Lightweight, Durable Apparel and Laminates for Making the Same
AssigneeW.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
InventorsMatthew A. Johnson, Edward C. Gunzel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Laminates are described having a durable outer film surface for use in making lightweight liquidproof articles, including articles of apparel, such as outerwear garments. A method of making the laminate and a lightweight outerwear garment having an abrasion resistant exterior film surface is described.
Claims30
A method of making a outerwear garment having an abrasion resistant exterior film surface, comprising the steps of
- a) selecting a woven or knit textile layer and a porous fluoropolymer membrane;
- b) colorizing the porous fluoropolymer membrane with a colorant to obtain a colorized outer film surface;
- c) laminating the textile and the porous fluoropolymer membrane to form a laminate having an outer film surface and an inner textile surface, optionally before or after the colorizing step;
- d) assembling an outerwear garment from the laminate so that the colorized outer film surface is the outerwear garment exterior film surface and the inner textile surface is on a side opposite the outerwear garment exterior film surface;
- wherein the laminate has a moisture vapor transmission rate greater than 4000 g/m2/24 hours, and the laminate is abrasion resistant and durably liquidproof after abrasion testing on the outer film surface.
A method of making an outerwear garment having an abrasion resistant exterior film surface, comprising the steps of
- a) selecting a textile composite comprising an abrasion resistant laminate having a colorized, outer film surface, wherein the laminate comprises
- (i) a porous fluoropolymer film comprising a porous fluoropolymer membrane having an average maximum load greater than 10N, and
- (ii) textile attached to the porous fluoropolymer film on a side opposite the colorized outer film surface;
- wherein the laminate has a moisture vapor transmission rate greater than 4000 g/m2/24 hours and the laminate is abrasion resistant remaining liquidproof after 2000 abrasion movements
- b) forming garment pieces comprising the textile composite;
- c) assembling an outerwear garment from garment pieces comprising the textile composite by orienting the garment pieces so that the colorized outer film surface is the outerwear garment exterior film surface and the inner textile surface is on a side opposite the outer film surface.
A method of making an outerwear article of apparel having an abrasion resistant, low water pickup exterior film surface, comprising the steps of
- a) selecting a textile layer and a porous membrane;
- b) colorizing the porous membrane with a colorant to obtain a colorized outer film surface;
- c) laminating the textile and the porous membrane to form a laminate having an outer film surface and an inner textile surface, optionally before or after the colorizing step;
- d) assembling the article of apparel from the laminate so that the colorized outer film surface is the exterior film surface of the article of apparel and the inner textile surface is on a side opposite the exterior film surface;
- wherein the laminate has a water pickup of less than or equal to 10 g/m2, the laminate has a moisture vapor transmission rate greater than 4000 g/m2/24 hours, and the laminate is abrasion resistant remaining durably liquidproof after abrasion testing on the outer film surface.
-46. (canceled)
A method of making a lightweight laminate having an abrasion resistant outer film surface, comprising the steps of
- a) selecting a textile layer;
- b) selecting a porous membrane having an average maximum load greater than 10N;
- c) colorizing the porous membrane with and a colorant to obtain a porous film having a colorized outer film surface;
- and
- d) laminating the textile and the porous film to form a laminate, optionally before or after the colorizing step to form a laminate having a laminate outer film surface and an inner textile surface;
- wherein the laminate moisture vapor transmission rate is greater than 4000 g/m2/24 hours, the laminate has a mass per area less than 400 g/m2, and the laminate outer film surface is abrasion resistant, remaining liquidproof after abrasion when abraded on the outer film surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.