Back to results
US 6,726,976 B2Granted
Tufted pile structure having binder concentrated beneath the backstitches
AssigneeE.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorZafiroglu P. Dimitri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A concentrate of binder at the tufts produces a lighter and more flexible carpet, which allows for direct attachment of hook-and-loop means on the carpet backing. Thermoplastic binder yarns are pinned by the pile yarns against the primary backing. Subsequent application of heat melts the binder yarns and fuses the tufts and primary backing together. An alternate embodiment uses highly shrinkable binder sheet placed over the backing before tufting, instead of the binder yarns.
Claims6
A tufted pile structure comprising:
- a backing having an upper and a lower face thereon;
- a plurality of yarns tufted into the backing, each yarn being tufted by a separate tufting needle through a plurality of needle insertion points in the backing to form face fiber elements that lie adjacent to the upper face of the backing and backstitch elements that overlay the lower face of the backing, the insertion points produced by the tufting needles forming a pattern of parallel lines that extend along the backing;
- and
- an activated binder material disposed beneath the backstitch to hold the backstitch elements to the backing, the activated binder material being concentrated along the lines of insertion points with the lower face of the backing between adjacent lines of insertion points being left substantially free of binder.
1 more element
A method for producing a pile surface structure comprising the steps of:
- (a) conveying a backing along a path of travel, the backing having an upper face and a lower face;
- (b) applying a binder material to the backing;
- (c) after applying the binder material, using a separate tufting needle for each of a plurality of yarns, tufting each yarn through the binder material and into the backing at a plurality of longitudinally spaced insertion points to form face fiber elements that lie adjacent to the upper face of the backing and backstitch elements that overlay the lower face of the backing, the binder material being disposed between the backstitch elements and the backing, the insertion points produced by the tufting needles forming a pattern of parallel lines that extend along the backing;
- and
- (d) heating the structure to activate the binder material to hold the backstitch elements to the backing with the lower face of the backing member between adjacent lines of insertion points being left substantially free of binder.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.