Flocked fabric with water resistant film

• US 5,863,633 A
• Filed: 08/05/1996
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fleet National Bank (Bank of America Corp.), Cinc, LLC
• Original Assignee: Fleet National Bank (Bank of America Corp.)
• Inventors: Squires, William J., Squires, William T. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): MORRIS, TERREL H
• Application Number:
  US08/692,163
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 428/90, 427/180, 156/279
• US Class Current: 428/90
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/102 Waterproof and breathable
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/02 characterised by structural features of a fibrous or filamentary layer layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2209/128 Non-permeable
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0097 Web coated with fibres, e.g. flocked
• CPC Class Codes: D06P 5/003 Transfer printing
• CPC Class Codes: D06Q 1/06 by local treatment of pile fabrics with chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: D06Q 1/14 by transferring fibres, or adhesives for fibres, to the textile
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23943 Flock surface

Abstract

A fabric used as outerwear having a stabilized substrate, an adhesive and flock adhered to the substrate with the adhesive. The adhesive is dried and cured, preferably aerated. A waterproof film may be applied either to the substrate or to a lining adjacent the substrate. The flock may be flattened into a laid down condition.

Claims

1. A fabric comprising:

a substrate selected from a group consisting of stabilized wovens, stabilized knits and combinations thereof;

flock fibers and an adhesive adhering an embedded portion of said flock fibers to said substrate and being in a dried and cured condition, and a waterproof film arranged so that said substrate is between said film and said adhesive,

said flock fibers also having a protruding portion that extends out of said adhesive and is in a directionally flattened and laid down condition so as to give rise to a bent portion between the embedded and protruding portions that changes an angular orientation of the flock fibers by a greater extent than does the embedded or protruding portion, said protruding portion laying on at least one of neighboring flock fibers and said adhesive.

2. A fabric as in claim 1, further comprising a water repellent applied to said substrate.

3. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said flock and substrate are dyed a solid color.

4. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said fibers are thermally set into said directionally flattened and laid down condition as a result of being flattened directionally from an erect condition.

5. A fabric as in claim 4, further comprising a printed layer transferred onto said flock fibers that are in said flattened and laid down condition.

6. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said substrate is selected from the group consisting of woven fabrics, knit fabrics and any combination thereof.

7. A fabric as in claim 5, wherein said substrate has a front side from which extends the flattened flock, said substrate having a back side facing away from said front side, said printed layer having colors that fail to bleed through to said back side because said adhesive is arranged between said substrate and said printed layer so as to serve as a barrier against bleeding through of the colors to the back side.

8. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said flock fibers have a denier between 1 and 2 and have a fiber length of between 0.025 inches and 0.05 inches.

9. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said film is on said substrate.

10. A fabric as in claim 1, further comprising a lining secured to said substrate, said film being on said lining.

11. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said adhesive maintains flexibility when exposed to outdoor subfreezing environmental temperatures.

12. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said substrate and adhesive have concentrations of mechanical perforations that are open and free from being filled.

13. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein a portion of the flock fibers are brushed to stand upright.

14. A fabric as in claim 1, wherein said adhesive is aerated.

15. A method of making a fabric, comprising the steps of:

providing a flocked fabric that includes a substrate selected from a group consisting of stabilized wovens, stabilized knits and combinations thereof;

flock fibers and an adhesive in a dried and cured condition, said adhesive adhering to an embedded portion of the flock fibers that extends within the adhesive, said flock fibers also having a protruding portion that extends out of the adhesive;

arranging a waterproof film so that the substrate is between the film and the adhesive, at least one of said substrate and a combination of said substrate and said film being in a stabilized condition; and

directionally flattening the protruding portion of the flock fibers into a flattened and laid down condition to give rise to a bent portion between the protruding and embedded portions that changes an angular orientation of the flock fibers by a greater extent that does the protruding and embedded portions, said protruding portion laying on at least one of neighboring flock fibers and said adhesive.

16. A method as in claim 15, further comprising the step of:

thermally setting said fibers in said flattened and laid down condition.

17. A method as in claim 16, further comprising the step of brushing the flock fibers so that the flock fibers change a direction of orientation from being laid down in the thermally set flattened state to standing more upright.

18. A method as in claim 15, further comprising the step of dyeing the flocked fabric a solid color so that both the substrate and flock fibers are dyed at the same time.

19. A method as in claim 15, further comprising the step of applying the film to a lining and securing the lining to the substrate.

20. A method as in claim 15, further comprising the step of applying the film to the substrate.

21. A method as in claim 15, further comprising the step of forming a concentration of perforations in the substrate and adhesive that are open by effecting insertion and withdrawal of needles into and out of the substrate.

22. A method as in claim 16, further comprising the step of transfer printing a layer onto said flock fibers that are in said flattened and laid down condition.

23. A method as in claim 15, further comprising the step of aerating the adhesive.