Continuous filament yarn with pixel color effect
First Claim
1. A process for making a continuous filament yarn product having or capable of having a pixel color effect, said process comprising the steps of:
- (i) supplying at least first and second continuous filament feed yarns which are differently colored or colorable to an interlacer;
(ii) simultaneously, but independently, interlacing each said first and second feed yarns in said interlacer to obtain first and second interlaced yarns, respectively, each having spaced-apart nodes; and
subsequently(iii) entangling the first and second interlaced yarns without substantial inter-yarn commingling to obtain a continuous filament yarn product in which each of said first and second interlaced yarns retains substantially its coherent identity in said yarn product, whereinstep (ii) includes contacting each of said first and second feed yarns with a flow of pressurized air which is periodically interrupted for up to about 50 milliseconds.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Multiple (at least two) differently colored or colorable feed yarns are fed from their respective yarn packages to a multi-position interlacer manifold assembly. The feed yarns are maintained separate and apart from one another and are passed in this separated state through individual interlacer jets associated with the interlacer manifold assembly. The individual yarns are thereafter conveyed to a conventional yarn processing system (e.g., an apparatus known colloquially in the art as a "Gilbos" apparatus) where they are entangled with one another to provide a finished yarn in which the individual yarn components remain substantially coherent throughout the finished yarn. The individual interlaced yarns thus become entangled with one another when subjected to the yarn processing system without substantial inter-yarn blending or commingling occurring (which blending or commingling would thereby cause the constituent yarns to become nearly indistinguishable from one another). That is, each of the interlaced feed yarns will retain substantially its individual coherent identity in the final entangled yarn product so that its associated color is capable of being visually perceived along the length of the yarn--i.e., as color "pixels" in the yarn.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A process for making a continuous filament yarn product having or capable of having a pixel color effect, said process comprising the steps of:
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(i) supplying at least first and second continuous filament feed yarns which are differently colored or colorable to an interlacer; (ii) simultaneously, but independently, interlacing each said first and second feed yarns in said interlacer to obtain first and second interlaced yarns, respectively, each having spaced-apart nodes; and
subsequently(iii) entangling the first and second interlaced yarns without substantial inter-yarn commingling to obtain a continuous filament yarn product in which each of said first and second interlaced yarns retains substantially its coherent identity in said yarn product, wherein step (ii) includes contacting each of said first and second feed yarns with a flow of pressurized air which is periodically interrupted for up to about 50 milliseconds. - View Dependent Claims (2, 9, 10)
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3. A process for making a continuous filament yarn product having or capable of having a pixel color effect, said process comprising the steps of:
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(i) supplying at least first and second continuous filament feed yarns which are differently colored or colorable to an interlacer; (ii) simultaneously, but independently, interlacing each said first and second feed yarns in said interlacer to obtain first and second interlaced yarns, respectively, each having spaced-apart nodes with a node harshness of less than 2.0; and
subsequently(iii) entangling the first and second interlaced yarns without substantial inter-yarn commingling to obtain a continuous filament yarn product in which each of said first and second interlaced yarns retains substantially its coherent identity in said yarn product. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Apparatus for forming a continuous filament yarn product having or capable of having a pixel color effect, comprising:
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a creel for supplying first and second feed yarns; an interlacer for simultaneously independently interlacing each of said first and second feed yarns to obtain first and second interlaced yarns, respectively, each having spaced-apart nodes; and a yarn entangler for entangling the first and second interlaced yarns without substantial inter-yarn commingling to obtain a continuous filament yarn product in which each of said first and second interlaced yarns retain substantially its coherent identity. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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- 20. A continuous filament yarn product having or capable of having a pixel color effect comprised of at least two interlaced differently colored or colorable yarns each having spaced apart nodes with a node harshness of less than about 2.0, said at least two interlaced yarns being entangled with one another without substantial inter-yarn commingling such that each of said at least two interlaced yarns retains substantially its respective coherent identity in said yarn product.
- 25. A carpet which includes tufts of a continuous filament yarn product having or capable of having a pixel color effect comprised of at least two interlaced differently colored or colorable yarns each having spaced apart nodes with a node harshness of less than about 2.0, said at least two interlaced yarns being entangled with one another without substantial inter-yarn commingling such that each of said at least two interlaced yarns retains substantially its respective coherent identity in said yarn product.
Specification