Patent Application
20240068136
This disclosure relates to fabric and a method of making the fabric. The disclosure specifically relates to woven fabrics. The fabric has particular, although not exclusive, application to garments.
Most garments are made from a woven material that combine organic materials, e.g. cotton or wool, with a synthetic material. The most common synthetic material for such fabrics is polyester because it provides the fabric with strength and durability. These properties are advantageous because they make the fabric hard-wearing, and therefore garments last longer than garments formed from 100% organic materials.
Typical garment fabrics comprise a square fabric weave and include some virgin spandex (also known as Lycra® and elastane) to improve fabric stretch. Fabric stretch in a garment affects the freedom-of-movement of a garment wearer, so it's an important consideration for garment designers because low-stretch fabrics are suitable for a limited range of applications and, if the fabric stretch is too low, the fabric may be limited in application to garment panels, as opposed to the majority of the garment, or even limited to pocket panels or cuffs. The inclusion of spandex as a thread from which a fabric is woven provides stretch in the form of thread-stretch and also provides stretch by off-setting some of the rigidity in a square weave.
The problem with spandex, however, is that it's not easily recycled. Mixed fibre garments (for example, denim may contain cotton and spandex) are, therefore, typically repurposed into alternative products like insulation or mattress filler. Otherwise, garments including spandex typically end up in land-fill. The recycled-spandex products in the market include spandex that is recovered from scraps produced in the original garment manufacturing process. In that sense, the “recycled-spandex” in current garments is still virgin spandex. The sustainability of garments that include spandex is relatively low.
There is a need, therefore, for garment fabrics that are more sustainable. This has led to fabrics that incorporate recycled materials. For example, some fabrics utilize recycled polyester that is created from used PET bottles (e.g. soft drink bottles). While such fabrics utilize some recycled materials, they still incorporate virgin polyester and spandex.
In a first aspect, there is provided a woven fabric comprising a twill weave of warp and weft yarns and wherein one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns consists of polyester and the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns consists of coffee yarns which include coffee fines.
The fabric may be at least 50% recycled polyester.
The fabric may be at least 70% recycled polyester.
The fabric may be at least 80% recycled polyester.
The fabric may be at least 90% recycled polyester.
The fabric may be at least 95% recycled polyester.
The fabric may be 100% recycled polyester.
The one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns which consist of polyester may be recycled polyester yarns.
The one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns which consist of polyester may be a hybrid yarn which is a combination of recycled polyester and virgin polyester.
The one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns which consist of polyester may be a hybrid yarn which is a combination of recycled polyester with the balance being organic material.
The coffee yarns comprise a plurality of threads formed of recycled polyester with a dispersion of coffee fines within each thread.
The coffee yarns may comprise a plurality of threads, some of the plurality of threads may be formed of recycled polyester with a dispersion of coffee fines within each thread and the remainder of the threads may be formed of virgin polyester.
The fabric may not include spandex. The term “spandex” as used throughout the description and claims is taken to mean materials that are generally known as “spandex”, “elastane” or “Lycra™”.
The organic material may be derived from a plant or an animal.
The organic material may comprise one or more of the following: cotton, wool, hemp, linen, ramie, silk, cashmere and alpaca.
The fabric weight may be greater than 150 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be greater than 160 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be greater than 170 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be greater than 180 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be greater than 190 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be less than 210 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be less than 200 g/m2.
The fabric weight may be less than 195 g/m2.
The fabric may have stretch in the range of 4 to 15% in the warp direction or in the weft direction.
The fabric may have stretch in the range of 5 to 7% in the warp direction or in the weft direction.
The fabric stretch may be uniaxial.
The fabric may be treated with an antibacterial finish.
The fabric may be the subject of an anti-static treatment.
The twill weave may have a twill weave angle in the range of 15 to 75°.
The twill weave may have a twill weave angle in the range of 30 to 60°.
The twill weave may have a twill weave angle in the range of 40 to 50°.
The twill weave may have a twill weave angle of 45°.
The fabric may have a warp density and a weft density.
The warp density and the weft density may be the same.
The warp density and the weft density may be different.
The fabric may have a warp density in the range of 60 to 120/inch (i.e. 24 to 48/cm).
The fabric may have a warp density in the range of 75 to 105/inch (i.e. 30 to 42/cm).
The fabric may have a warp density in the range of 85 to 95/inch (i.e. 34 to 38/cm).
The fabric may have a weft density in the range of 50 to 110/inch (i.e. 30 to 42/cm).
The fabric may have a weft density in the range of 65 to 95/inch (i.e. 26 to 38/cm).
The fabric may have a weft density in the range of 75 to 85/inch (i.e. 30 to 34/cm).
In a second aspect, there is provided a garment that includes the fabric of the first aspect. It follows that the garment of the second aspect may include any one or more of the features of the first aspect.
In a third aspect, there is provided a method of making a fabric comprising a twill weave of warp and weft threads and wherein the warp and weft threads are at least 50% recycled material with the balance being organic material, the method comprising:
The method of the third aspect may be utilized to make a fabric having any one or more of the features of the fabric according to the first aspect. Accordingly, the features of the first aspect may be combined with the third aspect to arrive at a method of making a fabric that includes one or more of the features of the first aspect.
Ordinal references (e.g. first, second, third) to aspects disclosed above serve to differentiate aspects from one another only. The ordinal references are not to be interpreted as the order of importance of the aspects.
The following description relates to an embodiment of a woven fabric comprising warp yarns and weft yarns. The warp yarns and the weft yarns are different yarns. In this embodiment, the weft yarns comprise 100% recycled polyester. Examples of suitable weft yarns are Cofrex® and Syntex™. The term “recycled polyester yarn” is used throughout this description to refer to 100% recycled polyester yarns. This yarn has stretch of 10 to 15% according to test method JISL1096-B. Other recycled polyester yarns are equally suitable provided they have similar stretch properties and are formed of 100% recycled polyester. In an alternative embodiment, the weft yarns may comprise virgin polyester or hybrid yarns comprising a combination of recycled polyester strands with virgin polyester strands. Warp yarns also comprise 100% recycled polyester, but incorporate treated coffee grounds. Without being limited to any particular method of treating the coffee grounds in preparation for incorporation into threads, the coffee grounds may be cleaned to remove oils and then ground to nano-sized particles. For the purpose of the description and the claims, the term “coffee fines” is used to refer to the very fine particles of treated coffee grounds which are incorporated into fabric threads. The coffee fines impart anti-odour properties to the fabric. An example of a suitable warp yarn is Cofrex Café™. The term “coffee yarn” is used throughout this description to refer to 100% recycled polyester which incorporates coffee fines. However, other coffee yarns are also suitable provided that they also are formed of 100% recycled polyester. The coffee fines limit the stretch properties of the coffee yarn so that the fabric stretch is limited in whichever of the warp direction or the weft direction. The stretch may be less than 5% in the warp direction or may be limited to stretch attributable only to the weave pattern.
While the woven fabric described in the previous paragraph comprises weft yarns of recycled polyester yarns and warp yarns of coffee yarn, an alternative embodiment may have the yarn compositions swapped. That is, the alternative embodiment is a fabric that comprises warp yarns of recycled polyester yarns (or virgin polyester) and weft yarns of coffee yarn. For the purposes of the remainder of the description, variations of the embodiment described in paragraph [0051] apply equally to the embodiment described in paragraph [0052].
The fabric, according to this embodiment, has a composition consisting half of recycled polyester yarn (i.e. the weft yarns) and half of the coffee yarn (i.e. the warp yarns). The fabric in this embodiment is a 50/50 composition of these two yarns. This composition may change in alternative embodiments. For example, composition of the fabric may consist of 10% to 60% of the coffee yarn with the balance comprising the recycled polyester yarn. For fabric compositions consisting of more than 50% of the coffee yarn, the warp yarns will comprise the coffee yarn and up to 20% of the weft yarns will comprise the coffee yarn with remainder of the weft yarns comprising the recycled polyester yarn. This may be achieved by making at most every fifth weft yarn a coffee yarn. Reducing the number of weft warns that comprise the coffee yarn reduces the coffee yarn composition of the fabric. In so doing, the overall composition of the fabric can be adjusted from 60% of the coffee yarn to 50% of the coffee yarn.
Reducing the composition of the fabric below 50% of the coffee yarn involves maintaining the recycled polyester as the weft yarns and reducing the number of warp yarns that comprise the coffee yarn. For example, replacing every fifth warp yarn with recycled polyester yarn will provide a fabric composition of 40% coffee yarn with the remainder comprising the recycled polyester yarn.
Increasing the content of coffee yarn in the fabric by including coffee yarns in the weft yarn reduces the stretch of the fabric in the weft direction in addition to already limited stretch in the warp direction. The effect of the limited stretch in the weft direction manifests as a less comfortable feel when garments are manufactured from the fabric. That is limited stretch in both the warp and weft directions means that garments have limited stretch across the body and up and down the body. Limited stretch up and down the body is tolerable provided that there is stretch across the body, so limiting stretch in the warp and weft directions is undesirable. Accordingly, the upper limit of coffee yarn in the weft direction is 20%, so the overall composition (i.e. with all warp yarns comprising the coffee yarn) is 60% coffee yarn with the remainder being recycled polyester yarn.
Additionally, the coffee yarn is more costly than the recycled polyester yarns so the overall cost of the fabric increases with the increasing content of coffee yarn. While the overall cost of the fabric is less when the fabric composition includes less than 50% of coffee yarn, the anti-odour properties of the fabric decrease due to having less coffee yarn in the fabric. Accordingly, while the fabric may include 10% of the coffee yarn and 90% of the recycled polyester yarn, the fabric preferably includes at least 10% coffee yarn with the remainder being recycled polyester yarn. In other embodiment, the fabric may include 20%, 30% or 40% coffee yarn with the remainder being recycled polyester yarn.
The description above concerns a fabric having warp yarns comprising coffee yarn and weft yarns comprising recycled polyester. It will be appreciated, however, that the warp yarns and weft yarns may be swapped so the weft yarns comprise the coffee yarn and the warp yarns comprise the recycled polyester yarn. Fabrics constructed in that configuration may also have a composition in the range of 10% to 60% coffee yarns with the remainder being recycled polyester.
While the description above contemplates changing the fabric composition by changing the composition of warp or weft yarns, it will be appreciated that the composition may be changed by using yarns with different compositions. That is, the yarns are formed of strands. Strands forming the recycled polyester yarn and strands forming the coffee yarn have the same respective compositions. However, strands of one composition may be mixed with strands of another composition to arrive at a yarn with a hybrid composition. Such yarns may be used in place of the coffee yarn, the recycled polyester yarn or both, but the same factors affecting the overall fabric composition still apply. That is, stretch should be substantially maintained in at least one of the warp and the weft directions and the content of coffee yarn or strands should be at least 10% of the overall fabric composition so the fabric has at least some anti-odour properties. Additionally, the coffee yarn may be used in the warp yarns or in the weft yarns, but not in both the warp and weft yarns.
The fabric has a warp density and a weft density. The warp density may the same as the weft density or the warp density may be different to the weft density. The woven fabric may have a weave that includes a warp density of 60 to 120/inch (i.e. 24 to 48/cm), or 75 to 105/inch (i.e. 30 to 42/cm) or 85 to 95/inch (i.e. 34 to 38/cm). The woven fabric may have a weft density in the range of 65 to 95/inch (i.e. 26 to 38/cm) or 75 to 85/inch (i.e. 30 to 34/cm). In one embodiment, the warp density is 90/inch (i.e. 35.8/cm). In one embodiment, the weft density is 79/inch (i.e. 31.5/cm). The warp density and the weft density may be higher or lower depending on the preferred fabric weight. For the embodiment comprising 50% coffee yarn and 50% recycled polyester, the fabric weight is 165 g/m2. However, the fabric weight may be in the range of 165 g/m2 to 210 g/m2. In some embodiments, the fabric weight may be in the range of 190 g/m2 to 210 g/m2.
The warp yarns and the weft yarns are woven in a twill weave pattern. The twill weave angle in one embodiment is 45°. In other embodiments, however, the twill weave pattern may be at an angle in the range of 20° to 70°. In other embodiments, the twill weave pattern may be at an angle in the range of 30° to 60°. In other embodiments, the twill weave pattern may be at an angle in the range of 40° to 50°. The twill weave pattern is a conventional weave patterns that is well known to [Insert description of weave pattern and alternative weave patterns.]
The fabric may be finished with an anti-bacterial treatment. There are a range of known anti-bacterial treatments which are suitable for fabrics formed of synthetic materials. In this embodiment, the anti-bacterial treatment is Silvadur™. Non-toxic and environmentally friendly treatments are preferred.
The fabric formed in accordance with this embodiment has the following properties:
In addition to these properties, forming the fabric from recycled materials makes it a sustainable material. More specifically, a three-metre length of the material (i.e. enough to form a long sleeve top and trousers) is formed from 45 recycled plastic bottles and 9 cups of coffee fines. Accordingly, the fabric is formed of 100% recycled material in this embodiment. The exclusion of spandex contributes to making the fabric a sustainable material. The omission of spandex is enabled by utilising the recycled polyester yarn and by the weave, both of which contribute to providing sufficient stretch to form garments from the fabric.
In an alternative embodiment, the recycled material may comprise recycled synthetic material and recycled organic material. The content of recycled material in the fabric may be in the range of 50% to 100%. In one embodiment, the recycled synthetic material may comprise recycled polyester and/or coffee yarn. In another embodiment, the recycled organic material may comprise recycled cotton. The recycled material having stretch properties in the range of 5% to 15% according to test method JISL1096-B are utilised predominantly as the warp yarns or as the weft yarns to provide a fabric with stretch in at least one direction. The weave pattern of the fabric may the same as the weave pattern described above
In alternative embodiments, the fabric may include at least 50% recycled material with the balance being organic material. The recycled material may comprise recycled organic material, recycled synthetic material or a combination of both. In one embodiment, the recycled synthetic material may comprise recycled polyester and/or coffee yarn. In another embodiment, the recycled organic material may comprise recycled cotton. The organic material may be derived from plant material or animal material. For example, the organic material may comprise one or more of the following: cotton, wool, hemp, linen, ramie, silk, cashmere and alpaca. The recycled material and/or the organic material may have stretch properties in the range of 5% to 15% according to test method JISL1096-B and may be utilised predominantly as the warp yarns or as the weft yarns to provide a fabric with stretch in at least one direction. The weave pattern of the fabric may the same as the weave pattern described above.
In each of the embodiments described above, the fabric does not comprise any spandex. In other words, the fabric according to each of the above described embodiments is spandex-free. The omission of spandex avoids problems associated with recycling the material, so it will be appreciated that at least the embodiments described above as consisting of (i.e. 100%) polyester (regardless of whether it is 100% recycled polyester or includes some virgin polyester) are recyclable.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.
In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, namely, to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.
It is to be understood that the foregoing description refers merely to preferred embodiments of invention, and that variations and modifications will be possible thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the ambit of which is to be determined from the following claims.
In the foregoing description of preferred embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as “vertical” and “horizontal” and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms. These terms when used in reference to the fabric throughout the specification, including the claims, refer to orientations relative to the normal operating orientation, i.e. the orientation of the fabric when it is formed into or included in a garment.
Furthermore, fabric has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the fabric is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, for example, aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given fabric may constitute an additional embodiment.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022902411 | Aug 2022 | AU | national |
