Patents Examined by Jenna-Leigh Befumo
  • Patent number: 6774063
    Abstract: The present invention is a slip resistant nonwoven material. The material can be useful for surgical or clean room environments. The nonwoven is coated with microencapsulated adhesive. The microcapsule coated nonwoven is resistant for slippage. The substrate in preferred embodiments is fashioned into articles such as slip resistant table coverings or protective articles such as footwear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Appleton Papers Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Paul Bouchette, Kevin Patrick Coffey, Robert Josef Franda
  • Patent number: 6770581
    Abstract: A warp-knitted fabric of at least three-bar construction, having multifilament synthetic pile yarns on the technical back which are raised or broken to produce a plush surface and monofilament synthetic ground yarns on the technical face. The fabric and/or yarns being hydrophilic, absorbent, wicking, launderable, cleanable, durable, colorfast, printable, dimensionally stable, anti-pathogenic, and/or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Milliken & Company
    Inventors: Roy P. DeMott, Kimberly C. Gillis, Ernest G. Stringer
  • Patent number: 6764971
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a durable and imaged flame-retardant nonwoven fabric that can be used for flame-retardant apparel and other related applications. The fabric is formed by providing a precursor web consisting of a blend of melamine fibers and aramid fibers. The precursor web is hydroentangled on a three-dimensional image transfer device for formation of the fabric. The resultant fabric provides desirable air permeability and Thermal Protective Properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Polymer Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Karl Dewayne Kelly, Thomas A. Hill, Francois Lapierre, Spiro De Luca, Sergio Diaz de Leon
  • Patent number: 6762137
    Abstract: Nonwoven webs with good barrier properties are disclosed. The nonwoven webs can be, for instance, meltspun webs such as meltblown webs and spunbonded webs. In accordance with the present invention, a hydrophobic agent is incorporated into the polymer that is used to produce the web for improving the barrier properties of the web. Hydrophobic agents that may be used in accordance with the present invention include polydimethyl siloxanes and guerbet esters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Powers, Steven W. Fitting
  • Patent number: 6756326
    Abstract: In garments with a foamed net used as a clothing material (inter-lining), a clothing material is provided that is light-weight and easy-moving, and has improved warmth retaining property, cushioning property and buoyancy without spoiling the feeling of the garment to the wearer and does not cause cost increases or disadvantages in production. A foamed net in a meshed shape being constituted with a plurality of foamed strands intersected and simultaneously welded together at intersection points is inserted between an outer cloth and a lining cloth. The foamed strands may have a cross section form of elliptical shape with different ratios of height to width and the foamed strands are welded together so that the height direction of the cross section form may be orthogonal or almost orthogonal to the face of the net.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Inventors: Susumu Taguchi, Tadashi Takekawa, Kouji Sako, Takahiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 6750161
    Abstract: A stretchable laminate is formed by providing a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric exhibiting cross-direction extensibility and recovery, which fabric comprises a nonwoven web of staple length fibers of about 0.8 to 3.0 denier having a basis weight of about 1.0 to 4.0 ounces per square yard. A polymeric binder composition substantially uniformly applied to the nonwoven web imparts desired elasticity to the web, with the fabric exhibiting at least about 50% extensibility in a cross-direction thereof, and at least about 90% recovery in a cross-direction. The nonwoven web may comprise synthetic fibers, natural fibers, and blends thereof, as well as continuous filaments. An elastomeric composition comprising polyurethane or polyvinylchloride is applied to the extensible nonwoven fabric, which forms the stretchable laminate. The laminate provides a highly conformable and aesthetically pleasing leather-like product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Polymer Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Putnam, Sergio Diaz de Leon, Herbert Hartgrove
  • Patent number: 6727197
    Abstract: A knitted, woven, or braided textile ribbon including fibers and having a length and selvage edges and one or more transmission elements running the length of the ribbon in place of one or more of the fibers and integrated with the fibers to transmit data and/or power along the length of the ribbon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc.
    Inventors: Patricia Wilson, Justyna Teverovsky, Brian Farrell, Wendy B. Horowitz, Carole A. Winterhalter, Richard A. Covel, Edward Joseph Tierney
  • Patent number: 6723669
    Abstract: The present invention provides multicomponent fine fiber webs and multilayer laminates thereof having an average fiber diameter less than about 7 micrometers and comprising a first olefin polymer component and a second distinct polymer component such as an amorphous polyolefin or polyamide. Multilayer laminates incorporating the fine multicomponent fiber webs are also provided such as, for example, spunbond/meltblown/spunbond laminates or spunbond/meltblown/meltblown/spunbond laminates. The fine multicomponent fiber webs and laminates thereof provide laminates having excellent softness, peel strength and/or controlled permeability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Darryl Franklin Clark, Justin Max Duellman, Bryan David Haynes, Matthew Boyd Lake, Jeffrey Lawrence McManus, Kevin Edward Smith
  • Patent number: 6716776
    Abstract: A nonwoven fabric made of filaments, which comprises filaments formed from a fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer and satisfies all of the following conditions (A) to (D). (A) The fiber bundles are present in a range of 5-70 per centimeter in any cross-section parallel to the direction of thickness of the nonwoven fabric. (B) The total area occupied by the fiber bundles is in a range of 5-70% of the cross-sectional area of any cross-section perpendicular to the direction of thickness of the nonwoven fabric. (C) The apparent density is 0.10-0.50 g/cm3. (D) The cut ends of the fibers on the nonwoven fabric surface are present in a range of 5-100 per mm2 of surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Teijin Limited
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Morishima, Yasuo Yamamura, Mikio Tashiro, Hiroshi Honna, Makoto Yoshida, Michikage Matsui, Nobuo Okawa, Satoshi Maeda, Hideki Nitta
  • Patent number: 6716778
    Abstract: The invention discloses a textile laminate (1, 400, 450) with a first layer (5) comprising a waterproof and preferably breathable functional layer (10, 20) and a second layer (30) comprising at least a first component and a second component. The first component is stable to a first temperature and the second component melts at a lower second temperature. In one embodiment of the invention, the first component is polyester and the second component may be a thermoplastic such as copolyester, polyamide, copolyamide or polyethylene. The textile laminate (1) is particularly advantageous when two of such laminates (1, 400, 450) have to be joined or fused together. In this case a waterproof seam is created at the seam (500) between the two laminates (1, 400, 500).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Inventor: Martin Hottner
  • Patent number: 6713413
    Abstract: A buffing or polishing material has a nonwoven fleece layer and a backing layer that adds strength and dimensional stability to the material. The nonwoven fleece layer is a needled blend of natural fibers and synthetic fibers having a uniform density and working surface, resulting in a better polishing or finishing consistency. The material can withstand high heat levels and can be worked quickly, resulting in a more efficient polishing or finishing operation. The buff material can be converted into any preferred shape or tool, such as an endless belt, disc, flapwheel, or spiral band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Freudenberg Nonwovens Limited Partnership
    Inventor: Gerald F. Kruegler
  • Patent number: 6709993
    Abstract: A base textile has a camouflage pattern on the first surface and a coating on the second surface. The coating is a ethylene methyl acrylate thermoplastic with a carbon black pigment. The base textile and coating have a visible light transmission such that shadows of hunters or others inside a blind of the camouflage are not visible on the opposite side of the camouflage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Milliken & Company
    Inventors: John David Strength, Allan W. Smith, Gary K. Greene, Thomas E. Godfrey
  • Patent number: 6677256
    Abstract: Absorbent structures that form superabsorbent polymers in situ. The structures include an absorbent material and a fibrous material containing an activating agent. The fibrous material releases the activating agent upon stimulation with an activator, which causes the polymer to become a superabsorbent polymer. The absorbent component is desirably a water-swellable, water-insoluble polymer. The absorbent structures form a superabsorbent composition in situ. Methods of making the activating agent containing fibrous material are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Tong Sun, Werner Lonsky, Yong Li, Jian Qin, Xiaomin Zhang, Jacek Dutkiewicz
  • Patent number: 6660668
    Abstract: There is disclosed a woven webbing structure, which resists interwoven yarns from coming out from the surface of the webbing due to bending, or the like. This is achieved without any significant reduction in the strength or energy absorptivity of the webbing. The webbing includes warps that each have a cored yarn and a side yarn, and wefts interwoven therein. The cored yarn is set such that the elongation percentage thereof is smaller than, or the extensional rigidity thereof is larger than, that of the side yarn, and is twisted by single twisting or the like. As a result, unevenness is formed on the surface of the cored yarn and friction between the cored yarn and other yarns, that is, the side yarn or the weft increases. The frictional force between yarns functions for resisting free movement of the cored yarn due to bending of the webbing, thereby making it possible for the cored yarn to resist coming out from the surface of the webbing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho, Hoshino Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Tanabe, Yasuma Tominaga, Akira Nagawa
  • Patent number: 6649547
    Abstract: An integrated nonwoven laminate material suitable for use as a filter medium having a microfiber layer integrated with a low loft multicomponent spunbond layer and a high loft multicomponent spunbond layer and a method of producing the integrated nonwoven laminate material. In one embodiment of this invention, a laminate material is through-air bonded to form an integrated nonwoven laminate material which is then electret treated to enhance attraction between particles being filtered and the fibers of the integrated nonwoven laminate material. In one embodiment of this invention, the integrated nonwoven laminate material is used as a filter having an ASHRAE Standard 52.1-1992 Dust Spot Efficiency of about 40% to about 95% and an ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) of 12 to 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Billy Dean Arnold, Michael Lawrence Gross
  • Patent number: 6632752
    Abstract: An article of clothing has a clothing part adapted to surround and cover a user's body, and a layer of a polymeric adsorbing material applied on the clothing part and formed so as to retain at least some toxic components of a poison gas so as to prevent penetration of the some toxic components to a user's body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Renal Tech International LLC
    Inventor: James Winchester
  • Patent number: 6632756
    Abstract: This invention relates generally to a fabric composite for disposition across an automotive seating frame and relates more particularly to a laminated fabric incorporating elastomeric yarn which has undergone either flame or adhesive lamination so as to be joined to a knit or woven aesthetic cover by means of foam either with or without adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Milliken & Company
    Inventors: Anthony R. Waldrop, George C. McLarty, Marc J. Balsa
  • Patent number: 6623681
    Abstract: Intermediate polyester fibre and method for the production thereof, characterized in that highly oriented undrawn polyester yarn with a degree of crystallinity in a specified range is passed under a tension of 0.3×10−2 g/d to 5.0×10−2 g/d through a non-contact heater of heater temperature at least 250° C., and 5-40% shrinkage effected, giving the following properties (A): (1) Specific gravity 1.335-1.360 (g/cm3), (2) Degree of crystallinity 21-26%, (3) Crystal size in terms of Miller index (010) 1.4-2.2 nm, in terms of Miller index (100) 1.4-2.5 nm and in terms of Miller index (105) 1.6-3.5, (4) Degree of crystal orientation no more than 75% in the 010 plane and no more than 85% in the 105 plane, and (5) Degree of amorphous orientation 0.15-0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Setsuo Taguchi, Ryuji Ota, Satoru Shimoyama, Masumi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6605553
    Abstract: A multiaxial laminated non-woven fabric is formed with tows overlaid and bonded with one another. The starting material tow is crimped and has a total tex of not more than 300,000 and filaments in the tow have an average fineness of not more than 3 tex. A three-dimensional molded product made from the multiaxial non-woven fabric is also provided. The non-woven tow fabric of ensured quality is produced by bonding tows multiaxially and obliquely overlaid with one another, for example by needle punching or heat treatment, while the tows are held by pins of an overlaying machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: Polymer Processing Research Institute, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuki Kuroiwa, Kazuhiko Kurihara, Yasuo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6602386
    Abstract: Conventional water-decomposable fibrous sheets for cleaning sheets capable of being disposed of in toilets and others do not have well-balanced decomposability in water and strength. The water-decomposable fibrous sheet containing from 5 to 100% by mass of fibrillated rayon having a fiber length of at most 10 mm and having a degree of beating of at most 700 cc, optionally along with other fibers having a length of at most 10 mm, has good decomposability in water and high wet strength. When subjected to water-jetting treatment, it becomes more bulky to have a soft feel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Naohito Takeuchi, Jyoji Shimizu, Kazuya Okada, Toshiyuki Tanio, Takayoshi Konishi