CN111615346A

CN111615346A - Textile product comprising natural down and fibrous material

Info

Publication number: CN111615346A
Application number: CN201780093687.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: K·米陶; M·M·坎德哈撒麦
Original assignee: Sysco Guest Supply LLC
Current assignee: Sysco Guest Supply LLC
Priority date: 2017-06-13
Filing date: 2017-06-13
Publication date: 2020-09-01
Also published as: CN116687165A; WO2018231206A1; CA3066216A1; CA3066216C; US20200131678A1

Abstract

A textile product and a method of manufacturing the same are discussed. The textile product comprises about 5-95% by weight of natural down clusters and about 95-5% by weight of secondary fibrous material. The method for manufacturing the textile product comprises: opening a fibrous material, adding natural down feather tufts to the fibrous material, mixing the fibrous material with the natural down feather tufts to form a homogeneous mixture, and filling the textile product with the homogeneous mixture.

Description

Textile product comprising natural down and fibrous material

Technical Field

Exemplary embodiments relate to textile products comprising natural down tufts and natural or synthetic fibers and methods of making the same.

Background

Many attempts have been made to achieve insulation materials with down-like qualities for use in insulation articles such as garments, sleeping bags, comforters, and the like. Previous efforts to develop viable materials have most often resulted in those that are too heavy and dense to be considered down-like and/or difficult to blow through conventional equipment.

For example, U.S. patent No. 4,588,635 to Donovan discloses a synthetic down and mentions, inter alia, a lightweight insulation system that can be achieved by using fine fibers in a low density component, and describes a series of fiber mixtures that provide advantageous down-like qualities when used to make insulation batts, such as high warm-to-weight ratio, soft hand, and good compression recovery. Such materials approach, and in some cases may even exceed, the thermal insulation properties of natural down. However, from a mechanical point of view, very fine fibers present problems of insufficient rigidity and strength, which make them difficult to produce, handle and use. The recovery properties of such synthetic insulation materials are enhanced by the larger fiber diameter, but the increase in the large fiber component will severely reduce the overall insulation properties. The problems associated with the mechanical stability of the fine fiber assembly are more severe in wet conditions, since the surface tension associated with the presence of capillary water is significantly greater than that caused by gravity or other normal use loads, and they have a much greater detrimental effect on the structure. However, unlike waterfowl down, the fiber combination described in Donovan provides good moisture resistance.

Another example is U.S. patent No. 4,992,327 to Donovan et al, which discloses the use of a binder fiber component to improve the integrity of insulation without compromising desirable attributes. More particularly, the invention disclosed therein relates to synthetic fiber insulation material in the form of a bonded fiber structure, the structure including an assembly having: (a) from 70 to 95 weight percent of synthetic polymer microfibers having a diameter of from 3 to 12 micrometers; and (b) from 5 to 30 weight percent of synthetic polymer macrofibers having a diameter of 12 to 50 microns, characterized in that at least some of the fibers are bonded at their points of contact, said bonding being such that the density of the resulting structure is from 3 to 16kg/m³Example (A) ofWithin the enclosure, the thermal insulation properties of the bonded assembly are equal to or not significantly less than the thermal insulation properties of a comparable unbonded assembly. The reference also describes a down-like cluster form of the preferred fiber blend. The unique performance advantages of the tufted form over the batting form are also disclosed in the patent.

As another example, U.S. patent No. 6,329,051 describes blowable tufts made from chopped bonded batts or bonded webs. The web or batt is described as the same fiber blend as described in the' 327 patent to Donovan. By chopping the batt or web formed from the material described in the' 327 patent, the clusters were found to achieve down-like qualities, including loft and insulative properties. Such clusters mixed with natural materials are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,052. It should be noted that the disclosures of the above patents are fully incorporated herein by reference.

Although the blowable insulation described above is readily blowable with conventional blow-molding machines and can be used as a partial or complete replacement for down or down-like insulation, they have problems associated with weight and washability when not in use. These materials can become wet during the washing process and permanently lose their insulating properties due to caking. In addition, the blowable insulation clusters of the '051 and' 052 patents contain only synthetic fibers.

While some or all of the foregoing references have certain attendant advantages, further modifications and/or alternatives are always desirable.

Disclosure of Invention

Thus, one exemplary embodiment is a textile product comprising about 5% -95% by weight natural down clusters and about 95% -5% by weight fibrous material. The fiber material may include at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fiber, and polyethylene. The specific gravity of the fibrous material may be within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters. The textile product may be a pillow, quilt, mattress, coat or sleeping bag. The fibrous material may comprise at least one of a natural fibrous material, a synthetic fibrous material, and a regenerated fibrous material. The synthetic fiber material may comprise recycled fibers. The natural down feather cluster may comprise at least one of white down feather and gray down feather. The natural down clusters may comprise 10-90% by weight of animal feathers. The natural down clusters may have a filling capacity of 500 or more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, or alternatively 800 or more. In order for the mixture to be truly homogeneous, down must be carefully selected. In some embodiments, down with a cohesiveness (binding) is preferred, and the higher the cohesiveness, the better the blend and the higher the loft. Cohesiveness is found when micro-hooks are formed on the filaments of the down clusters. These hooks catch other down tufts to create a more uniform insulation layer and the insulation capacity increases as the large air pockets are filled and eliminated. Down with a lot of slimy mass may also be held in place at the top of a sofa bed (sleeper) rather than being displaced to the lowest part of the duvets chamber.

Another exemplary embodiment is a method for manufacturing a textile product. The method may include: opening a fibrous material, adding natural down feather tufts to the fibrous material, mixing the fibrous material with the natural down feather tufts to form a homogeneous mixture, and filling the textile product with the homogeneous mixture. The specific gravity of the fibrous material may be within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters. The method may further comprise cutting the fibrous material to a predetermined length prior to mixing the fibrous material with the natural down feather clumps, wherein the predetermined length is determined based on the diameter of the natural down feather clumps. The adding step may further include adding about 5-95% by weight of the natural down clusters to about 95-5% by weight of the fibrous material. The fiber material may include at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fiber, and polyethylene. The specific gravity of the fibrous material may be within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters. The textile product may be a pillow, quilt, mattress, coat or sleeping bag. The fibrous material may comprise at least one of a natural fibrous material, a synthetic fibrous material, and a regenerated fibrous material. The synthetic fiber material may comprise recycled fibers. The natural down feather cluster may comprise at least one of white down feather and gray down feather. The natural down clusters may comprise 10-90% by weight of animal feathers. The natural down clusters may have a filling capacity of 500 or more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, or alternatively 800 or more. In order for the mixture to be truly homogeneous, down must be carefully selected. In some embodiments, down is preferred to have a cohesiveness, and the higher the cohesiveness, the better the blend and the higher the loft. Cohesiveness is found when micro-hooks are formed on the filaments of the down clusters. These hooks catch other down tufts to create a more uniform insulation layer and the insulation capacity increases as the large air pockets are filled and eliminated. It is also possible that down with a lot of cohesiveness could be held in place at the top of the sofa sleeper, rather than being displaced to the lowest part of the duvet compartment.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the features, advantages and objects of the invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings, which drawings form a part of this specification. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

Fig. 1 illustrates a textile product, such as a pillow, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates a textile product, such as a mattress, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a textile product, such as a comforter, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates two types of natural down clusters that may be used in textile products according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates different types of natural down tufts and down feathers that may be used in textile products according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates gray and white natural down clusters that may be used in textile products according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7A-7F illustrate different types of fiber materials that may be mixed with natural down clusters to form textile products according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps involved in a method for manufacturing a textile product according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a table comparing physical properties of material compositions, such as filling capacity and drying rate, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with known materials.

Fig. 10 is a line graph comparing the drying times of a textile product comprising 100% natural down with a textile product comprising a homogeneous mixture of natural down clusters and fibrous material according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The products and methods of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments are shown. The methods and products of the present disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Turning now to the drawings, fig. 1 illustrates a textile product 100, such as a pillow, according to one or more exemplary embodiments. Fig. 2 illustrates a textile product 100, such as a mattress (mattress pad) laid on a mattress (mattress), according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 illustrates a textile product 100, such as a comforter, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the textile product may comprise about 5-95% by weight of natural down clusters and about 95-5% by weight of fibrous material. In some embodiments, the composition may preferably comprise 5-50% by weight of natural down clusters and 95-50% by weight of fibrous material. The fiber material may include at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fiber, and polyethylene. In some embodiments, the specific gravity of the fibrous material may be within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters. In some embodiments, the fibrous material may comprise at least one of a natural fibrous material, a synthetic fibrous material, and a regenerated fibrous material. The synthetic fiber material may also comprise recycled fibers, for example. In some embodiments, the fiber material may be selected according to the down cluster diameter. In some exemplary embodiments, the synthetic fibers may be cut to a desired length to achieve the desired homogeneous blend. For example, the length may be determined based on the diameter of the natural down cluster. In order for the mixture to be truly homogeneous, down must be carefully selected. In some embodiments, down is preferred to have a cohesiveness, and the higher the cohesiveness, the better the blend and the higher the loft. Cohesiveness is found when micro-hooks are formed on the filaments of the down clusters. These hooks catch other down tufts to create a more uniform insulation layer and the insulation capacity increases as the large air pockets are filled and eliminated. It is also possible that down with a lot of cohesiveness could be held in place at the top of the sofa sleeper, rather than being displaced to the lowest part of the duvet compartment.

In some exemplary embodiments, the natural down feather clusters may comprise at least one of white and gray down feathers, and the natural down feather clusters may comprise, for example, 10% -90% by weight of animal feathers. The natural down clusters may have a filling capacity of 500 or more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, or alternatively 800 or more. Filling power is a measure of the loft or "fluffiness" of a down product, which can be related to the insulative value of the down. The higher the fill capacity, the more air a ounce of down can capture and, therefore, the greater the insulating capacity a ounce of down will have. For example, a goose down having a 500 capacity of one (1) ounce would be fluffed to 500 cubic inches. The higher the filling capacity, the larger the down clusters. Larger down clusters will be more fluffy; sleep softer, last longer, and sleep warmer. For example, down insulation is made from goose or duck feathers (fluffy loose material under feathers). It is the bottom coat (undercoating) or natural middle layer. Down, the best insulating layer in nature, forms high loft tufts that capture air and body heat. The feathers of a goose or duck are the outer coverings of the birds. They have a feather axis, repel water, and allow animals to fly. The down is under such protective coverings, usually the abdomen of a bird, and is light and loose. It provides the required insulation for bird insulation.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the down selected preferably has a more cohesive mass. Cohesiveness is found when micro-hooks form on the filaments of the down clusters. As birds age or maturity increase, so does density and cohesiveness. This is why the best down is from much older birds. This is important to allow the fibers to more evenly hang over the down clusters and prevent separation. It also allows for reduced movement of the fibers within the textile product.

Fig. 4 illustrates two types of natural down clusters that may be used in textile products 100 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. On the left side is an 850FP duck-feather tuft 120 and on the right side is shown an 850FP goose-feather tuft 140. If down is "over-washed" during processing and too large a percentage of fats and oils are removed, the down becomes dry and brittle, making it more prone to disintegration, thereby reducing filling capacity.

The higher filling capacity down tends to come from older, more mature birds, as discussed above. The longer the bird lives, the more down clusters are formed. In addition, to achieve the desired filling capacity, processors sort feathers, small down clusters, large down clusters, etc. to produce a content and filling capacity of down. Fig. 5 illustrates different types of

natural down clusters

220, 240 and down feathers 260 that may be used in the textile product 100 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In this figure, the large tufts 220, the small tufts 240, and the down feathers 260 are shown for illustrative purposes only.

For geese, the current highest filling capacity is about 1000FP, but this is available in extremely limited quantities (and often too expensive). In contrast, the highest end most expensive down, an eiderdown duck (eiderdown), which is an order of magnitude higher, is reported to be 1200 FP. For duck and goose down, the more common filling capacity ranges from 450-. The 850FP high end duck feather has recently become more accessible due to improvements in the sorting process that filter out additional fibers and small down clusters.

Both duck and goose down are available in white and off-gray colors. Historically, white down was more desirable in the bedding industry because most bedding fabrics are white and manufacturers prefer to hide the presence of down. There was no difference in performance between white and grey down of the same specification except for the visual difference. For example, fig. 6 illustrates gray 320 and white 340 natural down clusters that may be used in textile product 100 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

When variables such as filling capacity, filling quality and processing are considered, duck and goose down can be equally effective insulators. The quality of down is related to everything in the feed, length of life, washing method used in the processing of birds during their life. The natural down clusters used in the present invention have a filling capacity of 500 or more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, alternatively 800 or more, or alternatively 900 or more. Due to its extremely high warm-to-weight ratio and incredible compressibility, which makes it very easy to package, down is considered the best insulator. While remaining warm, it remains lightweight and compressible.

Fig. 7A-7F illustrate different types of fiber materials that may be mixed with natural down clusters to form a textile product 100 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, fig. 7A shows silk fibers 710 that can be mixed with natural down clusters to form a textile product 100. For example, fig. 7B shows wool fibers 720 that can be mixed with natural down clusters to form a textile product 100. For example, fig. 7C shows rayon fibers 730 that can be mixed with natural down clusters to form the textile product 100. For example, fig. 7D shows cotton fibers 740 that can be mixed with natural down clusters to form textile product 100. For example, fig. 7E shows polyester fibers 750 that can be mixed with natural down clusters to form the textile product 100. For example, fig. 7F shows acrylic fibers 760 that may be mixed with natural down clusters to form a textile product 100.

The textile product 100 may also comprise an outer fabric or shell to contain the mixture of natural down tufts and fibrous material. The outer fabric or shell may comprise a Down-proof material as defined by International Down and Feather testing laboratory (IDFL). The down-proof material may for example be a fabric that resists penetration by natural down. The fabric may be tightly woven to be inherently down proof or may be waxed or coated to make it down proof. According to one embodiment, the outer fabric or shell may comprise a fluid impermeable material.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps involved in a method 800 for manufacturing a textile product according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may comprise the steps of: in step 802, the length of the fiber material is determined based on the natural down cluster diameter. In step 804, the method may include cutting the fibrous material to a predetermined length based on the determination in step 802. In step 806, the method may include adding natural down clusters to the fibrous material. In step 808, the method may include mixing the fibrous material with the natural down to form a homogeneous mixture, and in step 810, the method may include filling a textile product with the homogeneous mixture.

The method may further comprise: the fiber material 710-. The specific gravity of the fibrous material should preferably be within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters. The adding step may further include adding about 5-95% by weight of the natural down clusters to about 95-5% by weight of the fibrous material. In some embodiments, the composition may preferably comprise 5-50% by weight of natural down clusters and 95-50% by weight of fibrous material. The fiber material may include at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic fiber, and polyethylene. The textile product 100 may be a pillow, a quilt, a mattress, a coat or a sleeping bag. The fibrous material may comprise at least one of a natural fibrous material, a synthetic fibrous material, and a regenerated fibrous material. The synthetic fiber material may comprise recycled fibers. The natural down feather cluster may comprise at least one of white down feather and gray down feather. The natural down feather clusters may, for example, comprise 10-90% by weight of animal feathers, and the natural down feather clusters may have a filling capacity of 500 or more, alternatively 600 or more, alternatively 700 or more, or alternatively 800 or more.

The present invention further contemplates the use of synthetic fiber blends not discussed above. The range of these blends limits the average fiber diameter and length to ensure a high level of insulation performance. In some cases, an average fiber diameter greater than that defined by the referenced patent may be desirable. For example, if the final product is a pillow or cushion (upholstery) and compressive stiffness is an important requirement, relatively large diameter fibers may be used.

Natural fibers or materials considered to be within the scope of the present invention include, but are not limited to, wool, cotton, flax, animal hair, silk, down and other natural fibers or materials. However, in a preferred embodiment, the natural fibers are down clusters. Although reference is made herein to a down cluster, "down cluster" includes down, natural down, down feathers, down clusters, and combinations thereof. The natural fibers or materials may be treated to provide water repellency properties. Several water repellent chemicals may be used in this process, however, a particular zirconium acetate polymer solution that can impart durable water repellency properties without negatively impacting the filling ability on natural fibers or materials and without negatively impacting the environment is the preferred chemical.

According to one embodiment, natural down clusters (including feathers) may have a water-repellent, antibacterial, low friction cured zirconium acetate finish, such that the down clusters have a faster drying time after washing, and have enhanced handling and blocking resistance. More specifically, the down clusters have a water repellent, anti-bacterial, low friction cured zirconium acetate finish thereon. Different treatment methods may be used to treat the down clusters with a zirconium acetate solution to impart water repellency properties, and one such treatment method is disclosed, for example, in U.S. patent No. 4,537,594, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The method involves applying an aqueous emulsion of curable zirconium acetate to the down feathers and allowing the polymer to cure. The emulsion may be administered, for example, by depletion. Before applying the copolymer, the feathers are thoroughly washed, which can be done by means of: water washing followed by partial removal of water to leave a residual moisture content of 5% to 45% based on the weight of the fully dried feathers. The copolymer may be cured at 130 degrees celsius to 170 degrees celsius.

Alternatively, the water repellency properties for down/natural fibers can be imparted using different techniques, which are not limited to only wet bath or dry spray processes. The down clusters may also be treated to provide water repellency properties using various surface energy modification techniques well known in the art, such as plasma treatment. Such treatments or methods are explained in U.S. patent No. 4,869,922, U.S. patent No. 5,262,208, U.S. patent No. 5,895,558, U.S. patent No. 6,416,633, U.S. patent No. 7,510,632, U.S. patent No. 8,309,033, and U.S. patent No. 8,298,627, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Preferred chopped synthetic/rayon fibers may have a fiber denier or linear density of between 0.5 denier and 15 denier. However, fibers of over 15 denier may also be used in combination with the natural down clusters of the present invention. The chopped fibers may have a length in the range of from 5mm to 25mm and may be aerodynamically blended with the natural fibers to obtain a homogeneous blend as described above. Preferred fiber balls made from synthetic/rayon fibers may, for example, have a fiber denier or linear density of between 0.5 denier and 15 denier. Other preferred embodiments use fiber blends comprising water repellent finished or lubricant finished fibers and/or dry fibers and/or binder fibers. For example, the chopped synthetic/rayon fibers of the present invention may be coated with any slip or lubricant useful for providing water repellency characteristics. Synthetic/synthetic fibers useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, solid, hollow and other cross-sectional shapes with or without crimp. Fibers having a binder on the outer shell may also be used in the synthetic/rayon fibers of the present invention.

Materials for producing chopped synthetic/rayon fibers for use in the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,693, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. According to one embodiment, the chopped synthetic/rayon fibers comprise polyester fibers having an average size of 0.5 to 15 denier coated with a slip agent and crimped, said fibers being cut to a length of 5-25mm and opened. The polyester fibers may be obtained, for example, by extrusion of polyester fibers as known in the art. An important aspect of the present invention is that the polyester fibers need to have a certain average size, i.e. a certain cross-sectional size, and that the extruded polyester fibers need to be smoothed. This is achieved by coating the fibers with a slip agent, preferably a silicone slip agent, as described in U.S. patent No. 3,454,422. The slip agent makes the fibers easier to open and thus provides for the fibers to separate from each other. Alternatively, the fibers of the present invention may be smoothed with other slip agents, which may be advantageous in some applications, such as segmented copolymers of polyalkylene oxides with other polymers (such as polyesters or polyethylene or polyalkylene polymers), as mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,020B1, wherein the weight percentage of the slip agent is from about 0.1% to about 1.2% of the weight of the fiber.

To achieve the desired properties of the material of the present invention, it is necessary to provide the polyester fibers with crimp. An example of a suitable crimp is the so-called zig-zag crimp, also known as mechanical crimp. This type of crimping, known per se, is obtained by passing a bundle of extruded fibres through a narrow gap between two crimping rollers. Other examples of mechanical crimping methods are mentioned in EP 929700a1 and us patent No. 6,492,020B 1. Another type of crimp is spiral crimp. In contrast to the two-dimensional zig-zag crimp, the spiral crimp is three-dimensional. Spiral crimping can be obtained by methods such as described in U.S. patent No. 3,050,821, U.S. patent No. 3,118,012, EP 929700a1, and U.S. patent No. 6,492,020B 1. Preferably, the crimp frequency is adjusted so that at a given cut length, each cut fiber has at least one or two crimps. Further, it should be understood that both solid and hollow fibers, as well as fibers having different cross-sections, may be used.

According to one embodiment, the chopped synthetic/man-made fibers may be fully opened and blended with natural fibers or materials. Such opening and blending processes are described, for example, in U.S. patent No. 7,074,242, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The method may comprise the steps of: obtaining natural down feather; washing down according to a predetermined washing method to produce prepared down; the prepared down is blended with chopped synthetic/rayon fibers according to a predetermined blending method to produce a filling material. The blending step is carried out by blending the prepared down with at least 50% by weight of chopped synthetic/rayon fibers or fiber balls. The washing step is performed by the following substeps: (a) washing down with hot soap water; (b) washing the down feather with hot water; (c) washing the down feather with cold water; (d) treating the down clusters to impart water repellency; (e) drying the washed down; and (f) dusting and cooling the dried down. The drying substep is performed by drying 40 pounds of washed down for approximately 20 minutes at a temperature of approximately 105 degrees celsius. The dusting and cooling sub-steps may further comprise injecting ozone into the down and may be performed using a screened centrifuge.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the method for manufacturing the material of the invention comprises the steps of:

(1) natural fibers or materials are treated to provide water repellency properties. In this process, the natural fiber or material may be opened, washed, and dried, if necessary. The treatment for water repellency can be done under dry or wet conditions, although wet methods are the preferred method.

(2) The chopped synthetic/man-made fibers are opened and blended with natural fibers or materials. The blending step may be carried out using a dry process in which the down tufts are fed into the storage/mixing chamber using a controlled air stream, before which it impinges on another air stream from the opposite direction carrying the fully opened chopped fibres, or a wet process, although a dry process is the preferred process, and thereby homogeneously blends both the down tufts and the chopped fibres. This method of aerodynamic blending is the preferred blending method to achieve very little down cluster breakage and thereby the maximum possible filling capacity. For better results, a batch number of at least 100kg is preferably obtained.

Examples

Some advantages of the textile product 100 of the present invention include: reduced production costs when compared to 100% down products; faster drying rates (100% down products take a very long time to dry); better filling capacity; and better breathability or improved Ret values. Natural down in its original form is not effective in repelling moisture. In fact, when it becomes wet and often dries slowly, it loses many of its insulating properties. For example, fig. 9 is a table comparing physical properties of material compositions according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, such as filling capacity and drying rate, to known materials. As can be seen from this table, the product with the combination of 50/50 White Duck Down (WDD) and polyester fiber (2) had the highest weight before washing and a filling capacity comparable to 100% WDD (1) and the 50/50 combination of WDD and Lyocell (5). However, after washing, the product with the combination of 50/50WDD and polyester fiber (2) had the lowest moisture content of all samples after spinning, after drying for 30min, after drying for 50min, or after drying for 70 min.

Fig. 10 is an exemplary line graph comparing the drying time (in minutes) of a textile product 1200 comprising 100% natural down with a textile product 1000 comprising a homogeneous mixture of 50/50WDD and polyester according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be seen from this figure, the textile product 1000 dries significantly faster and recovers its original weight (before washing) much faster when compared to the textile product 1200 containing 100% natural down.

The specification and appended claims, including the summary, brief description of the drawings and detailed description, refer to particular features (including processes or method steps) of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention includes all possible combinations and uses of the specific features described in the specification. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to or by the description of the embodiments given in the specification.

Those of skill in the art also understand that the terminology used to describe particular embodiments does not limit the scope or breadth of the present disclosure. In interpreting both the specification and the appended claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context of each term. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The verb "comprise" and its conjugations should be interpreted as referring to elements, components or steps in a non-exclusive manner. The elements, components or steps referred to may be present, used or combined with other elements, components or steps not expressly referred to. The verb "operatively connect" and its conjugations means to accomplish any type of desired engagement, including electrical, mechanical, or fluidic, to form a connection between two or more previously unbonded objects. If the first component is operatively connected to the second component, the connection may be made directly or through a common connector. "optionally" and its various forms means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur. The description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

Conditional language, such as, inter alia, "may" or "may" ("can", "result", "light", or "may") is generally intended to convey that certain implementations may include, while other implementations do not include, certain features, elements, and/or operations, unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood as such in the context as used. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or operations are in any way required for one or more implementations or that one or more implementations must include provisions for determining, with or without user input or prompting, whether such features, elements, and/or operations are included or are in any particular implementation.

The products and methods described herein are therefore well adapted to carry out these objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as others inherent therein. While exemplary embodiments of the products and methods are presented for purposes of this disclosure, there are many variations in the details of procedures for accomplishing the desired results. These and other similar modifications may readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and are intended to be included within the spirit of the systems and methods disclosed herein and the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A textile product comprising about 5-95% by weight natural down clusters and about 95-5% by weight fibrous material.

2. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the fibrous material comprises at least one of a natural fibrous material, a synthetic fibrous material, and a regenerated fibrous material.

3. The textile product of claim 2, wherein the fibrous material comprises at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic, and polyethylene.

4. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the fibrous material is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters.

5. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the natural down clusters have cohesive masses or micro-hooks formed on the filaments of the down clusters to form a homogeneous mixture.

6. The textile product of claim 1, wherein said textile product is a pillow, comforter, or mattress.

7. The textile product of claim 2, wherein the synthetic fiber material comprises recycled fibers.

8. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the natural down clusters comprise at least one of white down and gray down.

9. The textile product of claim 1, wherein the natural down clusters comprise 10% -90% by weight of animal feathers.

10. A textile product according to claim 6, further comprising an outer fabric or shell to contain the mixture of natural down tufts and the fibrous material, wherein the outer fabric or shell comprises a down-proof material as defined by International Down and feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL).

11. A method for manufacturing a textile product, the method comprising:

opening the fibrous material;

adding natural down clusters to the fibrous material;

mixing the fibrous material with the natural down clusters to form a homogeneous mixture; and

filling the textile product with the homogeneous mixture.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the specific gravity of the fibrous material is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

cutting the fibrous material to a predetermined length prior to mixing the fibrous material with the natural down clusters, wherein the predetermined length is determined based on the diameter of the natural down clusters.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the adding step further comprises:

adding about 5-95% by weight of natural down clusters to about 95-5% by weight of the fibrous material.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the specific gravity of the fibrous material is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the textile product is a pillow, comforter, or mattress.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the fibrous material comprises at least one of a natural fibrous material, a synthetic fibrous material, and a regenerated fibrous material.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the fibrous material comprises at least one of polyester, silk, wool, rayon, cotton, acrylic, and polyethylene.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the synthetic fiber material comprises recycled fiber.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the natural down clusters comprise at least one of white down and gray down.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the natural down clusters comprise 10% -90% by weight animal feathers.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the natural down clusters have cohesive masses or micro-hooks formed on the filaments of the down clusters to form the homogeneous mixture.

23. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing an outer fabric or shell to contain the mixture of the natural Down tufts and the fibrous material, wherein the outer fabric or shell comprises a Down-proof material as defined by International Down and Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL).

24. A textile product comprising about 5-95% by weight of natural down clusters and about 95-5% by weight of a fibrous material, wherein the specific gravity of the secondary fibrous material is within 45% of the specific gravity of the natural down clusters, and wherein the filling capacity of the natural down clusters is at least 500 or more.