Cushioned back carpet

• US 6,468,623 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2000
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Original Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Inventors: Higgins, Kenneth B.
• Primary Examiner(s): JUSKA, CHERYL ANN
• Application Number:
  US09/499,830
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 428/95, 428/96, 428/47, 428/48
• US Class Current: 428/95
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2201/02 Synthetic macromolecular fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2201/0254 Polyolefin fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2201/0263 Polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2203/066 Silicon polymers
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2203/068 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2205/06 Melt
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2205/20 Cured materials, e.g. vulcanised, cross-linked
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 3/14 with polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0068 characterised by the primary backing or the fibrous top layer
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0073 the back coating or pre-coat being applied as an aqueous dispersion or latex
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0078 the back coating or pre-coat being applied as a hot melt
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0081 with at least one extra fibrous layer at the backing, e.g. stabilizing fibrous layer, fibrous secondary backing
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0086 characterised by the cushion backing, e.g. foamed polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1084 of continuous or running length bonded web
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23979 Particular backing structure or composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23986 With coating, impregnation, or bond
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23993 Composition of pile or adhesive

Abstract

An improved cushioned carpet fabric is provided. The cushioned carpet comprises a primary carpet having a primary base and a plurality of pile-forming yarns projecting outwardly from one side. A layer of reinforcement material is bonded to the primary base on the side opposite the pile forming yarns. The reinforcement layer is adjacent to and embedded in, a cushion layer of a polymer such as a polyurethane. There is preferably no additional adhesive between the cushion layer and the layer of reinforcement material since the primary carpet fabric is mated in-situ to the polyurethane-forming composition without preheating the polyurethane-forming composition. An apparatus and process for forming the cushioned carpet fabric of the present invention are also provided.

Claims

1. A dimensionally stable cushioned carpet tile suitable for disposition as discrete modular units across a flooring surface, the carpet tile comprising:

(i) a primary carpet fabric having a pile side and an underside with a plurality of pile forming yams projecting outwardly from said pile side;

(ii) an adhesive layer consisting essentially of at least one adhesive extending away from the underside of said primary carpet fabric;

(iii) a layer of stabilizing material in contacting relationship with said adhesive layer such that said layer of stabilizing material is held in place at a fixed position below said primary carpet fabric; and

(iv) a foam cushion layer bonded to said layer of stabilizing material with at least a portion of said layer of stabilizing material embedded in said foam cushion layer;

said layer of stabilizing material being the only layer of stabilizing material positioned between said foam cushion layer and said primary carpet fabric.

2. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of:

polyurethane,

PVC, and

styrene butadiene latex.

3. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises PVC.

4. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises styrene butadiene latex.

5. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said stabilizing material is glass.

6. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said stabilizing material is polyester.

7. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said primary carpet fabric comprises:

a primary backing;

a pile layer having pile-forming yarns tufted into said primary backing;

and a precoat securing the pile-forming yarns of said pile layer in place relative to said primary backing.

8. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said primary carpet fabric comprises a plurality of pile yarns implanted in a primary carpet adhesive layer which is laminated to a substrate layer.

9. The carpet tile according to claim 2, wherein said primary carpet fabric comprises:

a primary backing;

a loop pile layer having pile-forming yams tufted into said primary backing;

and a precoat securing the pile-forming yarns of said loop pile layer in place relative to said primary backing.

10. The carpet tile according to claim 9, wherein said precoat comprises a hot melt adhesive.

11. The carpet tile according to claim 9, wherein said precoat comprises a latex.

12. The carpet tile according to claim 2, wherein said primary carpet fabric comprises a plurality of cut pile yarns implanted in a primary carpet adhesive layer which is laminated to a substrate layer.

13. The carpet tile according to claim 12, wherein said primary carpet adhesive layer comprises a latex.

14. The carpet tile according to claim 12, wherein said primary carpet adhesive layer comprises a hot melt adhesive.

15. The carpet tile according to claim 12, wherein said primary carpet adhesive layer comprises a thermoplastic polymer.

16. The carpet tile according to claim 2, wherein said adhesive comprises a hot melt adhesive.

17. The carpet tile according to claim 2, wherein said stabilizing material comprises a sheet of nonwoven fiberglass material.

18. The carpet tile according to claim 2, wherein said stabilizing material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:

woven glass,

woven polyester,

nonwoven glass, and

nonwoven polyester.

19. The carpet tile according to claim 1, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises a polyurethane which comprises:

at least one isocyanate-reactive material having an average equivalent weight of about 1,000 to about 5,000;

a blowing agent; and

a polyisocyanate in an amount to provide an isocyanate index of between about 90 and about 130;

wherein at least 30 percent by weight of said polyisocyanate is a soft segment prepolymer reaction product of a stoichiometric excess of diphenylmethane diisocyanate or a derivative thereof, and an isocyanate-reactive organic polymer having an equivalent weight of from about 500 to about 5,000; and

wherein the prepolymer has an NCO content of about 10 to about 30 percent by weight.

20. The carpet tile according to claims 18 or 19, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises polyurethane and includes a silicone surfactant.

21. The carpet tile according to claim 20, wherein said silicone surfactant is an organo-silicone polymer.

22. The carpet tile according to claim 20, wherein said silicone surfactant is a linear siloxane-polyoxyalkylene block copolymer.

23. The carpet tile according to claim 22, wherein said linear siloxane-polyoxyalkylene block copolymer comprises a polyalkyleneoxidemethylsiloxane copolymer.

24. The carpet tile according to claim 19, wherein said foam cushion layer further includes a silicone surfactant in the amount of from about 0.01 to about 2 parts per hundred by weight of at least one isocyanate-reactive material.

25. The carpet tile according to claim 19, wherein said foam cushion layer further includes a silicone surfactant in the amount of from about 0.35 to about 1.0 parts per hundred by weight of at least one isocyanate-reactive material.

26. The carpet tile according to claim 19, wherein said foam cushion layer further includes a silicone surfactant in the amount of from about 0.4 to about 0.75 parts per hundred by weight of at least one isocyanate-reactive material.

27. The carpet tile according to claim 17, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises polyurethane.

28. The carpet tile according to claim 27, wherein said sheet of nonwoven fiberglass material has an acrylic binder;

and a textile backing material comprising polypropylene and polyester is disposed adjacent to the surface of said polyurethane foam cushion layer facing away from said stabilizing material.

29. The carpet tile according to claims 2 or 27, wherein said adhesive layer comprises an adhesive selected from the group consisting of:

hot melt adhesive,

polyolefin,

modified polyolefin, and

polyamide.

30. The carpet tile according to claim 29, wherein said adhesive layer has a thickness within the range of 0.010″

to 0.070″

.

31. The carpet tile according to claim 29, wherein said adhesive has a weight of from 10-70 oz./sq. yd.

32. The carpet tile according to claim 29, wherein said adhesive has a weight of about 30 oz./sq. yd.

33. The carpet tile according to claim 27, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises a foam having been cured in contact with said sheet of nonwoven fiberglass material, thereby embedding said sheet in and bonding it to said cured foam.

34. The carpet tile according to claim 28, wherein said foam cushion layer comprises a foam having been cured in contact with said sheet of nonwoven fiberglass material, thereby embedding said sheet in and bonding it to said cured foam.

35. The carpet tile according to claim 33, having a textile backing material disposed adjacent to the surface of said polyurethane foam cushion layer facing away from said stabilizing material.