CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/165,587, filed on May 22, 2015. The entire contents of the prior application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to siliconized synthetic filament yarn, and to articles comprising and methods of forming the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] While yarns produced from natural fibers such as cotton, wool and linen can have excellent feel, they are also often associated with drawbacks such as durability, relatively low strength, large shrinkage after washing and, consequently, large configurational change. Accordingly, effort has been devoted toward developing improved yarns that may include, in addition to natural fibers, synthetic fibers, typically of staple length approximately commensurate with the natural fibers, to help to negate drawbacks of exclusively natural fiber yarn.

[0004] Various approaches to address these needs have been described. U.S. Patent Publication 20070032155, which is commonly-owned with the present application, discloses a yarn comprising siliconized micro-denier polyester staple fibers and macro-denier staple fibers. [0005] Notwithstanding previous efforts, a need remains for novel and improved yarn that can be woven or knitted into articles, including fabrics and articles of clothing.

[0006] While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, Applicant in no way disclaims these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.

[0007] In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was, at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Briefly, the present invention satisfies the need for improved yarn having desirable properties, such as hand-feel. The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the art discussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed herein.

[0009] Certain embodiments of the presently-disclosed yarn, articles comprising the yarn, and methods for making the yarn have several features, no single one of which is solely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the yarn, articles, and methods as defined by the claims that follow, their more prominent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section of this specification entitled "Detailed Description of the Invention," one will understand how the features of the various embodiments disclosed herein provide a number of advantages over the current state of the art. For example, incorporation of embodiments of the inventive yarn into articles such as fabric gives the resultant article an increased softness as sensed by the hand or skin. Articles comprising the embodiments of the inventive yarn can also take on more of a spun, natural fiber quality, while giving the fabric an inherent water resistance and reducing the time needed for becoming completely dry after being exposed to wet conditions.

[0010] In one aspect, the invention provides a yarn comprising a plurality of synthetic filament plies bundled together in the form of a yarn strand, wherein the yarn strand is a siliconized strand.

[0011] In a second aspect, the invention provides an article comprising the yarn of the first aspect of the invention.

[0012] In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of making yarn, comprising: melt spinning a synthetic composition to form a (e.g., non-siliconized) synthetic filament; bundling a plurality of (e.g., non-siliconized) synthetic filament plies, thereby forming a yarn strand; and siliconizing the yarn strand. [0013] These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and:

[0015] FIGS. 1A and IB depict simplified profile views of sections of yarn according to certain embodiments of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 depicts a section of yarn according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Aspects of the present invention and certain features, advantages, and details thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to the non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known materials, fabrication tools, processing techniques, etc., are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the invention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific example(s), while indicating embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, and are not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions and/or arrangements within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. [0018] In one aspect, the invention provides a yarn comprising a plurality of synthetic filament plies bundled together in the form of a yarn strand, wherein the yarn strand is siliconized.

[0019] Unlike spun yarns, which are made up of staple fibers, the present invention provides a filament yarn.

[0020] As used herein, synthetic filament plies ("filaments") are single long threadlike continuous textile fibers/strands. Unlike staple fibers, which are of finite length (typically sold in lengths up to 120 mm), filaments are of indefinite length, and can run the entire length of yarn, even for yards or miles. Indeed, the length of a filament is often limited not by the filament itself, but by the yarn that comprises it.

[0021] As indicated above, the filament plies are long continuous fibers of indefinite length, with length often being dictated by the final yarn in which the plies are employed. In some embodiments, the filament plies range in length from 5 inches to several miles, including any and all ranges and subranges therein. For example, in some embodiments, the filaments may be at least 5 inches in length (e.g., at least 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100 inches in length, or any range or subrange therein). In some embodiments, the filaments may be at least 1 foot in length (e.g., at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, 470, 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580, 590, 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680, 690, 700, 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760, 770, 780, 790, 800, 810, 820, 830, 840, 850, 860, 870, 880, 890, 900, 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 970, 980, 990, or 1000 feet in length, or any range or subrange therein).

[0022] Synthetic filaments may be created by a process known as extrusion (which can also be called melt spinning). For example, synthetic polymer composition (e.g., polyester) may be brought to or beyond its melting point, and the liquid polymer may be forced through a dye called a spinneret. The spinneret often has many small holes through which the liquid passes. The liquid polymer streams are cooled upon exiting the spinneret, resulting in long strands of continuous synthetic fibers. The extruded filaments may optionally be combined with those of another (e.g., an adjoining) spinneret to increase the number of filaments in a bundle. A bundle of filaments maybe drawn (stretched) to make each filament thinner, and may optionally be texturized, as described below.

[0023] The synthetic filaments may be solid or hollow.

[0024] The plurality of synthetic filament plies is made of up two or more filaments. In some embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filament plies is made up of two to over one hundred filaments. For example, in some embodiments, the plurality of non-siliconized synthetic filament plies is made up of 2 to 500 filaments (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, 470, 480, 490, or 500 filaments) including any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 5 to 200 filaments, 15 to 175 filaments, etc.).

[0025] Synthetic fibers that may constitute the synthetic filament plies include any synthetic fiber known in the art as being conducive to the preparation of textile materials. Many synthetic fibers are known in the art, and any desired synthetic fibers may be used in the invention. Indeed, different fibers have different properties, and lend themselves toward advantageous uses in different applications. This information is well within the purview of persons having ordinary skill in the art. While a wide array of synthetic filament plies may be used in the invention, in some embodiments, the synthetic fibers that constitute the synthetic filament plies are selected from the group consisting of polyamide, polyester, acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin, nylon, rayon, lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, and combinations thereof.

[0026] In particular embodiments, the synthetic fiber is polyester. For example, in some embodiments, the polyester is selected from poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(hexahydro-p- xylylene terephthalate), poly(butylene terephthalate), poly-l,4-cyclohexelyne dimethylene (PCDT) and terephthalate copolyesters in which at least 85 mole percent of the ester units are ethylene terephthalate or hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate units. In a particular embodiment, the polyester is polyethylene terephthalate.

[0027] In various embodiments, prior to their incorporation in a yarn strand, the filaments of the plurality of synthetic filament plies are non-siliconized (i.e., the individual filaments have not been subject to siliconization, and thus exterior surfaces spanning the circumference of the filaments are not coated with silicon-containing material). This differs from prior art yarn, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication 20070032155, which comprises microdenier staple fibers (versus filaments) that have individually been siliconized prior to their incorporation into yarn.

[0028] The plurality of synthetic filament plies are bundled together in the form of a yarn strand, wherein the strand is siliconized. In some embodiments, the synthetic filament plies are bundled together parallel to one another, as shown in yarn segment 100 in FIG. 1 A. In other embodiments, the synthetic filament plies are bundled together by twisting the plies, as shown in yarn segment 200 in FIG. IB. In still other embodiments, other texturizing techniques are performed on the bundle of filament plies to disrupt the parallelization of the filaments. Such techniques may serve, for example, to add bulk without adding weight, which can make the resultant yarn seem lighter in weight, have improved hand-feel

(softness), appear more opaque, and/or have improved temperature insulating properties. While any art-acceptable texturizing processes may be employed, examples of texturizing processes conducive to use in the invention include crimping, looping, coiling, crinkling, twisting then untwisting and knitting then deknitting.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 A and IB, when the plurality of synthetic filament plies are bundled together in the form of a yarn strand, the resultant yarn strand includes an exterior portion 10, which is siliconized. While the exterior portion 10 is depicted as a continuous surface in FIGS. 1 A and IB, persons having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, in many embodiments (e.g., depending on, inter alia, the number of filaments comprised within the yarn, how tightly the filaments are bundles, and texturization), the exterior portion will not appear continuous. This is the case, for example, in the embodiment of inventive yarn depicted in FIG. 2.

[0030] The term "siliconized" means that the yarn is coated with a silicon-comprising composition (e.g., a silicone). Siliconization techniques are well known in the art, and are described, e.g., in U.S. Patent No. 3,454,422. The silicon-comprising composition may be applied using any method known in the art, e.g., spraying, mixing, dipping, padding, etc. The silicon-comprising (e.g., silicone) composition, which may include an organosiloxane or polysiloxane, bonds to at least an exterior portion of the yarn. In some embodiments, the silicone coating is a polysiloxane such as a methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, modified methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, or amino modified

dimethylpolysiloxane. As is known in the art, the silicon-comprising composition may be applied directly to the yarn, or may be diluted with a solvent as a solution or emulsion, e.g. an aqueous emulsion of a polysiloxane, prior to application. Following treatment, the coating may be dried and/or cured. As is known in the art, a catalyst may be used to accelerate the curing of the silicon-comprising composition (e.g., polysiloxane containing Si— H bonds) and, for convenience, may be added to a silicon-comprising composition emulsion, with the resultant combination being used to treat the exterior surface of the yarn. Suitable catalysts include iron, cobalt, manganese, lead, zinc, and tin salts of carboxylic acids such as acetates, octanoates, naphthenates and oleates. In some embodiments, following siliconization, the yarn may be dried to remove residual solvent and then optionally heated to between 65° and 200° C to cure.

[0031] In some embodiments, the silicon-comprising compound does not comprise silicon dioxide.

[0032] Denier is a unit of measure defined as the weight in grams of 9000 meters of a yarn or fiber. It is a common way to specify the weight (or size) of the yarn or fiber. Fibers that are 1.0 denier have a diameter of approximately 10 micrometers. Micro-denier fibers are those having a denier of 1.0 or less while macro-denier fibers have a denier greater than 1.0. Denier per filament, or dpf, is a common way of specifying a multi-filament yarn. A yarn described as 75d/144f refers to a yarn having an overall denier of 75 (meaning 9000 meters of said yarn would weigh 75 grams), while the number of filaments comprising the yarn would be 144. This yarn would be considered a micro-denier yarn because its individual strands would have a denier of 75 divided by 144, or 0.52, which is lower than 1.0 denier.

[0033] In some embodiments, the inventive yarn has a dpf of 0.2 to 15 (e.g., 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5,

2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6,

4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7,

6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8,

8.9, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9, 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 11.0, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8, 11.9, 12.0, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8, 12.9, 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 13.6, 13.7, 13.8, 13.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6, 14.7, 14.8, 14.9, or 15.0), including any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.3 to 6).

[0034] In some embodiments, the synthetic filaments have a denier of 0.1 to 10 denier (e.g., 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1,

2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2,

4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3,

6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4,

8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9, or 10.0 denier), including any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.5 to 6 denier).

[0035] In some embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filament plies comprises filaments having a denier of less than 5.0. In some embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filament plies comprises filaments having a denier of less than 1.0. [0036] In some embodiments of the inventive yarn, all fiber present in the yarn consists of filament plies (i.e., all fiber present is in the form of filaments).

[0037] In some embodiments of the inventive yarn, all fiber present in the yarn consists of the same fiber composition. In such embodiments, the fiber composition of the exterior surface of the yarn is the same as the fiber composition of the remainder of the yarn, including all of the fiber that makes up the inner portion of the yarn.

[0038] In some embodiments, the inventive yarn is un-dyed (i.e., no color is added during the manufacturing process). In other embodiments, the inventive yarn may be dyed. For example, in some embodiments, the yarn may be dope dyed, meaning that one to several pigments were added before the filaments were extruded so as to impart desirable color to the inventive yarn.

[0039] In a second aspect, the invention provides an article comprising the yarn of the first aspect of the invention.

[0040] For example, in some embodiments, the invention provides a fabric or article of clothing containing the yarn of the invention.

[0041] Articles such as fabric or an article of clothing according to the second aspect of the invention may be produced wholly from the inventive yarn, or may be produced from the inventive yarn together with one or more additional yarns.

[0042] Fabric can be created by weaving and/or knitting. Articles of clothing can be created by cutting woven or knitted fabric into shapes and then sewing the shapes together or by a kind of knitting that produces a garment directly with little or no cutting and sewing, i.e. socks, seamless underwear. The woven or knitted fabric can be balanced, meaning that both sides of the fabric contain essentially equal amounts of the invention yarn, or it may be unbalanced, meaning that one side of the fabric, by design, has more of the invention yarn than the other. The fabric or article of clothing may contain the inventive yarn throughout, or only in specific areas for visual effects or to enhance overall performance. For example, the invention yarn may be used to form the foot bed of a sock to improve overall comfort and wearability thereof.

[0043] In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of making the yarn of the first aspect of the invention.

[0044] The method of making the yarn comprises: melt spinning a synthetic composition to form a non-siliconized synthetic filament; bundling a plurality of non-siliconized synthetic filament plies, thereby forming a yarn strand; and siliconizing the yarn strand.

[0045] In some embodiments, the inventive method of making yarn additionally comprises texturizing the yarn, as described above. In some embodiments, said texturizing is performed after forming the yarn strand but before siliconizing the yarn strand. In other embodiments, texturizing is performed after siliconizing the yarn strand.

[0046] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular

embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including"), "contain" (and any form contain, such as "contains" and "containing"), and any other grammatical variant thereof, are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or article that "comprises", "has", "includes" or "contains" one or more steps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of an article that "comprises", "has", "includes" or "contains" one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features.

[0047] As used herein, the terms "comprising," "has," "including," "containing," and other grammatical variants thereof encompass the terms "consisting of and "consisting essentially of."

[0048] The phrase "consisting essentially of or grammatical variants thereof when used herein are to be taken as specifying the stated features, integers, steps or components but do not preclude the addition of one or more additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof but only if the additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed compositions or methods.

[0049] All publications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference herein as though fully set forth.

[0050] Subject matter incorporated by reference is not considered to be an alternative to any claim limitations, unless otherwise explicitly indicated. [0051] Where one or more ranges are referred to throughout this specification, each range is intended to be a shorthand format for presenting information, where the range is understood to encompass each discrete point within the range as if the same were fully set forth herein.

[0052] While several aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been described and depicted herein, alternative aspects and embodiments may be affected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives. Accordingly, this disclosure and the appended claims are intended to cover all such further and alternative aspects and embodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.