Patent Application
20140255663
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a nonwoven textile product, and more particularly to a nonwoven textile product having one or more reduced density or thinned regions and one or more full density regions.
Textile products have been in use for thousands of years and come in many forms. One way to classify textile products is by whether they are woven products (such as cotton products) or non-woven products (such as felt products). Generally, both have many applications and are widely used. Generally, “woven” products, as used herein, includes knitted textile products
One example of a nonwoven textile is felt, which has been used to make goods for centuries. Felt may be formed by placing randomly aligned wool and/or synthetic fibers under pressure and adding moisture, and optionally chemicals. With sufficient time, heat and water, the fibers bond to one another to form a felt cloth. This process may be known as “wet felting.”
As another option, fibers may be formed into a felt through “needle felting.” In needle felting, a specialized notched needle is pushed repeatedly in and out of a bundle or group fibers. Notches along the shaft of the needle may grab fibers in a top layer of the bundle and push them downward into the bundle, tangling these grabbed fibers with others. The needle notches face toward the felt bundle, such that the grabbed felt is released when the needle withdraws. As the needle motion continues, more and more fibers are tangled and bonded together, again creating a felt cloth.
Although two different ways to create felt products have been described, it should be appreciated that variants and/or other methods may be employed. Regardless of the production method, however, felts share certain characteristics. For example, felts are often used as an acoustic damper due to their relatively dense natures. Likewise, felt tends to pull apart readily, due to its nonwoven nature, if the integrity of the bonds between the threads is compromised. This tendency to break apart when subjected to certain stresses and/or chemical may limit the usefulness of felt for certain applications.
Embodiments described herein may take the form of a textile fabric, including: a first region defined by a first plurality of textile fibers; a second region adjacent the first area and being formed from a second plurality of textile fibers and a hot melt material adjacent the second plurality of textile fibers; wherein the first region is free of hot melt material.
Other embodiments may take the form of a method for fabricating a textile product, including the operations of: applying heat to a textile having associated hot melt fibers, thereby melting the hot melt fibers; modifying a mechanical property of a portion of the textile by introducing a solvent to the textile; and stopping an action of the solvent on the textile when the mechanical property reaches a target.
Additional embodiments and configurations will be apparent upon reading this disclosure.
Embodiments described herein may take the form of a textile product having one or more selectively thinned or weakened regions. In certain embodiments, the textile may be a woven fabric, such as a cotton, polyester or the like. In other embodiments, the textile may be a nonwoven fabric, such as a felt.
Generally, some or all strands of material forming the textile may be interspersed with, at least partially encircled by, interwoven with, or otherwise associated with a hot melt fiber. This hot melt fiber may be incorporated into the textile at specific areas or volumes or may be incorporated into the entirety of the textile. Likewise, the density of the hot melt material with respect to the fibers may vary (e.g., more or fewer hot melt fibers per area or volume of textile may be employed in certain regions), as may the thickness of the hot melt fibers, the number of hot melt fibers, the ratio of hot melt fibers to textile fibers, and so on. It should be appreciated that such variations may occur only in certain portions, segments or areas of the textile. Likewise, multiple variations may occur in multiple portions.
Generally, references to an “area” herein are intended to also encompass three-dimensional areas, e.g., volumes. Likewise, the term “region” encompasses both an area and a volume.
As described in more detail below, the hot melt fibers may be melted onto or into the textile, at least in certain areas or volumes, through the application of heat. Sufficient heat may cause the hot melt fibers to melt and flow into a protective matrix, thereby at least partially coating and/or bonding textile fibers positioned near or adjacent the protective matrix. Generally, the melting point of the hot melt fiber is lower than a melting point of the textile fabric, and often below a temperature at which the fabric may scorch or burn.
Typically, the hot melt material is chosen to be impervious to one or more solvents that may dissolve or otherwise weaken the textile fabric. Thus, when a textile product is exposed to a solvent after the protective matrix is formed by the hot melt, the matrix may prevent the solvent from affecting protected portions of the textile fabric. Meanwhile, unprotected portions of the textile fabric may be weakened, dissolved, removed, thinned, decreased in density, or the like by the solvent. By selectively applying and/or melting the hot melt fibers, certain areas or volumes may be protected from the action of the solvent while others are exposed. In this fashion, various patterns may be created in a textile for a variety of effects, many of which are discussed herein.
Continuing with the description of
It should also be appreciated that the bundle of fibers 100 shown in
For example,
The discussion now turns to
The heat generally causes the hot melt fibers 105 to melt, wicking across the textile fibers 100. The hot melt fibers 105 may spread across an entirety of adjacent textile fibers 100 or may partially envelop or shield the textile fibers. As one other example, the hot melt fibers may coat the textile fibers at intersections between adjacent textile fibers and taper out from such intersections along the lengths of the fibers. This may have the added effect of strengthening such intersections, and may be particularly useful in the fabric is a nonwoven material, such as felt, since the bond between adjacent nonwoven fibers may be strengthened by the hot melt. Further, it should be appreciated that the hot melt fibers, when melted onto the textile fibers, need not form a contiguous or continuous surface. The melting of the hot melt fibers 105 may form hot melt areas or volumes 405 where the textile fabric is covered or impregnated with the hot melt and unprotected areas or volumes 400 that lack any hot melt.
A solvent may be applied to the textile sheet 200 after the hot melt fibers 105 are melted. The solvent may be applied as a bath or may be forced through the textile by pressure and/or gravity. For example, the textile sheet 200 may be pressure washed with a solvent. Alternatively, the textile sheet may be dipped into a solvent or placed into a solvent bath. In many embodiments, the solvent may be forced or fed through the textile sheet 200 from the upper surface 300 (e.g., the surface associated with the now-melted hot melt fibers 105).
The solvent may dissolve, partially dissolve, or weaken the textile fibers 100. However, the hot melt fibers 105 are typically impervious, or at least resistant, to the solvent. Thus, in regions where the hot melt fibers 105 have been melted, the hot melt may protect the textile fibers 100 from the action of the solvent. In this fashion, the textile sheet may be thinned in regions 400 that lack any hot melt materials, while the hot melt regions 405 are unaffected by the solvent. After the solvent has sufficiently thinned or weakened the textile fibers in the unprotected regions 400, the textile sheet 200 may be washed or otherwise cleaned of the solvent.
Selectively thinning, weakening or perforating the textile sheet 200 in specific areas 400 (generally corresponding to the non-melt areas 210) to form a desired pattern may provide certain benefits. For example, the unprotected areas 400 may be altered to be acoustically transmissive or transparent, or near-transparent, even though the textile itself generally may be an acoustic muffle. Likewise, the unprotected areas 400 may be thinned or changed sufficiently by the solvent to be light-transmissive, at least partially. For example, the unprotected areas may appear translucent when backlighted or may emit a relatively diffuse light, or may be at least partially see-through when backlit. As yet another example, the textile sheet may bend more easily in the unprotected areas 400 after operation of the solvent while the hot melt areas 405 may retain their original stiffness. Thus, by selectively masking portions of the textile sheet with hot melt 105, the textile sheet 200 may be configured to provide certain functionality that is otherwise lacking in a standard textile sheet 200.
In operation 605, heat is applied to the textile sheet 200. The heat may be uniformly applied, concentrated or applied only in certain areas (like those areas incorporating hot melt fibers 105), applied to fewer than all sides or edges, or the like, and so on. The heat is typically sufficient to flow the hot melt fibers 105. The maximum heat may be less than a burning or scorching temperature of the textile sheet, or the heat may be applied for a time sufficient to flow the hot melt fibers but not to damage the textile fibers. In embodiments where the hot melt fibers are generally interspersed or placed throughout the entirety of the textile fabric, heat may be selectively applied only to those regions in which the hot melt fibers are to be melted.
Next, in operation 610, solvent is applied to the textile sheet 200. The solvent may be poured or pushed through the textile sheet 200 in some embodiments, while in others the textile sheet may be placed or laid face-down in a solvent bath. The solvent generally weakens, things, and/or reduces the density of the textile fibers, which are vulnerable to the action of the solvent (e.g., are solvable). After the solvent thins or weakens the textile fibers 105 that are not protected by hot melt, the solvent may be removed or neutralized in operation 615.
In operation 620, the hot melt 105 may optionally be removed from the textile sheet. Removal of the hot melt 105 may be practical, for example, in embodiments where the hot melt coats a surface of the textile sheet 200 rather than being incorporated into the sheet. Removal may also be practical in embodiments where only a portion of the textile sheet 200 is impregnated with hot melt. This operation is optional and may not be performed in many embodiments. Likewise, hot melt may be removed in certain areas only and left in other areas of a textile sheet 200. Further, it should be appreciated that some embodiments may perform this operation before applying solvent in order to define features within a hot melt region 405 that may be affected by the solvent. As one example, an entire surface of a textile sheet 200 may be protected by hot melt 105 and the hot melt may be specifically removed from certain regions to permit the solvent to operate on the textile fibers 105.
In operation 625, it may be determined if another solvent operation (e.g., a bath, a stream or the like) is to be applied to the textile sheet 200. Multiple solvent applications may be made when different features are to be formed in the textile sheet, as one example. Such features may be of different thicknesses or strengths, as another example, and thus may be exposed to solvent for differing periods of time. As yet another option, or in addition to the foregoing, multiple different types of solvent may be employed in multiple applications of solvent to the textile.
If another solvent operation is required or desired, the method may return to operation 610. Otherwise, operation 630 is accessed and the textile may be formed into a final configuration. The textile maybe cut or shaped, for example. In many embodiments, operation 630 may be omitted.
It should be appreciated that a variety of items may be made from a textile fabric 200 selectively treated with a hot melt material 105. For example, a variety of covers or cases may be formed.
The case 700 may also define a light-transmissive section 725. The light-transmissive section may emit light when backlit. For example, when a status indicator is activated, the outputted light may be visible through the light-transmissive section. In some embodiments the light may be visible even though the status indicator is not.
Through multiple solvent applications, or through the use of varying concentrations of solvents selectively applied simultaneously, one or more apertures 730 passing through the textile 700 may be formed in the textile material.
It should be appreciated that any number of items may be formed from a textile fabric that is selectively altered in the fashions described herein. For example, textile seat covers for automobiles may be so manufactured. Likewise, grilles or covers for audio elements, such as speakers, may be formed. As still another example, bands or bracelets may be fabricated in this fashion. Covers for other electronic devices, such as telephones and notebook computers, may also be created. Various other products will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure in its entirety. Accordingly, the proper scope of protection is set forth in the appended claims.
