Abstract: A two or more chambered airbag provides much improved safety and/or performance. A modified single chamber airbag can be used as the primary chamber of the two-chamber airbag. A piece of fabric of appropriate size is sewn to the inside or outside surface of the front panel of the primary chamber to create the secondary chamber. One or more apertures are opened between the primary and secondary chambers. In order for the secondary chamber to inflate properly, the tethers of the primary chamber are shortened to 50% to 80% of their original length. The size or location of the tether sewing to the inner surface of the front panel of the primary chamber is also adjusted to create a desired shape of the secondary chamber when deployed.

Abstract: A cement panel that is reinforced with a fabric made of nucleated polypropylene fibers. The cement panel includes a core layer that is made of a lightweight cement composition. This core layer is covered with a layer of reinforcing nucleated polypropylene fabric on the top and on the bottom, each bonded to the core with a coating of cementitious material on the top and on the bottom of the core layer. On the edges of the cement panels, the fabric layers may be overlapped so as to augment the strength of these edges.

Abstract: Certain novel formulations of turf additives that act in such a manner as to permit proper amounts of moisture to contact root systems in order to reduce dry spots within highly managed turf areas and/or lawns. The inventive formulation comprising multi-branched surfactant compounds with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic constituents within each branch attached to an oxygen-containing polyfunctional base compound permits effective moisture penetration through such localized dry spots for sustained grass growth therein. Importantly, such multi-branched wetting agents provide sustained moisture penetration over a sustained period of time since the individual branches of such compounds may become dissociated from its base polyfunctional compound. Since such branches include both hydrophobic and hydrophilic constituents themselves, and thus act as wetting agents, even after degradation of the initial surfactant compound, long-term wetting and moisture penetration, at least, are permitted.

Abstract: Renewing, washing, and/or recycling of used carpet tiles is provided. In accordance with one embodiment, carpet tiles are purchased or leased and installed with adjacent tiles being of a different pattern, design, color, shade, and/or the like so that no two identical tiles abut one another. This method of patterning and installing carpet tiles can eliminate the need for shade sorting and site mapping. Also, this method permits the ability to replace one or more damaged or severely stained tiles with new or renewed tiles and without worrying about tile-to-tile shading. The renewed carpet tiles are washed with a high-pressure fluid, and entangling of piles is removed and piles raised.

Abstract: Milled, small particle size, solid bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane dicarboxylate salt-containing thermoplastic nucleating additive formulations further comprising at least one anticaking agent for improved haze reduction, improved nucleation performance, and prevention of potential cementation (via agglomeration) of the salt component present therein are provided. Such small particle size dicarboxylate salts provide desirable properties within thermoplastic articles, particularly as nucleating agents, but apparently suffer from certain clarity issues and agglomeration problems (due to the flat and thin plate structures of such compounds and the propensity they exhibit to cohere to each other during storage), making utilization thereof less desirable for certain applications. Thus, an improvement has been provided to permit full benefit of the excellent crystallization temperatures, stiffness, and calcium stearate compatibility such dicarboxylate salts accord within target low haze thermoplastics.

Abstract: Durable antimicrobial treatments for textile fabrics are provided. Such treatments preferably comprise silver ions, particularly as constituents of inorganic metal salts or zeolites. This particular treatment requires the presence of a resin binder, either as a silver-ion overcoat or as a component of a dye bath mixture admixed with the silver-ion antimicrobial compound. Such a treatment is extremely durable on such substrates; after a substantial number of standard launderings and dryings, the treatment does not wear away in any appreciable amount and thus the substrate retains its antimicrobial activity. The particular treatment method, as well as the treated textile fabrics are also encompassed within this invention.

Abstract: This invention relates to certain non-silicone vulcanized rubber articles that are made from at least a majority by weight of vulcanized styrene butadiene rubber that include silver-based compounds to provide highly desirable long-term antimicrobial characteristics within the cured rubber articles. Such articles are in either solid or blown (foam or sponge) state (or combinations of both in multilayered forms) and can be utilized in a variety of different applications. This invention encompasses the presence of non-sulfur-based curing systems and agents, such as peroxide curing, that permit vulcanization and do not irreversibly bind silver ions thereto, thereby resulting in long-term antimicrobial performance of the ultimate rubber article itself.

Abstract: The present invention relates to air bag tethers and to a pattern-wise arrangement of such tethers in relation to air bag panels on a fabric blank, thus resulting in increased fabric utilization per tether and an overall cost savings per finished air bag. The air bag tether system of the present invention is comprised of two congruent tether panels that are joined to one another and to a respective air bag panel. In a preferred embodiment, the tether panel that is attached to the face panel of the air bag is cut in alignment with the warp and the fill of the fabric blank, while the rear tether panel that is attached to the rear panel of the air bag is cut on the bias with respect to the warp and the fill of the fabric blank. The two tether panels are then connected to one another to form a functional tether system.

Abstract: A textile coated with a coating having cationic and repellant properties, thereby accepting an image thereon more readily.

Abstract: Milled, small particle size, solid bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane dicarboxylate salt-containing thermoplastic nucleating additive formulations further comprising at least one anticaking agent for improved haze reduction, improved nucleation performance, and prevention of potential cementation (via agglomeration) of the salt component present therein are provided. Such small particle size dicarboxylate salts provide desirable properties within thermoplastic articles, particularly as nucleating agents, but apparently suffer from certain clarity issues and agglomeration problems (due to the flat and thin plate structures of such compounds and the propensity they exhibit to cohere to each other during storage), making utilization thereof less desirable for certain applications. Thus, an improvement has been provided to permit full benefit of the excellent crystallization temperatures, stiffness, and calcium stearate compatibility such dicarboxylate salts accord within target low haze thermoplastics.

Abstract: The present invention relates to air bag tethers and to a pattern-wise arrangement of such tethers in relation to air bag panels on a fabric blank. In one embodiment, the front tether panel is comprised of two or more tether segments that cut in alignment with the warp and the fill of the fabric blank, while the rear tether panel is comprised of two or more tether segments that are cut on the bias with respect to the warp and the fill of the fabric blank. The front and rear tether panels are then connected to one another to form a functional tether system. This multiple-segment construction, with its bias-cut segments, decreases the amount of fabric that is used in the manufacture of the air bag and tethers, while providing sufficient elongation for the tether system to be functional.

Abstract: The inventive method provides highly desirable hand to various different types of fabrics through the initial immobilization of individual fibers within target fabrics and subsequent treatment through abrasion, sanding, or napping of at least a portion of the target fabric. Such a procedure includes “nicking” the immobilized fibers thereby permitting the fibers to produce a substantially balanced strength of the target fabric in the fill and warp directions while also providing the same degree of hand improvements as obtained with previous methods. Furthermore, this process also provides the unexpected improvement of non-pilling to synthetic fibers as the “nicking” of the immobilized fibers results in the lack of unraveling of fibers and thus the near impossibility of such fibers balling together to form unwanted pills on the fabric surface. Fabrics treated by this process are also contemplated within this invention.

Abstract: At least one embodiment of this invention relates to a cushioned dust control mat article wherein the mat comprises at least two distinct layers of rubber, one comprising foam rubber, the other comprising solid rubber. The solid rubber layer is present over the foam rubber layer on the side of the mat in which at least one integrated rubber protrusion is present to provide cushioning characteristics. The solid rubber layer acts as a cap or barrier for the foam rubber layer, particularly over the integrated protrusion or protrusions, in order to provide a mat which is resilient, will not easily degrade in its modulus strength after appreciable use and/or washing within industrial cleaning processes, and will not exhibit appreciable cracking or breaking, particularly within the integrated protrusion(s), after standard use for pedestrian traffic. A method of producing such an inventive cushioned floor mat article is also provided.

Abstract: Range-dyed fabrics that possess excellent hand characteristics and simultaneously exhibit substantially nondirectional appearances are provided. Such a combination permits the production and utilization of an extremely comfortable apparel fabric that can be attached to any other similar type of fabric to form a target apparel article without the time-consuming need to align such component fabrics to ensure an overall aesthetic appearance is met for the target apparel article. In general, such a fabric is produced through the initial immobilization of individual fibers within target fabrics and subsequent treatment through abrasion, sanding, or sueding of at least a portion of the target fabric. Such a procedure produces a fabric of short pile height and desirable hand. Upon range-dyeing the target fabric exhibits the extra benefit of nondirectional surface characteristics.

Abstract: A textile substrate for coordinating with other flooring is provided. The substrate includes a multi-colored pattern produced by a process for coloring substrates, using the application of liquid colorants, in which the assignment of color is done on a pixel-by-pixel basis, and corresponding products. Relatively large areas of a substrate may be given the appearance of being uniformly colored by successively replicating or tiling a group of individuals colored pixels comprising a repeating unit (i.e., a superpixel) across the substrate surface. The repeating unit is constructed in such a way that if a colorant application error develops, causing one or more pixels within the repeating unit to be colored incorrectly or incompletely, the overall arrangement of the pixels within the repeating unit will render such error less visually apparent when viewed on the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an airbag cushion, which simultaneously exhibits a very low amount of fabric utilized to produce the target airbag cushion in correlation to an overall high amount of available inflation airspace within the cushion itself. These two correlative elements are now combined for the first time in what is defined as an effective fabric usage index (being the quotient of the amount of fabric utilized in the construction of the airbag cushion and the available inflation airspace volume). The inventive airbag cushion must possess an effective fabric usage factor of at most 0.0330. A cushion exhibiting such low seam usage and fabric usage factors and also comprising an integrated looped pocket for the disposition of an inflator can is also provided as well as an overall vehicle restraint system comprising the inventive airbag cushion.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of producing syndiotactic polypropylene articles through high performance nucleation via the presence of certain novel nucleating agents within molten syndiotactic resins, and subsequently permitting the resultant molten mixture to cool into a selected shape or configuration. Such novel nucleating agents are new classes of hyper-nucleators that promote crystallization within such target syndiotactic resins at levels well above any previously disclosed nucleators. This invention thus also encompasses the articles and compositions of such nucleated syndiotactic polypropylene as well.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a printed loop fabric with improved graphic visibility and clarity which may be used as the female portion of a mechanical closure system. The loop fabric is generally comprised of a knit fabric, and more specifically, of a warp knit, weft inserted fabric. One method of creating the printed loop fabric includes coating the backside of the loop fabric with a thermoplastic material and then printing the face side of the coated fabric. Alternatively, the printed loop fabric may be achieved by applying a thermoplastic material to the backside of the loop fabric and printing on the thermoplastic material. The printed loop fabric may also be produced by applying a thermoplastic material to the backside of a low loop fabric and laminating a pre-printed film to the thermoplastic material. The fabric can be made without sacrificing the fabric's hook to loop engagement strength.

Abstract: A process by which dithering techniques and in situ blending techniques may be used to reproduce a desired multi-colored dyed pattern on a substrate using precisely delivered quantities of liquid colorants that are available in only a relatively few colors. Specific preferred process colors, as well as procedures for expanding the range of reproduced colors using such process colors, are presented Optionally, specific actuation instructions for a specific dye injection machine capable of patterning a moving textile substrate may be generated.

Abstract: A fabric for use in an air bag is provided. The fabric of the invention is produced by mechanically compressing a preliminary fabric constructed substantially of synthetic yarn such that the packed volume per unit area of the compressed fabric is less than the packed volume per unit area of the preliminary fabric. Air permeability is not adversely affected.