CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 62/818,764, filed on March 15, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to filling blends prepared from non-fiber and fiber constituents. Specifically, the disclosed blends of fiber-foam, fiber-down, fiber-feather packing materials with prolonged shape retention, Loft, Bulk, fill power and reduced aging/degradation are useful in cushions, pillows, bedding and a variety of consumer products desiring superior and sustained cushioning and comfort attributes.

BACKGROUND

Many filled cushion products are commercially available that use many different types of filling materials - bamboo fibers, PU foam pieces, latex foam, down, feathers, natural, synthetic fibers, cotton, etc. Each product has its own limitation in end-use performance. Cost is also a factor to be considered.

Currently, roughly 70% of all fill in bedding products is of the polyester fiber variety. A growing category is foam of varying kinds, including latex and polyurethane. An important but shrinking category is natural down and feathers. Other fibers such as PLA based, and regenerated cellulose are relatively smaller players in this market. Apart from the fill, performance benefits may also be enhanced through addition of antimicrobial additives, cooling enhancers and friction modifiers.

One reason polyester fill makes up such a large portion of the market is that the performance value it offers in relation to cost is high relative to the alternatives. Foam is more than 2x the price of polyester and down can be greater by a factor of 15 or more. There is an opportunity to create products that in combination would have beneficial features while lowering the cost. However, combining these different materials to get the most benefit is not straightforward and requires innovation with respect to processing and maximizing end-use performance.

One approach would be to provide different size pieces of foam in the pillow, for example, small foam pieces, medium foam pieces, and large foam pieces. Another approach might be to use a convoluted front and rear surface and then wrap with a batt or web of a non-woven fibrous material, after which the combination could be covered in the conventional manner with a fabric. Another approach might be to blend coated fibers with foam chips. Yet another approach could be to provide pockets for various filler materials in the pillow. Blends of latex and fiberfill could also be used.

In the consumer industry there continues to be a need for filled cushion, pillow or bedding products that contain filling blends with prolonged shape retention, loft, bulk, fill power and reduced aging/degradation.

SUMMARY

Disclosed is a fill blend having loft and support bulk; the blend comprising: a. an elongated fiber component that is pre-opened fiber before blending (“Component A”), and

b. a discontinuous non-fiber component (“Component B”), wherein, Component A is intimately entangled in the discontinuities of Component B to at least partially obscure Component B, and wherein, the discoloration of Component B is retarded compared to only Component B used for fill blend in 24-hr ultraviolet light exposure according to AATCC Test Method 16.3 [known as 20AFU].

Component B can be selected from a group consisting of polyurethane foam, latex foam, down and feather.

Component B can be at least 90% pre-opened fiber before blending.

The elongated fiber Component A can be at least 95% pre-opened fiber before blending.

The elongated fiber Component A can be present in the range of 10-90 wt.% of the total fill blend weight. The fill blend can comprise at least one fiber selected from a group consisting of bamboo fiber, natural fiber, cotton fiber and wool fiber.

The elongated fiber Component A can be characterized by 0.5-30 denier per filament, for example, 0.8-20 denier per filament, for example 0.8-16 denier per filament.

The elongated fiber Component A can be at least one selected from a group consisting of polyamide fiber, polyester fiber and polyolefin fiber.

Further disclosed is a method of making a fill blend having loft and support bulk, the method comprising: i) subjecting an elongated fiber component to a pre-opening step of gentle shearing action to shear and pre-open the elongated fiber component, ii) providing the pre-opened elongated fiber of i) to a blending step, iii) feeding a discontinuous non-fiber component to said blending step, and iv) providing the blending conditions sufficient to prepare fill blend comprising ii) and iii).

The pre-opening step can pre-opens the elongated fiber Component A to at least 90% prior to the blending step, for example, at least 95% prior to the blending step. For the method, the discontinuous non-fiber Component B can be selected from a group consisting of polyurethane foam, latex foam, down and feather. The elongated fiber Component A can be present in the range of 10-90 wt.% of the total fill blend weight. For the method, the elongated fiber Component A can be characterized by 0.5-30 denier per filament, and can be selected from a group consisting of polyamide fiber, polyester fiber and polyolefin fiber.

Further disclosed is a filled article comprising: a. a flexible container; and

b. a fill blend comprising

i. an elongated pre-opened fiber component that is pre-opened fiber before blending, and

ii. a discontinuous non-fiber component, wherein the pre-opened elongated fiber component is intimately entangled in the discontinuities of the non-fiber component to at least partially obscure the non-fiber component, and

wherein, the discoloration of non-fiber component is retarded compared to only non-fiber fill in 24-hr ultraviolet light exposure according to AATCC Test Method 16.3 [known as 20AFU], and

wherein, the fill blend at least partially fills the flexible container.

The filled article can comprise at least one of a cushion, a sheet and a garment. The filled article can suitably have any shape, including a three-dimensional shape chosen from a group consisting of round, square, rectangle, oval, triangle, rhombus, pyramid, sphere, cylinder, cone, sheet, disc and wedge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photographic representation of fill materials obtained from a commercial pillow specimen in Example 2 of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a representation of the prepared specimens of Example 3 and according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a representation of close photographic details of the prepared Example 3 specimens and according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 are SEM images taken for the prepared specimens of Example 3 and according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 are optical micrographs for the prepared specimens of Example 9 and according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Many filled consumer products or products that are internally packed such as pillows, bedding, cushions, etc., rely on compressible soft packing materials. Consumers desire comfortable and durable products that retain their fdled shape, do not degrade in performance and less expensive.

The term“dpf’ or“DPF”, as used herein, refers to denier per filament. Denier is a unit measure of mass density of fiber. One denier equals 1 gram per 9000 m fiber linear length.

A common term“down”, as used herein, refers to a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers of a bird down is used in consumer goods such as jackets, bedding (duvets), pillows, sleeping bags, etc. In the bedding industry, down-containing products are typically known as“down product” with the down ratio. As an example, a 90% down cushion means it is filled with 90% down: 10% other fill.

This disclosure proposes a new filling material having non-fiber components blended with the specialty fibers. It was unexpectedly found that these fillings are very effective in providing superior Loft and Bulk while retarding degradation.

Examples of compressible soft packing materials may include, but not limited to, bamboo fibers, PU foam, latex foam, down, feathers [e.g.: goose or duck feathers], natural, synthetic fibers, cotton, and combinations thereof. Such compressible soft packing materials should be commercially available, easy and cost-effective to process for incorporation as filling materials in consumer products.

Non-limiting examples of specialty fibers may include the ones that are commercially available from INVISTA under the tradename Dacron® fibers, Fiberfill products, and such.

Examples of these fibers may include the ones with dpf (denier per filament) ranging from about 0.5 to about 30, for example, from about 0.8 to about 20, from about 0.8 to about 16, from about 0.8 to about 10. Non-limiting examples of the suitable fiber cross-section may include round solid, round hollow, 4-hole fiber, 7-hole fiber, multi -lobal fiber such as tri-lobal or penta-lobal, bi component, flat, square, rectangular, and such.

If materials need to be blended, a process that is often used is random tumbling and blowing. The process has its benefit in simplicity along with cost reduction and is used in basic blending of down and feathers, polyester clusters and foam. However, to maximize the features of different products, more specifically when blending fiber-based materials with others such as foam [or down], it is essential to enhance each component separately to its maximum value benefit. This benefit would include maximizing properties of the combined blend such as loft, support bulk and friction without the degradation of individual component features such as fiber surface damage. The optimization of fiberfill prior to mixing with other products such as foam is a critical process towards achieving the desired blend properties.

More specifically, the fiberfill component needs to be pre-opened to the right amount prior to blending or mixing with other products such as foam. Fiberfill that is not fully opened is likely to make the resulting blend too soft with low bulkiness. In contrast, an overworked fiberfill with respect to degree of fiber opening will result in making rat tails, densification of the fiber structure and stripping of additives such as silicone from the surface, making the final blended product less than optimum. Optimum fiber pre-opening and processing results in intimate contact between the fiberfill and other products such as foam in a randomly and thoroughly mixed blend. This intimate contact is instrumental in promoting properties such as shape retention from increased friction, reduced degradation due to UV or other lighting sources and allowing the individual components such as fiberfill and foam to provide optimal properties to the blended product.

The industrial utility of the present disclosure may be realized in its offered benefits. The fiberfill-foam blends of the present disclosure may be very useful as packing materials in a wide variety of filled consumer products, such as plush cushions, pillows, bedding, body (e.g., back or lumbar) support structures, pet products, transportation (vehicles, trains, planes, boats), sports and recreation (cushioned seats, backing), construction, infants/children products, and many other applications, where consumers desire improved support bulk combined with the sustained filled shape retention and reduced filling material degradation at an affordable cost. Rapid degradation and loss of performance for any filled consumer products is not desirable.

Test Methods Used

Lightfastness Testing - It involves exposing a material to a specified amount of UV light from a Xenon-Arc lamp, then measuring the change in color or other properties of the material. It is difficult or impossible to simulate a real-life multi-variable exposure environment, intensity or time period. For example, an hour of exposure on a cloudy day will not be the same as an hour of exposure on a sunny day. Instead, light exposure is measured in AATCC Fading Units (AFU) which are independent of time. The test is performed in accordance with AATCC Test method 16.3.

Loft

The term“Loft”, as used herein, refers to a filled structure’s height as it lays flat on the surface. In general, a low-Loft pillow will be thin while high-Loft pillow is relatively thick. Loft is measured in linear inches. The center height of the pillow under no load, H ₀ , is determined by mashing in the opposite comers of the pillow several times and placing the pillow on the load- sensitive table of an Instron tester and measuring its height at zero load. Before the actual H ₀ measurement, the pillow is subjected to one cycle of 20 pounds (9 kg) compression and load release for conditioning. This original height, H ₀ , provides the loft value.

Support Bulk

Pillows fabricated from filling material having the most effective bulk or filling power will have the greatest center height. The test is initiated by mashing in the opposite comers of the pillow several times and placing the pillow on the load-sensitive table of an Instron tester. The Instron tester is equipped with a metal -disc presser foot that is 4 inches (10.2 cm) in diameter. The presser foot is then caused to apply a load of 10 lbs (4.5 kg) to the center section of the pillow and the height of the pillow at this point is recorded as the load height, H _L . Before the actual H ₀ or H _L measurements, the pillow is subjected to one cycle of 20 pounds (9 kg) compression and load release for conditioning. A load of 10 pounds (4.5 kg) is used for the H _L measurement because it approximates the load applied to a pillow under conditions of actual use. Pillows having the highest H _L values are the most resistive to deformation and thus provide the greatest support bulk.

United States Patent No. 3772137A [referred to as‘137A] discloses preparation of pillows from low density filling structures and testing to determine of their bulk properties. For reference, see‘ 137A Column 5 Line 1 through Column 6 Line 6 for details about bulk determination that is generally applicable to the present disclosure.

The term“pre-opening”, as used herein, means a process wherein a tightly bound fiber bundle is gently sheared to separate into individual fibers for enhanced fiberfill properties. The extent of fiber pre-opening is determined by taking a volume/weight ratio of the pre-opened fiberfill material to that of a non-pre-opened fiber of the same weight. For example, 90% pre opened fiberfill refers to the pre-opening step that obtains a fiberfill product with 90% open structure on a volumetric basis. The 10% pre-opened fiberfill means it has been only opened 10% of its volumetric structure.

According to the present disclosure and Examples herein, the pre-opening step that is employed before the fill blend step obtains >90% pre-opened fiberfill, for example, >91%, >92%, >93%, >94%, >95%, >96%, >97%, >98%, >99%, >99.5% pre-opened fiberfill. Theoretically, it may be possible to obtain fully opened, i.e., 100% pre-opened fiberfill, and may depend on the equipment choice, effectiveness and cost considerations.

Materials Used in the Examples

Various siliconized Dacron® fibers are used as fiberfill materials in the present disclosure examples. Dacron® fibers is a registered trademark of INVISTA. These include fibers with dpf (denier per filament) ranging from about 0.5 to about 30, for example, from about 0.8 to about 20, from about 0.8 to about 16, from about 0.8 to about 10.

The non-fiber fill components are chosen from either polyurethane [PU] foam pieces, latex foam pieces, down, feather, and combinations thereof. In the case of foam used as one of major fill components, the foam pieces used are of varying sizes less than or equal to about 2.5 inches.

In all cases, the fiberfill material from Dacron® fibers is processed through a step called “pre-opening” prior to mixing and blending with the other non-fiber fill component. In the pre opening step, the aggregated fiber bundle products are gently sheared to separate into individual fibers using conventional equipment such as a rotating paddlewheel chamber, carding machine, etc. In the examples of this disclosure, the fiberfill was pre-opened to preferably >90% in a Random card blower to a point just before rat tails were observed. This pre-opening of the fiberfill material allows maximum opportunity to utilize the properties of fiberfill.

An industrial rotating paddle wheel mixer [E.g.: Ormont] and blower are used for blending the pre-opened fiberfill with non-fiber fill material, such as foam pieces or down or feather. Each blended mixture is blown into a pillow shell to form a filled pillow specimen. The pillow specimens so prepared are then tested for loft and bulk. A small portion of each of the fill blends are used to evaluate lightfastness properties via UV light exposure.

EXAMPLES

The following Examples demonstrate the present disclosure and its capability for use. The disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various apparent respects, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the Examples are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and non limiting.

EXAMPLE 1 - Degradation of foam filled Specimens (comparative) Two commercial foam-filled pillow products were kept sitting on a lab counter [-50-60%

RH, 20-25 °C, indoor lighting] for over one month. A newly purchased pillow specimen of the identical kind was compared to the two aged specimens.

It was visually observed that the two aged specimens discolored compared to the fresh specimen. Also, it was observed that the foam fill pieces with discoloration began to break apart into smaller fractions even with gentle handling, further indicating degradation over time. The fairly rapid yellowing observed along with its associated degradation poses the potential for performance loss. The loss in aesthetics was visually obvious.

It is to be expected that even the fresh specimen would undergo similar discoloration and degradation over time. EXAMPLE 2 - Degradation of foam Fill from Commercial Specimen (Comparative)

The packing (or fill) material was obtained from a newly purchased commercial pillow specimen. This fill material consists of polyurethane foam pieces with the largest size of a single piece measured at about 2.5 inches. FIG. 1 is a photographic representation of the filling material that was exposed to typical indoor condition [-50-60% RH, 20-25 °C, indoor lighting] for a period of up to one week. A visual inspection indicated noticeable discoloration over the one-week time period.

EXAMPLES 3 [A-Dl - Color Fastness to Light Testing In Table 1 below, several fill blends were prepared by blending different ratios of the polyurethane foam pieces of varying sizes less than or equal to about 2.5 inches and the fiberfill material that was >95% pre-opened before the blend step.

TABLE 1

In Table 1, the % (by weight) values of foam and pre-opened fiber total 100% for that respective fill blend. The fiberfill by itself is >90% pre-opened fiber before the blend step. Note that the“% of pre-opened Fiber (by wt.)” in the blend is not to be confused with the >90% pre opened fiber prepared before blend.

The Table 1 Specimens were prepared as described above in the Materials Used section and then subjected to the following test procedure:

• Each blended fill specimen was placed in a clean plastic bag.

• Half of each packed bag was masked with black paper to block light exposure so that only the remaining half could be exposed to UV light. • Each half-masked bag was exposed to UV light per AATCC Test Method 16.3 for 24 hours [20AFU]

• Photos were taken for each bag before and after the exposure period.

The Table 1 Specimens that were tested for 20 AFU Fightfastness are shown side-by-side in FIG. 2. Specimen 3A is a Control containing 100% foam material that resembles a commercially available pillow products tested in Examples 1 and 2. An intense discoloration of Specimen 3A during the 20AFU Fightfastness testing was consistent with that observed in Examples 1 and 2, and shown in FIG. 2, respectively.

It was surprisingly observed that the presence of >95% pre-opened fiber in the fill material was effective in retarding the discoloration rate compared to the specimens where >95% pre opened fiber was not present. It was recognized in this example that the presence of pre-opened fiber is able to physically block the UV Fight from discoloring and degrading the foam. However, the light-exposed foam portion of the tested specimens continued to discolor. The overall effect of the pre-opened fiberfill was to reduce yellowing and degradation by UV light of the foam as can be seen by comparing Specimen 3A (control - foam only) versus 3B-3D (pre-opened fiber- foam fill blends) in FIG 2.

The beneficial effect of the presence of pre-opened fiber in fill blends of Table 1 specimens is further evidenced from FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows side-by-side magnification images of the foam particle surfaces present in Control Specimen 3A and those in Specimen 3D. An open and exposed cell structures are clearly visible in the top two micrographs representing Control Specimen 3A. While, in the case of Specimen 3D, the presence of pre-opened fiber in fill blend partially or completely obscured foam particle surface, thereby, forming a protective web. It is believed that this formation of protective web by the fibers over the foam particles surface may be retarding the discoloration and degradation during light exposure.

FIG. 3 is a representation of SEM (scanning electron microscope) images obtained for the Control Specimen 3 A and those for Specimen 3D at different magnifications. The top-row SEM images in FIG. 3 show the foam fill particle surfaces in Specimen 3 A with no pre-opened fiber fill. The middle-row SEM images show representative examples of the Specimen 3D blend structure wherein the presence of fiber provides a protective web shielding the foam particle surfaces. The magnified bottom-row SEM images for Specimen 3D clearly show an entangled protective web formed by the pre-opened fiber over the foam particle surfaces and provide evidence of the interlocking between individual fibers [illustrated by arrows] and the foam. This interlocking is indicative of an intimate contact between pre-opened fiber fill and foam which is a direct result of fiber pre-opening followed by an optimum blending process.

In FIG. 3 Specimen 3D images, the presence of individual fibers and not unopened fiber bundles is achieved from the incorporation of a fiberfill pre-opening step before blending. The intimate contact between pre-opened fiberfill and foam pieces shown in the SEM images may be responsible for the formation of a protective fiber web layer on foam pieces. This fiber web layer decreases the amount of yellowing and subsequent degradation of the foam component when exposed to UV/indoor light. This intimate pre-opened fiber fill with foam contact may also be directly responsible for increasing the friction between foam pieces and also direct contributor to the improved shape retention which is observed on physical examination of the pre-opened fiberfill-foam blended pillows.

EXAMPLES 4 1A-G1 - Loft and Bulk Testing

Other performance relevant properties of Table 1 Specimens were determined and are summarized in Table 2 below. The data includes total fill weight in oz., Loft and Bulk for various foam only control samples and representative pre-opened fiberfill-foam blends shown in Table 1. A comparison of properties of the pre-opened fiberfill-foam blends versus the foam only controls shows superiority in baseline pillow properties for the blends in a majority of the specimens tested when compared on an equivalent fill weight basis. In addition to providing superior loft and bulk the replacement of any quantity of foam by pre-opened fiberfill in the blend results in a cost reduction due to the relatively lower price of fiberfill compared to foam.

TABLE 2

EXAMPLE 5 - Blends of >90% pre-opened fibers with foam pieces.

The bottom-row SEM images in FIG. 3 for Specimen 3D clearly show an entangled protective web formed by the pre-opened fiber over the foam particle surfaces and provide evidence of the interlocking between individual fibers [illustrated by arrows] and the foam pieces. This interlocking is indicative of an intimate contact between fiberfill and foam which is a direct result of fiber pre-opening of >90% followed by a blending process. The presence of individual “pre-opened” fibers and not tightly packed fiber“bundles” in the SEM images is indicative of the incorporation of a fiberfill pre-opening step in processing of these blends.

Though not shown, a lack of pre-opening step before the fill blend step results in tight fiberfill bundles surrounding the foam particles. Such loose integration results in faster discoloration and deactivation accompanied with performance loss as compared to Specimen 3D for example.

EXAMPLES 6-8 - Blends with fills other than polyurethane foam

The data in Table 3 shows pillow fill weight, loft and bulk for various blends made according to the present disclosure. These fill blends include >90% pre-opened fiberfill and latex foam, down and feather. An improvement in both loft and support bulk is observed in a majority of the cases for the blend compared to the control 100% only specimens. The data unexpectedly demonstrates the benefit of pre-opening fiberfill at >90% followed by blending with non-fiber constituents and at an overall reduced cost.

TABLE 3

Other Example 6 specimens include pre-opening of the fiberfill at >90% followed by making and filling wt:wt blends of fiberfill: latex foam in the ratios of 55:45, 60:40, 65 :35, 70:30, 75 :25, 80:20, 90: 10 and ratios in between these values, 67:33 or 85: 15 as an example.

Other Example 7 specimens include pre-opening of the fiberfill at >90% followed by making and filling wt:wt blends of dowmfiberfill in the ratios of 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, 45:55, 55 :45, 60:40, 65:35, 70:30, 75:25, 80:20, 90: 10 and ratios in between these values, 67:33 or 85 : 15 as an example.

Other Example 8 specimens include pre-opening of the fiberfill at >90% followed by making and filling wt:wt blends of feathenfiberfill in the ratios of 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, 45 :55, 55:45, 60:40, 65:35, 70:30, 75:25, 80:20, 90: 10 and ratios in between these values, 67:33 or 85: 15 as an example. EXAMPLES 9 - Fill Blends with and without fiber pre-opening

Fiberfill-foam blends were compared with and without the fiber pre-opening processing step . An improvement in performance is noted when the fibers are pre-opened prior to the blending step, and as shown in Table 4, particularly with respect to support bulk. Support bulk is the key property as it provides a measure for support for filled articles such as cushions, pillows, etc. FIG. 5 represents optical micrographs showing the fiberfill in the i) as-received fiber bundles, ii) blended without prior pre-opening of the fibers, and iii) blended with foam pieces after fiber pre opened to >90% as performed in Example 3G.

The lower magnification (top row) micrographs show a greater number of fully un-opened fiber bundles in the blended only specimen as compared to the one blended after the pre-opening step as in 3G. The higher magnification micrographs (bottom row) show more randomly distributed and randomly oriented fibers for the pre-opened [Example 3G] followed by blending condition. The crimp pattern seen in the as-received fibers can still be discerned in the blended only specimen. A random orientation and distribution of the fibers achieved by pre-opening prior to the blending step results in superior support bulk observed in Table 4.

TABLE 4