Patent Application
20160024694
The embodiments herein relate generally to textiles, and more particularly, to a fabric blend comprising bamboo and merino wool.
The human body is inefficient at protecting itself from the elements. The body's inability to insulate itself leads to shivering or sweating as a way of regulating its core temperature. Side effects of sweating include bacteria build-up on clothing, odors, dampness, feeling too hot or too cold, itchiness, and chafing. Shivering interrupts motor skills and causes the body to exert extra energy in an effort to generate warmth.
Conventional fabrics are not ideal to wear on the human body. During sweat-related activities, these fabrics fail to sufficiently insulate or wick moisture, breed bacteria, smell when they come into contact with sweat, and are sourced from non-renewable fibers. Conventional fabric blends are made from fibers that, once they get sweaty, smell bad, lose their shape, chafe, and stay damp.
Therefore, what is needed is a fabric blend for insulating the body, wicking moisture away from the skin, and preventing the growth of bacteria.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a fabric blend for insulating, wicking moisture, and preventing bacterial growth. The fabric blend may include bamboo yarn, merino wool yarn, and elastane thread, wherein the bamboo yarn, the merino wool yarn, and the elastane thread are blended together to form a fabric. The materials may be woven or knitted together. In a particular embodiment, the fabric blend may include about 67% bamboo, about 28% merino wool, and about 5% elastane.
In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications.
The fabric blend of the present disclosure may be used to create clothing configured to insulate the body, wick moisture away from the skin, and prevent the growth of bacteria and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the fabric blend of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device.
The various elements of the fabric blend of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only.
By way of example, some embodiments of the invention include a fabric blend comprising a blend of bamboo, such as bamboo manufactured from a chemical process, and merino wool. Some embodiments further comprise elastane thread. For example, bamboo yarn, merino wool yarn, and elastane thread may be knitted or woven together to form a fabric. In some embodiments, the materials may be knitted together in interlocking and jersey knits, although other knits and weaves are also envisioned, wherein the knitted components may result in either a weft-knitted or warp-knitted fabric. The fabric may then be formed into clothing, blankets, or other items conventionally made of fabric.
The amount of each component may vary depending on the desired outcome of the fabric. In some embodiments, the fabric blend may comprise a greater amount of bamboo than merino wool, while in other embodiments, the fabric blend may comprise a greater amount of merino wool than bamboo. The elastane may comprise the smallest percentage. In embodiments, the fabric blend may comprise from about 60 to about 75% bamboo, from about 15 to about 30% merino wool, and from about 1 to about 8% elastane, wherein all percentages are weight percentages based on a total weight of the fabric blend. For example, in a particular embodiment, the fabric blend may comprise about 67% bamboo, about 28% merino wool, and about 5% elastane. The weight of the resulting fabric may vary from a lightweight fabric of about 150 grams per square meter (gsm) to a heaver fabric of about 280 gsm.
As a result of the bamboo/merino wool blend, a resulting fabric may be moisture-wicking, insulating, soft, durable, and antibacterial, while also being formed from renewable fibers. Specifically, the fabric may insulate the body, allowing the body to regulate its core temperature more efficiently. The fabric may also wick moisture away from the skin, minimizing dampness. Moreover, bamboo's natural properties help prevent the growth of bacteria, thereby reducing sweat-related odors.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above.
This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 62/027,674 filed on Jul. 22, 2014, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62027674 | Jul 2014 | US |
