Engineered fabric articles

• US 20060277950A1
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MMI-IPCO LLC
• Original Assignee: MMI-IPCO LLC
• Inventors: Rock, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 66/169.R
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/002 with controlled internal environment
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2400/10 Heat retention or warming
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/02 Pile fabrics or articles having similar surface features
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/10 Patterned fabrics or articles
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/24 wearing apparel
• CPC Class Codes: D06C 23/00 Making patterns or designs on fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/0111 One hairy surface, e.g. napped or raised for pile fabrics D03D27/00, D04B1/02, D04B21/02

Abstract

Methods are described for forming unitary fabric elements for use in engineered thermal fabric articles, including, but not limited to, thermal fabric garments, thermal fabric home textiles, and thermal fabric upholstery covers, and for forming these engineered thermal fabric articles, having predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the thermal fabric article in correlation to insulative requirements of a user'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. A method of forming a unitary fabric element for use in an engineered thermal fabric article having a multiplicity of predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the article in an arrangement having correlation to insulative requirements of corresponding regions of a user'"'"'s body, the unitary fabric element defining at least two predetermined, discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity,

said method comprising the steps of:

designing a pattern of the predetermined, discrete regions;

combining yarn and/or fibers in a continuous web according to the pattern of predetermined, discrete regions, comprising the steps of, in one or more first discrete regions of the fabric element, forming loop yarn to a first pile height, the one or more first discrete regions corresponding to one or more regions of the user'"'"'s body having first insulative requirements, and in one or more other discrete regions of said fabric element, forming loop yarn to a second pile height different from and relatively greater than the first pile height, the one or more other discrete regions corresponding to one or more regions of the user'"'"'s body having other insulative requirements different from and relatively greater than the first insulative requirements;

incorporating a smart yarn and/or smart fiber into the web,

finishing one or both surfaces of the continuous web to form the predetermined, discrete regions into discrete regions of contrasting pile heights; and

removing the unitary fabric element from the continuous web according to the pattern of predetermined, discrete regions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the incorporating step includes incorporating smart yarn and/or smart fibers into the web in predetermined, discrete regions that correspond to the regions in which the loop yarn is formed to the first pile height.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the incorporating step includes incorporating the smart yarn and/or smart fibers into the web in predetermined, discrete regions that correspond to the regions in which the loop yarn is formed to the second pile height.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the incorporating step includes utilizing the smart yarn and/or smart fibers as stitch yarns in the regions in which the loop yarn is formed to the second pile height.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the incorporating step includes combining the smart yarn and/or smart fibers into the web as floating yarns in the regions in which the loop yarn is formed to the first pile height.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the smart yarn and/or smart fiber comprises a ceramic.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the smart yarn and/or smart fiber comprises a synthetic material embedded with ceramic particles.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the smart yarn and/or smart fiber comprises a phase change material.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the ceramic particles comprise zirconium carbide.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the smart yarn and/or smart fiber comprises a biomimetric material.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the designing of a pattern of the predetermined, discrete regions comprises designing of the pattern for use in an engineered thermal fabric garment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the unitary fabric element comprises a silhouette for an engineered thermal fabric garment and the method comprises the further steps of:

forming a complementary unitary fabric element with a complementary pattern of predetermined, discrete regions, the complementary unitary fabric element comprising a complementary silhouette for the engineered fabric element; and

joining together the unitary fabric element and the complementary unitary fabric element to form the engineered thermal fabric garment.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the designing of a pattern of the predetermined, discrete regions comprises designing of the pattern for use in an engineered thermal fabric home textile article.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the designing of a pattern of the predetermined, discrete regions comprises designing of the pattern for use in an engineered thermal fabric home textile article in the form of an article selected from the group consisting of:

blanket, upholstery cover, mattress cover, mattress ticking, and viscoelastic mattress ticking.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining yarn and/or fibers in a continuous web comprises combining yarn and/or fibers by tubular circular knitting, reverse plaiting, warp knitting or weaving.

16. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of combining the yarn and/or fibers by regular plaiting and finishing one surface of the continuous web to form a single face fleece.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising combining the yarn and/or fibers by reverse plaiting and finishing both surfaces of the continuous web to form a double face fleece.

18. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of incorporating the unitary fabric element in a unitary fabric laminate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the incorporating the unitary fabric element in a unitary fabric laminate comprises the step of laminating the unitary fabric element with a controlled air permeability element.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the combining step includes selecting the yarn and/or fibers from the group consisting of:

regenerate yarn and/or fibers, polyester yarn and/or fibers, nylon yarn and/or fibers, acrylic yarn and/or fibers, polypropylene yarn and/or fibers, continuous filament flat or textured or spun yarn made of synthetic staple fibers, flame retardant yarn and/or fibers, cotton yarn and/or fibers, and wool yarn and/or fibers.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the regenerate yarn and/or fibers is selected from the group consisting of:

rayon yarn and/or fibers.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming loop yarn to the first pile height comprises forming loop yarn with no pile.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming loop yarn to the first pile height comprises forming loop yarn to a low pile height using a combination of low pile using low sinker and/or shrinkable yarn and no pile.

24. The method of claim 11 wherein the one or more first discrete regions and the one or more other discrete regions correspond to one or more regions of the wearer'"'"'s body selected from the group consisting of:

spinal cord area, spine, back area, upper back area, lower back area, neck area, back of knee areas, front of chest area, breast area, abdominal area, armpit areas, arm areas, front of elbow areas, sacrum dimple areas, groin area, thigh areas, and shin areas.

25. A method of forming a unitary fabric element for use in an engineered thermal fabric article having a multiplicity of predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the article in an arrangement having correlation to insulative requirements of corresponding regions of a user'"'"'s body, the unitary fabric element defining at least two predetermined, discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity,

said method comprising the steps of:

designing a pattern of the predetermined, discrete regions;

combining yarn and/or fibers in a continuous web according to the pattern of predetermined, discrete regions, comprising the step of, in one or more first discrete regions of the fabric element, incorporating a smart yarn and/or smart fiber into the web, the smart yarn and/or fiber being selected from the group consisting of phase change materials and biomimetric materials, the one or more first discrete regions corresponding to one or more regions of the user'"'"'s body having first insulative requirements, the fabric element including one or more other discrete regions corresponding to one or more regions of the user'"'"'s body having other insulative requirements different from the first insulative requirements;

finishing one or both surfaces of the continuous web to form areas of raised pile in at least some regions of the fabric element; and

removing the unitary fabric element from the continuous web according to the pattern of predetermined, discrete regions.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the finishing step includes forming areas of raised pile that correspond to the first discrete regions.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the finishing step includes selectively forming the areas of raised pile so that the one or more other discrete regions have lower pile than the first discrete regions or have no pile.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the smart yarn and or smart fiber comprises two polymers that have different relative elongations when exposed to heat.

29. An engineered thermal fabric article comprising a unitary fabric element, said unitary fabric element having a multiplicity of predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the article in an arrangement having correlation to insulative requirements of corresponding regions of a user'"'"'s body, the unitary fabric element defining at least two predetermined, discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity, comprising, in one or more first discrete regions of the fabric element, loop yarn having a first pile height, the one or more first discrete regions corresponding to one or more regions of the user'"'"'s body having first insulative requirements, and, in one or more other discrete regions of said fabric element, loop yarn having another pile height different from and relatively greater than the first pile height, the one or more other discrete regions corresponding to one or more regions of the user'"'"'s body having other insulative requirements different from and relatively greater than the first insulative requirements, at least some of the loop yarn comprising smart fibers and/or yarns.

30. An engineered thermal fabric garment system comprising;

a first engineered thermal fabric garment having a multiplicity of predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the garment in an arrangement having correlation to the insulative requirements of corresponding regions of a wearer'"'"'s body, and

overlying the first engineered thermal fabric garment, in a system of overlying engineered thermal fabric garments, at least one second engineered thermal fabric garment having a multiplicity of predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the garment in an arrangement having correlation to the insulative requirements of corresponding regions of a wearer'"'"'s body and having correlation to the multiplicity of predetermined discrete regions of contrasting insulative capacity positioned about the first engineered thermal fabric garment in the system,

wherein smart fibers and/or yarns are selectively distributed within at least one of the engineered thermal fabric garments in a manner to provide the regions of contrasting insulative capacity.

31. An engineered thermal fabric comprising

a plurality of fibers or yarns, including biomimetric fibers or yarns, knitted, woven or plaited to form a fabric body,

the fabric body having at least one raised surface.

32. The fabric of claim 31 wherein the raised surface is a pile or velour surface.

33. The fabric of claim 31 wherein the fabric body has a face and back, and both the face and back have a raised pile surface.

34. The fabric of claim 31 wherein the fabric body has a face and back, and both the face and back have a velour surface.

35. The fabric of claim 31 wherein the fabric body has a reverse plaited construction.

36. The fabric of claim 31 wherein the fabric body has a knitted construction.

37. An engineered thermal fabric comprising

a plurality of fibers or yarns, including fibers or yarns comprising a phase change polymer, knitted, woven or plaited to form a fabric body,

the fabric body having at least one raised surface.

38. The fabric of claim 37 wherein the raised surface of the fabric body includes regions of contrasting pile height.

39. The fabric of claim 38 wherein the fibers or yarns that comprise a phase change material are positioned in regions of relatively higher pile.

40. An engineered thermal fabric comprising

a plurality of fibers or yarns, including fibers or yarns comprising a ceramic material, knitted, woven or plaited to form a fabric body,

the fabric body having at least one raised surface, the raised surface of the fabric body including regions of contrasting pile height.

41. The fabric of claim 40 wherein the fibers or yarns that comprise a ceramic material are positioned in regions of relatively higher pile.

42. The fabric of claim 40 wherein the fibers or yarns that comprise a ceramic material are embedded with ceramic particles.