Abstract: Apparatus, methods and systems designed to prevent fuel storage tanks (above ground or below grade) from being filled or refilled with the wrong type of fuel and/or the wrong grade of fuel by providing a component of a fuel tanker (e.g., drop elbow) and a component of a fuel storage tank (e.g., swivel adapter) that are each specifically and uniquely configured to be product specific, i.e., specific to a particular type or grade of fuel to prevent fuel storage tanks from being filled or refilled with the wrong type and/or the wrong grade of fuel. The component of the fuel tanker and the component of the fuel storage tank may be formed with product specific keys or mating elements that are specific to a particular type or grade of fuel and only mate with a corresponding element or component having the same product specific key or unique mating element.

Abstract: Resin dissolved or suspended in liquid is applied to a greige fabric formed with finer denier yarns forming surface loops before the fabric is bulked and after the liquid has been removed by low-temperature drying. The dried fabric is then bulked at a higher temperature setting the resin, resulting in superior loop tip resilience, and superior surface durability. Bulking and simultaneous resin setting optionally includes shrinking in area by 10-20%. Print appearance retention is also superior when printing follows bulking and setting of the resin.

Abstract: A shrinkable material is attached to the backside of a floorcovering tile and allowed to shrink to a controlled extent to produce a backside shrinking that counteracts the tendency of the tile to warp out of plane on the floor as temperature and humidity vary during installation or while in use. The tile assumes a slightly convex shape in one or two directions that can be overcome as it is adhesively attached to the floor. The added material may also serve a secondary function as pressure sensitive adhesive, a friction layer, a fluid barrier, or a cushioning surface.

Abstract: An added layer attached to a textile sheet using polymeric adhesive placed over a textile sheet or between the textile sheet and an added layer is removed by applying heat or a solvent and at least one of an abrasive action, squeezing, or shaving action to remove the adhesive layer or both the added layer and the adhesive sublayer and to prepare the textile sheet for recycling into a new textile structure, preferably into a textile sheet performing the same function as the original textile sheet.

Abstract: A textile fabric with a three-dimensional contour that blocks fluid penetration at the surface is created by attaching a solid liquid-blocking polymeric layer conforming to the contours of the surface to a fabric layer. The surface includes elevated areas, depressed areas, a plurality of surface fibers and gaps among the plurality the plurality of surface fibers. The liquid-blocking polymeric layer is forced to follow the contours of the surface fibers and gaps using vacuum, heat and forced air. The resulting textile fabric maintains a textile appearance.

Abstract: Stabilizing a fabric layer and simultaneously laminating a fabric to a bulky and cushioning backing layer using multiple internal adhesive layers placed within the fabric layer forms a composite textile. The melt index, weight and chemical compatibility of the adhesive layers versus the adjacent fabric sub-strata and the backing layer are adjusted to achieve the desired penetration of molten adhesive, mechanical bonding and chemical bonding. An optional external adhesive layer with a low melt index can be added between the fabric layer and the backing layer to facilitate attachment to a highly porous backing.

Abstract: Textiles are re-cycled by grinding and scatter-laying onto a needle-punched web optionally containing low-melting material, followed by laying a second needle-punched web over the scattered layer and re-needling the three layers before applying heat or heat and pressure to activate the low-melting ground material present within the layers. Additional low-melt ground material is optionally blended into the ground textile if low melt components are absent or insufficient to bond the composite. The ground material is driven and dispersed into the surrounding web layers with at least part of the material being adjacent the two outer surfaces. The physical properties of the composite can be adjusted by selecting suitable combinations including but not limited to needling stroke depth, needling density, needle gage, low-melt content, heat finishing conditions, and relative layer weights.

Abstract: An adhesive layer carrying a uniform color or a color-scheme is placed within or under a colored or color-printed conformable fabric that is simultaneously or subsequently molded into a three-dimensional shape or embossed with a three-dimensional pattern. The thermoplastic adhesive layer proceeds towards the fabric surface and matches or masks the color gaps opened on the surface by molding or embossing. The fabric can also be laminated to a backing during the molding or embossing process.

Abstract: One or more parallel arrays or warps of stabilizing filaments or yarns are introduced into the back of a floorcovering without losing the planar uniformity of the warp, with some of the filaments or yarns optionally reoriented during or after the application to secure multi-directional planar stabilization. Variations include cutting into staple as the warp is introduced, embossing the deposited staple with reorienting patterns, and combining rectilinear and planarly-undulating continuous-filament arrays overlapping to provide multi-directional planar stabilization.

Abstract: Reinforcing fibers insensitive to thermal and hydroscopic expansion or contraction are inserted into the backside of a textile fabric using embossing with a fine and deep pattern of projections or cupped needles and held in place with adhesive. The process allows the stabilization of layers having a high sensitivity to variations in temperature or humidity in constructions when the stabilizing fibers cannot be included in the original fabric-forming process, as in the case of a tufted fabric using fiberglass fibers for stabilization.

Abstract: A surface covering tile has a plurality of edges extending between the face and the back surface. A pressure sensitive adhesive is disposed on the back surface and covers less than 40% of the back along each one of the plurality of edges where the back surface intersects the plurality of edges. For highly porous back surfaces, the pressure sensitive adhesive is selected and applied in a manner limiting penetration into the back surface. The amount of pressure sensitive adhesive required to affix the tile is reduced, and the tile can be optionally constructed in a manner that facilitates lateral movement of the tile during installation.

Abstract: A fabric made of yarns interlooping with each other or passing through an inner layer at looping intervals. The fabric is embossed with a micro-pattern extending into the yarns or into a layer underneath the fabric. The micro-pattern contains a pre-defined pattern of a plurality of binding points attaching the yarns to the inner layer or to the added underlayer. This micro-pattern has an inter-point spacing between adjacent binding points that is less than the interlooping intervals. The fabric can also be embossed with a macro-pattern separate from and coarser than the micro-pattern. The macro-pattern establishes a desired aesthetic in the fabric, and the micro-pattern does not interfere with the desired aesthetic.

Abstract: A textile fabric having improved properties, variously including surface stability, abrasion resistance, resistance to edge fraying, moisture control, and resistance to fluid penetration is created by introducing a polymeric solution or a plurality of low-melting particles suspended in a liquid into the textile fabric while leaving a plurality of surface fibers exposed and maintaining a textile feel on the surface.

Abstract: Stabilizing a fabric or bonding multiple layers using a multi-layered adhesive layer places an intermediate thermoplastic adhesive between a first layer and a second layer or within the fabric. The intermediate thermoplastic adhesive layer has a plurality of sub-layers with a plurality of melt indexes. Heat and pressure are applied to at least one of the first layer and the second layer or to the fabric to melt the adhesive layer and to achieve a bond between the first layer and the second layer or to stabilize the fabric.

Abstract: A method for directing adhesive places blocking layers adjacent to adhesive layer within a textile sheet structure or between textile sheets, directing adhesive flow in a preferred direction away from the blocking layers. When the blocking layers are partially open to allow some adhesive flow through, adhesive flow is also directed in the planar direction away from closed areas towards open area, and can reform the adhesive layers into a preferred final three-dimensional configuration.

Abstract: A textile fabric having increased improved surface properties, variously including surface stability, abrasion resistance, resistance to edge fraying, moisture control, and resistance to fluid penetration is created by introducing a plurality of particles including low-melting particles onto a top surface of the textile fabric. The top surface includes elevated areas, depressed areas, a plurality of surface fibers and gaps among the plurality the plurality of surface fibers. A desired pattern of particle deposition and depth of penetration from the top surface of the plurality of particles into the gaps is established, and heat is applied to the top surface to melt the low-melting particles deposited onto the surface.

Abstract: A fabric made of yarns interlooping with each other or passing through an inner layer at looping intervals. The fabric is embossed with a micro-pattern extending into the yarns or into a layer underneath the fabric. The micro-pattern contains a pre-defined pattern of a plurality of binding points attaching the yarns to the inner layer or to the added underlayer. This micro-pattern has an inter-point spacing between adjacent binding points that is less than the interlooping intervals. The fabric can also be embossed with a macro-pattern separate from and coarser than the micro-pattern. The macro-pattern establishes a desired aesthetic in the fabric, and the micro-pattern does not interfere with the desired aesthetic.

Abstract: Vacuum printing a fabric involves forming a fabric having a top face and a bottom face and placing a barrier layer below the top face. A plurality of holes is established in the barrier layer, and dye is applied to at least a portion of the top face of the fabric. Vacuum applied to the bottom face pulls the dye through the fabric and the plurality of holes in the barrier layer.

Abstract: A planar floor covering is formed having a top face and a bottom face opposite the top face, a length, a width perpendicular to the length, a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a height between the top surface and the bottom surface, and physical properties or characteristics that vary across at least one of the length, the width and the height. The physical properties or characteristics include material composition, weight, density, directionality, stiffness, compressibility, elasticity and thickness.

Abstract: Stabilizing a textile sheet structure was achieved by forming a plurality of discrete fiber tufts extending from a first face of a fibrous layer of the textile sheet structure, through the fibrous layer and beyond a second face opposite the first face. Each discrete fiber tuft included a plurality discrete fibers. Each discrete fiber tuft was anchored to the first face and the second face of the fibrous layer by joining together the plurality of each discrete fiber tuft at the first face and the second face and bonding the joined plurality of discrete fiber tuft to the first face and the second face.