Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Nominal textile manufacture process combined with dyeing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-29
2001-05-29
Copenheaver, Blaine (Department: 1771)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Nominal textile manufacture process combined with dyeing
C008S155000, C008S550000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238441
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for preparing polyester yarn capable of wicking away moisture from the body and making the wearer more comfortable by treating polyester fibers in the form of yarn to make the normally hydrophobic polyester fibers hydrophilic.
Traditionally piece dyed goods have been processed and treated in fabric form with finishes to render the polyester hydrophilic and this limits the styling possibilities to solid shades.
Various proposals have been made to impart hydrophilic properties to synthetic fibers, particularly nylon and polyester, in the piece goods or fabric form. For example, fleece type sweatshirt fabrics in the form of a composite textile fabric having a first layer of a polyester or nylon material rendered hydrophilic and a second layer or a moisture absorbent material such as nylon are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,667 to Lumb et al. After knitting the fabric, the nylon or polyester component of the two layer fabric is rendered hydrophilic by treating the fabric in a dye bath to which a low molecular weight polyester such as Milease T (I.C.I.), Scotchguard FC-226 (3-M) or Zelcon (DuPont) has been added. The nylon- or polyester-containing layer of the composite is treated and dyed in fabric form.
Colored polyester fibers having hydrophilic groups grafted onto them are described in JP-A (Kokai) 48-96828 (1973). Colored graft fibers, prepared from solution (pigment) dyed polyester fibers placed in a dyeing machine with a hydrophobic radical initiator, organic solvent and hydrophilic monomer to graft polymerize the hydrophilic monomer onto the surface of the polyester fibers. The resultant product is said to have antistatic, moisture absorption, water absorption, soil resistance and thermal stability properties. This procedure requires the use of organic solvents insoluble in water, initiators and monitors, etc. all maintained under graft polymerization temperature and pressure conditions to fundamentally alter the characteristics of the polyester fibers, conditions not particularly convenient to conventional polyester yarn dyeing and processing.
It would be advantageous to include within the usual polyester dyeing process a treatment to render the normally hydrophobic polyester fibers hydrophilic and, in particular, to include this treatment in an otherwise conventional package dyeing operation. The resulting yarns may be knitted into either solids or styles such as jacquards, scoured and heatset without reducing the hydrophilic properties imparted concurrently during the dyeing operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides finishing procedures capable of rendering normally hydrophobic polyester fibers hydrophilic while the fibers are in yarn form, conveniently concurrently with the yarn dyeing process, to produce suitably treated and colored yarns which are then knitted in solid or multicolored jacquards, scoured, heatset and constructed into garments or the like. Hydrophilic treatment is easily incorporated into the package yarn dyeing operation by including the additional finish or finishes and agents into the dyebath into existing processing without changes or substantial changes in equipment and operating personnel.
According to the invention, the yarn may be dyed in the form of a package in which the yarn is placed on a “package” such as a skein, cone, beam or spool. The package is sealed in a dyeing machine and subjected to elevated pressures and/or temperatures to force the dyebath, which includes the hydrophilic chemical, to pass back and forth through tightly wrapped yarns to accomplish the desired treatment, in this case both dyeing and rendering the normally hydrophobic fibers of the polyester yarns hydrophilic. U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,575 to Wedler and U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,232 to Negola et al are illustrative of the equipment and procedures for dyeing and treating packages of polyester yarn. Subsequent to package dyeing and hydrophilic finishing, the yarn may be knit into a tube, or other configuration, optionally scoured with a soap or detergent, then biaxially stretched such as in a tenter frame or oven and heatset all using conventional fluids, equipment and procedures.
The process is suited to a wide variety of polyester yarns suited to the practical weight of the product to be produced. They may be spun yarns such as prepared by ring, OE or air jet spinning or filament yarns. The agent providing the desired hydrophilic properties to the polyester yarn is selected from a variety of commercially available materials including Hydrolon (Consolidated Chemical) and Scotchguard FC-226 (3M)
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Ervin Marty
Tolley Scott E.
Wallace Jerry
Wilson John E.
Burlington Industries Inc.
Copenheaver Blaine
Nixon & Vanderhye
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