Elastic fabrics, two-component multifilament yarns and methods for preparing a two-component multifilament yarn.

Description

1 / 18 “ELASTIC FABRICS, TWO-COMPONENT MULTIFILAMENT YARNS AND METHODS FOR PREPARING A MULTIFILAMENT YARN "Two-component" Field of invention

[0001] The invention includes fabrics and yarns including bicomponent multifilament polyester yarns. The yarns have improved bulk and provide a more desirable feel in fabrics compared to traditional bicomponent yarns. Summary of Related Technology

[0002] The two-component polyester yarn made of polyethylene terephthalate and polytrimethylene terephthalate in a side-by-side or eccentric sheath core configuration (or any fiber that meets the FTC definition of elasterellp) will have as a distinctive property a coiled structure (also known as spiral crimp) that comes from the differential shrinkage of the two components in the side-by-side fiber. The polyethylene terephthalate or polytrimethylene terephthalate, each present in distinct domains in the fiber, in a side-by-side configuration along the length of the fiber, shrink to a different extent, and when this happens, the fiber is forced to form a coiled structure.

[0003] For textile applications, the bicomponent fiber is sold as a multifilament bundle called 'yarn' (for example, sold commercially as LYCRA®T400® fiber by The LYCRA Company). This yarn is composed of several filaments, each with a thickness between 0.9 and 3.0 denier per filament. A typical yarn would have a total denier of 50, composed of 34 filaments. Other examples include 70-denier-68 filaments, 150-denier-72 filaments, etc. Any total yarn denier is possible by combining multiples of the individual filaments from 0.9 to 3.0 denier.

[0004] A common consumer complaint about fabrics made Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 34 / 58 One of the 2 / 18 characteristics of this fiber is that the touch is rough. This is believed to be due to the high shrinkage and coiled nature of the fiber, an inherent property of the fiber, as recognized in the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) definition of elasterell-p. The FTC defines elasterell-p as a fiber formed by the interaction of two or more chemically distinct polymers (none of which exceeds 85% by weight) that contains ester groups as the dominant functional unit (at least 85% by weight of the total polymer content of the fiber) and that, if stretched at least 100%, durably and rapidly returns to its unstretched length when the tension is removed.

[0005] Applying any process that causes the fiber to shrink (which may include immersion in water above 40°C, application of steam or dry heat above 60°C) causes all the individual filaments to contract into a tight multifilament bobbin. This multifilament bobbin no longer has the benefit of being composed of individual filaments of 0.9 to 3.0 denier, but the yarn has the tactile characteristics of the much higher denier, which is a result of the combination of the deniers of the individual filaments. It is well recognized in the industry and by consumers that finer yarns (lower denier) have a more desirable feel and therefore, in elasterell-p fabrics, this tight multifilament bobbin results in an undesirable feel compared to a similar denier yarn made of homofiber filaments. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In order to improve the feel-to-the-touch of fabrics that include a bicomponent polyester, such as elastomultiester, also known as elastomultiester, the applicant sought to break the coil in a yarn formed by the inherent crimp in the filament structure. This was overcome by the development of a novel bicomponent multifilament yarn that reduces the yarn's ability to shrink into a tight multifilament bundle. A Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 35 / 58 3 / 18 Reduced shrinkage capacity in a tight bundle in yarn is made possible by manufacturing the yarn from filaments that have different filament deniers, filaments with oval cross-sections, filaments with mixed cross-sections, filaments with mixed polymer ratios, or filaments with a sufficiently low curl potential (CP) combined with low curl shrinkage (CS) that reduces the tendency of the filaments to compact. Each of these alternatives can be combined to provide different characteristics to the yarn.

[0007] For the above example of different filament deniers, in the case of an existing 50 denier yarn composed of 34 filaments, it would contain 34 individual filaments, each (50 / 34 = 1.47 denier). This means that all 34 filaments have the same properties and the same degree of potential to form spiral crimps when exposed to conditions that lead to shrinkage. Surprisingly, we have found that a spinneret for fiber spinning can be used to supply these 34 filaments with a variety of deniers (e.g., 50 denier yarn composed of 12 1.3 denier filaments, 12 1.5 denier filaments, and 10 1.7 denier filaments).This denier variation leads to variation in the polymer orientation in the fiber, which leads to variation in the degree of spiral crimp formation in the yarn, providing sufficient variation in the yarn bundle to disrupt the multifilament bobbin structure so that the individual fibers become less tightly bound and therefore provide an effective lower denier for hand feel when touched by the consumer. The invention includes the fiber and the fiber manufacturing process using holes of various sizes in the spinneret, along with the fiber spinning process that results in a yarn that continues to have sufficient spiral crimp development to provide the elastic properties to the fabric recognized as inherent to Elasterell-p. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 36 / 58 4 / 18

[0008] Figure 1 is a FACE image of both fabrics of the circular fiber knit fabric from example 1A.

[0009] Figure 2 is an image of the BACK side of both layers of the circular knit fabric from Example 1A.

[0010] Figure 3 is a FACE image of both fabrics of the circular fiber knit fabric from example 1AC.

[0011] Figure 4 is an image of the BACK side of both layers of the circular knit fabric from Example 1AC. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The fabrics described herein include bicomponent polyester fabric and may include other fibers. Bicomponent polyester filaments are spun into yarn from filaments exhibiting one or more of the following: different filament deniers, filaments with oval cross-sections, filaments with mixed cross-sections, filaments with mixed polymer ratios, or filaments with a sufficiently low curl potential (CP) combined with low curl shrinkage (CS) that reduces the tendency of the filaments to compact. Each of these alternatives can be combined to provide different characteristics to the yarn.

[0013] In one aspect of the invention, a bicomponent multifilament yarn is provided having at least one bicomponent first filament and a bicomponent second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament are selected independently and differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof.

[0014] In another aspect of the invention, an elastic fabric is provided comprising a bicomponent multifilament yarn having at least one first bicomponent filament and a second bicomponent filament, wherein Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 37 / 58 5 / 18 The first filament and the second filament are selected independently and differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof.

[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the elastic fabric further comprises a second yarn. The second yarn can be selected from materials such as cotton, polyester, polyurethane, polyolefin, polyamide and combinations thereof.

[0016] In one aspect of the invention, the elastic fabric may include a knitted or woven elastic fabric.

[0017] In a desirable aspect of the invention, the first component and the second component of the two-component yarn may include a polyester selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate.

[0018] In another aspect of the invention, the deniers per filament (dpf) in the bicomponent multifilament yarn can be from about 20 to about 150 dpf. Desirably, the dpf can range from about 30 to about 100, about 40 to about 90, about 50 to about 80, and about 60 to about 75.

[0019] In another aspect of the invention, the dpf range of the bicomponent multifilament yarn can be from about 0.8 to about 4.0, 1.0 to about 3.0, 1.5 to about 2.5 and 2 to about 4. In a desirable aspect of the invention, the dpf range in the bicomponent multifilament yarn can be from about 1.0 to about 3.5.

[0020] In another aspect of the invention, the ratio of the first component to the second component can be from about 30:70 to about 70:30.

[0021] In another aspect of the invention, the cross-section of the filament has an aspect ratio of 1.5:1 or greater. In another aspect of Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 38 / 58 6 / 18 invention, the cross-sectional shape of the filament can be round, oval, snowman-shaped, or ribbon-shaped.

[0022] In another aspect of the invention, the ripple shrinkage (CS) can be from about 0.5% to about 10%, calculated as described herein. Desirably, the ripple shrinkage can be from about 2% to about 8%, about 4% to about 10%, about 4% to about 8%, and about 5% to about 10%.

[0023] In another aspect of the invention, the ripple potential can be from about CP 40% to about 70%, from about 45% to about 65% and from 55% to about 70%.

[0024] In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for preparing a bicomponent multifilament yarn including at least one bicomponent first filament and a bicomponent second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first component of the filament to a second component of the filament; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof, including the steps of extruding a polymer including a first component and a second component for each filament through separate holes in a spinneret; wherein one or more of the following are present: (a) the holes differ in size; (b) the holes differ in cross-section; (c) within each of the holes, the first component and the second component have different ratios; and (d) combinations of (a)-(c).

[0025] In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for preparing a bicomponent multifilament yarn, wherein a first bicomponent filament is prepared by selecting one or more of the characteristics of (a), (b) or (c), as mentioned above, and a second bicomponent filament is also prepared by selecting one or more of the characteristics of (a), (b) Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 39 / 58 7 / 18 or (c) that are the same as or different from the first bicomponent; and wherein both the first and second are combined into a single multifilament yarn by means of entanglement, twisting or air-jet texturing process. In one aspect of the invention, there may be some, but not complete, overlap of the chosen features between the first and second bicomponent multifilament yarns. In another aspect of the invention, there may be complete overlap of the chosen features between the first and second bicomponent multifilament yarns.

[0026] In a particularly useful aspect of the invention, the bicomponent multifilament yarns may include poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), wherein the bicomponent filaments may have a substantially oval cross-sectional shape with an A:B aspect ratio of about 2:1 to about 5:1, wherein A is a length of the major axis of the fiber cross-section and B is a length of the minor axis of the fiber cross-section; wherein the yarns may have a polymer interface substantially perpendicular to the major axis; and wherein the yarns may include a cross-sectional configuration selected from side-by-side and eccentric sheath-core configurations.

[0027] In a particularly useful aspect of the invention, an elastic fabric is provided including a two-component multifilament yarn including 2GT / 3GT, wherein the ripple potential can be from about 40% to about 70% and the ripple shrinkage can be from about 0.5% to about 8%. In another particularly useful aspect of the invention, an elastic fabric is provided including a two-component multifilament yarn including 2GT / 3GT, wherein the ripple potential can be from about less than 60% and the ripple shrinkage can be from about 0.5% to about 6%.

[0028] Two-component filaments with different crimp characteristics can be extruded simultaneously from a die including Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 40 / 58 8 / 18 holes of different sizes or shapes are then combined to form a two-component multifilament yarn as described herein.

[0029] Alternatively, the bicomponent filaments can be prepared and extruded through separate dies and subsequently combined into a single multifilament bicomponent yarn including the different filaments. The filaments can be combined by any known process, such as twisting or air jet interlacing.

[0030] The bicomponent filaments described herein may be of any of a variety of different cross-sections. This may include round, oval, ribbon, scalloped oval, keyhole and snowman, among others.

[0031] Bicomponent filaments of different cross-sections may be ribbon-like, such as those disclosed in US7195819B2, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0032] As used herein, bicomponent fibers means staple fibers in which two polymers of the same general class are in a side-by-side or eccentric sheath-core relationship or configuration.

[0033] As used herein, the term “side-by-side” means that the two components of the bicomponent fiber are immediately adjacent to each other and that no more than a small portion of either component is within a concave portion of the other component. Eccentric sheath-core means that one of the two components completely surrounds the other component, but that the two components are not coaxial.

[0034] As used herein, substantially oval means that an area of ​​a cross-section of the fiber, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fiber, deviates by less than about 20% from that of an oval shape. The general term oval includes ovoid (egg-shaped) and elliptical in its meaning. This shape typically has two axes at right angles. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 41 / 58 9 / 18 through the center of the shape, a major axis (A) and a minor axis (B), where the length of the major axis A is greater than the length of the minor axis B. In the special case of a perfect ellipse, the oval is described by a locus of points whose sum of the distances from two foci is constant and equal to A. In the more general case of an ovoid, one end of the oval may be larger than the other, so that the sum of the distances from two foci is not necessarily constant and may vary by 20% or more of the ellipse.

[0035] As used herein, a substantially oval cross-sectional periphery may or may not have constant curvature.

[0036] Screen ratio means the ratio between the length of the major axis (A) of the oval and the length of the minor axis (B) of the oval, in other words, A:B.

[0037] “Polymer interface” means that the boundary between the polymeric fibers used meets, for example, the boundary between poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(trimethylene terephthalate). The polymer interface can be substantially linear or curved.

[0038] Intimate mixing means the gravimetric and complete mixing process of different fibers in an opening chamber (e.g., with a weighing hopper feeder) before feeding the mixture into the carding machine or mixing the fibers in a double feed chute into the carding machine. Sieve mixing means the process of mixing carded bicomponent fiber slivers with one or more other carded fiber slivers while the slivers are drawn through the sieve.

[0039] The fibers of the invention desirably have a substantially oval cross-sectional shape with an A:B aspect ratio of about 2:1 to about 5:1 (examples include about 2.6:1 to about 3.9:1 and about 3.1:1 to about 3.9:1). When the aspect ratio is too high or too low, the fiber may exhibit undesirable brightness and low dye yield. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 42 / 58 10 / 18 and the spun yarn that makes up the fiber may be insufficiently uniform. The fiber also has a polymer interface substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the cross-section and a free fiber length retention of about 40% to about 85%. These oval filaments can be spun from spinneret holes that are groove-shaped (flat or with lateral protrusions), oval, and similar.

[0040] The oval cross-section shape is substantially free of grooves on the periphery of the cross-section. That is, there is only one maximum when the length of the minor axis is plotted against the length of the major axis. Examples of cross-section shapes that have grooves are snowman, scalloped oval, and keyhole cross-sections.

[0041] Bicomponent filaments may also include different polymer ratios, as shown in US20060008644, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0042] By varying the ratio of polymer fed to the individual openings of a spinneret, such as using the method described in U.S. Patent No. 3,671,379 to Evans et al., a single spinneret can be used to produce multiple fibers, each having varying ratios of distinct polymers. These fibers can then be wound into a mixed-ratio bicomponent fiber yarn without the need to separately wind other yarns to form a larger yarn. The various bicomponent fibers, or yarns of these fibers, with mixed component ratios, are combined to form a single yarn that can be used for knitting fabrics.

[0043] The weight ratio of the individual bicomponent fibers of the yarn of the invention can be any weight ratio of one component to the other, but typically the ratio can be between about 75 / 25 to 25 / 75, more typically between about 70 / 30 to 30 / 70. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 43 / 58 11 / 18

[0044] Regardless of the weight ratios of the individual fibers, the total or net weight ratio of the components in the yarn can be from about 45 / 55 to about 75 / 25, wherein the first number represents the component that has the smaller repeating unit of mass. Preferably, the total net weight ratio can be asymmetrical, favoring larger quantities of the component that has the smaller repeating unit, i.e., PET, in preferred embodiments of the invention using, for example, PET and PTT as components.

[0045] The weight ratios of one component to another can vary between the fibers within the yarn, thus creating mixed-ratio bicomponent fibers. The components of various filaments can typically differ by about 10 percent by weight or more in any given yarn. For example, a yarn might typically include multiple bicomponent fibers of 30 / 70, 40 / 60, 50 / 50, 60 / 40, and 70 / 30, but not typically 30 / 70, 33 / 67, 50 / 50, 67 / 33, and 70 / 30. Differences smaller than about 10 percent by weight may not produce bicomponent fibers with sufficient differences in crimp frequency to achieve the most desirable levels of leader-follower type avoidance.

[0046] Once spun, the yarns can be used to knit fabrics that have desirable characteristics, such as a soft and silky feel.

[0047] Another suitable two-component filament may be one that includes a CP of about 40 to about 70 and where the CS may be below about 8. For example, a useful two-component filament may have a CP of about 40 to about 60, 50 to about 65; and a CS of about 1 to about 6. The methods for preparing such fibers are well known and described in US6868662B2, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0048] The ripple potential (RP) and ripple contraction (RC) were determined by measuring the length of a skein of yarn under Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 44 / 58 12 / 18 standard loads before and after dry heat treatment. A 7000 denier (7778 dtex) skein sample (measured as folded) of % inch width was prepared from the yarn to be tested. The skein sample was mounted in the loader of a textured yarn tester (Texturmat-ME, Lawson Hemphill Sales Co.) and a 700 g (100 mg / d) load was applied for at least 10 seconds. The skein length was determined and reported as L1. The sample was removed from the tester, placed in a hot air oven (Lawson Hemphill Sales Co.) maintained at 121.0 ± 0.2°C for 5 minutes, removed from the oven and allowed to cool for 20 minutes. The sample was returned to the textured yarn tester, a 10.5 g (1.5 mg / d) load was applied and the skein length was recorded as L2. Finally, a 700 g load was applied again, and the skein length was determined and recorded as L3. % CP and % CS were calculated using the following formulas: % C (i) % CS ~ >4 XQO f 2 )

[0049] All samples in the Examples showed ripple shrinkage of 7-9%. Since ripple shrinkage % (CC%) is calculated as 100x(L3-L2) / L3, ripple potential is related to ripple shrinkage according to the following formula: CP=CCxL3 / L2 (3) and empirically by: CP=2.8xCC-43.9 (4).

[0050] A Ripple Potential value of 39% is equivalent to a Ripple Contraction value of 30%.

[0051] Returning now to the Figures, Figure 1 is an image of the face side of both fabrics of the circular knit fabric of the Example fiber. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 45 / 58 13 / 18 1A in this document. A two-component multifilament yarn was produced by melt spinning, obtaining a total denier of 50.7. This yarn was composed of 34 filaments. The CP was 67 and the CS was 8.5. The polymer ratio of each filament was 60% poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and 40% poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT). The total elongation at break was 22% and the tenacity at break was 4.3 grams per denier. The 34 individual filaments that make up the total 50.7 denier were of different deniers, ranging from 1.2 denier to 2.0 denier. A standard spinning finish was applied at 2.0% w / w to ensure good bundle formation and control of friction and static during subsequent knitting and weaving processes.

[0052] Figure 2 is an image of the back side of both layers of the circular fiber knit fabric from Example 1A in this document.

[0053] Figure 3 is a face-side image of both fabrics of the circular knit fabric of Example 1AC in this document. A two-component multifilament yarn was produced according to the process of Example 1A, in which the 34 filaments were all 1.5 dpf (denier per filament).

[0054] Figure 4 is an image of the back side of both layers of the circular fiber knit fabric from Example 1AC in this document. ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0055] (ASPECT 1) An elastic fabric comprising a bicomponent multifilament yarn having at least one bicomponent first filament and a bicomponent second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament are selected independently and differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof.

[0056] (ASPECT 2.). The elastic fabric of (ASPECT 1), Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 46 / 58 14 / 18 also including a second wire.

[0057] (ASPECT 3.) The elastic fabric of any of (ASPECTS 1-2), further comprising a second yarn selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, polyurethane, polyolefin, polyamide and combinations thereof.

[0058] (ASPECT 4.) The elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-3), wherein the elastic fabric is a knitted or woven elastic fabric.

[0059] (ASPECT 5.) The elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-4), wherein the denier of the bicomponent multifilament yarn is from about 20 to about 150.

[0060] (ASPECT 6.). The elastic fabric of any of (ASPECTS 1-5), wherein the first component and the second component of the bicomponent yarn include a polyester selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate.

[0061] (ASPECT 7.). The elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-6), wherein the denier range per filament in the bicomponent multifilament yarn is from about 0.8 to about 4.0.

[0062] (ASPECT 8.). The elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-7), wherein the denier range per filament in the bicomponent multifilament yarn is from about 1.0 to about 3.5.

[0063] (ASPECT 9.). The elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-8), wherein the ratio of the first component to the second component is about 30:70 to about 70:30.

[0064] (ASPECT 10.). The elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-9), in which the cross-section of the filament has an aspect ratio of 1.5:1 or greater.

[0065] (ASPECT 11.). The elastic fabric of any of the Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 47 / 58 15 / 18 (ASPECTS 1-10), where the cross-section of the filament is selected as round, oval, snowman or ribbon.

[0066] (ASPECT 12.). Elastic fabric of any of the (ASPECTS 1-11), wherein the ripple shrinkage is from about 0.5% to about 10%.

[0067] (ASPECT 13.). The elastic tissue of any of the (ASPECTS 1-12), in which the ripple potential is from about 40 CP 40% to about 70%.

[0068] (ASPECT 14.). A bicomponent multifilament yarn of any of (ASPECTS 1-13) having at least one bicomponent first filament and a bicomponent second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament are selected independently and differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof.

[0069] (ASPECT 15.) A method for preparing a bicomponent multifilament yarn of any of the (ASPECTS 1-14) having at least one bicomponent first filament and a bicomponent second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first component of the filament to a second component of the filament; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof, comprising extruding a polymer including a first component and a second component for each filament through separate holes in a spinneret; wherein (a) said holes differ in size; (b) the holes differ in cross-section; (c) within each of the holes, the first component and the second component have different ratios; and (d) combinations thereof. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pages 48 / 58 16 / 18

[0070] (ASPECT 16.) A method for preparing a two-component multifilament yarn of any of the (ASPECTS 1-15) having at least one two-component first filament and one two-component second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament have a partial overlap of the same characteristics which may be selected from (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof, wherein both the first and the second are combined into a single multifilament yarn by means of entanglement, twisting or air-jet texturing process.

[0071] (ASPECT 17.). A bicomponent multifilament yarn according to any of (ASPECTS 1-16) comprising poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) wherein the bicomponent filaments have a substantially oval cross-sectional shape with an A:B aspect ratio of about 2:1 to about 5:1, wherein A is a length of the major axis of the fiber cross-section and B is a length of the minor axis of the fiber cross-section, a polymer interface substantially perpendicular to the major axis and a cross-sectional configuration selected from the group consisting of side-by-side and eccentric sheath-core.

[0072] (ASPECT 18.). An elastic fabric according to any of (ASPECTS 1-17), including a bicomponent multifilament yarn including 2GT / 3GT, wherein the ripple potential is from about 40% to about 70% and the ripple shrinkage is from about 0.5% to about 8%.

[0073] (ASPECT 19.). An elastic fabric according to any of (ASPECTS 1-18), including a bicomponent multifilament yarn including 2GT / 3GT, wherein the ripple potential is about less than 60% and the ripple shrinkage is about 0.5% to about 6%. Examples Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 49 / 58 17 / 18

[0074] Example 1A - A two-component multifilament yarn was produced by melt spinning to have a total denier of 50.7. This yarn was composed of 34 filaments. The CP was 67 and the CS was 8.5. The polymer ratio of each filament was 60% poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and 40% poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT). The total elongation at break was 22% and the tenacity at break was 4.3 grams per denier. The 34 individual filaments that make up the total 50.7 denier were of different deniers, ranging from 1.2 denier to 2.0 denier. A standard spinning finish was applied at 2.0% w / w to ensure good bundle formation and control of friction and static during subsequent knitting and weaving processes.

[0075] Example 1AC - A two-component multifilament yarn was produced according to the process of Example 1A, in which the 34 filaments were all 1.5 dpf (denier per filament).

[0076] Example 2 - The multifilament yarns from Examples 1A and 1AC were knitted on a circular knitting machine and then dyed and finished conventionally with disperse dyes.

[0077] Example 3 - The multifilament yarns from Examples 1A and 1AC were separately coated with a 50 denier, 72-filament drawn textured yarn (DTY), in this case a polyester DTY yarn, and knitted on a circular knitting machine and then dyed and finished conventionally with disperse dyes. The fabric containing yarn 1A was substantially softer and had better drape, i.e., the way the fabric hangs under its own weight. DTYs are also known as wavy yarns.

[0078] Example 4F - A two-component multifilament yarn was produced by melt spinning to have a total denier of 50. This yarn was composed of 46 filaments. The CP was 50 and the CS was 5.0. The polymer ratio of each filament was 60% poly(ethylene terephthalate) and 40% poly(trimethylene Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pages 50 / 58 18 / 18 terephthalate). A standard spinning finish was applied at 2.0% w / w to ensure good bundle formation and control of friction and static during subsequent knitting and weaving processes. The bicomponent multifilament yarn was knitted on a circular knitting machine. It was conventionally dyed using disperse dyes and dried at 140°C in a stentor frame. The fabric had a soft feel and a desirable drape. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, pp. 51 / 58

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIMS 1. ELASTIC FABRIC including a bicomponent multifilament yarn having at least one bicomponent first filament and a bicomponent second filament, characterized in that the first filament and the second filament are independently selected and differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof.

2. Elastic fabric, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a second yarn.

3. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a second yarn selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, polyurethane, polyolefin, polyamide and combinations thereof.

4. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic fabric is a knitted or woven elastic fabric.

5. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the denier of the bicomponent multifilament yarn is from about 20 to about 150.

6. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the first component and the second component of the two-component yarn include a polyester selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate.

7. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the denier range per filament in the bicomponent multifilament yarn is from about 0.8 to about 4.

0.

8. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, page 52 / 58 2 / 4, characterized in that the denier range per filament in the bicomponent multifilament yarn is from about 1.0 to about 3.

5.

9. Elastic fabric, according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratio of the first component to the second component is from about 30:70 to about 70:

30.

10. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-section of the filament has an aspect ratio of 1.5:1 or greater.

11. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-section of the filament is selected from round, oval, snowman or ribbon.

12. ELASTIC FABRIC, according to claim 1, characterized in that the ripple shrinkage is from about 0.5% to about 10%.

13. Elastic fabric, according to claim 1, characterized in that the ripple potential is from about 40% to about 70%.

14. TWO-COMPONENT MULTIFILAMENT YARN, characterized in that it has at least one first two-component filament and a second two-component filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament are selected independently and differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first component of the filament to a second component of the filament; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof.

15. METHOD FOR PREPARING A TWO-COMPONENT MULTIFILAMENT YARN having at least one first two-component filament and a second two-component filament, characterized in that the first filament and the second filament differ in at least one of the following ways: (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first component of the filament to a second component of the filament; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof, comprising extruding a polymer including a first component and a second component for each filament through separate holes in a spinneret; wherein (a) said holes differ in size; (b) the holes differ in cross-section; (c) within each of the holes, the first component and the second component have different ratios; and (d) combinations thereof.

16. METHOD FOR PREPARING A TWO-COMPONENT MULTIFILAMENT YARN, characterized in that a first two-component filament is prepared by selecting one or more characteristics of (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof; and a second two-component filament is prepared using one or more characteristics of (a) denier per filament; (b) ratio of a first filament component to a second filament component; (c) cross-section; and (d) combinations thereof; wherein both the first and second two-component multifilament yarns are combined into a single multifilament yarn by means of entanglement, twisting or air-jet texturing process.

17. TWO-COMPONENT MULTIFILAMENT YARN, characterized in that it comprises poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) wherein the two-component filaments have a substantially oval cross-sectional shape with an A:B aspect ratio of about 2:1 to about 5:1, wherein A is a length of the major axis of the fiber cross-section and B is a length of the minor axis of the fiber cross-section, a polymer interface substantially perpendicular to the major axis, a cross-sectional configuration selected from the group consisting of side-by-side sheath-core and eccentric. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 54 / 58 4 / 4 18. ELASTIC FABRIC, characterized by the fact that it includes a two-component multifilament yarn including 2GT / 3GT, wherein the ripple potential is from about 40% to about 70% and the ripple shrinkage is from about 0.5% to about 8%.

19. ELASTIC FABRIC, characterized in that it includes a bicomponent multifilament yarn including 2GT / 3GT, wherein the ripple potential is about less than 60% and the ripple shrinkage is about 0.5% to about 6%. Petition 870250091119, dated 06 / 10 / 2025, p. 55 / 58

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