Fluid containment textile structure
OwnerMartin Wildemaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for forming a launderable fluid containment textile structure composite of stitch bonded construction such as is useful in an incontinence pad or diaper and a textile composite formed by such method. The textile composite includes a fluid retention layer of non-woven batting formed from a plurality of intermingled textile fibers. A plurality of bonding yarns extend in a repeating stitch bonding pattern through the fluid retention layer such that the bonding yarns form a user contact surface over the fluid retention layer. The stitch bonding pattern is characterized by a relatively low stitch density. Enhanced bulkiness and dimensional stability against laundering induced shrinkage is imparted by introduction of mechanically induced compressive shrinkage.
Claims26
A method of forming a launderable fluid containment textile structure useful in absorbing fluid discharged by a user, wherein the textile structure is of stitch bonded construction having a machine direction and a cross-machine direction, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a fluid retaining core layer of non-woven batting comprising a blend of hydrophobic textile fibers and hydrophilic textile fibers such that said hydrophobic textile fibers and hydrophilic textile fibers are dispersed substantially throughout said core layer;
- (b) applying a plurality of bonding yarns in a repeating stitch bonding pattern through said core layer to form a preliminary stitch bonded composite having a technical face and a technical back and wherein segments of said bonding yarns define a user contact surface across the core layer;
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- (c) mechanically shrinking the preliminary stitch bonded composite in at least the length dimension corresponding to the machine direction of the textile structure by introduction of mechanical compression, whereby the preliminary stitch bonded composite is shortened prior to use.
A method of forming a launderable fluid containment textile structure useful in absorbing fluid discharged by a user, wherein the textile structure is of stitch bonded construction having a machine direction and a cross-machine direction, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a fluid retaining core layer of non-woven batting comprising a blend of hydrophobic textile fibers and hydrophilic textile fibers such that said hydrophobic textile fibers and hydrophilic textile fibers are dispersed substantially throughout said core layer;
- (b) applying a plurality of bonding yarns of spun construction including both hydrophobic and hydrophilic constituent fibers in a repeating stitch bonding pattern through said core layer at a stitch density in the machine direction in the range of about 6 to about 10 stitches per inch to form a preliminary stitch bonded composite having a technical face and a technical back and wherein segments of said bonding yarns define a user contact surface extending in contacting relation across the core layer such that there is no intermediate layer between the core layer and the user contact surface;
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- (c) mechanically shrinking the preliminary stitch bonded composite in at least the length dimension corresponding to the machine direction of the textile structure by introduction of mechanical compression, such that the preliminary stitch bonded composite is shortened by about 15 percent or more prior to use without the introduction of undulations within the textile structure and such that the thickness of the preliminary stitch bonded composite is increased by more than about 30 percent whereby the overall bulkiness of the preliminary stitch bonded composite is increased.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.