POLYESTER-BASED FABRICS AND RELATED PRODUCTS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME

Abstract

A fabric comprising one or more manmade yarns and one or more natural yarns, wherein the one or more manmade yarns comprise more than 50% by weight of the total yarn of the fabric. The manmade yarn is preferably made of polyester fibers and the natural yarn is preferably made of cotton fibers. The cotton yarn may be any of 100% cotton, Indian cotton, Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, Supima cotton, and cotton mixed with a manmade or a cellulosic fiber. The polyester yarn may be any of 100% polyester, polyester mixed with another manmade fiber, a texturized or multi-texturized polyester yarn, and polyester mixed with cotton or cellulosic fiber. The warp yarn or yarns may be a combination of one or more manmade yarns and one or more natural yarns, and the weft yarn or yarns comprise a combination of one or more manmade yarns and one or more natural yarns.

Description

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fabrics and fabric products. More specifically, the present invention relates to fabrics comprising a combination of manmade fibers and natural fibers. More particularly, the present invention also relates to fabrics comprising a combination of polyester and cotton fibers wherein polyester fibers form a majority of the combination. The present invention includes a method for making such fabrics, and bedding fabrics specifically.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

There is a wide array of fabric products for a wide array of uses. Examples of fabric products that a person may come in contact with include bedding, clothing and towels. Of course, other fabric products exist. Fabric products comprising such consumer products must comply with a range of characteristics of interest to people. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, the feel or “hand” of the fabric, the strength of the fabric, the appearance of the fabric, the durability of the fabric, the ease of cleaning the fabric, minimum wrinkling, if any, production convenience, and pricing. These are not the only characteristics of interest but they represent primary ones of interest.

These desired fabric characteristics tend to compete with one another, with some characteristics more desirable than others dependent on the particular products made with the fabrics. That is, for example, it may be more important to have good durability and less feel concern for a towel, but better feel and less durability concern for a shirt. These competing characteristics have led fabric manufacturers to combine different fabric components together to take advantage of the beneficial features of those components in a single fabric product. However, there continue to exist limitations on the combination of characteristics that can reside in a single fabric product.

Commercial woven and nonwoven fabrics are typically comprised of yarns made of a plurality of fibers that are twisted together. The yarns may be made of natural fibers, such as cotton, and man-made fibers, such as synthetic polymers formed into fibers such as polyester fibers. These fabrics are typically produced with one or more yarns that are joined together by weaving, stitching or other forms of joining. The yarns selected to make fabrics are chosen based on the desired characteristics of the fabric. Synthetic yarns are generally made of any of a variety of polymers and are made with fibers of different thicknesses and shapes. The yarns are formed of a plurality of fibers twisted together into a bundle.

Synthetic yarns are identified by the polymer used, weight per unit length, referred to as its Denier, and the number of fiber filaments used to make it. For example, a 75×72 polyester yarn has a Denier of 75 made with 72 filaments twisted together. A “fiber” is a unit of matter, either natural or manmade that forms the basic element of fabrics and other textile structures. A “filament” on the other hand, is a fiber of indefinite length. It can be found in natural materials, such as silk, for example, but is more commonly available in manufactured materials. Manufactured fibers are extruded into filaments that are converted into filament yarn, staple or tow. A “filament yarn” is composed of continuous filaments that may or may not be twisted together. A “spun yarn” is a yarn of staple fibers usually held together by twist or a melt-spun fiber before it is drawn. A “textured yarn” is a yarn that develops stretch and bulk on subsequent processing.

As noted, fabrics are made with combinations of materials because it is difficult to provide all desired fabric characteristics with a single yarn formed with a single natural or synthetic material. For example, a fabric may be made of a polyester yarn tends to be wrinkle-free while a fabric made of a cotton yarn has a desirable feel for most users. Polyester yarns tend to be easier to manufacture and, so, tend to be less expensive than cotton yarns to make into fabric products. Additional features and limitations of note regarding materials used to make fabrics such as bedding fabrics in particular include, but are not limited to:

Polyester is cheaper than cotton;

Filament (manmade) yarn is easier to make than natural (cotton) yarn, so that manufacturers tend to prefer using filament yarns, which can reduce the price of fabrics that contain primarily natural yarns;

Existing Chief Value Cotton (CVC), which comprises a majority of cotton and a minority of polyester filaments, while desirable to a certain extent, can still wrinkle;

The tensile strength and durability of fabrics made primarily with manmade fibers is less than those made of manmade filaments;

CVC fabrics tend to be less shiny than fabrics made completely of manmade materials, and cotton fabrics have essentially no shine;

Cotton yarns are not as “silky” as polyester yarns and so polyester yarns may be softer to the touch;

Cotton is difficult to wash and to dry, and harder to maintain wrinkle-free without ironing;

Cotton tends to pill;

Cotton is generally perceived to feel better to the touch than does manmade yarns;

The price of cotton is more variable than is desired by manufacturers, that is, cotton prices vary substantially depending on the crop and other seasonal factors, which are hard to predict, while manmade fibers tend to be more price stable; and

Cotton is not as durable as manmade fiber, and so its existence as the majority component in a fabric product is not suitable for all applications, including in the hospitality industry, for example.

What is needed is a fabric product that combines the best features of manmade fibers and natural fibers. In particular, what is needed is a fabric product that is affordable to make and sell, that has good feel with limited pilling and is durable for the anticipated usage. What is further needed is such a fabric and related method of making such a fabric that can be used to produce affordable, high quality, bedding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric product that combines the best features of manmade fibers and natural fibers. It is also an object of the invention to provide a fabric product that is affordable to make and sell, that has good feel with limited pilling and is durable for the anticipated usage. A further object of the invention is to provide such a fabric and related method of making such a fabric that can be used to produce affordable, high quality, bedding. In particular, the bedding includes, but is not limited to, flat sheets, fitted sheets, duvets, pillow covers, or any other similar article, all sold individually or in any combination thereof.

These and other objects are achieved with the present invention, which is a fabric product that is formed of one or more manmade fibers and one or more natural fibers in which the manmade fibers are a majority of the fibers used to make the fabric. The manmade fibers are polymeric fibers including polyester, nylon and acrylic, and the natural fibers are selected from cotton, wool, silk and alpaca.

The fabric of the present invention is formed by weaving or knitting a plurality of yarns, wherein the yarns are made of fibers comprising at least the one or more manmade fibers and the one or more natural fibers. The fabric comprising one or more manmade fibers, which may be referred to herein as manmade yarns, and one or more natural yarns, which may be referred to herein as natural yarns, is configured with the one or more manmade yarns comprise more than 50% by weight of the total yarn of the fabric, and the one or more natural yarns comprising less than 50% by weight of the total yarn of the fabric. In one instance, the one or more manmade yarns is a polyester yarn and the one or more natural yarns is a cotton yarn. The cotton yarn may be chosen from the group consisting of 100% cotton, Indian cotton, Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, Supima cotton, and cotton mixed with a manmade or a cellulosic fiber. The cotton can have a count in the range of NE 20 to NE 120 but is not limited thereto. The polyester yarn may be chosen from the group consisting of 100% polyester, polyester mixed with another manmade fiber, a texturized or multi-texturized polyester yarn, and polyester mixed with cotton or cellulosic fiber. The polyester yarn may be formed of filaments in the range of 8 Denier to 250 denier and the filament count is in the range of 14 to 324 but is not limited thereto. The fabric may be woven and the weave may be selected from Percale, 4/1 Satin, 5/1 Satin, 2/1 Twill, 2/2 Twill, Jacquard, and Dobby but is not limited thereto. Weaving may be carried out on one or more of Sulzer Looms, Rapier Looms, Waterjet Looms, or Airjet Looms, but not limited thereto. The fabric can be formed into bedding with a thread count in the range of 120 to 2500 but is not limited thereto.

The fabric may also be configured with a plurality of yarns in a warp orientation and a plurality of yarns in a weft orientation, wherein the warp yarns comprise a combination of one or more manmade yarns and one or more natural yarns, the weft yarns comprise a combination of one or more manmade yarns and one or more natural yarns, and wherein the one or more manmade yarns of the warp and weft together comprise more than 50% by weight of the total yarn of the fabric. Any yarn described herein regarding the fabric includes any sort of filament yarn, as well as yarns with any desirable characteristic of interest including, but not limited to, yarns with moisture-wicking properties, yarns with cooling properties, yarns with anti-microbial properties, as well as yarns made with any other such characteristics of interest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a close-up view of a fabric of the present invention showing a general form of the fabric as including a plurality of warp yarns and a single weft yarn in a plain weave configuration.

FIG. 2 is a simplified representation of a 4/1 Satin weave of the fabric.

FIG. 3 is a simplified representation of a 5/1 Satin weave of the fabric.

FIG. 4 is a simplified representation of a 2/1 Twill weave of the fabric.

FIG. 5 is a simplified representation of a 2/2 Twill weave of the fabric.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing the general steps, some of which are optional, that may be taken to carry out a method of making the fabric of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a table representing the results of tests conducted on a fabric example of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a fabric that may be single-ply or multi-ply. The fabric is formed of a combination of yarns with the yarns being made of fibers. At least one of the fibers used is a manmade fiber that may be polyester, and the manmade portion of the fabric forms a majority by weight of the fabric content. At least one of the other fibers used is a natural fiber that may be cotton. The fabric is less expensive than cotton as it is not fully made of cotton. The manmade fiber of the fabric produces a filament yarn, which filament yarn is easier to make than cotton yarn and so fabric productivity is improved than when manufacturing a fabric of cotton alone. That improved productivity can lead to lower manufacturing costs. In addition, there is a tendency for reasonable price stability for manmade fibers as opposed to the price uncertainty that can be experienced with natural fibers such as cotton, which can be subject to adverse impact from weather conditions required to produce those fibers. That price stability aids in the manufacturing process. The fabric including a majority of the manmade fiber by weight is a more wrinkle-free fabric than a fabric made of the natural fiber alone or in a majority by weight and has better wrinkle-free characteristics than CVC.

The fabric of the present invention made with the majority by weight manmade fiber based yarn has better tensile strength and durability than does a fabric made primarily with a natural fiber based yarn, including cotton or CVC. This is of great utility when the fabric is subjected to substantial and regular stress, such as occurs for commercial bedding, including in the hospitality industry, that must be rigorously cleaned on a regular basis. That fabric is also easier to clean, faster to dry, and requires little to no ironing given its substantially wrinkle-free characteristic. For those consumers interested in having a “shiny” fabric product, such as bedding, for example, use of a majority of manmade fiber in the product improves shine and gives a richer fabric appearance than does cotton alone or CVC. In addition, the fabric made with a majority of manmade fiber is softer to the touch and has a better hand feel than does a fabric made solely or primarily with natural fibers.

The fabric of the present invention that combines the manmade fiber based yarn with the natural fiber based yarn such as cotton eliminates some undesirable characteristics of natural fibers including, but not limited to, a reduction in pilling and an increase in durability. The present fabric includes positive qualities of natural fibers, including the feel of a natural fiber-based yarn, particularly in an embodiment of the invention in which fabric is produced with the natural fiber yarn of the fabric positioned as the “top” portion of the fabric; that is, as either or both of the exterior surfaces of the fabric.

The fabric of the present invention includes more than 50% content by weight of yarn made with manmade fiber components and less than 50% by weight of yarn made with natural fiber components. As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the fabric 10 of the present invention, which is shown in single-ply form, includes a plurality of warp yarns 12 through which at least one weft yarn 14 is woven or knitted. It is to be understood that the weft yarn 14 may be a single, integral yarn or it may be a plurality of yarns. When the weft yarn 14 is a plurality of yarns, the plurality of yarns may be fastened together, such as by tying, for example, or they may be separately woven or knitted through the warp yarns 12. When formed by the warp and weft yarns 12/14, the fabric 10 has a front side 16 and a back side 17, which is opposite the front side 16.

The warp and weft yarns 12/14 include a plurality of fibers. (Hereinafter, whenever the term “yarn” is not referred to specifically as either a “warp yarn” or a “weft yarn”, it is to be understood that “yarn” is to include both a “warp yarn” and a “weft yarn”.) The fibers of the yarns 12/14 are formed of a combination of manmade materials and natural materials comprising polyester and cotton. Specifically, the warp yarn 12 may be formed of cotton, CVC, cotton mixed with one or more other manmade or natural fibers including cellulosic fibers, polyester, or polyester mixed with any other manmade fibers. The warp yarn 12 is made with a density in the range of 64 Reed (Ends) to 240 Reed (Ends) per inch. The weft yarn 14 may also formed of cotton, CVC, cotton mixed with one or more other manmade or natural fibers including cellulosic fibers, polyester, or polyester mixed with any other manmade fibers. The weft yarn 14 may be made in the range of 30 Pick to 120 Pick, without limitation, up to any number of insertions for a single-ply yarn, a multi-ply yarn or a parallel yarn.

The cotton used to make the fabric 10 of the present invention may be selected from the group including 100% cotton, Indian cotton, Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, Supima cotton, and CVC. The cotton count (Number English or “NE”) is preferably NE 20 to NE 120 but is not limited thereto. The polyester used to make the fabric 10 of the present invention may be selected from the group including 100% polyester, textured or multi-textured polyester yarn, polyester combined with one or more other manmade fibers, and polyester mixed with one or more natural fibers. Filament thickness of the polyester component of the fabric 10 may be in the range of 8 denier to 250 denier but is not limited thereto. The weave of the fabric 10 may be any of Satin (FIGS. 2 and 3), Twill (FIGS. 4 and 5), Jacquard, Dobby, and any combination thereof. Further, the Satin weave may be a 4/1 weave (FIG. 2) or a 5/1 weave (FIG. 3), for example, and the Twill weave may be a 2/1 weave (FIG. 4) or a 2/2 weave (FIG. 5), for example. The weave may also be a Percale weave.

A fabrication method 100 of the present invention suitable for forming the fabric 10 of the first embodiment of the invention includes a plurality of steps, several of which are optional, in the fabrication of the first embodiment of the fabric. Generally, the steps of the method 100 may be carried out as shown in FIG. 6. In step 110, one or more warp yarns are selected wherein the warp yarns may be formed of or include cellulosic fibers, and in step 112, one or more weft yarns are selected, wherein the weft yarns may be formed of or include spun and/or texturized yarns. In step 114, a weave or knit is chosen. In step 116, the fabric 10 is formed by weaving or knitting the selected warp yarn and selected weft yarn together. For purposes of the description of the present invention, the two terms may be used interchangeably, such that when it is stated that the method 100 includes a weaving step, that means weaving or knitting the yarns together. In optional step 118, the fabric 10 may be sized simultaneously with the step 116 of weaving. In optional step 120, the fabric 10 may be pre-treated to prepare it for subsequent dyeing and/or printing, for example, or for any other purpose. In optional step 120, the woven fabric 10 may be further processed as desired to produce a finished product, such as bedding, for example.

The skilled artisan will recognize that the yarns 12/14 may be woven or knitted to form the fabric 10 by using any one or more of a variety of techniques that are well known in the art. For example, the skilled artisan will recognize that such weaving may be carried by using an air jet frame, and that such knitting may be carried out by using a 28-gauge double loop circular frame, but the method 100 is not restricted or limited to using these exact type of machines. Other weaving methods include, but are not limited to, the use of Airjet Looms, Sulzer Looms, Rapier Looms, and Waterjet Looms in manners known to those of skill in the art. Further description of manufacturing steps and equipment suitable for making the fabric 10 of the present invention is provided in the course materials document of Professors Emel Onder and Omer Berkalp in the Istanbul Technical University course entitled “Weaving Technology II Basic Operations in Weaving Process” available at

The content of that course materials document is incorporated herein by reference but is not intended to be limiting.

EXAMPLE

A fabric of the present invention was manufactured and tested for fabric characteristics of interest. Specifically, a woven fabric of 60×15 Denier configuration was manufactured and was formed with a polyester yarn and a cotton yarn, with the cotton forming the warp component of the fabric and the polyester forming the weft component of the fabric, with the polyester yarn comprising more than 50% by weight of the weight of the fabric. A sample of the manufactured fabric was delivered to Intertek India Private Limited, an independent fabric testing facility located in Kanjurmarg (West), Mumbai, India. The Intertek testing of the fabric example of the present invention was conducted and the results are shown in FIG. 7. It can be seen by those skilled in the art from the test results that the structural and wear characteristics of an example of the fabric of the present invention with a combination of manmade and natural fibers including a majority of manmade fibers are positively comparable to corresponding characteristics of fabrics with a combination of manmade and natural fibers made with a minority amount of manmade fibers. Specifically, the tensile and tear strengths of the fabric are consistent with that which is desired in fabric products including but not limited to bedding. Further, the color fastness, absorbency and shrinkage characteristics are also consistent with that which is desired in fabric products including but not limited to bedding.

The skilled artisan will recognize that the fabric 10 of the present invention having more than 50% by weight of manmade yarn may be used for any one or more of a large variety of purposes and to partially or wholly form any one or more of a large variety of products. For example, the fabric 10 may be used to partially or wholly form apparel or non-apparel products such as bedding, towels, and clothing, but not limited thereto.

The present invention has been described with respect to various examples. Nevertheless, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described by the following claims.

Claims

1-19. (canceled)

20. A bedding product comprising:

a fitted sheet and one or more of a flat sheet, a pillow cover, and a duvet cover,

wherein the fitted sheet and the one or more of the flat sheet, the pillow cover, and the duvet cover are each formed of a fabric comprising a polyester yarn and at least one cotton yarn, wherein the polyester yarn comprises more than 50% of the total weight of the fabric.

21. The bedding product of claim 20 wherein the natural yarn is cotton yarn and the cotton yarn is chosen from the group consisting of 100% cotton, Indian cotton, Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, Supima cotton, and cotton mixed with a manmade or a cellulosic fiber.

22. The bedding product of claim 21 wherein the cotton has a weight in the range of NE 20 to NE 120.

23. The bedding product of claim 20 wherein the polyester yarn is chosen from the group consisting of 100% polyester, polyester mixed with another manmade fiber, a texturized or multi-texturized polyester yarn, and polyester mixed with cotton or cellulosic fiber.

24. The bedding product of claim 23 wherein the polyester yarn is formed of filaments in the range of 8 Denier to 250 denier and the filament count is in the range of 14 to 324.

25. The bedding product of claim 20 wherein the fabric is woven and the weave is selected from one or more of Percale, 4/1 Satin, 5/1 Satin, 2/1 Twill, 2/2 Twill, Jacquard, and Dobby.

26. The bedding product of claim 25 wherein there are a plurality of weaves.

27. The bedding product of claim 19 wherein the fabric has a thread count in the range of 120 to 2500.

28. A fabric comprising a polyester yarn and at least one cotton yarn, wherein the polyester yarn comprises more than 50% of the total weight of the fabric, and wherein the polyester yarn is formed of filaments in the range of 8 Denier to 250 Denier and the filament count is in the range of 14 to 324, and wherein the fabric has a thread count in the range of 120 to 2500.

29. The fabric of claim 28 wherein the cotton yarn is chosen from the group consisting of 100% cotton, Indian cotton, Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton, Supima cotton, and cotton mixed with a manmade or a cellulosic fiber.

30. The fabric of claim 28 wherein the polyester yarn is chosen from the group consisting of 100% polyester, polyester mixed with another manmade fiber, a texturized or multi-texturized polyester yarn, and polyester mixed with cotton or cellulosic fiber.