Abstract: An air delivery conduit for conveying breathable gas from a positive airway pressure device to a patient interface includes a tubular wall structure constructed from a textile material. A reinforcing structure may be provided to the wall structure that is structured to prevent kinking or collapsing of the wall structure. The wall structure may include a warp having a plurality of lengthwise textile warp threads arranged in a circle and a weft having a textile weft thread that is woven through the warp threads.

Abstract: A method of producing three-dimensional fabric in flat panels of variable thickness, variable cross sections, wide widths and continuous lengths consisting of stiff wires as the longitudinal fibers and consisting of transverse fibers arranged in a transverse diagonal fabric pattern. A hybrid weaving/knitting machine that is used to produce this fabric by performing the following functions. The rows of longitudinal wires are spread apart vertically to create diagonal yarn corridors between the wires. Knitting needles insert transverse yarns in the diagonal corridors. The spread wires are compressed at the fell of the fabric to the final fabric thickness. The inserted transverse yarns are moved to the fell of the fabric, pulled tight and beat into the completed fabric. The right and left edges of the fabric are bound with the transverse yarns.

Abstract: A needle for carrying out operation with flexible cords, roves or threads, for fabricating armatures by a multi-directional weaving, the needle having an elongated body having a free end of the body, and an eye being a closed loop which extends outside the body of the needle and which is shaped and disposed relative to the body so as to avoid laterally projecting beyond the space defined by the width of the elongated body. The loop is delimited by two parallel side walls which extend transversely relative to the elongated body from a side of the elongated body and by a pin for guiding the cords, roves or threads which interconnects the two side walls.

Abstract: A method and device for forming a three-dimensional fabric continously is disclosed. The fabric has a plurality of warp yarns arranged in a two-dimensional array and two sets of weft yarns are interwoven with the weft yarns to form alternate courses. The courses of corresponding weft yarns are interlocked at opposite sides to form a fabric with high dimensional stability to resist deforming. The method and device can be operated at high speed to produce fabrics of any length.

Abstract: The invention concerns the production of deformable hollow reinforcements of revolution by a three-dimensional weaving. In a network of rods 18 held and rotated about a vertical axis 11 by rotary perforated plates 52, 53, 54, there are inserted in oblique crossed directions, i.e. non-radial directions, threads in the form of chain stitch loops produced by a knitting device 32. The chain stitches are downwardly compacted by the lower edge of the plate 52 which is inclined for this purpose.

Abstract: The invention relates to woven hollow structures.Its object is to provide a method and a machine making it possible to obtain hollow reinforcements of revolution by three-dimensional weaving using rods 11, circumferential yarns 12 and radial yarns 13. In the network of rods 11 made to rotate around the axis 16 are introduced and woven the yarns 12 and 13, the latter being knitted by a needle 28 in the form of a chain stitch, and the helical layers of yarns thus formed, resting on a plate 20 to which is imparted a progressive downward movement, slide along the rods 11 and are tamped by fingers 30 over which is mounted a pressure plate 38.Application to the fabrication of woven reinforcements of complex shape for hollow bodies of revolution in plastic material.