Antimicrobially treated fabric construction
OwnerWillard L. Morrisoninventor
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Abstract
A unique fabric construction having a backing fabric and a face fabric. At least one of the fabrics is made at least in part of yarns formed from synthetic fibers which have incorporated thereinto an antimicrobial agent. In some embodiments a tie yarn joins the two faces in plated relation. Even with minimal contact of the yarns in the two fabrics, the antimicrobial agent migrates from within the treated fibers in the one fabric to the surface thereof and transfers to the yarns in the other fabric. Thus there is imparted antimicrobial protection to both fabric faces while maintaining the advantages of naturally occurring, untreated fibers in one of the fabrics.
Claims6
A fabric construction including a face fabric and a backing fabric and wherein:
- (a) said backing fabric being formed from a first synthetic yarn comprising fiber-forming polymers having an antimicrobial agent incorporated therein in an amount equalling at least 0.1% by weight of the polymer, said antimicrobial agent being characterized by its ability to be stored in the intermolecular structure of the polymer and to migrate to the surface;
- (b) said face fabric being formed from a second yarn including untreated fibers only;
- (c) said face fabric and said backing fabric being in plated relationship;
- whereby said antimicrobial agent transfers to said second face to inhibit antimicrobial growth thereon.
A method of imparting an antibacterial characteristic to untreated yarns in a two-face fabric comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a first fabric face yarns in a first plane including fibers having no prior antibacterial treatment;
- (b) forming a second fabric face generally in a second plane relative to said first plane from yarns at least partially formed of fiber forming polymers having an antimicrobial agent incorporated therein in an amount equalling at least 0.1% by weight of the polymer, said antimicrobial agent characterized by its ability to be incorporated into the intermolecular structure of the polymer and to migrate to the surface in the presence of moisture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.