Textiles: knitting – Fabrics or articles – Warp
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-09
2001-08-28
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3765)
Textiles: knitting
Fabrics or articles
Warp
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279356
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a warp-knitted fabric that exhibits an interference color tone with effects including improved luster and iridescence, and more specifically it relates to a warp-knitted fabric which appears to express interference colors and exhibit an effect of improved luster and iridescence by allowing the color-phase of a light-colored insertion weave to be visible to the viewer through mesh-like gaps formed in a deep-colored base weave.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventional fabrics are known which exhibit a fantastic, clear and bright color effect called “iridescence”, and such fabrics are produced by the different methods described below (“New fiber discoveries —Revised 3rd edition”, by Kazushi Yoshikawa, published Mar. 15, 1994 by Kamakura Shobo).
(1) The warp and weft separately dyed with single colors are plane woven or twill woven to produce a juxtaposed color mixture.
(2) A thin-film of a light reflecting layer and a transparent layer is formed on the fabric surface by sputtering.
(3) A textile is made from foil yarn prepared by combining a polarizing film with a molecular oriented anisotropic film.
However, method (1) above has a drawback in that it cannot be applied for knits whose warp and weft are not clearly distinguishable, and therefore products obtained thereby have limited uses. Methods (2) and (3) have disadvantages in that they require special apparatuses for production of fabrics and thus are very troublesome and costly, while they can only give fabrics with a hard hand.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art by providing a knitted fabric which exhibits color effects including improved luster and an iridescent effect, just as if interference colors were being expressed, by a simple method using a common knitting step.
As a result of diligent research aimed at achieving the object stated above, the present inventors have found that when the size of mesh-like gaps formed in a deep-colored base weave is specified and the color phase of a light-colored insertion weave is made visible to viewers through the mesh-like gaps, it appears as if interference colors are being expressed, and improved luster and an iridescent effect are thereby exhibited.
Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a warp-knitted fabric exhibiting an interference color tone, which is a warp-knitted fabric containing a dark-colored base weave and an insertion weave of a lighter color than the base weave, wherein the base weave has formed therein mesh-like gaps with a maximum length of 0.5-15 mm which are present at 5-200 per square inch.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The warp-knitted fabric of the invention is a warp-knitted fabric containing a base weave in which mesh-like gaps are formed, and an insertion weave.
Here, the filaments composing the base weave may be either filaments or spun yarn of natural fibers, synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon, or semi synthetic fibers such as rayon or acetate, having a total denier of 50-400 denier.
If the total denier of the filaments is less than 50 denier, the color phase of the insertion weave may be seen also from sections other than the mesh-like gaps described below, often reducing the color effect. On the other hand if the total denier of the filaments is greater than 400, the knitting may be rendered more difficult.
The filaments composing the insertion weave may be either filaments or spun yarn of natural fibers, synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon, or semi synthetic fibers such as rayon or acetate, having a total denier of 50-400 denier.
If the total denier of the filaments is less than 50 denier, the pattern of the yarn may become non-uniform, and this may impair the surface of the knitted fabric. On the other hand if the total denier of the filaments is greater than 400 denier, the knitting may be rendered more difficult.
For a more pronounced color effect, the filaments composing the insertion weave are preferably filaments composed of fibers containing no more than 0.1 wt % of a delustering agent, known as bright filaments or superbright filaments, or modified cross-section fibers.
The filaments composing the insertion weave should maintain as flat a shape as possible in the knitted fabric from the standpoint of the color effect, and therefore the number of twists is preferably limited to no more than 80 T/M.
For a more uniform pattern of the filaments composing the insertion weave, it is preferred to also use pressing yarn with a total denier of 30-100 denier, and preferably 50-75 denier. The pressing yarn used may be any of the yarn types mentioned above, but it is preferably made of the same filaments as the filaments composing the base weave.
According to the invention, the base weave must be colored with a darker color than the insertion weave. The coloring method employed may be any desired method such as dip dyeing, textile printing or mass coloring, and examples thereof include a method wherein black mass-colored polyester filaments are used as the filaments composing the base weave and polyester filaments composing the insertion weave are dyed with a disperse dye, a method wherein cationic dye-dyeable polyester filaments are used as the filaments composing the base weave, and a basic dye and disperse dye are used together for separate dyeing of polyester filaments composing the insertion weave, and a method wherein the base weave is colored by mass coloring or dip dyeing, after which the insertion weave is textile printed.
When the insertion weave is textile printed, it is preferably printed from the opposite side from the base weave to avoid reducing the color effect.
It is preferred for the base weave to be colored black, or for the color phase of the base weave to be in a complementary relationship with the color phase of the insertion weave, for more notable expression of the color effect.
According to the invention, it is essential for the base weave to have gaps with a maximum length of 0.5-15 mm present at 5-200 per square inch.
Here, the maximum length of the gaps refers to the diameter of the gaps where they are circular, the length of the long side of the gaps where they are rectangular and the diameter of a circumscribed circle around the gaps where they are shapes other than circular or rectangular, and the value of the maximum length is preferably 1-7 mm when the gaps are circular and 3-15 mm when the gaps are rectangular.
If the value of the maximum length is less than 0.5 mm the resulting color effect will be reduced, and if the maximum length is greater than 15 mm the resulting color effect will not only be reduced but the zigzag spring of the yarn during knitting will be too large, making the knitting more difficult.
If the number of gaps is outside of the range specified above, the resulting color effect will be reduced. A preferred range for the number of gaps is 10-50 per square inch.
The multi-component warp-knitted fabric of the invention exhibits the following color effects due to its structure as described above.
(1) Since the color phase of the light-colored insertion weave can be seen through the openings interspersed in the dark-colored base weave, the luster of the insertion weave is even more pronounced.
(2) When the insertion weave is colored in multiple color phases by printing or the like, an iridescent effect is obtained just as if interference colors were being expressed.
(3) When the base weave is colored black, or the color phase of the base weave is in a complementary relationship with the color phase of the insertion weave, the color effect is more notable.
The present invention will now be explained, in more detail, by way of examples which, however, are in no way intended to restrict the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3834193 (1974-09-01), Wilkens
patent: 3999407 (1976-12-01), Odham
patent: 5711169 (1998-01-01), Leeke et al.
patent: 55-180786 (1980-12-01), None
patent: 61-640 (1986-01-01), None
patent: 1-229851 (1989-09-01), None
pate
Hirota Fumio
Takahashi Shigeru
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Teijin Limited
Worrell Danny
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