Animal toy or blanket

Abstract

An article comprising a core of filling material and a quilted textile enclosing the core. The textile includes a first fabric having a cover factor between 70% and 95% and a tensile strength of at least 600 N / 5 cm, the first fabric being a woven or knitted fabric in contact with the core material; a second fabric bonded to the first fabric by an adhesive, the second fabric being a plush fabric located on the side of the first fabric remote from the core; a first quilting yarn on the outer surface of the textile having a tenacity of at least 45 cN / tex and an elongation at break of not more than 10%; and a second quilting yarn on the inner surface of the textile having a tenacity of at least 15 cN / tex and an elongation at break greater than 10%.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an animal toy or blanket.

[0002] Description of related technologies

[0003] U.S. Patent 7,8708,39 to Sacra describes a flexible, durable pet toy that includes an outer plush layer and an inner fleece layer that is placed adjacent to and optionally adhesively secured to it. The outer and inner layers form the housing of a three-dimensional object, and a filling material fills the housing. The seams that connect the edges of the outer and inner layers are folded inward and contained within the object. The seams are reinforced with a webbing strip and fastened with thread to create a flexible internal skeletal framework. A method for manufacturing such a pet toy is also disclosed.

[0004] U.S. Patent Publication 2005 / 0053756 to Axelrod teaches providing an animal toy based on fabric, fiber or film having improved resistance to cracking and tearing. The animal toy includes a body that includes a compressible material and a fabric or film material disposed on at least a portion of the compressible material. The fabric material includes high-strength fibers having a tensile strength greater than or equal to 50,000 psi and / or a modulus greater than or equal to 500,000 psi. The film material includes a film having a tensile strength equal to or greater than 20,000 psi and a modulus value equal to or greater than 500,000 psi. Additionally, the fibers and / or films employed are relatively highly uniaxially or biaxially polymer chain oriented fiber and / or film materials.

[0005] There is still a need for animal toys or blankets having improved tolerance to biting, tearing, scratching, etc., especially from dogs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention relates to an article that includes a core of filling material and a quilted textile that encloses the core, wherein the textile includes

[0007] a first fabric having a cover factor between 70% and 95% and a tensile strength of at least 600 N / 5 cm, the first fabric being a woven or knitted fabric that contacts the core material,

[0008] a second fabric that is adhesively bonded to the first fabric, the second fabric being a plush fabric located on a side of the first fabric remote from the core,

[0009] The first quilting yarn on the outer surface of the textile has a tenacity of at least 45 cN / tex and an elongation at break of not more than 10%.

[0010] The second quilting yarn on the inner surface of the textile has a tenacity of at least 15 cN / tex and an elongation at break greater than 10%, and

[0011] The seam has a seam strength of at least 600 N. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the article of the present invention,

[0013] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the textile component of the article. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0014] Product

[0015] As Figure 1 shown in the cross-sectional view in, the article 10 includes a core 11 of filling material and a textile 12 enclosing the core. The textile is quilted. The article is not limited to any particular shape or configuration, exemplary instances being dog bones, rings, balls, pads or blankets.

[0016] Preferably, the textile has a tensile strength greater than 1000 N, a tear strength for both warp and weft greater than 80 N, and a puncture resistance greater than 100 N.

[0017] Preferably, the article is an animal toy (such as a dog or cat toy), an animal bed / mattress or an animal blanket.

[0018] Core

[0019] The core 11 includes a filling material (stuffing). Such materials preferably have a relatively high bulk density. The stuffing can be natural or synthetic batting, such as polyester, nylon, cotton, wool. The stuffing can also be in the form of a foamed polymer material. The batting can include continuous fibers, discontinuous fibers, carded fiber or shredded material. The core can further include solid materials or noise-making items.

[0020] Textile

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a quilted textile 12 that can be tear-resistant and rupture-resistant. The textile includes a first fabric and a second fabric as two main components.

[0022] In one embodiment, the first fabric 13 has a cover factor between 70% and 95% and a tensile strength of at least 600 N / 5 cm. In another embodiment, the first fabric has a cover factor between 75% and 95%. In yet another embodiment, the first fabric has a cover factor between 80% and 95%.

[0023] The cover factor means the fraction of the surface area of the fabric covered by the yarns, i.e., (number of warp yarns / 100 mm warp * sqrt(warp tex) / 1000) + (number of weft yarns / 100 mm weft * sqrt(weft tex) / 1000) - (number of warp yarns / 100 mm warp * sqrt(warp tex) / 1000 * number of weft yarns / 100 mm weft * sqrt(weft tex) / 1000). Sqrt is the square root.

[0024] The first fabric 13 can be a woven or knitted fabric and is in contact with the core material 11. Preferably, the woven first fabric is in a plain, satin or twill weave. The knitted fabric can be a warp or weft knitted fabric in a pattern such as milanese, raschel, tricot, circular or flat. The first fabric is not a woolly fabric.

[0025] The first fabric can include a single fabric layer or multiple sub-component fabric layers.

[0026] The second fabric 14 is bonded to the first fabric 13 by an adhesive 15. The second fabric is a plush fabric located on the side of the first fabric remote from the core 11. The plush fabric is a well-understood fabric in the textile field and has a cutnap or fustian or velvet pile. The second fabric can be a knitted or woven fabric. The second fabric can also be colored or printed, for example to imitate fur.

[0027] The second fabric can include a single fabric layer or multiple sub-component fabric layers.

[0028] Exemplary adhesives include rubber cement, textile adhesives or fabric adhesives or food-grade (food safety) adhesives. In some embodiments, food-grade adhesives are preferred. Preferably, the adhesive complies with the EU's Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) requirements.

[0029] Another feature is that the textile is quilted. Figure 2 A preferred quilting stitch arrangement passing through the first and second fabrics 13 and 14 respectively is shown.

[0030] The first quilting yarn 16 is located on the outer surface of the textile and has a tenacity of at least 45 cN / tex and an elongation at break of not more than 10%.

[0031] The first quilting yarn may be a para-aramid or para-aramid copolymer available from DuPont, Wilmington, DE under the trade name KEVLAR. Other suitable yarns are ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene from Honeywell International Inc., Charlotte, NC under the trade name SPECTRA, liquid crystal polymer fibers available from Kuraray America Inc., Houston, TX TM under the trade name VECTRAN, or poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) fibers available from Toyobo Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan under the trade name ZYLON.

[0032] The second quilting yarn 17 is located on the inner surface of the textile and has a tenacity of at least 15 cN / tex and an elongation at break greater than 10%.

[0033] The second quilting yarn may be the same as or different from the first quilting yarn. Different means that the yarn has a different chemical composition, or if it has the same composition, it has different physical properties. The second quilting yarn may be a material such as aromatic or aliphatic polyamides and their copolymers, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, liquid crystal polymers, poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), polyesters, or cellulose.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the first quilting yarn and the second quilting yarn are different.

[0035] The preferred stitch is a lockstitch (ISO#301), where the stitch is formed by a thread of the first quilting yarn passing through the second fabric and interlocking with a thread of the second quilting yarn passing through the first fabric at the interface of the first and second fabrics. In a preferred embodiment, the quilting pattern is in the form of rows or patterns spaced apart by a distance of at least 50 mm.

[0036] Forming a product

[0037] Any suitable method commonly used in the industry may be used to form the article.

[0038] Preferably, the seam stitching yarn is such that the seam has a seam strength of at least 600 N.

[0039] A suitable seam stitch is a flat stitch, preferably a double stitch.

[0040] Exemplary yarn types for the seam yarn are spun yarns or continuous filament yarns of materials such as aromatic or aliphatic polyamides and their copolymers, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, liquid crystal polymers, poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), polyester or cellulose.

[0041] In addition to or as an alternative closing device to the sewn seam, an adhesive tape can be used.

[0042] Testing method

[0043] The tensile strength of the textile fabric is tested according to DIN EN ISO 13934-1, 2013. A 50 mm × 300 mm sample is tested at a speed of 100 mm / min with a 10 kN load cell.

[0044] The tear strength of the textile fabric is tested according to DIN EN ISO 13937-2, 2000. A 50 mm × 200 mm sample is tested at a speed of 100 mm / min with a 10 kN load cell.

[0045] The seam strength of the textile fabric is tested on 50 mm × 300 mm samples in accordance with BS EN ISO 13935-2, 2014.

[0046] The puncture resistance is determined according to EN 388, 2016.

[0047] Example

[0048] The properties of the article to withstand tearing, biting, etc. depend on the properties of the textile fabric. Therefore, the textile fabric testing is representative of how the article will perform. The following examples describe such textile fabric assemblies and tests.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] A knitted plush fabric (second fabric) made of 100% polyester has an area weight of 200 gsm.

[0051] The first fabric is an Oxford woven twill 3 / 1 fabric having a pick count of 20 yarns / cm in the warp and an end count of 11 yarns / cm in the weft. The fabric has a cover factor of 27% and an area weight of 240 g / m 2 2. The yarn of the fabric is 667 decitex (600 denier) polyester.

[0052] These two fabrics are assembled by a conventional calendering method to form the textile 12. A hot melt polyurethane fabric adhesive NEL-1019 from Shanghai AnYu Chemical Company Ltd. is used to assist in the bonding of the two layers. The assembly is cut into the pattern required for the shell of the toy product.

[0053] Then the textile is quilted. The first quilting yarn 16 has a yarn count of 30 / 3 and consists of 100% staple fiber yarn of 1.9 dtex (1.7 denier). The second quilting yarn 17 has a yarn count of 40 / 2 and is a polyester sewing thread. The quilting machine is set at 4 stitches / cm (10 stitches / inch).

[0054] The edges of the textile are overlocked to form seams. The threads of two parallel lockstitch seams are spaced 3 mm apart to form a double-needle flat seam. At the edges of the textile, an adhesive tape is also used to further bond the first and second fabrics. The seam thread on the second fabric is the same as the staple fiber yarn used for the first quilting yarn. The seam thread on the first fabric is the same as the 40 / 2 polyester sewing thread used for the second quilting yarn. The overlock sewing machine is set at 4 stitches / cm (10 stitches / inch).

[0055] Table 1 summarizes the test results.

[0056] Table 1

[0057] Test Testing direction Test value (N) Tensile strength Warp 1905 Tear strength Warp 89 Tear strength Weft 106 Seam strength Warp 730 Puncture resistance --- 113

Claims

1. An article comprising a core of filling material and a quilted textile enclosing the core, wherein the textile comprises a first fabric having a cover factor between 70% and 95% and a tensile strength of at least 600 N, the first fabric being a woven or knitted fabric in contact with the core material, where the cover factor means the fraction of the surface area of the fabric covered by the yarns, i.e., (number of warp yarns / 100 mm warp * sqrt(warp tex) / 1000) + (number of weft yarns / 100 mm weft * sqrt(weft tex) / 1000) - (number of warp yarns / 100 mm warp * sqrt(warp tex) / 1000 * number of weft yarns / 100 mm weft * sqrt(weft tex) / 1000), sqrt is the square root, and where the tensile strength is measured according to DIN EN ISO 13934-1, 2013 on a 50 mm × 300 mm sample at a speed of 100 mm / min with a 10 kN load cell, a second fabric bonded to the first fabric by an adhesive, the second fabric being a plush fabric on the side of the first fabric remote from the core, a first quilting yarn on the outer surface of the textile, having a tenacity of at least 45 cN / tex and a breaking elongation of not more than 10%, a second quilting yarn on the inner surface of the textile, having a tenacity of at least 15 cN / tex and a breaking elongation greater than 10%, and a seam having a seam strength of at least 600 N, where the seam strength is measured according to BS EN ISO 13935-2, 2014 on a 50 mm × 300 mm sample.

2. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the textile has a tensile strength greater than 1000 N, a tear strength greater than 80 N and a puncture resistance greater than 100 N, where the tear strength is measured according to DIN EN ISO 13937-2, 2000 on a 50 mm × 200 mm sample at a speed of 100 mm / min with a 10 kN load cell, and where the puncture resistance is determined according to EN 388, 2016.

3. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the second quilting yarn is different from the first quilting yarn.

4. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the first quilting yarn is para-aramid, para-aramid copolymer, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, liquid crystal polymer or poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole).

5. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the second quilting yarn is para-aramid, para-aramid copolymer, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, liquid crystal polymer or poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), polyester, aliphatic nylon or cellulose.

6. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the first fabric is a plain, satin or twill woven fabric.

7. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the first fabric is a Milano, Raschel, Terry, circular or flat knitted fabric.

8. The article according to claim 1, wherein, The second fabric is a knitted fabric or a woven fabric.

9. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the quilting pattern is in the form of rows spaced apart by a distance of at least 50 mm.

10. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the first fabric has a covering coefficient between 75% and 95%.

11. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the seam has a seam strength of at least 800 N.

12. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the seam is a flat seam.

13. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the core material is natural or synthetic stuffing cotton or a foamed polymer material.

14. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the article is an animal toy, an animal mattress or an animal pad or an animal blanket.

15. The article according to claim 1, wherein, the adhesive is a rubber adhesive or a food-grade adhesive.

16. The article according to claim 10, wherein, the first fabric has a covering coefficient between 80% and 95%.

17. The article according to claim 13, wherein, the stuffing cotton is polyester, nylon, cotton or wool.

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