Textured nonwoven textile fabric laminate and process of making said

A method of producing a laminated article of manufacture comprising:

• (a) positioning in superposed relation a first nonwoven textile fabric layer on one side of a layer of generally elastic material having inherent resilience and a second nonwoven textile fabric layer on the opposite side of said layer of generally elastic material having inherent resilience to from superposed layers;
• (b) needle punching said superposed layers to secure said fabric layers to the respective opposite sides of said layer of generally elastic material at a plurality of needle punched locations each spaced a predetermined distance from the next adjacent needle punched location to secure said layers together at said needle punched locations;
• (c) drafting said superposed layers in at least one direction an amount within the elastic limit of said layer of generally elastic material to thereby permanently stretch said first and second nonwoven textile fabric layers;
• and
• (d) thereafter allowing said needle punched and drafted superposed layers to relax to permit said layer of generally elastic material to substantially return to its original dimensions previous to said drafting step in response to its inherent resilience whereby the bulk of each of said permanently stretched first and second nonwoven textile fabric layers is increased between said needle punched locations.

A laminated article of manufacture comprising:

• an inner layer of generally elastic material of inherent resilience having opposite sides, said generally elastic material being capable of being drafted in response to a drafting force from a first relaxed condition defined be a first set of dimensions to a second drafted condition defined be a second set of dimensions within the elastic limit of said generally elastic material, and further being capable of retracting from said second condition to substantially said first position in response to its inherent resilience upon release of said drafting force;
• a first outer layer comprising a first generally inelastic nonwoven textile fabric comprising a plurality of generally coherent nonwoven fibers and superposed on one of the opposite sides of said inner layer of generally elastic material, said first outer layer being capable of being drafted in response to a drafting force from a first relaxed condition defined by a first set of dimensions to a second drafting condition defined by a second set of dimensions beyond the elastic limit of said first generally inelastic nonwoven texiile fabric, and further being incapable of self-induced retraction from said second condition to said first condition upon release of said drafting force;
• and
• said layers being secured together at a plurality of locations spaced a distance one from the other by means of a plurality of said nonwoven fibers extending from said first outer layer through said inner layer of generally elastic material at at least one penetration point at each of said locations when said inner and outer layers are in their second conditions, whereby said first outer layer exhibits increased bulk intermediate said plurality of locations when said inner layer retracts from its second condition to substantially its first position.