Interconnected network structures
First Claim
1. A NETWORK STRUCTURE OF A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL COMPRISING A FIBRILLATED LONGITUDINAL STRIATED FILM HAVING ALTERNATING RELATIVELY THICK LONGITUDINAL RIB SECTIONS AND RELATIVELY THIN LONGITUDINAL WEB SECTIONS, SAID WEB SECTIONS BEING SPLIT BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF RIB SECTIONS ABOUT 0.5 TO 2.0 TIMES PER LINEAR INCH WITH THE SPLITS IN ADJACENT WEB SECTIONS BEING LINEARLY DISPLACED FROM ONE ANOTHER, SAID FILM BEING TRANSVERSELY EXPANDED TO FORM THE SPLIT WEB SECTIONS INTO TRANSVERSE ROWS OF OPENINGS WITH EACH OPENING IN A ROW BEING SEPARATED FROM THE ADJACENT OPENING BY AT LEAST TWO OR MORE RIB SECTIONS WHICH ARE INTERCONNECTED BY WEB SECTIONS.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A longitudinally striated film is contacted with a rotatable precision fibrillation apparatus controlled to contact the film between about 0.5 to 2 impacts per linear inch between each pair of adjacent striations. The result is a plurality of continuous backbone filaments interconnected by substantial lengths of unsplit web sections. This interconnected web can be opened to form a unique network structure useful in a variety of laminar, non-woven fabric applications and as a reinforcing web in paper or plastic films.
23 Citations
4 Claims
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1. A NETWORK STRUCTURE OF A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL COMPRISING A FIBRILLATED LONGITUDINAL STRIATED FILM HAVING ALTERNATING RELATIVELY THICK LONGITUDINAL RIB SECTIONS AND RELATIVELY THIN LONGITUDINAL WEB SECTIONS, SAID WEB SECTIONS BEING SPLIT BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF RIB SECTIONS ABOUT 0.5 TO 2.0 TIMES PER LINEAR INCH WITH THE SPLITS IN ADJACENT WEB SECTIONS BEING LINEARLY DISPLACED FROM ONE ANOTHER, SAID FILM BEING TRANSVERSELY EXPANDED TO FORM THE SPLIT WEB SECTIONS INTO TRANSVERSE ROWS OF OPENINGS WITH EACH OPENING IN A ROW BEING SEPARATED FROM THE ADJACENT OPENING BY AT LEAST TWO OR MORE RIB SECTIONS WHICH ARE INTERCONNECTED BY WEB SECTIONS.
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2. The network structure of claim 1 having superimposed thereon and bonded thereto a beam of parallel longitudinal filaments.
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3. The network structure of claim 1 having superimposed thereon and bonded thereto a fibrillated longitudinally striated film having a plurality of parallel interconnected longitudinal filaments.
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4. A yarn of a thermoplastic material comprising a fibrillated longitudinally striated film having alternating relatively thick longitudinal rib sections and relatively thin longitudinal web sections, said web sections being split between each pair of rib sections about 0.5 to 2.0 times per linear inch with the splits in adjacent web sections being linearly displaced from one another and with the splits in each transverse row being separated from the adjacent split by at least two or more rib sections, said film being twisted about its longitudinal axis to form a yarn.
Specification