Patent Application
20250228413
This invention generally relates to an absorbent towel, and more specifically, to an absorbent towel construction having quick-drying properties.
Towels are typically used for drying. Accordingly, commercially available towels are designed for maximum absorption. At maximum absorption, commercially available towels weigh too much and also require longer than desirable drying times. One approach to reducing towel drying times and weight is to reduce the aesthetic properties (e.g., look and feel) of the towels, such as a towels' bulk and softness. However, consumers desire aesthetically pleasing towels with quick drying times. Although commercially available towels have been generally adequate for the intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects.
Towels are generally woven on looms to include a ground fabric and an extra set of warp and fill yarns. The yarns of this extra set are interlaced with the ground warp and filling yarns to form a number of loops or cut ends which extend outwardly from one or both surfaces of the ground fabric to form a pile. The ground fabric is typically a plain weave construction. The various fiber or yarn inputs and/or the towel production process can be varied to produce towels having varied styles, levels of quality, patterns, and the like. For example, to achieve a towel having a pattern, the yarns fed to form the ground fabric and/or pile can be varied in color, luster, yarn size, etc., or the pile height can be varied in selected areas. Similarly, to vary the level of towel quality, the quality and size of the yarns woven can be varied, as well as the number of warp and filling ends. Likewise, other features of the input materials, such as the twist, type of yarn, etc., can be selected to determine the type of towel produced.
Because towels are generally used to dry other objects, they are customarily designed to be highly absorbent. To this end, towels have historically been manufactured from all cotton or substantially all cotton. While cotton has been found to be advantageous in many respects (i.e., it is absorbent, relatively durable, and generally available), it also presents several drawbacks. For one, cotton tends to shrink when exposed while wet to high temperatures such as those of a conventional hot dryer. In addition, while cotton is a good moisture absorber, it is less inclined to release the absorbed moisture. As a result, the drying time for cotton towels tends to be relatively long. The thicker yarns which are used to form the towels results in longer drying times. This slow drying is disadvantageous in several respects because not only does it result in increases in time between the instances when the towels can be used, but the slow drying consumes more energy and thus is less eco-friendly. As a result, consumers are often forced to buy towels which are less plush than they would prefer from an aesthetic (i.e., look and feel) perspective, to obtain a towel which will dry suitably quickly.
Various modifications to conventional 100% cotton pile towel constructions have been proposed to combat the problems associated with shrinkage. One such proposal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,274 to Sherrill, et al., which describes a towel construction with a reduced tendency to shrink. The towel has a base of interwoven sets of ground warp and filling yarns, with at least one of the sets of ground yarns being formed of a blend of cellulosic and 35-65% polyester fibers. Because the inclusion of the polyester reduces the absorbency of the fabric, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the terry yarns forming one of the towel surfaces are absorbent rayon yarns, which are intended to make up for the absorbency loss caused by the inclusion of the polyester in the ground fabric.
Other commercially available towels include a percentage of polyester fibers in the ground fabric in order to reduce the tendency of the towel to shrink when convection dried. The percentage is generally limited to about 14% or less of polyester in the ground fabric, since amounts greater than that tend to adversely affect the absorbency of the towel.
Thus, a need exists for a towel which has a high rate of absorbency, quick drying capabilities, and a comfortable feel to a user.
Various embodiments of this invention solve these and other shortcomings in the prior art. This invention relates to a quick dry terry towel which is made from a blend of cotton and polyester fiber which are blended in different proportions in different layers of the fabric in various embodiments. The resulting towel has shown significant savings in drying time when tested compared to towels of known compositions, such as a known terry towel made from 100% cotton fibers which is highly absorbent, but comparatively slow drying.
In testing a towel according to one embodiment of this invention, the towel returned to its dry weight after being wetted in less than 10 minutes, compared to a regular 100% cotton towel which took 20 minutes to return to its dry weight. Towels according to this invention maintain desired absorbency performance levels on the surface of the towel and the polyester fibers in the core region of the towel offer durability enhancement over all cotton towels. It has been determined that towels with 100% polyester filament in the core are not feasible due to seam slippage. Heat on the outer surfaces of the towel according to this invention evaporate surface moisture quickly.
The layered composition of towels according to this invention offer the desirable quick dry and absorbent characteristics while maintaining the durability needed for repeated use, cleaning and drying cycles.
These and other benefits of various embodiments of this invention are obtained to overcome shortcomings in the prior art.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
As shown in
Another composition for the towel 10 according to various embodiments of this invention has 100% cotton upper and lower surfaces 12, 14 and warp yarns 24 with 100% filament polyester for the weft yarns 22.
A still further composition for the towel 10 according to various embodiments of this invention has 100% cotton upper and lower surfaces 12, 14; 65% cotton and 35% polyester warp yarns 24; and 50% cotton and 50% polyester for the weft yarns 22. Other combinations and compositions are also within the scope of this invention.
One advantage of the towel 10 and the associated composition of the towel according to various embodiments of this invention is the increased drying time of the towel 10.
These foregoing embodiments of the invention are exemplary only and in no manner should be viewed as exhaustive or limiting on the scope of this invention. Alternative numbers of components, method steps, materials, parameters, arrangements and other aspects may be utilized within the scope of this invention.
From the above disclosure of the general principles of this invention and the preceding detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily comprehend the various modifications to which this invention is susceptible. Therefore, we desire to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.
This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/619,889, filed Jan. 11, 2024 and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63619889 | Jan 2024 | US |
