Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Fluid treatment – Special forms and forming
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-15
2003-11-04
Einsmann, Margaret (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Fluid treatment
Special forms and forming
C008S115600, C427S389900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640371
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to high pressure antimicrobial treatments for specific yarns (such as package dyeing) for further incorporation within textile fabrics. Such treatments preferably comprise silver ions, particularly as constituents of inorganic metal salts or zeolites. In order to impart wash durability to the inventive package dyed treatment, this preferred treatment generally requires the presence of a resin binder as a component of the dye bath formulation admixed with the silver-ion antimicrobial compound, the formulation then forced through a target yarn spool in order to provide a finish over substantially all of the target yarn. The yarn may then be knit, woven, pressed, laid-in, etc., into a textile fabric exhibiting antimicrobial properties. Alternatively, the binder resin may be applied only after treatment and textile formation. Such a treatment has been found to be extremely durable on such substrates; after a substantial number of standard launderings and dryings, the treatment does not wear away in any appreciable amount and thus the substrate retains its antimicrobial activity. The particular treatment method, as well as the treated textile fabrics, are also encompassed within this invention.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
There has been a great deal of attention in recent years given to the hazards of bacterial contamination from potential everyday exposure. Noteworthy examples of such concern include the fatal consequences of food poisoning due to certain strains of
Eschericia coli
being found within undercooked beef in fast food restaurants; Salmonella contamination causing sicknesses from undercooked and unwashed poultry food products; and illnesses and skin infections attributed to
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
yeast, and other unicellular organisms. With such an increased consumer interest in this area, manufacturers have begun introducing antimicrobial agents within various household products and articles. For instance, certain brands of polypropylene cutting boards, liquid soaps, etc., all contain antimicrobial compounds. The most popular antimicrobial for such articles is triclosan. Although the incorporation of such a compound within liquid or polymeric media has been relatively simple, other substrates, including the surfaces of textiles and fibers, have proven less accessible. There is a long-felt need to provide effective, durable, and long-lasting antimicrobial characteristics for textile surfaces, in particular on apparel fabrics, and on film surfaces. Such proposed applications have been extremely difficult to accomplish with triclosan, particularly when wash durability is a necessity (triclosan easily washes off any such surfaces). Furthermore, although triclosan has proven effective as an antimicrobial compound, the presence of chlorines and chlorides within such a compound causes skin irritation which makes the utilization of such with fibers, films, and textile fabrics for apparel uses highly undesirable. Furthermore, there are commercially available textile products comprising acrylic and/or acetate fibers co-extruded with triclosan (for example Celanese markets such acetate fabrics under the name Microsafe™ and Acordis markets such acrylic fibers, under the tradename Amicor™). However, such an application is limited to those types of fibers; it does not work specifically for and within polyester, polyamide, cotton, spandex, etc., fabrics. Furthermore, this co-extrusion procedure is very expensive.
Silver-containing inorganic microbiocides have recently been developed and utilized as antimicrobial agents on and within a plethora of different substrates and surfaces. In particular, such microbiocides have been adapted for incorporation within melt spun synthetic fibers, as taught within Japanese unexamined Patent Application No. H11-124729, in order to provide certain fabrics which selectively and inherently exhibit antimicrobial characteristics. Furthermore, attempts have been made to apply such specific microbiocides on the surfaces of fabrics and yarns with little success from a durability standpoint. A topical treatment with such compounds has never been successfully applied as a durable finish or coating on a fabric or yarn substrate. Although such silver-based agents provide excellent, durable, antimicrobial properties, to date such is the sole manner available within the prior art of providing a long-lasting, wash-resistant, silver-based antimicrobial textile. However, such melt spun fibers are expensive to make due to the large amount of silver-based compound required to provide sufficient antimicrobial activity in relation to the migratory characteristics of such a compound within the fiber itself to its surface. A topical coating is also desirable for textile and film applications, particularly after finishing of the target fabric or film. Such a topical procedure permits treatment of a fabric's individual fibers prior to or after weaving, knitting, and the like, in order to provide greater versatility to the target yarn without altering its physical characteristics. Such a coating, however, must prove to be wash durable, particularly for apparel fabrics, in order to be functionally acceptable. Furthermore, in order to avoid certain problems, it is highly desirable for such a metallized treatment to be electrically non-conductive on the target fabric, yarn, and/or film surface. With the presence of metals and metal ions, such a wash durable, non-electrically conductive coating has not been available in the past. Such an improvement would thus provide an important advancement within the textile, yarn, and film art. Although antimicrobial activity is one desired characteristic of the inventive metal-treated fabric, yarn, or film, this is not a required property of the inventive article. Odor-reduction, heat retention, distinct coloriations, reduced discolorations, improved yarn and/or fabric strength, resistance to sharp edges, etc., are all either individual or aggregate properties which may be accorded the user of such an inventive treated yarn, fabric, or film.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a simple manner of effectively treating a yarn in a package dye method with a wash-durable antimicrobial silver-ion containing treatment. Another object of the invention is to provide an aesthetically pleasing metal-ion-treated textile which is wash durable, non-yellowing, non-irritating to skin, and which provides antimicrobial properties.
Accordingly, this invention encompasses a yarn treated with a wash-durable antimicrobial finish, wherein said yarn is treated through a high pressure procedure involving the following sequential steps:
(a) providing a spool of yarn;
(b) providing a formulation comprising a dispersion of a solid antimicrobial compound and optionally a binder material;
(c) placing said spool of yarn within said dye bath formulation; and
(d) pumping said formulation through said spool of yarn at a pressure of between about 0.1 and 100 pounds per square inch for from about 5 seconds to about 5 hours at a temperature in the range from about 25° to about 325° C. Also encompassed within this invention is a process for producing a yarn exhibiting antimicrobial characteristics comprising the steps of
(a) providing a spool of yarn;
(b) providing a formulation comprising a dispersion of a solid antimicrobial compound;
(c) placing said spool of yarn within said dye bath formulation;
(d) pumping said dye bath formulation through said spool of yarn at a pressure of between about 0.1 and 100 pounds per square inch for from about 5 seconds to about 5 hours at a temperature in the range from about 25° to about 325° C.;
(e) combining said yarn with a plurality of other yarns to form a textile fabric; and
(f) coating at least a portion of said yarn within the textile fabric of step “e” with a binder resin. The resultant yarn can then be utilized as one component of a textile fabric to provide antimicrobial characteristics at a level of at least 99
Close, Jr. Leland G.
Green David E.
Einsmann Margaret
Milliken & Company
Moyer Terry T.
Parks William S.
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