Solution-dyed stitchbond fabric for furniture articles

Abstract

Solution-dyed fabric for furniture articles. The solution-dyed fabric is able to utilize a variety of different dye colors, not being limited to only black or any other particular color. The fabrics are stitchbonded and / or spunlace, with cross-lapping of the constituent fibers. The fabrics are able to be used for a variety of different furniture articles, including couches and chairs.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is related to and claims priority from the following U.S. patents and patent applications. This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 727,878, filed Dec. 4, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to furniture fabric, and more specifically to stitchbonded furniture fabric.2. Description of the Prior Art

[0003] It is generally known in the prior art to provide stitchbond fabrics and to dye non-stitchbond fabric with solution-dyeing techniques.

[0004] Prior art patent documents include the following:

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 11,313,063 for Needle punched carpet by inventors Taylor et al., filed Oct. 18, 2019 and issued Apr. 26, 2022, discloses a needle punched carpet for use in a car. The needle punched carpet comprises at least a needle punched facing layer defining a top layer and made of staple fibers. The staple fibers comprise hollow fibers having a hollow fiber content that is at least more than 45 weight % of the total staple fibers.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 11,661,701 for Deep sublimation dyeing of fibrous composites by inventor Tsiarkezos, filed Nov. 18, 2020 and issued May 30, 2023, discloses a textile composite containing a sublayer coated with unactivated solid sublimation dyes and incorporated with the layers of the textile composite or placed between a fabric layer and a backing layer. The sublimation dyes are activated with heat and pressure, and dying or coloring the inner strata of the textile composite.

[0007] US Patent Pub. No. 2006 / 0240217 for Fire-retardant, lightweight aircraft carpet by inventors Foss et al., filed Apr. 21, 2005 and published Oct. 26, 2006, discloses a lightweight carpet for use in aircrafts that meets rigorous fire standards testing, is impervious to fluids, and is capable of being printed for decorative effect. In one embodiment, the carpet composed of a layer of fire retardant treated PET fibers adhered to a fire retardant treated PE film. This carpet is durable to normal foot traffic, resistant to most stains, non-fraying, and can be recycled.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,975 for Textured composite material by inventor Zafiroglu, filed Nov. 29, 2002 and issued Oct. 7, 2008, discloses a laminated multilayer textured composite having an embossed fibrous outer layer bonded to one side of an adhesive layer to form a three-dimensional structure defined by all of fibers in depressed areas between elevated areas being fully embedded in the adhesive and most of the fibers in the elevated areas of the elevated areas being free of adhesive. The composite provides an abrasion resistant, surface stable material for covering floors, walls, furniture and the like. An optional backing layer can be simultaneously adhered to the second side of the adhesive layer primarily for improved cushioning and dimensional stability. The composite can be formed by a simultaneous pressure embossing and thermal laminating process.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 10,850,471 for Absorbent floor mat by inventors Dawson et al., filed Nov. 4, 2016 and issued Dec. 1, 2020, discloses a multi-component absorbent floor mat. The floor mat contains a textile component, an absorbent component, and a base component. The textile component and the base component are attached to one another by a variety of mechanisms, including magnetic attraction. The magnetic attraction is provided by incorporation of magnetic particles in both the textile and base components. The textile component is designed to be soiled, washed, and re-used, thereby providing ideal end-use applications in areas such as building entryways. The absorbent component is designed to be soiled and recycled or otherwise discarded and replaced.

[0010] US Patent Pub. No. 2018 / 0066396 for Surfacing fabrics, composites comprising the same, and compositions and methods for preparing the same by inventors Ratcliffe et al., filed Aug. 25, 2017 and published Mar. 8, 2018, discloses surfacing fabrics, such as, for example, those used as veils for a fiber reinforced polymer material, and to composites comprising a surfacing fabric. Also provided are compositions and methods for preparing surfacing fabrics and composites.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 8,987,151 for Fiber-based carpet cushion with added resilience from vertically oriented fiber construction by inventors Burns et al., filed May 24, 2011 and issued Mar. 24, 2015, discloses a fiber pad having a core non-woven layer. The core layer can have an upper surface and a lower surface. The core layer can comprise at least one fiber layer. The at least one fiber layer can comprise a plurality of parallel fibers. Selected groups of the parallel fibers can be folded into desired pleated configurations. Optionally, the core layer can comprise post-consumer carpet materials.

[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 7,588,818 for High bulk composite sheets by inventors Zafiroglu et al., filed Sep. 16, 2005 and issued Sep. 15, 2009, discloses a multi-layer composite sheet comprising a shrinkable layer intermittently bonded a to a gatherable layer with the bonds separated by a specified distance and wherein the shrinkable layer can shrink and at the same time gather the gatherable layer between the bonds. A process for preparing multi-layer composite sheets by intermittently bonding a shrinkable layer to a gatherable layer with the bonds separated by a specified distance and causing the shrinkable layer to shrink while at the same time gathering the gatherable layer between the bonds. Preferably, the shrinkable layer comprises an array of fibers or nonwoven web comprising fibers having latent spiral crimp.

[0013] US Patent Pub. No. 2007 / 0101771 for Napped face stitch bonded fabric and related process by inventors Wildeman et al., filed Aug. 7, 2006 and published May 10, 2007, discloses a pile fabric of stitch bonded construction. A ground yarn is stitchbonded into a substrate to define a ground layer. A pile yarn is stitchbonded into the substrate in combination with the ground yarn.

[0014] During formation at least a portion of the pile yarns are shifted over sinker fingers between non-adjacent needles such that loops extend in arching relation over at least one intermediate needle line. Once the yarns have been stitchbonded into the substrate, the upstanding loops are subjected to a napping treatment wherein the loops are pulled away from the substrate until broken. An arrangement of split and frayed yarn ends is formed over the ground layer.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention relates to furniture fabric, and more specifically to stitchbonded furniture fabric.

[0016] It is an object of this invention to a provide an improved fabric types for use in furniture with the ability to have more vibrant coloration.

[0017] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture including a plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers, wherein the plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers are stitched together via a stitchbonding process to form the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, and wherein a plurality of furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric.

[0018] In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture including a plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers, wherein the plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers are stitched together via a spun-lace technique to form the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric, and wherein a plurality of furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric.

[0019] In yet another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method for producing a solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, including mixing uncolored resin with a plurality of precolored resin chips to form a mixed resin, melting the uncolored resin with the precolored resin chips by applying heat to the mixed resin, wherein the mixed resin becomes colored, extruding fibers from the mixed resin, and stitching the extruded fibers together via a stitchbonding process to form the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric.

[0020] These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings, as they support the claimed invention.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a couch with solution-dyed stitchbonded furniture fabric.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention is generally directed to furniture fabric, and more specifically to stitchbonded furniture fabric.

[0023] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture including a plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers, wherein the plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers are stitched together via a stitchbonding process to form the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, wherein a plurality of furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is operable to matingly attach to other fabric via hook and loop elements, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is coated with an anti-skid coating, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is coated with a flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating, wherein one or more patterns are printed onto the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, wherein the stitchbonding process is a Maliwatt process, a Malivlies process, a Malimo process, a Malipol process, a Voltex process, a Kunit process, a Multiknit process, and / or any other stitchbonding process, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is cross-lapped stitchbonded fabric, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric weighs approximately 70 grams per square meter to approximately 220 grams per square meter, and wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric weighs approximately 20 grams per square meter to approximately 300 grams per square meter.

[0024] In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture including a plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers, wherein the plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers are stitched together via a spun-lace technique to form the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric, wherein a plurality of furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is operable to matingly attach to other fabric via hook and loop elements, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is coated with an anti-skid coating, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is coated with a flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating, wherein one or more patterns are printed onto the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric, and wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is cross-lapped spun-lace fabric.

[0025] In yet another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method for producing a solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, including mixing uncolored resin with a plurality of precolored resin chips to form a mixed resin, melting the uncolored resin with the precolored resin chips by applying heat to the mixed resin, wherein the mixed resin becomes colored, extruding fibers from the mixed resin, stitching the extruded fibers together via a stitchbonding process to form the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, further comprising coating the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric with an anti-skid coating, further comprising coating the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric with flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating, further comprising printing one or more patterns onto the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, and wherein the stitchbonding process is a Maliwatt process, a Malivlies process, a Malimo process, a Malipol process, a Voltex process, a Kunit process, a Multiknit process, and / or any other stitchbonding process.

[0026] Non-woven techniques allow fabric creators to avoid issues commonly associated with woven fabrics. For example, the crimping of yarns during weaving creating stress points in the fabric, which decreases strength and stiffness and the coarse surface of the fabric that results from weaving causes the fabric to be weak in shear loading conditions, due to lower fiber-to-fiber contact. Stitchbonding is a method of nonwoven fabric creation involving warp knitting through a fibrous batt. Stitchbonding is advantageous in that it allows for rapid fabrication and has traditionally been a low cost solution to forming certain materials for various purposes across marine applications, transportation, aerospace, and other industries.

[0027] Stitchbonding techniques traditionally involve repeated puncturing of a fabric web by an array of needles. Stitching yarn is inserted into hooks of the needles, and thus the puncturing of the fabric web creates stitches of the yarn across the fabric web. There are several different main forms of stitchbonding, including the Maliwatt process. In the Maliwatt process, a horizontal compound needle acts in conjunction with a knock-over sinker and supporting rail to penetrate the fabric web, with the stitching yarn inserted via guides into open hooks of the compound needles. Retaining pins are used to hold the web in place in this process and positioning of the retaining pins relative to the knock-over sinker is able to be adjusted to tune the thickness of the web. In Malivlies process, fibers lie across a face of the fabric web. As the compound needles push through the web, the fibers are grabbed by hooks of the needles and pulled through the full thickness of the web, and through half stitches formed from fibers on a previous course. Other types of stitchbonding also are used and are contemplated herein, including Malimo, Malipol, Voltex, Kunit, and Multiknit techniques.

[0028] Spunlace or spun-lace, also known as hydroentanglement, is a technique where high pressure water jets are used to entangle fibers to create a fabric. This technique is able to utilize both cross-lapping (i.e., where the entangled fibers are oriented orthogonally) and parallel lapping (i.e., where the entangled fibers are oriented in the same direction). Spunlace fabrics are advantageous due to being lint-free, having a soft feel relative to fabrics made with some other techniques, and not requiring any chemical adhesives.

[0029] Dyeing techniques for different fabrics are able to be divided by when in the process of garment formation the item is dyed as well as how the dye is applied. With regard to division of when the fabric is dyed, existing techniques include dope dyeing (i.e., solution dyeing), fiber dyeing, yarn dyeing, piece dyeing, and garment dyeing. In fiber dyeing, or stock dyeing, for example, dyeing occurs after the fibers are formed, but before they are spun into yarn. Fiber dyeing is most commonly done either by placing a large amount of the fiber stock in a vat bath including the dye, or by circulating dye liquid through a bale of the fiber. Yarn dyeing occurs after the fibers are spun into yarns but before fabric manufacturing. Yarn dyeing usually occurs by winding the yarns into hanks and dipping them into a dye bath for long periods of time (e.g., days) or by package dyeing, which involves winding the yarn onto cones or spools and placing a large number of the cones or spools into a vat that alternately circulates solution dye. Piece dyeing occurs with whole fabrics but before the garment is made and is commonly used when a garment is entirely a single color. Most commonly, piece dyeing involves rollers pressing hot dye solution into the fabric. Finally, garment dyeing occurs with the finished garment, or something near the finished product. Garment dyeing techniques vary, but include utilizing reactive dyes to react with the fabric to create a strong bond, utilizing sulfur dyes, or even simply directly applying the dye without any affixing agent.

[0030] Dope dyeing, or solution dyeing, however, occurs before any of these processes. During fiber formation, the fiber stock typically needs to be processed into a liquid, or semi-liquid, form before extrusion into individual fibers occurs. Dope dyeing involves including dye solution into this liquid fiber stock before extrusion. Utilizing dope dyeing has several benefits, including that it provides the most uniform and consistent application of dye to the resulting fabric (i.e., low risk of rubbing or smearing) and greatly reduces the amount of water used in the process, as many of the common other techniques utilize large baths or vats of solution dye which requires immense amounts of water. Thus, solution dyeing also provides an environmentally friendly alternative to other dyeing methods.

[0031] The present invention is directed to furniture articles formed with particular fabrication techniques. Furniture articles are inclusive of a variety of different furniture, including, but not limited to, sofas, loveseats, chairs, ottomans, recliners, and / or other furniture articles, as well as specific components of various furniture articles, including cushions, seat decking, inner arms, outer arms, double covers, pillows, and flip pillow backs. Nothing in the present invention should be construed as limiting with regard to the type of furniture articles able to be created with the teachings of the present invention, except so far as the furniture articles include fabric.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a couch with solution-dyed stitchbonded furniture fabric. As illustrated in FIG. 1, several furniture components are operable to be manufactured using the fabric described in the present application, including but not limited to, the skirt liner, fabric for the seat deck, fabric for the cushions, fabric for the double cover, fabric for the inner arms, fabric for the outer arms, fabric for the back, and fabric for pillows. One of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that FIG. 1 is illustrative only, and that other furniture components and furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the fabric of the present invention.

[0033] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to solution-dyed (i.e., dope dyed) furniture article. The present technique is not limited to any particular color of dye and is able to include a variety of black dyes, blue dyes, white dyes, red dyes, pink dyes, purple dyes, yellow dyes, green dyes, grey dyes, brown dyes, cyan dyes, silver dyes, gold dyes, and other dye colors. Nothing in this application should be construed as limiting the teachings of the present invention to any particular dye color. In one embodiment, the furniture article includes fabrics formed including fibers dope dyed with different colors and / or different dyeing techniques. Methods of solution dyeing are described in, by way of example and not limitation, Chinese U.S. Pat. No. 109,023,564, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0034] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to solution-dyed woven fabrics. In one embodiment, the solution-dyed woven fabrics can be used on a plurality of furniture articles.

[0035] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to solution-dyed yarn for use in woven textiles. In one embodiment, the solution-dyed yarn can be used on a plurality of furniture articles.

[0036] The solution-dyeing technique of the present invention includes mixing plain, virgin (i.e., uncolored) resin with small amounts of precolored chips or pellets of resin and applying heat before extruding fibers of the mixed resin. During the melting of the virgin resin with the precolored chips, the resin as a whole becomes colored before extruding. In preferred embodiment, less than or equal to approximately 5% of the resin mix includes the precolored chips or pellets, though one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that percentages of colored resin are able to be tuned as needed.

[0037] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a stitchbonded fabric article for furniture. In one embodiment, the stitchbonded fabric article is formed via the Maliwatt process, Malivlies process, Malimo process, Malipol process, Voltex process, Kunit process, Multiknit process, and / or any other stitchbond process known in the art. In one embodiment, the fabrics are cross-lapped stitchbonded fabric articles. The present invention is able to utilize any stitchbonding technique known in the prior art including, but not limited to, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,421, U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,584, and WIPO Patent Pub. No. 1990012137, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a spunlace fabric article for furniture. In one embodiment, the fabrics are cross-lapped spunlace fabric articles. In one embodiment, different parts of the furniture article utilize stitchbond and spunlace fabrics.

[0038] In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a solution-dyed, cross-lapped stitchbond fabric for furniture articles. In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a solution-dyed, cross-lapped spunlace fabric for furniture articles.

[0039] In one embodiment, the fabric produced by the system and method of the present invention comprises 100% polyester or substantially all polyester. Therefore, in one embodiment, the fabric consists entirely of polyester or consists essentially of polyester.

[0040] Materials able to be used for the present invention include polypropylene, polyester, nylon, rayon, silk, cotton, wool, and / or other material suitable for use in the particular furniture article.

[0041] In one embodiment, the fabrics created according to the present invention have a weight of approximately 70 grams per square meter to approximately 220 grams per square meter. In one embodiment, the fabrics created according to the present invention have a weight of approximately 20 grams per square meter to approximately 300 grams per square meter.

[0042] In one embodiment, the fabrics produced according to the present invention are compatible with hook and loop elements, allowing the fabrics to easily be connected with mating hook and loop strips.

[0043] In one embodiment, the fabrics are coated with an anti-skid coating (e.g., a rubber coating). Additionally or alternatively, the fabrics are coated with a flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating. In one embodiment, one or more patterns are printed onto the solution-dyed, stitchbonded (or spunlace) fabrics. Printing is able to occur using any printing technique known in the art, including but not limited to stamp printing, block printing, transfer printing, screen printing, rotary screen printing, and / or other techniques, including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,631,985 and 11,691,331, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Printing on top of the solution-dyed fabrics allows for high color fidelity prints with color backgrounds.

[0044] Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. The above-mentioned examples are provided to serve the purpose of clarifying the aspects of the invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that they do not serve to limit the scope of the invention. All modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture, comprising:a plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers;wherein the plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers are stitched together via a stitchbonding process to form the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric; andwherein a plurality of furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric.

2. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is operable to matingly attach to other fabric via hook and loop elements.

3. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is coated with an anti-skid coating.

4. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is coated with a flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating.

5. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein one or more patterns are printed onto the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric.

6. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the stitchbonding process is a Maliwatt process, a Malivlies process, a Malimo process, a Malipol process, a Voltex process, a Kunit process, a Multiknit process, and / or any other stitchbonding process.

7. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric is cross-lapped stitchbonded fabric.

8. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric weighs approximately 70 grams per square meter to approximately 220 grams per square meter.

9. The solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric for furniture of claim 1, wherein the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric weighs approximately 20 grams per square meter to approximately 300 grams per square meter.

10. A solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture, comprising:a plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers;wherein the plurality of solution-dyed polyester fibers are stitched together via a spun-lace technique to form the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric; andwherein a plurality of furniture articles are operable to be manufactured using the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric.

11. The solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture of claim 10, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is operable to matingly attach to other fabric via hook and loop elements.

12. The solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture of claim 10, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is coated with an anti-skid coating.

13. The solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture of claim 10, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is coated with a flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating.

14. The solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture of claim 10, wherein one or more patterns are printed onto the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric.

15. The solution-dyed spun-lace fabric for furniture of claim 10, wherein the solution-dyed spun-lace fabric is cross-lapped spun-lace fabric.

16. A method for producing a solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric, comprising:mixing uncolored resin with a plurality of precolored resin chips to form a mixed resin;melting the uncolored resin with the precolored resin chips by applying heat to the mixed resin, wherein the mixed resin becomes colored;extruding fibers from the mixed resin; andstitching the extruded fibers together via a stitchbonding process to form the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising coating the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric with an anti-skid coating.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising coating the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric with flame retardant or fire retardant (FR) coating.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising printing one or more patterns onto the solution-dyed stitchbonded fabric.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the stitchbonding process is a Maliwatt process, a Malivlies process, a Malimo process, a Malipol process, a Voltex process, a Kunit process, a Multiknit process, and / or any other stitchbonding process.

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