohibitive.
The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
According to its major aspects and briefly recited, an embodiment of the present invention is generally a dyed floor covering fabric made from a combination of solution dyed and non-solution dyed yarns that can be incorporated into any number of finished products including, but not limited to, dust control mats, broadloom carpet, or area rugs. The present invention also includes a method for making such a floor covering, fabric or component. In particular, white non-solution dyed yarn can first be combined with solution dyed yarn to form a pile fabric. Thereafter, the pile fabric can additionally be dyed or patterned in preparation for possible incorporation into a floor covering product.
A feature of the present invention is the use of a pile fabric made of a combination of solution dyed and non-solution dyed yarns. The use of non-solution dyed yarns is advantageous, because these yarns are relatively inexpensive, and are readily dyeable with inexpensive printing technologies. However, non-solution dyed yarns alone are inadequate to prevent fading and staining resulting from exposure to such things as washing, weather, UV light, and chemical agents. Therefore, the incorporation of solution-dyed yarn into the pile fabric aids in masking the effects of these destructive agents on the color and quality of the fabric.
Another feature of the present invention is the use of a pile fabric made of a combination of non-solution dyed and solution dyed yarns that can be additionally dyed or patterned. When the fabric is additionally dyed or “overprinted” (patterned), because the solution dyed portion of the overall product will not fade, the fabric itself or any product into which the fabric is incorporated is perceived as lasting longer even though the non-solution dyed overprinted yarn may fade to some degree. Accordingly, the solution dyed yarn helps to “camouflage” the potential fading of the overall product, thereby adding value to the product and enhancing the product's useful life. Consequently, purchasers of these types of products receive more of a return on their investment. Further, those involved in renting out this type of product are able to make more money per product over time, as they can keep the product in circulation longer, or, alternatively, they can secure a higher rental fee.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments presented below and accompanied by the drawings.
In the drawings,
An embodiment of the present invention is a dyed floor covering 10 that is made of a pile fabric 12. “Pile” is a fabric effect formed by introducing tufts, loops, or other erect yarns on all or part of the fabric surface. As illustrated in
Depending on the particular end use of the floor covering 10, the non-solution dyed yarn and the solution dyed yarn can be combined in a variety of alternative embodiments. In a first embodiment, as shown in
In a second alternative embodiment, as shown in
Although a wide variety of materials may be used to in the formation of the solution dyed yarn, including, but not limited to, nylon, polypropylene, polyester, acrylic, and glass, the solution dyed yarn is preferably formed from nylon 6,6. Further, the solution dyed yarn may be either dyeable (non-sulfonated) or non-dyeable (sulfonated). Although a darker shade of solution dyed yarn is preferable in the present invention, any color yarn may be used.
The non-solution dyed yarn may be made from a variety of both natural or synthetic material, such as, but not limited to, nylon, polypropylene, polyester, cotton, wool, acrylic, glass, rayon or a combination thereof. Preferably, the non-solution dyed yarn is preferably formed from nylon 6,6. Preferably, the non-solution dyed yarn is atmospherically dyed, although other methods of dyeing are contemplated by the present invention such as those previously described. As used herein, “atmospherically dyed” refers to yarn that has been dyed by means in which the dye is fixed at ambient atmospheric pressure. As further used herein, “fixed” refers to setting a dye after dyeing or printing, usually by steaming or other heat treatment. Dyes can also be fixed by chemical reaction alone, as well as by using an RF (radio frequency) oven.
The thickness of the non-solution dyed yarn and the solution dyed yarn can also vary depending on the particular end use of the floor covering 10. The thickness can be varied through the use of monofilament yarns and multifilament yarns in the pile fabric 12 of the present invention. In the case that fine fibers are desirable, multifilament yarns can be employed having a range of thickness from about 0.1 to about 100 dpf (denier per filament) and, preferably, from about 1 to about 50 dpf. In the case that heavy or more coarse fibers are used in the invention, monofilament yarns can be employed having a range of thickness of about 100 to about 5000 dpf, and, preferably, about 100 to about 2000 dpf.
Preferably, the pile fabric 12 of the present invention includes a backing layer 14. Most preferably, the backing layer 14 is a nylon-coated non-woven polyester. However, other backing materials can be employed, including any woven or non-woven material such as, but not limited to nylon, polypropylene, polyester, cotton, wool, acrylic, glass, acrylate and polyamide binders, latex, rubber, or a combination thereof. The yarn may be placed into the backing layer 14 as through tufting or needle punching or it may be bonded or laminated to the bottom of the pile fabric 12.
As illustrated in
As used herein, “overprinted” refers to yarn that has been dyed at least an additional time following the initial dyeing of the yarn. This additional dyeing may be performed by various methods including, but is not limited to dye injection, screen-printing, pad dyeing, flocking, or combination thereof. Further, the floor covering 10 (
As previously discussed, a feature of the present invention is the use of the pile fabric 12 made of a combination of solution dyed yarn and non-solution dyed yarn. The use of non-solution dyed yarn is advantageous, because these yarns are relatively inexpensive, and are readily dyeable with inexpensive technologies. For example, non-solution dyed yarn can be dyed using the technology described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,191, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, non-solution dyed yarn tends to fade when washed repeatedly or when exposed to such agents as UV light and certain chemicals. Furthermore, non-solution dyed yarn is not effective in masking stains, such as those caused by soil.
Solution dyed yarn, on the other hand, is more light fast, washfast, resistant to weathering, and resistant to change in color due to chemical exposure when compared to non-solution dyed yarn. However, solution dyed yarn is typically very expensive as compared to other yarns. Therefore, by combining the non-solution dyed yarn with solution dyed yarn, the present invention achieves a pile fabric 12 that is both able to effectively withstand fading and staining, and that is economical.
Another feature of the present invention is the use of pile fabric 12 made of a combination of non-solution dyed yarn and solution dyed yarn that can be additionally dyed or patterned. When the pile fabric 12 is additionally dyed or overprinted (patterned) to make the fabric covering 10 product, because the solution dyed yarn portion of the overall product will not fade, the fabric product itself or any other product into which the fabric is incorporated is perceived as lasting longer even though the non-solution dyed overprinted yarn may fade to some degree. The potential fading of the pile fabric 12 is further enhanced by the use of multi-ply yarn made of solution dyed yarn and non-solution dyed yarn. As described, the preferred ratio of solution dyed yarn to non-solution dyed yarn can be about 1:3 to about 1:2 in the multi-ply yarn. Accordingly, the solution dyed yarn helps to “camouflage” the potential fading of the overall product, thereby adding value to the product and enhancing the product's useful life. Consequently, purchasers of these types of products receive more of a return on their investment. Further, those involved in renting out this type of product are able to make more money per product over time, as they can keep the product in circulation longer, or, alternatively, they can secure a higher rental fee.
The floor covering 10 described above was tested against traditional floor coverings that were made with only non-solution dyed yarn. Both the traditional floor coverings and the floor covering 10 of the present invention were laundered. Thereafter, the floor coverings were inspected for any adverse effects from the washing. The overall perceived fading of the floor covering 10 of the present invention was improved when compared to the traditional mats.
Finally, there are many alternative embodiments and modifications of the present invention that are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
