KR20240021962A - Fiberfill clusters and methods for manufacturing them - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides individual fiberfill clusters composed of a plurality of fibers randomly mixed together. Within the plurality of fibers there are 25 to 3600 fibers with a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm. The plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented relative to each other. Within an individual fiberfill cluster, one or more relatively densely packed fiber regions having a first degree of entanglement; and proximate to at least one of the one or more relatively densely packed regions, there is one or more relatively less densely packed fiber regions having a second degree of entanglement that is less than the first degree of entanglement.

Description

Fiberfill clusters and methods for manufacturing them

Cross-reference to related applications

This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/211,792, filed on June 17, 2021, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/264,426, filed on November 22, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/264,426, filed on April 5, 2022. Priority is claimed on Provisional Application No. 63/362,484, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

field of initiation

The present invention relates generally to fiberfill clusters, articles comprising such clusters, and methods of making the clusters. Fiberfill clusters are particularly useful in the textile field.

Attempts have been made to achieve insulation materials and/or fillers with qualities similar to down for use in textile products.

For example, U.S. Patent No. 5,851,665 relates to a filler material comprising clusters of bonded and crimped thermoplastic fibers, where the fibers are bonded at various locations in different clusters of the filler material. In U.S. Patent No. 5,851,665, for the purpose of fully developing the bulk of the fiber and achieving the resulting properties, the fibers within the cluster have no restrictions (other than small bonding points) on the complete development of the bulk of the fiber (e.g. For example, it emphasizes the importance of being completely open without entanglement. The filler is made from continuous long fibers of tow or stacks of carded fiber webs, which are then bonded and cut into resulting clusters. Tow refers to large strands of long fibers manufactured continuously without any apparent twist, collected in a loose, rope-like form, and usually held together by crimps. Tow typically contains thousands of long fibers. For example, the tow used in U.S. Patent No. 5,851,665 would have approximately 122,000 long fibers and a total denier of 48.9 ktex (440,100 denier), resulting in clusters with high fiber density.

Generally speaking, previous efforts to develop insulation and/or fillers with down-like qualities have, in Applicant's estimation, been too heavy, dense, and/or suitable for conventional blowing equipment to be considered down-like. Most often, they created insulation and/or fillers that could not be utilized properly. For example, these materials may tend to clog conventional blowing equipment or prevent them from being fed or loaded into such equipment. Alternatively, if the material is blowable, it is often insufficient to mimic the desired down-like properties.

An exception is U.S. Patent No. 10,633,244, which relates to a blowable insulation or fill material composed of a plurality of discrete, longitudinally elongated floccules having a longitudinal length of about 2 to 4.5 cm and formed from a plurality of fibers. , the aggregate contains a relatively unfolded, extended medial portion and only a pair of relatively compressed, twisted caudal portions, the caudal portion extending from opposite longitudinal ends of the medial portion. The insulation/filler of U.S. Patent No. 10,633,244 is currently available for use in general clothing filling blowing machines, and has properties such as hand feel, launderability, fill power, and blowing efficiency of down insulation. It has a quality similar to down.

Nonetheless, there remains a need for additional improved fiberfill materials that are blowable on conventional blowing equipment and have desirable down-like properties.

Although certain aspects of the prior art have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the present invention, applicants in no way deny these technical aspects and that the claimed invention may include one or more of the prior art aspects discussed herein. is considered to be

Wherever a document, act, or article of knowledge is mentioned or discussed herein, such reference or discussion does not mean that the document, act, or article of knowledge, or any combination thereof, was publicly available or known to the public on the priority date. , is not an admission that it is part of general general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under applicable legal provisions; It is not intended to be an admission that any such disclosure is known to be relevant or attempts to solve any problem related to the present disclosure.

In summary, the present invention satisfies the need for a blowable fiberfill material with desirable down-like properties.

The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the technology discussed above. However, it is believed that the present invention may be useful in solving other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical fields. Accordingly, the claimed invention should not be construed as necessarily limited to solving any particular problem or defect discussed herein.

Applicants have surprisingly discovered that embodiments of the fiberfill clusters of the present invention mimic both the structure and performance of natural down.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing at least one fiberfill cluster. The method includes obtaining a plurality of 25 to 3600 bundles (e.g., individual bundles) having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 dpf (denier per fiber/long fiber) and a length of 8 to 160 mm, The fibers are arranged together in the longitudinal direction. The method involves longitudinally forming at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle such that the plurality of fibers of the bundle are irregularly three-dimensionally extended and intermingled to form a fiberfill cluster (e.g., individual fiberfill clusters). It further includes the step of destroying the array.

In some embodiments, an individual bundle consists essentially of a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers. In some embodiments, an individual bundle consists of a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers.

In some embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes breaking the longitudinal arrangement of only some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle, such that the bundle remaining portion of the plurality of fibers of the bundle ( The bundle remnant portion) is mixed with fibers that remain aligned together longitudinally and extend irregularly in three dimensions. In some such embodiments, the irregularly three-dimensionally extending fibers form an outer region that extends outward from the remainder of the bundle. In some such embodiments, the remaining portion of the bundle includes a higher density of fibers than the outer region.

In some embodiments, disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises disrupting the longitudinal alignment of all of the plurality of fibers of the bundle such that none of the plurality of fibers remain longitudinally aligned together. Includes destroying an array. In some such embodiments, disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of all of the plurality of fibers of the bundle results in a separation of at least one interior relatively densely packed three-dimensional fiber region, and at least one interior relatively densely packed region. It forms an outer, relatively less densely packed region of fibers that extends outward in three dimensions.

In some embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle results in some of the broken fibers forming fiberfill clusters and some of the broken fibers not forming fiberfill clusters. It involves mixing only some of the destroyed fibers to prevent

In some embodiments, disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes positioning the bundle between abutting faces of at least a pair of disrupting members such that the breaking faces abut the bundle; moving at least one first breaking member relative to at least one second breaking member along a path extending longitudinally along the longitudinal length of the fibers of the bundle and laterally along a lateral direction oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Includes translating. In some such embodiments, the distance between failure surfaces remains substantially constant during failure. In some such embodiments, the at least one first breaking member moves along an arcuate path for at least a first portion of time. In some such embodiments, the at least one first breaking member moves along an elliptical path for at least a first portion of time. In some such implementations, the at least one first destruction member moves along a random orbital pattern for at least a first portion of time. In some such embodiments, at least one of the abutting surfaces includes a substantially flat, smooth surface. In some such embodiments, at least one of the abutting surfaces includes a substantially planar array of particles or protrusions. In some such embodiments, disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes exposing the bundle to at least one stream of gas and/or liquid.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises, prior to breaking, bonding at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle together at at least one point along the longitudinal length of the bundle to form at least one bonding point. do. In some such embodiments, the bonding point is formed by heating at least some of the plurality of fibers at at least one point to bond the fibers to each other at the at least one bonding point. In some such embodiments, heating at least some of the plurality of fibers at the at least one point includes contacting the plurality of fibers at the at least one point with a material that is at a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the fibers.

In some embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes entangling some of the broken fibers with each other. In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the broken fibers are entangled with at least one other fiber. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the broken fibers are entangled with at least one other fiber.

In some embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes twisting some of the broken fibers together. In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the broken fibers are twisted with at least one other fiber. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the broken fibers are twisted with at least one other fiber.

In some embodiments, the method comprises obtaining a plurality of bundles of 25 to 3600 fibers, each having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 dpf and a length of 8 to 160 mm, wherein the plurality of fibers of each bundle are longitudinally aligned together. Arranged - disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers in each bundle such that the plurality of fibers in each bundle are irregularly three-dimensionally extended and mixed to form a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters. Includes.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend substantially linearly along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend substantially parallel to each other along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers in the bundle are non-textured (untextured) linear fibers.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend irregularly along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers in the bundle are textured fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers in the bundle includes from about 50 to about 500 fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers includes about 80 to about 300 fibers.

In some embodiments, the bundle includes more fibers than fiberfill clusters. In some embodiments, the fiberfill cluster includes at least one secondary fiber that is not part of a bundle. In some such embodiments, at least one secondary fiber is mixed with the plurality of fibers of the fiberfill cluster during fracture.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7 dpf. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have substantially the same denier. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers in the bundle have substantially the same longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have substantially the same length.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are synthetic polymer fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid (also known as polylactide) (PLA), poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin. , nylon, rayon, lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers. In some such embodiments, the polyester fibers are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fiber, polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fiber. , copolyester fibers (e.g., copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units), or combinations thereof. In some such embodiments, the polyester fibers are PET fibers.

In some embodiments, the fibers include recycled polymer material. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers include siliconized fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers include non-siliconized fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers include solid fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise hollow fibers.

In some implementations, a fiberfill cluster defines a length, width, and thickness, where the length and width are greater than the thickness. In some such implementations, the length is greater than the width.

In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, where the length is in the range of about 0.5 to about 6.5 cm (e.g., about 0.90 to about 4 cm). In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, where the width is in the range of about 0.5 to about 6.5 cm (e.g., about 0.70 to about 3 cm). In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.08 to about 0.70 mg/cm ³ (eg, about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ ). In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a substantially ovoid shape. In some implementations, the fiberfill clusters define a substantially spherical shape.

In some embodiments, the bundle is a segment of long filament yarn. In some such embodiments, obtaining the bundle includes cutting segments from long fiber yarn. In some embodiments, the long fiber yarn is a textured long fiber yarn. In some such embodiments, the long fiber yarn is a flat long fiber yarn.

In some embodiments, the bundles are segments of blended long fiber yarns. In some such embodiments, obtaining the bundle includes cutting segments from the blended long fiber yarn.

In a second aspect, the invention provides fiberfill clusters (e.g., individual fiberfill clusters) that can be manufactured according to the first aspect of the invention. An individual fiberfill cluster includes a plurality of fibers mixed together, the plurality of fibers comprising 25 to 3600 fibers with a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 dpf and a length of 8 to 160 mm. The plurality of fibers includes a bundle remainder portion comprising some or all of the plurality of fibers arranged together in a longitudinal direction; and an outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the remainder of the bundle comprising some of the plurality of fibers randomly and non-uniformly oriented with respect to each other. The remaining portion of the bundle contains a higher density of fibers than the outer region.

In some embodiments, an individual fiberfill cluster consists essentially of the plurality of fibers. In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters are comprised of the plurality of fibers. In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters consist essentially of a bundle remainder and an outer region. In some implementations, individual fiberfill clusters are comprised of a bundle remnant portion and an outer region.

In some embodiments, the remaining portion of the bundle includes fewer fibers than the outer region. In some such embodiments, the remaining portion of the bundle includes at least 25% less fibers than the outer region. In some such embodiments, the remaining portion of the bundle includes at least 50% less fibers than the outer region. In some such embodiments, the remaining portion of the bundle includes at least 75% less fibers than the outer region.

In some implementations, the bundle remainder extends non-linearly along its length. In some embodiments, the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of long fiber yarn. In some such embodiments, the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of textured long fiber yarn. In some other such embodiments, the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of flat long fiber yarn.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the remainder of the bundle extend substantially parallel to each other along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are non-textured linear fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are textured linear fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers extend irregularly along their longitudinal length.

In some embodiments, some of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters include at least one bonding point where at least some of the plurality of fibers are bonded to each other. In some such embodiments, the at least one bonding point includes some fibers of the residual portion and some fibers of the outer region. In some such embodiments, the at least one bonding point includes only some fibers of the residual portion and some fibers of the outer region.

In some implementations, a fiberfill cluster defines a length, width, and thickness, where the length and width are greater than the thickness. In some such implementations, the length is greater than the width. In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, where the length is in the range of about 0.5 to about 6.5 cm (e.g., about 0.90 to about 4 cm). In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, where the width is in the range of about 0.5 to about 6.5 cm (e.g., about 0.70 to about 3 cm).

In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a substantially ovoid shape. In some implementations, the fiberfill clusters define a substantially spherical shape. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7 dpf. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have substantially the same denier. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the remaining portion of the bundle have substantially the same longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have substantially the same length. In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.08 to 0.70 mg/cm ³ (eg, about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ ). In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers includes from about 50 to about 500 fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers includes about 80 to about 300 fibers.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are synthetic polymer fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid (also known as polylactide) (PLA), poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin. , nylon, rayon, lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers. In some such embodiments, the polyester fibers are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fiber, polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fiber. , copolyester fibers (e.g., copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units), or combinations thereof. In some such embodiments, the polyester fibers are PET fibers. In some embodiments, the fibers include recycled polymer material.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise siliconized fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers include non-siliconized fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise solid fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise hollow fibers.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are segments of a mingled long fiber yarn, the segments having at least one mingled nip portion where the plurality of fibers are intertwined. After breaking to form fiberfill clusters, the mixed nip portion may be referred to as the mixed nip portion, or alternatively, the bundle residual portion.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides another fiberfill cluster (e.g., individual fiberfill cluster) that can be manufactured according to the first aspect of the invention. An individual fiberfill cluster includes a plurality of fibers randomly mixed together, wherein the plurality of fibers includes 25 to 3600 fibers with a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 dpf and a length of 8 to 160 mm. The plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented relative to each other. The plurality of fibers may include at least one internal relatively densely packed fiber region; and an outer, relatively less densely packed fiber region extending three-dimensionally outward from at least one inner, relatively densely packed region. The individual fiberfill clusters are about 0.5 to 6.5 cm long (e.g., about 0.90 to 4 cm), about 0.5 to 6.5 cm wide (e.g., about 0.70 to 3 cm), and have a density of about 0.08 to 0.70 mg. /cm ³ (eg, about 0.10 to 0.50 mg/cm ³ ).

In some embodiments, a fiberfill cluster consists essentially of the plurality of fibers. In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters are comprised of the plurality of fibers. In some embodiments, the fiberfill cluster consists essentially of a bundle remainder and an outer region. In some implementations, individual fiberfill clusters consist of a bundle remnant portion and an outer region.

In some embodiments, the inner region includes fewer fibers than the outer region. In some such embodiments, the interior region includes at least 25% less fibers than the exterior region. In some such embodiments, the interior region includes at least 50% less fibers than the exterior region.

In some embodiments, the outer region includes fewer fibers than the inner region. In some such embodiments, the outer region includes at least 25% less fibers than the inner region. In some such embodiments, the outer region includes at least 50% less fibers than the inner region.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers extend non-linearly along their length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are untextured fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are textured fibers.

In some embodiments, some of the plurality of fibers are entangled with each other. In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers are entangled with each other. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers are entangled with each other.

In some embodiments of the fiberfill clusters of the invention, less than 70% of the plurality of fibers in at least one outer region (e.g., 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, or less than 70%) are intertwined.

In some embodiments, some of the plurality of fibers are twisted together. In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers are twisted together. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers are twisted together.

In some embodiments, a fiberfill cluster includes at least one bonding point at which at least some of the plurality of fibers are bonded together. In some such embodiments, the at least one bonding point includes some fibers in an interior region and some fibers in an exterior region. In some such embodiments, the at least one bonding point includes only some fibers in the inner portion and some fibers in the outer region.

In some implementations, a fiberfill cluster defines a length, width, and thickness, where the length and width are greater than the thickness. In some such implementations, the length is greater than the width. In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, where the length is in the range of about 0.5 to 6.5 cm (e.g., about 0.90 to about 4 cm). In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, where the width is in the range of about 0.5 to 6.5 cm (e.g., about 0.70 to about 3 cm).

In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters define a substantially ovoid shape. In some implementations, the fiberfill clusters define a substantially spherical shape.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have substantially the same denier.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have substantially the same longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ . In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers includes from about 50 to about 500 fibers. In some such embodiments, the plurality of fibers includes from about 80 to about 300 fibers.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are synthetic polymer fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid (also known as polylactide) (PLA), poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin. , nylon, rayon, lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers. In some such embodiments, the polyester fibers are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fibers, polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fibers. , copolyester fibers (e.g., copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units), or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the copolyester fiber comprising PET structural units is a polymer chain comprising the PET structural units shown below along with units of one or more (e.g., one) other non-PET polyester structural units. It refers to a fiber made of .

In some such embodiments, the polyester fibers are PET fibers. In some embodiments, the fibers include recycled polymer materials.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise siliconized fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers include non-siliconized fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise solid fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise hollow fibers.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are segments of a blended long fiber yarn, the segment having at least one blended nip portion where the plurality of fibers are intertwined. In this embodiment, the mixed nip portion exhibits at least one interior relatively densely packed fiber region.

In a fourth aspect, the invention provides a thermal insulation or filler comprising a plurality of fiberfill clusters according to the second and/or third aspect of the invention (which may be made by the first aspect of the invention) .

In some embodiments, the insulation or filler consists essentially of fiberfill clusters according to the second and/or third aspects of the invention. In some embodiments, the insulation or filler consists essentially of fiberfill clusters according to the second aspect of the invention. In some embodiments, the insulation or filler consists essentially of fiberfill clusters according to the third aspect of the invention. In some embodiments, the insulation or filler consists of fiberfill clusters according to the second and/or third aspects of the invention. In some embodiments, the insulation or filler consists of fiberfill clusters according to the second aspect of the invention. In some embodiments, the insulation or filler consists of fiberfill clusters according to the third aspect of the invention.

In some embodiments, the insulation or filler comprises a plurality of first individual fiberfill clusters according to the second aspect of the invention, and a plurality of second individual fiberfill clusters according to the third aspect of the invention.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters includes first fiberfill clusters formed from fibers of a first length, and second fiberfill clusters formed from fibers of a second length that is different from the first length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fiber clusters includes first clusters formed of a first total number of fibers, and second clusters formed of a second total number of fibers that are different than the first total number of fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters include first fiberfill clusters formed from fibers made of a first synthetic material, and second fiberfill clusters formed from fibers made of a second synthetic material different from the first synthetic material. includes them. In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters includes first fiberfill clusters formed from fibers of a first denier, and second fiberfill clusters formed from fibers of a second denier that is different from the first denier.

In some implementations, the plurality of fiberfill clusters includes fiberfill clusters of a first size, and fiberfill clusters of a second size different from the first size. In some implementations, the plurality of fiberfill clusters includes fiberfill clusters of a first three-dimensional shape, and fiberfill clusters of a second three-dimensional shape different from the first three-dimensional shape. In some implementations, the plurality of fiberfill clusters includes fiberfill clusters within a first density range, and fiberfill clusters within a second density range that is different from and does not overlap the first density range.

In a fifth aspect, the invention provides an article comprising a plurality of insulation or fillers according to the fourth aspect of the invention. In some embodiments, the article is selected from shoes, outerwear, clothing, sleeping bags, and bedding.

Specific embodiments of the currently disclosed fiberfill clusters, articles comprising the clusters, and methods of making the clusters have several characteristics, none of which alone are responsible for the desirable properties. Without limiting the scope of the fiberfill clusters, articles and methods defined by the following claims, some of their more salient features will now be briefly discussed. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section of this specification entitled “Detailed Description of the Invention,” one will appreciate how the features of the various embodiments disclosed herein provide many advantages over the current state of the art. For example, embodiments of the fiberfill clusters of the present invention are blowable on existing blowing equipment and mimic the properties of down. Incorporating fiberfill cluster embodiments of the present invention into an article increases the softness felt by the hand or skin of the resulting article compared to previous attempts by others with synthetic down products. Articles comprising embodiments of the disclosed fiberfill clusters will include improved fill power resulting in improved thermal performance, improved blowing efficiency, as well as improved washability compared to previous attempts by others with synthetic down products. You can. Embodiments of fiberfill clusters can also be configured to be utilized by existing blowing equipment without clogging or other loading problems commonly encountered with other synthetic down materials.

These features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of various aspects of the invention, taken together with the appended claims and accompanying drawings.

The invention will now be described in conjunction with the following drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein like numbers represent like elements;
1 illustrates fiber bundles to form individual fiber clusters according to one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of a portion of a textured fiber bundle according to one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of a portion of a linear fiber bundle according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4A shows unbonded fiber bundles to form individual fiber clusters according to one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4B shows bonding fiber bundles to form individual fiber clusters according to one embodiment of the invention;
Figures 5A and 5B illustrate the breaking member of a method for producing individual fiber clusters according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of an individual fiber cluster with a fiber bundle remainder according to the invention;
Figure 7 shows a top view of another exemplary embodiment of an individual fiber cluster with a fiber bundle remainder according to the invention;
Figure 8 shows a top view of another exemplary embodiment of an individual fiber cluster with a fiber bundle remainder according to the invention;
Figure 9 shows a top view of another exemplary embodiment of an individual fiber cluster with a fiber bundle remainder according to the invention;
Figure 10 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of individual fiber clusters with internal mixed fiber regions according to the invention;
Figure 11 shows a top view of another exemplary embodiment of individual fiber clusters with internal mixed fiber regions according to the invention;
Figure 12 shows a top view of another exemplary embodiment of individual fiber clusters with internal mixed fiber regions according to the invention;
Figure 13 shows a top view of another exemplary embodiment of individual fiber clusters with internal mixed fiber regions according to the invention;
Figure 14 is a photograph showing a top view of an example of an individual fiber cluster according to the invention;
Figure 15 is a photograph showing a side view of an example of an individual fiber cluster of Figure 12;
Figure 16 is a photograph showing a top view of another example of individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 17 is a photograph showing a top view of another example of individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 18 is a photograph showing a plan view of another example of individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 19 is a photograph showing a plan view of another example of individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 20 is a photograph showing a top view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 21 is a photograph showing a front elevational view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters of Figure 20;
Figure 22 is a photograph showing a top view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 23 is a photograph showing a top view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 24 is a photograph showing a top view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters joined together in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 25 is a photograph showing a top view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters according to the present invention;
Figure 26 is a photograph showing a top view of a plurality of exemplary individual fiber clusters brought into contact with each other in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 27 is an enlarged photograph of a portion of the mixed long fiber yarn.
Figure 28 is a simplified schematic diagram showing the arrangement of long fibers before and after forming a mixed long fiber yarn.
Figure 29 is an enlarged photograph of a cut section, or "bundle", of blended long fiber yarn.
Figure 30 is an enlarged photograph of one embodiment of the fiberfill cluster of the present invention.
Figure 31 is an enlarged photograph of one embodiment of the fiberfill cluster of the present invention.
Figure 32 is an enlarged photograph of one embodiment of the fiberfill cluster of the present invention.
Figure 33a is an enlarged photograph of a mixed long-fiber yarn (left) and a plurality of fiberfill clusters formed therefrom according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 33b and 33c are enlarged photographs of the fiberfill cluster of Figure 33a.
Figure 34 is a diagram showing a process of cutting the mixed long fiber yarn to form a bundle and breaking it to form an embodiment of the fiberfill cluster of the present invention.
Figure 35 is a simplified diagram showing one implementation of a fiberfill cluster of the present invention.

Aspects of the invention and its specific features, advantages and details are more fully described below with reference to non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known materials, manufacturing tools, processing techniques, etc. are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the details of the invention. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific example(s), while representing embodiments of the invention, are provided by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions and/or arrangements within the spirit and/or scope of the basic inventive concept will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

In one aspect, the present disclosure surprisingly and/or unexpectedly provides one or more compounds that have been found to be very similar to down in terms of blowability, size, weight and/or density, and other properties while providing improved washability compared to down. A method of making or manufacturing a fiberfill cluster is provided.

As shown in Figure 1, the method may include obtaining individual bundles 10 of a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers 12 having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm, wherein the plurality of The fibers 12 are arranged together longitudinally (i.e. along their length). As shown in FIGS. 6 to 26, the method destroys the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 so that they extend irregularly in three dimensions and mix to form individual fiberfill clusters. It further includes forming (1).

In some embodiments, obtaining the bundle includes cutting the bundle 10 from the yarn or tow of the fiber 12. For example, a yarn or tow may be wound or may contain multiple continuous bundles that are cut or separated from the yarn or tow. In this way, multiple bundles 10 can be formed from yarn or tow.

In some embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 occurs, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6-9, 14, 15, and 20-26. , the bundle residual portion 16 of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 is formed by breaking the longitudinal arrangement of only a portion of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10, the formed fiber cluster 1 Ensure that they remain arranged together longitudinally within the space. In this embodiment, as also shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, 14, 15 and 20 to 26, the breaking also breaks the longitudinal arrangement of some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10. They are mixed with the fibers 12 of the remaining portion 16 and are allowed to extend outward irregularly in three dimensions. The fibers 12 extending irregularly and three-dimensionally from the remainder 16 form an outer region 18 extending outwardly from the bundle remainder 16 . The bundle remainder portion 16 may contain a higher density of fibers 12 (i.e., the fibers 12 or portions thereof are more densely packed) than the outer region.

In some other embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 destroys the longitudinal arrangement of all of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10, thereby essentially This ensures that none of the plurality of fibers 12 remains aligned together in the longitudinal direction within the formed fiber cluster 1 . In some such embodiments, by essentially breaking the longitudinal arrangement of all of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10, a relatively densely packed three-dimensional fiber region 14 within at least one, and at least one From the relatively densely packed region 14 on the inside, an outer, relatively less densely packed fiber region 18 is formed that extends outward in three dimensions.

As shown in Figure 4A, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 may or may not be mechanically bonded to each other. Rather, the fibers 12 of the bundle 10 may be mixed and the natural forces and/or alignment of the fibers 12 from the yarn or tow manufacturing or process will cause the fibers 12 of the bundle 10 to align together. It can act to keep it in its current state.

In some other embodiments, at least some of the fibers 12 of bundle 10 may be bonded together at a bonding point or area 22, as shown in FIG. 4B. For example, the method may include bonding at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 together at at least one point 22 along the longitudinal length of the bundle/fiber 10/12 prior to breaking. It may include forming at least one bonding point 22 by doing so. In some such embodiments, the bonding point is formed by heating at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 at at least one point such that the fibers are glued or bonded together at the at least one bonding point. In some such embodiments, heating at least a portion of the plurality of fibers 12 at at least one point causes the plurality of fibers 12 to heat a material or member that is at a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the fibers 12. It includes contacting at least one point with. The bonding point 22 may be formed by any acceptable means (eg, hot metal, ultrasonic bonding, laser treatment, soldering iron, heated air jet, etc.). In some other implementations, bonding points 22 may be formed by glue, adhesive, or other material that serves to bond or bond the fibers together. Note that although a single bonding point 22 is shown in the example fiber bundle 10 in FIG. 4B, the fiber bundle 10 may include two or more bonding points 22. In some embodiments, the junction points 22 are 0.10 to 0.50 mm in size (e.g., 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, or 0.50 mm), but any and all within that range. Includes all scopes and subscopes.

5A and 5B , in some embodiments, breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 occurs when the fracture surface 32 is aligned with the bundle 10. Position the bundle (10) between the abutting faces (32) of at least one pair of breaking members (30) so as to make contact, longitudinally along the longitudinal length of the fibers (12) of the bundle (10) and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. and moving the at least one first breaking member (30) relative to the at least one second breaking member (30) along a path extending laterally along a lateral direction oriented. In some such implementations, the distance between fracture surfaces 32 remains substantially constant during fracture. However, the fracture surfaces 32 may move together or apart during the fracture process. In some such implementations, the at least one breaking member 30 may move along an arcuate path at least part of the time and/or move along a linear or straight path at least part of the time. In some such implementations, at least one breaking member 30 may move along an elliptical path at least part of the time. In some implementations, at least one fracture member 30 moves along a random orbital pattern at least part of the time.

The abutting surface 32 of at least one fracture member 30 may be a substantially flat and smooth surface. In some embodiments, the mating surface 32 extends outwardly/inwardly toward the bundle 10 and may pick, grab or contact the fibers 12 to separate the fibers 12 from the bundle 10. may comprise a substantially planar array of particles or protrusions that serve to break the longitudinal arrangement of the particles. In some other embodiments (not shown), disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 may cause the bundle 10 to be exposed to at least one stream of gas and/or liquid. Including exposure. A destructive process that destroys the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 (and thus the rearrangement of these fibers 12) involves rubbing the bundle 10, sanding, polishing the bundle 10, buffing the bundle 10, or exposing the bundle to a stream of gas and/or liquid, or a combination thereof. can do.

Note that the breaking process may remove some of the one or more fibers 12 from the bundle 10 and may not entangle the fibers 12 into the fiberfill clusters 1 . That is, one or more fibers 12 of the bundle 10 may be broken and not entangled with other fibers forming the fiberfill cluster 1 . Similarly, during the breaking process, one or more fibers 12 separated from another bundle 10 are included (i.e. entangled) with fibers 10 of other bundles 10, thereby forming a fiberfill cluster 1. may be mixed in. Accordingly, the breaking process may include adding at least one additional fiber to the plurality of fibers 12, or removing/removing a fiber from the plurality of fibers 12.

Breaking serves to entangle the plurality of fibers 12 with each other to form a fiberfill cluster. The terms “intermingle” and the like are used herein to refer to fibers that intersect or extend past each other at least once (i.e., intermingled fibers intersect at least once with at least one other fiber). In some embodiments, the breaking also serves to entangle at least some of the broken fibers 12 together. The term “entangle,” etc. is used herein to refer to fibers that intersect and extend or wrap around each other at least once (i.e., entangled fibers intersect and extend or wrap around at least one other fiber at least once ). In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the broken fibers are entangled with at least one other fiber. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the broken fibers are entangled with at least one other fiber. In some embodiments, breaking also serves to twist at least some of the broken fibers 12 together. The term “twist,” etc. is used herein to refer to fibers that intersect and extend or wrap around each other more than once (i.e., a twisted fiber intersects, extends, or wraps around at least one other fiber more than once) ). In some such embodiments, less than about 50% of the broken fibers 12 are twisted with at least one other fiber. In some such embodiments, less than about 25% of the broken fibers 12 are twisted with at least one other fiber.

As shown in Figure 3, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 may extend substantially linearly along their longitudinal length. The plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 may extend substantially parallel to each other along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers in the bundle are untextured linear fibers, as shown in Figure 3.

In some other implementations, as shown in Figure 2, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 may extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend irregularly along their longitudinal length, as shown in Figure 2. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle may be textured fibers. Texturing techniques are well known in the art and typically destroy the parallelization of the fibers/long fibers. These techniques can, for example, serve to increase bulk without increasing weight, resulting in fibers that appear lighter in weight, have improved tactile feel (softness), higher opacity and/or improved temperature insulating properties. It can be. Although any art-acceptable texturing process may be used, examples of texturing processes that may be applied to the fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and the individual fiberfill clusters 1 of the present invention include crimping, looping, etc. , coiling, crinkling, twisting followed by untwisting, and knitting followed by deknitting. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and/or the individual fiberfill cluster 1 formed thereby has a weight of 0 to 100, based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers 12. Weight percent (e.g. 0, 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, or 100% by weight) of textured fibers, and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein.

In some embodiments (e.g., embodiments using long fiber yarns, such as blended long fiber yarns), the present invention provides a method of making fiberfill clusters comprising the following steps:

Obtaining from a long fiber yarn a bundle comprising a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 51 mm, wherein the plurality of fibers are arranged together in the longitudinal direction, wherein the plurality of fibers Has a mixed nip section where the fibers are intertwined -; and

forming at least one outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the mixed nip portion by processing the bundle to break a plurality of fibers adjacent the mixed nip portion;

thereby forming the fiber fill cluster.

As used herein, fibers being “longitudinally arranged together” means that the fibers run along the same direction as one another, whether straight or twisted. The term includes textured and untextured fibers, and likewise includes fibers of long-staple yarns (including mixed long-fibre yarns with internal nips). For example, the mixed long fiber yarn shown in Figures 27 and 33A and the bundle shown in Figure 29 both have fibers arranged together in the longitudinal direction.

Processing the bundle to break a plurality of fibers includes any manner of breaking the parallelization/alignment of the fibers adjacent to the nip portion such that the fibers are no longer longitudinally aligned but extend three-dimensionally outward from the nip. do. For example, in some embodiments, breaking the plurality of fibers adjacent the nip includes exposing the bundle to at least one stream of gas and/or liquid. In some embodiments, the breaking process includes rubbing the bundle, sanding the bundle, polishing the bundle, buffing the bundle, or treating the bundle using gases and/or liquids (e.g. , gases - such as air - and/or liquid streams, or other processes using gases and/or liquids), or combinations thereof.

After reviewing this disclosure, one skilled in the art will readily be able to select equipment capable of breaking a plurality of fibers of a bundle (e.g., a long fiber bundle), and any and all such equipment can be used in the method of the present invention. It is considered possible. For example, non-limiting machines that can be used include fiber or fine opening machines (e.g. Masias Maquinaria SL's (hereinafter "Masias") Opener AD-160-TP, OCTIR Fine Opener, Rolando Bale Opener , Masias Recycling Opening Machine, TGB Opener-Garnett, Truetzschler Bale Opener,), fiberball forming machines (e.g., Masias' Bolcard or CMM Ball Fibers Forming Machine), etc.

In some embodiments, treating the bundle to break the plurality of fibers adjacent the blended nip portion includes treating the bundle as follows:

- Processing on fiber opening machines;

- Processing in a garnet machine; or

- Air treatment.

In some embodiments, air treating the bundle includes air-tumbling the bundle, including, for example, air tumbling in a drum, Lorch or modified Lorch machine, or other equipment. It can happen in this way. Non-limiting examples of air tumbling include, for example, those described in WO 2017/058986 and US Pat. Nos. 6,613,431, 4,618,531, and 4,794,038.

The plurality of fibers 12 may or may not be crimped. A variety of crimps are known in the art, including helical and standard crimps, and it is contemplated that any desired crimp may be present when the fibers are crimped. The plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and/or the individual fiberfill cluster 1 formed thereby has an amount of 0 to 100% by weight (e.g., based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers 12). For 0, 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, or 100% by weight) of crimped fiber, and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein.

In some embodiments, the bundle 10 of the plurality of longitudinally aligned fibers 12 has a total denier of 30 to 500 denier (e.g., 330, 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, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 , 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162 , 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187 , 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212 , 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237 , 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262 , 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287 , 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312 , 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337 , 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362 , 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387 , 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412 , 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437 , 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, 451, 452, 453, 454, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462 , 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 486, 487 , 488, 489, 490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, 497, 498, 499, or 500 denier), and the range includes all ranges and subranges therein. Denier is a unit of measurement that defines the weight of 9000 meters of fiber or yarn in grams. This is a common way to specify the weight (or size) of fiber or yarn. For example, a 1.0 denier polyester fiber typically has a diameter of approximately 10 micrometers (μm). Microdenier fibers are fibers with a denier of 1.0 or less, and macrodenier fibers are fibers with a denier greater than 1.0.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 have a denier between 0.2 and 12.0 (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, or 12.0 denier), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.2 to 10.0 denier, 0.5 to 8.0 denier, 0.6 to 5.0 denier, 0.7 to 8.0 denier). 3.0 denier, 0.7 to 1.7 denier, etc.).

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 have an average denier of 0.2 to 12.0 (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, 1 1.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8, 11.9, or 12.0 denier), and the ranges include any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.5 to 8.0 denier, 0.6 to 5.0 denier, 0.7 to 3.0 denier, 0.7 denier). to 1.7 denier, etc.).

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and/or the individual fiberfill clusters formed thereby have a denier of 1.0 denier or less (e.g., based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers 12). For example, 0 to 100% by weight of microdenier polymer fibers 12 having a denier of 0.4 to 1.0 denier, such as 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1.0 denier (e.g., 0, 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, or 100% by weight) ; and greater than 1.0 (e.g., 1.1 to 15.0 denier, such as 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, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 9.5, 10.0, 10.5, 1 1.0, 0 to 100% by weight of macrodenier polymer fibers 12 having a denier of 11.5, 12.0, 12.5, 13.0, 13.5, 14.0, 14.5, or 15.0 denier (e.g., 0, 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, or 100% by weight).

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 have a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 have substantially the same denier. In some other embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 have at least two different deniers.

In some embodiments, bundle 10 and/or individual fiberfill clusters made therefrom may contain between 25 and 3600 individual fibers (e.g., 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 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, 1000, 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080, 1090, 1100, 1110, 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150, 1160, 1170, 1180, 1190, 1200, 1210, 1220, 1230, 1240, 1250, 1260, 1270, 1280, 1290, 1300, 131 0, 1320, 1330, 1340, 1350, 1360, 1370, 1380, 1390, 1400, 1410, 1420, 1430, 1440, 1450, 1460, 1470, 1480, 1490, 1500, 1510, 1520, 1530, 1540, 1550, 156 0, 1570, 1580, 1590, 1600, 1610, 1620, 1630, 1640, 1650, 1660, 1670, 1680, 1690, 1700, 1710, 1720, 1730, 1740, 1750, 1760, 1770, 1780, 1790, 1800, 181 0, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2030, 2040, 2050, 206 0, 2070, 2080, 2090, 2100, 2110, 2120, 2130, 2140, 2150, 2160, 2170, 2180, 2190, 2200, 2210, 2220, 2230, 2240, 2250, 2260, 2270, 2280, 2290, 2300, 231 0, 2320, 2330, 2340, 2350, 2360, 2370, 2380, 2390, 2400, 2410, 2420, 2430, 2440, 2450, 2460, 2470, 2480, 2490, 2500, 2510, 2520, 2530, 2540, 2550, 256 0, 2570, 2580, 2590, 2600, 2610, 2620, 2630, 2640, 2650, 2660, 2670, 2680, 2690, 2700, 2710, 2720, 2730, 2740, 2750, 2760, 2770, 2780, 2790, 2800, 281 0, 2820, 2830, 2840, 2850, 2860, 2870, 2880, 2890, 2900, 2910, 2920, 2930, 2940, 2950, 2960, 2970, 2980, 2990, 3000, 3010, 3020, 3030, 3040, 3050, 306 0, 3070, 3080, 3090, 3100, 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140, 3150, 3160, 3170, 3180, 3190, 3200, 3210, 3220, 3230, 3240, 3250, 3260, 3270, 3280, 3290, 3300, 331 0, 3320, 3330, 3340, 3350, 3360, 3370, 3380, 3390, 3400, 3410, 3420, 3430, 3440, 3450, 3460, 3470, 3480, 3490, 3500, 3510, 3520, 3530, 3540, 3550, 356 0, 3570, 3580, 3590, or 3600 fibers), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 50 to 500 fibers, 80 to 300 fibers, etc.).

In some embodiments, an individual bundle 10 includes about 25 to 3600 fibers 12. In some embodiments, an individual bundle 10 includes from about 50 to about 500 fibers. In some embodiments, an individual bundle 10 includes from about 80 to about 300 fibers. As mentioned above, the fiberfill cluster 1 formed from the bundle 10 may, due to the nature or dynamics of the fracture process, contain several more fibers 12 than the bundle 10 forming the fiberfill cluster 1. or it may comprise several fewer fibers (12) than the bundles (10) forming the fiberfill cluster (1).

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and/or the fiberfill cluster 1 formed thereby has a length of 8 to 160 mm (e.g., 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, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 , 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, or 160 mm), and the above Ranges include any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 8 to 75 mm, 15 to 115 mm, 20 to 50 mm, etc.). In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 and/or cluster 1 formed thereby have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of bundle 10 and/or cluster 1 formed thereby have substantially the same longitudinal length.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise polymer fibers.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprise synthetic polymer fibers. It is within the power of one skilled in the art to select an appropriate polymeric material for the polymeric fibers comprised within the individual fiberfill clusters 1 of the present invention, and it is contemplated that any such material may be used in embodiments of the present invention. However, in certain embodiments, non-exclusive polymers that can be used in the polymer fibers include nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid (PLA), poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA), polyamides (e.g., nylon/ polyamide 6.6, polyamide 6, polyamide 4, polyamide 11, and polyamide 6.10, etc.), acrylic, acetate, polyolefin, rayon, lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, modal fiber, biopolymer fiber (e.g. For example, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), poly(hydroxybutyrate-covalerate) (PHBV)), protein-based synthetic material fibers (e.g., plant-based artificial protein fiber materials, Spiber, etc.), and these is selected from a combination of In some embodiments, the fibers include poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), poly-1,4-cyclohexane. Silene dimethylene (PCDT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and copolyesters, such as at least 30 mole percent of ester units (e.g., at least 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, or 85 mol%) is ethylene terephthalate or hexahydro-p- and polyesters selected from terephthalate copolyesters, which are xylylene terephthalate units.

In some embodiments, fibers 12 include virgin polymer materials. In some embodiments, fiber 12 includes recycled polymer material, such as post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymer material.

In the plurality of fibers 12, 0 to 100% by weight of the fibers (e.g., 0, 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, or 100% by weight) may be siliconized, and the ranges include any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g. , 0%, 50%, 100%, etc.).

Siliconization techniques are well known in the art. The term “siliconized” means that the fiber is coated with a silicon-containing composition (eg, silicone). Siliconization techniques are well known in the art and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,422. The silicon-containing composition may be applied using any method known in the art, such as spraying, mixing, dipping, padding, etc. A silicon-containing (e.g., silicone) composition, which may include an organosiloxane or polysiloxane, is bonded to the outer portion of the fiber. In some embodiments, the silicone coating is a polysiloxane, such as methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, modified methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, or amino modified dimethylpolysiloxane. As is known in the art, the silicon-containing composition may be applied directly to the fibers or may be diluted using a solvent prior to application as a solution or emulsion, for example, an aqueous emulsion of polysiloxane. After treatment, the coating may be dried and/or cured. As is known in the art, catalysts can be used to accelerate the curing of silicon-containing compositions (e.g., polysiloxanes containing Si-H bonds) and can be conveniently added to silicon-containing composition emulsions and the resulting The combination can be used to treat synthetic fibers. Suitable catalysts include iron, cobalt, manganese, lead, zinc, and tin salts of carboxylic acids such as acetate, octanoate, naphthenate, and oleate. In some embodiments, after siliconization, the fibers may be dried to remove residual solvent and then optionally cured by heating to 65°C to 200°C.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and/or the individual fiberfill clusters 1 formed thereby include, based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers 12, one or more additives. 0 to 100% by weight (e.g., 0% by weight) of polymer fibers containing (e.g., airgel as described in U.S. Publication No. U.S. 2018-0313001, microcapsules as described in U.S. Publication No. U.S. 2020-0141029, etc.) , 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, or 100% by weight), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers comprises 0 to 100 weight percent (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) of fibers doped with a desired chemical, based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers. , 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% by weight), and the above range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein. As used herein, the term “doped” refers to the presence of one or more desired dopants (which may also be referred to as chemicals) incorporated into the fiber (e.g., within the polymer matrix of the polymer fiber). In some embodiments, the dopants/chemicals are homogeneously dispersed within the fiber matrix.

Preferred fiber surface chemistries are known in the art. Embodiments of the present invention include fibers having a surface chemical applied to their surface (e.g., siliconized as discussed above), but wherein the plurality of fibers also (and/or alternatively) have a desired chemical applied to their interior. It can be formed to include. For example, in some embodiments, the plurality of fibers have been doped with durable water repellency (DWR) and/or silicone chemicals. This can be achieved, for example, by adding desired chemicals to the liquid polymer during the melt spinning process after the liquid polymer has passed through the spinneret but before the fibers are formed and/or by adding the polymer(s) that form the plurality of fibers. This can be achieved by functionalizing.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are doped with a DWR chemical and, as a result, have certain desirable performance properties. For example, in some embodiments, fibers doped with DWR have a high coefficient of friction that is ideal for keeping the surface dry and/or clustering the fibers, as well as improving wet thermal performance and/or washability. For improvement, it has low water adsorption of less than 150% by weight.

Binder fibers are well known in the art and typically have a bonding temperature that is lower than the softening temperature of one or more other polymer fiber components of the product (e.g., fiberfill). In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and/or the individual fiberfill clusters 1 formed thereby do not contain binder fibers (i.e., are devoid of binder fibers), or contain binder fibers. Contains less than 5% by weight (e.g., less than 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1% by weight).

The fibers used in the plurality of fibers 12 may have any desired shape in cross-section (eg, circular or other shape).

The plurality of fibers 12 is 0 to 100% by weight (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers 12. , 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% by weight) of solid fibers, and the above range includes: Any and all ranges and subranges therein are included. The plurality of fibers 12, based on the total weight of the plurality of fibers, is 0 to 100% by weight (e.g., 0, 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, or 100% by weight) of hollow fibers, and the above range includes any content therein. and all ranges and subranges are included. In some implementations, the plurality of fibers 12 includes splittable fibers.

Embodiments of the fiberfill clusters of the present invention are blowable, or simply “blowable,” using existing equipment. “Blowable” is a commonly used term in the textile industry, and those skilled in the art will easily understand what “blowingable using existing equipment” means. The term "blowable" refers to the ability of insulation to be easily processed through conventional blowing (or "blow injection") equipment and thereby applied to articles (e.g., pockets, channels or slats of clothing, bedding, sleeping bags, etc.). It refers to the ability of a material to be injected. For example, the lightweight, individual structure of down and embodiments of the fiberfill clusters of the present invention make it well suited for blowing using existing equipment, whereas many other fiberfill materials clump, stick together, or are prone to blowing using existing equipment. Blowing is not possible because it blocks or causes other processing difficulties. It is within the purview of experienced professionals in the textile industry to determine whether a material is blowable, and if there are any questions about blowability, the answer can easily be obtained by testing the material on existing equipment. Existing blowing devices are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,051. According to the disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 6,329,051, existing blowing equipment typically consists of means for aspirating material (e.g., via a metering system that may be supplied with material from a tank, such as a mixing tank). For example, a blowing system with a duct). Blowable material can easily pass through the material suction means without clogging or causing other problems such as excessive static resistance. The material is then blown through a nozzle to the intended destination. It is well known in the art that if a material cannot be processed on existing blowing equipment for use in an article, it is not “blowingable using existing equipment” (or “blowingable”).

The fiberfill clusters 1 may, at least generally, form a regular or irregular shape. The configuration of the longitudinal arrangement fracture process (e.g., time to fracture, fracture mechanism, and fracture pattern) and the configuration of the bundle 10 (e.g., number of fibers 12, texture/untexture of fibers 12, and fiber 12 It was found that the length of ) can affect the formed shape of the cluster 1. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 26, the fiberfill cluster 1 may have an elongated shape such as an oval or oval shape. In some implementations, the fiberfill clusters 1 may have a substantially spherical shape.

In some implementations, the fiberfill cluster 1 may define a length (L1), a width (W1), and a thickness (T1). Since the fiberfill cluster 1 is formed by protruding or extending fibers 12, the dimensions of the fiberfill cluster 1 are the most distal length of the fibers 12 and the average length of the fibers 12, or the fibers ( 12) can be defined by approximating the average length. For example, the dimensions of a fiberfill cluster 1 may be measured ignoring the 3, 5, 10 or 15 fibers 12 that reach the furthest length along a particular dimension or direction.

In some implementations, length L1 and width W1 may be greater than thickness T1, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. In some such implementations, length L1 may be greater than width W1, as also shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters 1 have a length L1 between 0.5 cm and 6.5 cm (e.g., 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, or 6. 5 cm), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.90 to 4 cm).

In some embodiments, the fiberfill cluster 1 has a width W1 between 0.5 cm and 6.5 cm (e.g., 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, or 6.5 cm ), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.70 to 3 cm).

In some embodiments, the fiberfill clusters have a thickness (or height) (T1) of 0.70 to 4 cm (e.g., 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, or 4.0 cm); The above ranges include any and all ranges and subranges therein. In some embodiments, the fiberfill cluster 1 may define a length L1 in the range of about 0.90 to about 4 cm. In some embodiments, the fiberfill cluster 1 may define a width W1 in the range of about 0.70 to about 3 cm.

In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters 1 of the present invention have a volume of 0.125 to 12 cm ³ (e.g., 0.125, 0.15, , 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, or 12.0 cm ³ ), including any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.80 to 12 cm ³ ). is included.

In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters of the invention have a weight of 0.2 to 3 mg (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, or 3.0 mg), including any and all ranges and subranges therein. is included.

In some embodiments, individual fiberfill clusters of the invention have a density of 0.08 to 0.70 mg/cm ³ (e.g., 0.08, 0.09, 0.10, 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, 0.14, 0.15, 0.16, 0.17, 0.18, 0.19 , 0.20, 0.21, 0.22, 0.23, 0.24, 0.25, 0.26, 0.27, 0.28, 0.29, 0.30, 0.31, 0.32, 0.33, 0.34, 0.35, 0.36, 0.37, 0.38, 0.39, 0 .40, 0.41, 0.42, 0.43, 0.44 , 0.45, 0.46, 0.47, 0.48, 0.49, 0.50, 0.51, 0.52, 0.53, 0.54, 0.55, 0.56, 0.57, 0.58, 0.59, 0.60, 0.61, 0.62, 0.63, 0.64, 0 .65, 0.66, 0.67, 0.68, 0.69 , or 0.70 mg/cm ³ ), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein (eg, 0.10 to 0.50 mg/cm ³ ).

6-9, 14, 15 and 20-26, in one aspect of the present disclosure, individual fiberfill clusters 1 of the invention comprising a residual portion 16 and an outer region 18 are provided. As explained above, the remaining portions 16 of the clusters 1 are part of the bundle 10 of the fibers 12 after a portion of the fibers 12 has been broken or removed from the bundle 10 (via a breaking process). It is part. In this way, the residual portion 16 is a remainder of the bundle 10 itself. However, it is noted that the shape, size and/or configuration of the bundle 10 may be modified by a breaking process to form the remaining portion 16. For example, the breaking process may bend or form bundle 10 into a non-linear shape, such as the various non-linear shapes shown in FIGS. 6-9, 14, 15, and 20-26. However, in some implementations, the remaining portion 16 may extend substantially linearly (along its longitudinal length). As another example, the disruption process may serve to unfold the bundle 10 such that the fibers 12 are less densely packed or less closely spaced/spaced compared to the pre-disrupted bundle 10. . For example, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the breaking process causes the bundle ( 10) can play a role in significantly expanding it.

As shown in FIGS. 6-9, 14, 15 and 20-26 and described above, the breaking process destroys some of the plurality of fibers 12 of the bundle 10 and separates them from the remaining portion 16 in three dimensions. extended to form an external portion or region 18. The broken fibers 12 forming the outer region 18 are mixed (and possibly to some extent entangled and twisted) with each other and/or with the fibers 12 of the remaining portion 16 to form individual fiberfill clusters 1. formed and held together as a single individual unit during use (and, for example, washing). 6-9, 14, 15 and 20-26, the outer region 18 is substantially less densely packed with fibers 12 than the bundle remnant portion 16 (i.e., the bundle remnant portion 16). (16) has more densely packed fibers (12) than the outer region (18). The combination of the bundle remainder 16 and the outer region 18 is surprisingly and/or unexpectedly very similar to down in terms of blowability, size, weight and/or density, and other properties, while at the same time providing improved usability and washability compared to down. Forms individual fiberfill clusters (1) that provide.

As shown in Figure 6, in some implementations, the remaining portion 16 can be substantially long, such as at least about 75% of the length of the fiberfill cluster 1. In some other implementations, as shown in Figure 9, the remaining portion 16 may be substantially short, such as less than about 75% of the length of the fiberfill cluster 1. In some other implementations, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the remaining portion 16 may be from about 25% to about 75% of the length of the fiberfill cluster 1.

10-13 and 16-29, in one aspect of the present disclosure, an individual fiberfill cluster 1 of the invention does not comprise a residual portion 16, but rather consists of at least one of the fibers 12. a relatively densely packed region 14 on the interior of the fibers 12, and at least one relatively less densely packed region on the exterior of the fibers 12 extending three-dimensionally outward from the interior relatively densely packed region. Contains area 18. 10 to 13 and 16 to 29, the fibers 12 in the relatively densely packed regions 14 within the interior extend randomly/non-uniformly and mix randomly/non-uniformly with each other, so that the residual They are not arranged together along the longitudinal length as in portion 16 (i.e. not arranged together longitudinally). Accordingly, the breaking process removes or breaks all of the longitudinal arrangement of the fibers 12 of the bundle 10, mixing the fibers 12 together (and possibly entangling and twisting them to some extent), as shown in Figures 10-13 and As shown in Figures 16 to 29, individual fiberfill clusters 1 are formed with relatively densely packed regions 14 on the inside and relatively less densely packed regions 18 on the outside. The fibers 12 of the inner, relatively densely packed region 14 and the outer, relatively less densely packed region 18 are mixed together (and possibly to some extent entangled and twisted) for use (and e.g. It forms individual fiberfill clusters (1) that are held together as a single individual unit (e.g. during washing).

As shown in FIG. 10 , in some implementations, individual fiberfill clusters 1 have a gradual transition between an interior, relatively densely packed region 14 and an exterior, relatively less densely packed region 18. May include transitions. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 11-13 , in some implementations, individual fiberfill clusters 1 have an interior, relatively densely packed region 14 and an exterior, relatively less densely packed region. (18) may contain further defined or identifiable variations or boundaries between.

11 and 12, in some implementations the inner, relatively densely packed region 14 and the outer, relatively less densely packed region 18 are approximately the same size (e.g., 3 Dimensional size (e.g., length, width and/or thickness). Conversely, as shown in FIG. 13 , in some implementations the interior, relatively densely packed regions 14 are substantially smaller in size (e.g., the outer, less densely packed regions 18). , three-dimensional size (e.g., length, width and/or thickness).

In some implementations, as shown in Figure 11, the interior, relatively densely packed regions 14 may be slightly more densely packed than the exterior, relatively less densely packed regions 18 (e.g. For example, about 50% less densely packed). Conversely, as shown in FIG. 12 , in some implementations the interior, relatively densely packed regions 14 may be significantly more densely packed than the exterior, relatively less densely packed regions 18 ( For example, about 50% more densely packed).

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a fiberfill cluster comprising a plurality of fibers comprising 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 76 mm, wherein the plurality of fibers is a long fiber yarn. (e.g., mixed long-fiber yarn), wherein the plurality of fibers include a mixed nip portion in which the plurality of fibers are entangled with each other; and at least one outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the mixed nip portion wherein the plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented with respect to each other, wherein the mixed nip portion comprises the at least One outer region has a higher density of fibers. This embodiment may correspond, for example, to the second or third aspect of the invention, wherein the mixed nip portion is each a fiber bundle remnant or a relatively densely packed fiber region inside at least one represents.

Long fibers are single long thread-like continuous textile fibers/strands. Unlike staple fibers, which have a finite length, long fibers are infinite in length and can span several yards or miles (or, when used in yarn, for example, the entire length of the yarn). ). In some embodiments, the length of the long fibers ranges from 5 inches to several miles, including any and all ranges and subranges therein. For example, in some embodiments, the length of the long fiber is at least 5 inches (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 long, or any range or subrange therein). In some embodiments, the length of the long fiber is at least 1 foot (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 10 00 feet length, or any range or subrange therein).

Long fiber yarn is a yarn composed of a plurality of continuous long fibers assembled with or without twist.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers are cut from intermingled long fiber yarns, as described, for example, in Baykal et al., “The effects of intermingling process parameters and number of filaments on intermingled”, The Journal of The Textile Institute , 2013).

Blended long-fiber yarns are typically used to provide cohesion between the long fibers by forming intermittently mixed nip sections (also referred to herein as “nips” or “nip portions”), which are knot-like nodes in the yarn. Applying long fiber yarn (or its pre-yarn form, e.g. a plurality of longitudinally aligned long fibers) to an air intermingling process using an air jet. It is formed by doing In another embodiment of the intermingled yarn, the nip is formed, for example by a pulsed laser (as opposed to an air jet), which, as opposed to an intermingled nip, separates the fibers (from at least partial melting of the fibers within the nip). They are joined together to form a fused nip. This embodiment of mixed yarn can also be used in the present invention. In some such embodiments, the bonded and/or at least partially melted fibers are present only in one or more nip portions of the clusters of the invention.

27 is an enlarged photograph of a portion of a textured mixed long fiber yarn 100 having a plurality of intermittent nips 42 equally spaced within the yarn. The long fiber yarn 100 shown has 99 nips per meter, which is equivalent to approximately 1 nip per 10.1 mm of yarn length. The nips are separated from each other by an unfolded portion 44.

In some embodiments of the invention, the long fiber yarn has 13 to 125 nips per meter (e.g., 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, nips per meter, 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, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, or 12 5 the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein.

28 shows a plurality of long fibers 12 forming a mixed long fiber yarn 100 with evenly spaced intermittent nips 42 separated by unfolded portions 44 through air mixing. A simplified schematic diagram showing a loose bundle of flat long fiber yarn 48, where the nip and unfolded portion are comprised of a plurality of long fibers 12.

The nip of the blended long fiber yarn (and likewise the fiberfill clusters of the present invention) has an intertwined structure that imparts long fiber-to-fiber cohesion to the yarn. The structures of some nip embodiments have been analyzed and discussed in the literature (Miao et al., "Air interlaced yarn structure and properties", Textile Research Journal , 65, 433-440, 1995). Of course, for example, when manufacturing mixed long fiber yarn using a pulse laser, the nip does not have an entangled structure, but rather has a structure in which a plurality of long fibers are bonded to each other.

In some embodiments, the size of the nip is 0.1 mm to 8 mm (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, or 8.0 mm), and the range includes any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 0.4 to 3 mm, 0.5 to 2.5 mm, etc.) are included.

29 is an enlarged photograph of an embodiment of a cut section (“bundle”) of blended long fiber yarn 140 with a single nip 42. These cut sections, which may be referred to as bundles, undergo treatment to break the plurality of fibers 12 adjacent to the nip portion to form the fiberfill cluster of the present invention.

30 is an enlarged photograph of an embodiment of the fiberfill cluster 160 of the present invention with a single nip 42. 31 is an enlarged photograph of another embodiment of the fiberfill cluster 180 of the present invention with a single nip 42. As will be apparent, the cluster embodiment of Figure 4 has a nip in the center of the bundle, while the cluster embodiment of Figure 5 has a nip in the outer portion of the bundle. The nip may be located at any position along the length of the bundle. Also, as shown, the fiberfill clusters of the present invention are individual clusters, meaning that they are individually separate and distinct clusters.

In an embodiment of the invention, sections of long fiber yarn are cut to have one or two nips per section, so that the resulting fiber clusters also have one or two nips. In a preferred embodiment, the sections are cut with a single nip so that the resulting fiberfill clusters have a single nip.

Figure 32 is an enlarged photograph of an embodiment of the fiberfill cluster 200 of the present invention having two nips 42.

Figure 33a is an enlarged photograph of a mixed long-fiber yarn (left) and a plurality of fiberfill clusters formed therefrom according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 33b and 33c are enlarged photographs of the fiberfill cluster of Figure 33a. The yarn shown in Figure 33a is a 300 denier mixed long fiber yarn composed of a plurality of fibers, specifically 288 long fibers (the denier of each long fiber is 1.04) (formed by an air jet entangling the nip portion) )am. The yarn was cut into bundles of equal length and treated to break a plurality of fibers adjacent to the mixed nip portion of each bundle to form the clusters shown.

As discussed herein, the long fiber yarn is then cut into one or more bundles, such as bundle 140 shown in Figure 29, where such bundles may be considered equivalent embodiments of bundle 10. , the bundle(s) undergo a process to break a plurality of fibers adjacent to the nip to form at least one outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the nip. In at least one outer region of the fiber, the plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented with respect to each other. The nip portion has a higher density of fibers than at least one outer region. 30, two outer regions of fiber 46 extend three-dimensionally outward from nip 42. 34 shows cutting the mixed long fiber yarn to form a bundle, which is broken to form a fiberfill cluster 24 with two outer regions of fibers (indicated by dashed lines) extending three-dimensionally outward from the nip. This is a drawing showing the process.

Figure 35 shows a cluster embodiment of the invention from a cut bundle with a nip at the distal end.

As discussed above, in some embodiments of the invention, fiberfill clusters are formed from blended long fiber yarns. For example, in some embodiments, a fiberfill cluster is formed from textured blended long fiber yarns such that a plurality of fibers within the cluster are textured. In another embodiment, the fiberfill clusters are formed from untextured mixed long fiber yarns, such that the plurality of fibers within the clusters are not textured.

In some embodiments of the fiberfill clusters of the invention, as a result of fiber entanglement in the nip, the plurality of fibers in the mixed nip portion extend non-linearly along the longitudinal length. The nip has a higher fiber density than at least one outer region due to entanglement in the nip and destruction of the fibers after cutting the bundle.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a plurality of fiberfill clusters as described herein.

In some embodiments of a plurality of fiberfill clusters, at least 90% (e.g., at least 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 99.5%) of the fiberfill clusters have the same number of fibers therein, or within ±10% of the average fiber number (e.g., ±10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1%) have the same number of fibers. In some embodiments of multiple fiberfill clusters, 100% of the clusters have the same number of fibers therein, or have the same number of fibers within ±10% of the average fiber number.

In some embodiments of a plurality of fiberfill clusters, at least 90% (e.g., at least 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 99.5%) of the fiberfill clusters It has fibers of equal length inside. In some embodiments of multiple fiberfill clusters, 100% of the clusters have the same length of fiber therein.

In some embodiments of a plurality of fiberfill clusters, at least 90% (e.g., at least 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 99.5%) of the fiberfill clusters It has only one bundle remnant (or nip) inside.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a thermal insulation or filler material comprising a plurality of fiberfill clusters of the present invention is provided. The insulation or filler may comprise a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters (1) with a residual portion (16) and an outer region (18) and/or a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters with an inner region (14) and an outer region (18). It may be formed (e.g., may include, consist essentially of, or may consist of) s (1).

In some embodiments, the insulation or fill is formed of (e.g., comprises, consists essentially of or consists of) a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters 1 with a residual portion 16 and an outer region 18. . In some embodiments, the insulation or fill is formed (e.g., comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters 1 with an inner region 14 and an outer region 18 ).

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters 1 of insulation or filler comprises first fiberfill clusters 1 formed from a first length of fibers 12 and a second length of fiber different from the first length. It may include second fiberfill clusters (1) formed of fields (12). In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters (1) of insulation or filler comprises a first cluster (1) formed from a first total number of fibers (12) and a second cluster (1) different from the first total number of fibers. It may comprise a second cluster formed of a total number of fibers (12).

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters 1 of insulation or filler comprises first fiberfill clusters 1 formed from fibers 12 of a first synthetic material, and a second fiberfill cluster 1 different from the first synthetic material. It may comprise second fiberfill clusters (1) formed from fibers (12) of a synthetic material. Similarly, in some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters (1) of the insulation or filler comprises first fiberfill clusters (1) formed from fibers (12) of a first denier, and a second fiberfill cluster (12) formed of fibers (12) of a first denier. It may comprise second fiberfill clusters (1) formed of fibers (12) of 2 denier.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters (1) of insulation or filler may comprise a fiberfill cluster (1) of a first size and a fiberfill cluster (1) of a second size different from the first size. . Similarly, in some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters (1) of insulation or filler comprises fiberfill clusters (1) of a first three-dimensional shape and a second three-dimensional shape different from the first three-dimensional shape. It may include fiberfill clusters (1). In some embodiments, the plurality of fiberfill clusters (1) of insulation or filler comprises a fiberfill cluster (1) within a first density range, and a fiberfill cluster (1) within a second density range that is different from and does not overlap the first density range. It may include cluster (1).

In another aspect of the present disclosure, an article comprising insulation or filler (i.e., a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters 1) is provided. In some embodiments, the article is selected from shoes, outerwear, clothing, sleeping bags, and bedding. In some embodiments, the article is a home furnishing item (e.g., bedding such as a comforter or quilt, pillows, cushions, upholstered chairs, etc.).

article

Non-limiting embodiments of the invention are described in the following clauses.

Clause 1. A method of manufacturing at least one individual fiberfill cluster, said method comprising:

Obtaining individual bundles of a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm, wherein the plurality of fibers are arranged together longitudinally; and

Disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers in the bundle such that the plurality of fibers in the bundle extend and mix irregularly in three dimensions to form individual fiberfill clusters.

Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises breaking the longitudinal arrangement of only some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle, wherein the remaining portion of the bundle remains longitudinally aligned and blends with the irregularly extending three-dimensional fibers.

Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the irregularly three-dimensionally extending fibers form an outer region extending outward from the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 4. The method of clause 3, wherein the remaining portion of the bundle comprises a higher density of fibers than the outer region.

Clause 5. The method of clause 1, wherein disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle causes the plurality of fibers of the bundle to remain longitudinally aligned together. A method comprising destroying the longitudinal arrangement of all of the fibers.

Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of all of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises: a relatively densely packed three-dimensional fiber region interior to at least one; and a relatively densely packed three-dimensional fiber region interior to the at least one. A method of forming an outer, relatively less densely packed region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the densely packed region.

Clause 7. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle causes some of the broken fibers to form fiberfill clusters, and the broken fibers form fiberfill clusters. The method comprising mixing only some of the broken fibers such that some of the fibers do not form fiberfill clusters.

Clause 8. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises abutting of at least one pair of breaking members such that a breaking surface abuts the bundle. Positioning the bundle between the faces and forming at least one first breaking member along a path extending longitudinally along the longitudinal length of the fibers of the bundle and laterally along a lateral direction oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A method comprising moving relative to at least one second destruction member.

Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the distance between the failure surfaces remains substantially constant during failure.

Clause 10. In Clause 8 or 9:

the at least one first breaking member moves along an arcuate path for at least a first portion of time;

the at least one first breaking member moves along an elliptical path for at least a first portion of time;

the at least one first destruction member moves along a random orbital pattern for at least a first portion of time;

at least one of the abutting surfaces comprises a substantially flat and smooth surface;

wherein at least one of the abutting surfaces comprises a substantially planar array of particles or protrusions.

Clause 11. The method of any one of clauses 8 to 10, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises exposing the bundle to at least one stream of gas and/or liquid. Including, method.

Clause 12. The method of any one of clauses 8 to 11, wherein the individual bundles are obtained from long fiber yarns and are bundles comprising a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 76 mm, the plurality of fibers are arranged together in a longitudinal direction, the fibers having a mixed nip portion in which the plurality of fibers are intertwined; Breaking the longitudinal arrangement breaks the plurality of fibers adjacent the mixed nip portion to form at least one outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the mixed nip portion, wherein the breaking Later, the plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented with respect to each other, and the mixed nip portion corresponding to the remaining portion of the bundle of the plurality of fibers has a higher density of fibers than the at least one outer region. , method.

Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein destroying the longitudinal arrangement includes processing the bundle as follows:

Processing on fiber opening machines;

Processing in a garnet machine; or

Air treatment.

Clause 14. The method of clause 13, wherein air treating the bundle includes air tumbling the bundle.

Article 15. The provisions of any one of Articles 12 to 14,

The plurality of fibers forming the fiberfill cluster originate from segments of mixed long fiber yarn, and the mixed nip portion of the cluster corresponds to the mixed nip portion of the mixed long fiber yarn;

the plurality of fibers of the mixed nip portion extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length;

The method of claim 1, wherein the fibers in the cluster are not bonded to each other.

Clause 16. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 14, wherein, prior to breaking, at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle are joined together at at least one point along the longitudinal length of the bundle to form at least one fiber. The method further comprising forming a junction point.

Clause 17. The method of clause 16, wherein the bonding point is formed by heating at least some of the plurality of fibers at the at least one point to bond the fibers to each other at the at least one bonding point.

Clause 18. The method of clause 17, wherein heating at least some of the plurality of fibers at the at least one point comprises contacting the plurality of fibers at the at least one point with a material that is at a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the fibers. A method that includes being told to do so.

Clause 19. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 18, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes entangling some of the broken fibers with each other. method.

Clause 20. The method of clause 19, wherein less than about 50% (e.g., less than about 25%) of the broken fibers are entangled with at least one other fiber.

Clause 21. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 20, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes twisting some of the broken fibers together. .

Clause 22. The method of clause 21, wherein less than about 50% (e.g., less than about 25%) of the broken fibers are twisted with at least one other fiber.

Clause 23. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 22, wherein the method comprises:

Obtaining a plurality of individual bundles of a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers, each having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm, the plurality of fibers of each bundle being arranged together longitudinally; and

Disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of each bundle such that the plurality of fibers of each bundle are irregularly extended three-dimensionally and mixed to form a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters. , method.

Clause 24. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 23, wherein, before the fracture, the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend substantially linearly along their longitudinal length.

Clause 25. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 24, wherein the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend substantially parallel to each other along their longitudinal length.

Clause 26. The method of any one of clauses 1-25, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle are untextured fibers.

Clause 27. The method of clause 26, wherein the bundle is an untextured blended long fiber yarn.

Clause 28. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 23, wherein the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length.

Clause 29. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 23 and 28, wherein the plurality of fibers of the bundle extend irregularly along their longitudinal length.

Clause 30. The method of any one of clauses 1-25, 28, and 29, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle are textured fibers.

Clause 31. The method of clause 30, wherein the bundle is a textured blended long fiber yarn.

Clause 32. The method of any one of clauses 1-31, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle comprises about 50 to about 500 fibers.

Clause 33. The method of any one of clauses 1-32, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises about 80 to about 300 fibers.

Clause 34. The method of any one of clauses 1-33, wherein the bundle comprises more fibers than the fiberfill clusters.

Clause 35. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 34, wherein the fiberfill cluster comprises at least one secondary fiber that is not part of the bundle.

Clause 36. The method of clause 35, wherein during the fracture the at least one secondary fiber is mixed with the plurality of fibers of the fiberfill cluster.

Clause 37. The method of any one of clauses 1-36, wherein the plurality of fibers has a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7.

Clause 38. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 37, wherein the plurality of fibers have substantially the same denier.

Clause 39. The method of any one of clauses 1-38, wherein the plurality of fibers of the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm.

Clause 40. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 39, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle are doped with a durable water repellent (DWR) and/or silicone chemical.

Clause 41. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 40, wherein the plurality of fibers have substantially the same length.

Clause 42. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 41, wherein the plurality of fibers are synthetic polymer fibers.

Clause 43. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 42, wherein the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid, poly(butyl acrylate), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin, nylon, rayon. , lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof.

Clause 44. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 43, wherein the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers.

Clause 45. Clause 44, wherein the polyester fibers include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fiber, and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT). ) fibers, copolyester fibers (e.g., copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units), or combinations thereof.

Clause 46. The method of clause 44, wherein the polyester fibers are PET fibers.

Clause 47. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 46, wherein the fibers comprise recycled polymer material.

Clause 48. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 47, wherein the plurality of fibers comprise siliconized fibers.

Clause 49. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 48, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises non-siliconized fibers.

Clause 50. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 49, wherein the plurality of fibers comprise solid fibers.

Clause 51. The method of any one of clauses 1-50, wherein the plurality of fibers comprise hollow fibers.

Clause 52. The method of any one of clauses 1-51, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a length, a width and a thickness, wherein the length and width are greater than the thickness.

Clause 53. The method of Clause 52, wherein the length is greater than the width.

Clause 54. The method of any one of clauses 1-53, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, wherein the length is in the range of about 0.90 to about 4 cm.

Clause 55. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 54, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness, wherein the width is in the range of about 0.70 to about 3 cm.

Clause 56. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 55, wherein the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.08 to 0.70 mg/cm ³ (e.g., about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ ). .

Clause 57. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 56, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a substantially ovoid shape.

Clause 58. The method of any one of clauses 1-51 and 54-57, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a substantially spherical shape.

Clause 59. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 58, wherein the bundles are segments of long fiber yarn.

Clause 60. The method of clause 59, wherein obtaining the bundle includes cutting segments from the long fiber yarn.

Clause 61. The method of clause 59 or 60, wherein the long fiber yarn is a textured long fiber yarn.

Clause 62. The method of clause 59 or 60, wherein the long fiber yarn is a flat long fiber yarn.

Clause 63. An individual fiberfill cluster, said individual fiberfill cluster comprising:

Comprising a plurality of fibers mixed with each other, wherein the plurality of fibers includes 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm,

The plurality of fibers are,

a remainder portion of the bundle comprising some of the plurality of fibers arranged together in a longitudinal direction; and

an outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the remainder of the bundle comprising some of the plurality of fibers randomly and non-uniformly oriented relative to each other,

wherein the remaining portion of the bundle comprises a higher density of fibers than the outer region.

Clause 64. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 63, wherein the remaining portion of the bundle comprises fewer fibers than the outer region.

Clause 65. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 63 or 64, wherein the remaining portion of the bundle comprises at least 25% (e.g., at least 50%, or at least 75%) less fibers than the outer region.

Clause 66. The method of any one of clauses 63 to 65, wherein the plurality of fibers are from segments of a blended long fiber yarn, and the bundle remainder portion of the individual fiberfill clusters is a blended fiber from the blended long fiber yarn. Individual fiberfill clusters, corresponding to the nib portion.

Clause 67. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 66, wherein the plurality of fibers of the remainder of the bundle are intertwined.

Clause 68. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-67, wherein the bundle remainder extends non-linearly along its length.

Clause 69. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63 to 68, wherein the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of long fiber yarn.

Clause 70. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 69, wherein the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of textured long fiber yarn.

Clause 71. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 69, wherein the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of flat long fiber yarn.

Clause 72. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63 to 71, wherein the plurality of fibers of the remainder of the bundle extend substantially parallel to each other along their longitudinal length.

Clause 73. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-72, wherein the plurality of fibers are untextured linear fibers.

Clause 74. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-72, wherein the plurality of fibers are textured linear fibers.

Clause 75. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-74, wherein the plurality of fibers extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length.

Clause 76. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-75, wherein the plurality of fibers extend irregularly along their longitudinal length.

Clause 77. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63 to 76, wherein some of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 78. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 77, wherein less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 79. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 77, wherein less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 80. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63 to 79, wherein at least some of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 81. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 80, wherein less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 82. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 80, wherein less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle.

Clause 83. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63 to 82, wherein the individual fiberfill cluster comprises at least one bonding point at which at least some of the plurality of fibers are bonded to each other.

Clause 84. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 83, wherein the at least one bonding point comprises some fibers of the residual portion and some fibers of the outer region.

Clause 85. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 83 or 84, wherein the at least one joining point comprises only some fibers of the remainder of the bundle and some fibers of the outer region.

Clause 86. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-85, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a length, a width and a thickness, wherein the length and width are greater than the thickness.

Clause 87. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 86, wherein the length is greater than the width.

Clause 88. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-87, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a length, width and thickness, the length being in the range of about 0.90 to about 4 cm.

Clause 89. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-88, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a length, width and thickness, the width being in the range of about 0.70 to about 3 cm.

Clause 90. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-89, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a substantially ovoid shape.

Clause 91. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63-85 and 88-90, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a substantially spherical shape.

Clause 92. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-91, wherein the plurality of fibers has a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7.

Clause 93. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-92, wherein the plurality of fibers have substantially the same denier.

Clause 94. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-93, wherein the plurality of fibers of the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm.

Clause 95. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63 to 94, wherein the plurality of fibers of the remainder of the bundle have substantially the same longitudinal length.

Clause 96. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-95, wherein the plurality of fibers have substantially the same length.

Clause 97. The individual fiber of any one of clauses 63 to 96, wherein the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.08 to about 0.70 mg/cm ³ (e.g., about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ ). Fiberfill cluster.

Clause 98. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-97, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises from about 50 to about 500 fibers.

Clause 99. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-98, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises about 80 to about 300 fibers.

Clause 100. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-99, wherein the plurality of fibers are synthetic polymer fibers.

Clause 101. The method of any one of clauses 63 to 100, wherein the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid, poly(butyl acrylate), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin, nylon, rayon. , lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof.

Clause 102. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 63-101, wherein the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers.

Clause 103. The clause 102, wherein the polyester fibers include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fiber, and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT). ) fibers, copolyester fibers (e.g., copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units), or combinations thereof.

Clause 104. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 102, wherein the polyester fibers are PET fibers.

Clause 105. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-104, wherein the fibers comprise recycled polymer material.

Clause 106. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-105, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises siliconized fibers.

Clause 107. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-106, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises unsiliconized fibers.

Clause 108. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-107, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises solid fibers.

Clause 109. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 63-108, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises hollow fibers.

Clause 110. An individual fiberfill cluster, said individual fiberfill cluster comprising:

Comprising a plurality of fibers randomly mixed with each other, wherein the plurality of fibers includes 25 to 3600 fibers with a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm,

the plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented relative to each other,

The plurality of fibers are,

At least one internal, relatively densely packed region of fibers; and

forming an external, relatively less densely packed region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the at least one internal, relatively densely packed region,

The individual fiberfill clusters have a length of 0.5 cm to 6.5 cm, a width of 0.5 cm to 6.5 cm, and a density of 0.08 to 0.70 mg/cm ³ .

Clause 111. The individual fiberfill of clause 110, wherein the interior region comprises fewer fibers than the exterior region (e.g., at least 25% or at least 50% fewer fibers than the exterior region). cluster.

Clause 112. The individual fiberfill of clause 110, wherein the outer region comprises fewer fibers than the inner region (e.g., at least 25% or at least 50% fewer fibers than the inner region). cluster.

Clause 113. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 111 or 112, wherein the plurality of fibers extend non-linearly along their length.

Clause 114. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-113, wherein the plurality of fibers are untextured fibers.

Clause 115. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-113, wherein the plurality of fibers are textured fibers.

Clause 116. The method of any one of clauses 110 to 115, wherein the plurality of fibers are from segments of blended long fiber yarns, and wherein the relatively densely packed fiber region interior to at least one of the individual fiberfill clusters is Individual fiberfill clusters corresponding to blended nip portions from said blended long fiber yarns.

Clause 117. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 116, wherein the plurality of fibers in the relatively densely packed fiber region internal to the at least one are intertwined.

Clause 118. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 116 or clause 117, wherein the fibers within the cluster are not bonded to each other.

Clause 119. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-118, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle are doped with a durable water repellent (DWR) and/or silicone chemical.

Clause 120. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-119, wherein some of the plurality of fibers are entangled with each other.

Clause 121. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 120, wherein less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers are intertwined.

Clause 122. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 120, wherein less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers are intertwined.

Clause 123. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-122, wherein some of the plurality of fibers are twisted together.

Clause 124. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 123, wherein less than about 50% of the plurality of fibers are twisted together.

Clause 125. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 123, wherein less than about 25% of the plurality of fibers are twisted together.

Clause 126. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110 to 117 or 119 to 125, wherein the individual fiberfill cluster comprises at least one bonding point at which at least some of the plurality of fibers are bonded to each other. .

Clause 127. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 126, wherein the at least one bonding point comprises some fibers in the inner region and some fibers in the outer region.

Clause 128. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 126 or clause 127, wherein the at least one bonding point comprises only some fibers of the inner portion and some fibers of the outer region.

Clause 129. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-128, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a length, a width and a thickness, wherein the length and width are greater than the thickness.

Clause 130. The individual fiberfill clusters of clause 129, wherein the length is greater than the width.

Clause 131. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 110-130, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a length, width and thickness, the length being in the range of about 0.90 to about 4 cm.

Clause 132. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-131, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a length, width and thickness, the width being in the range of about 0.70 to about 3 cm.

Clause 133. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-132, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a substantially ovoid shape.

Clause 134. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 110-128, 131 and 132, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a substantially spherical shape.

Clause 135. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-134, wherein the plurality of fibers has a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7.

Clause 136. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-135, wherein the plurality of fibers have substantially the same denier.

Clause 137. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 110-136, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm.

Clause 138. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-137, wherein the plurality of fibers have substantially the same longitudinal length.

Clause 139. The individual fiberfill clusters of any one of clauses 110-138, wherein the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ .

Clause 140. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 110-139, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises from about 50 to about 500 fibers.

Clause 141. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 110-140, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises from about 80 to about 300 fibers.

Clause 142. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-141, wherein the plurality of fibers are synthetic polymer fibers.

Clause 143. The method of any one of clauses 110 to 142, wherein the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid, poly(butyl acrylate), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin, nylon, rayon. , lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof.

Clause 144. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-143, wherein the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers.

Clause 145. The clause 144 of clause 144, wherein the polyester fibers include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fiber, and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT). ) fibers, copolyester fibers (e.g., copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units), or combinations thereof.

Clause 146. The individual fiberfill cluster of clause 144, wherein the polyester fibers are PET fibers.

Clause 147. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-146, wherein the fibers comprise recycled polymer material.

Clause 148. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-147, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises siliconized fibers.

Clause 149. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110 to 148, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises unsiliconized fibers.

Clause 150. The individual fiberfill cluster of any of clauses 110-149, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises solid fibers.

Clause 151. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of clauses 110-150, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises hollow fibers.

Clause 152. A thermal insulation or fill material comprising a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters as described in any one of clauses 63 to 151.

Clause 153. Clause 152, wherein the insulation or filler comprises a first plurality of individual fiberfill clusters as defined in any one of clauses 63 to 109, and a plurality of second individual fibers as defined in any of clauses 110 to 151. Insulating material or filling material containing fill clusters.

Clause 154. The insulation or filler of Clause 152, wherein the insulation or filler consists of a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters as set forth in any one of clauses 63 to 109.

Clause 155. The insulation or filler of Clause 152, wherein the insulation or filler consists of a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of clauses 110 to 151.

Clause 156. The method of any one of clauses 152 to 155, wherein the plurality of fiberfill clusters are formed of first fiberfill clusters formed of fibers of a first length, and of fibers of a second length different from the first length. A thermal insulation or filling material comprising second fiberfill clusters.

Clause 157. The method of any one of clauses 152-156, wherein the plurality of fiber clusters comprises first clusters formed of a first total number of fibers, and a second total number of fibers different from the first total number of fibers. An insulating material or filler comprising second clusters formed of .

Clause 158. The method of any one of clauses 152 to 157, wherein the plurality of fiberfill clusters comprises first fiberfill clusters formed from fibers of a first synthetic material, and fibers of a second synthetic material different from the first synthetic material. An insulating material or filler comprising second fiberfill clusters formed of .

Clause 159. The method of any one of clauses 152 to 158, wherein the plurality of fiberfill clusters are formed with first fiberfill clusters formed from fibers of a first denier, and fibers of a second denier different from the first denier. A thermal insulation or filling material comprising second fiberfill clusters.

Clause 160. The insulation of any one of clauses 152 to 159, wherein the plurality of fiberfill clusters comprises fiberfill clusters of a first size, and fiberfill clusters of a second size different from the first size. Or fillings.

Clause 161. The method of any one of clauses 152 to 160, wherein the plurality of fiberfill clusters are fiberfill clusters of a first three-dimensional shape, and fiberfill clusters of a second three-dimensional shape different from the first three-dimensional shape. Insulating material or filling material containing these.

Clause 162. The method of any one of clauses 152 to 161, wherein the plurality of fiberfill clusters are fiberfill clusters in a first density range, and fiberfill clusters in a second density range that is different from and does not overlap the first density range. Insulating material or filling material containing these.

Clause 163. An article comprising a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters as described in any of clauses 63 to 151 or the insulation or filler as described in any of clauses 152 to 162.

Clause 164. The article of clause 163, wherein the article is selected from footwear, outerwear, clothing, sleeping bags, and bedding.

The invention will now be illustrated, but not limited, with reference to specific embodiments described in the Examples below.

Example

The invention will now be illustrated, but not limited, with reference to specific embodiments described in the Examples below.

Example 1

Comparative tests were performed on individual fiberfill clusters and individual embodiments of the down clusters of the invention (1000 fill power (FP) goose down feather and 550 FP duck down feather). The individual fiberfill clusters of the present invention are comprised of 136 long fibers arranged substantially parallel (i.e., longitudinally aligned/aligned) with a denier per filament (dpf) of about 1.10 (thus the bundle is It was prepared by drawing a textured polyester yarn or tow consisting of a total denier of about 150. The yarns were cut to provide longitudinally aligned fiber bundles of a plurality of 1", 2" and 4" lengths. Additionally, additional inventive individual fiberfill clusters may be arranged substantially parallel (i.e., longitudinally aligned). It was prepared by drawing a textured polyester yarn or tow consisting of 96 long fibers (the bundles had a total denier of about 200) with a denier per long fiber (dpf) of about 2.08, arranged/aligned. Next, the individual fiberfill clusters of the invention were broken between two distribution members to form a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters. The 1" 1.1dpf fiber bundle clusters were tested for length, width, height, and volume; 2" 1.1dpf fiber bundle clusters, 4" 1.1dpf fiber bundle clusters, and 2" 2.08dpf fiber bundle clusters were also tested. Down clusters were also tested. Average the results for each cluster type. , shown in Table I below.

[Table I]

Example 2

Weight and volume tests were performed on the samples from Example 1 (both single clusters and groups of 10 clusters). The results are shown in Table II below. The weight (g) measurements for “1 feather (g)” and the density measurements for “density (g/cm ³ )” are average measurements for a single feather based on the average of 10 tested feathers. .

[Table II]

As shown in Table II, 4" 1.1dpf synthetic clusters have an approximately 27% increase in density compared to 1,000 FP goose down feathers, and 2" 1.1dpf synthetic clusters have approximately 17% increased density compared to 550 FP goose down feathers. It can be seen that the density of the 2" 2.08dpf synthetic clusters decreased by about 17% compared to 1,000 FP goose down feathers.

As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the properties tested in the examples can vary greatly depending on the fibers that make up the individual fiberfill clusters, and the examples described above are non-limiting.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, “comprise” (and optional forms of include, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and “has”) and “having” (and “having”), “include” (and including “including” and “including”), It will be understood that the term “contain” (and any forms of contain such as “contains” and “containing”), and any other grammatical variations, are open linking verbs. . As a result, a method or article "comprising", "having", "comprising" or "containing" one or more steps or elements possesses one or more such steps or elements, but possesses only such one or more steps or elements. It is not limited to Likewise, a method step or element of an article that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more features possesses such one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only these one or more features. does not

As used herein, the terms “comprising”, “has”, “including”, “containing” and other grammatical variations thereof include “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”. "Includes the term.

As used herein, the phrase “consisting essentially of” or grammatical variations thereof shall be considered to designate the stated feature, integer, step, or element, but not one or more additional features, integers, steps, or elements. The addition of elements or groups thereof is not excluded, provided that the additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed composition or method.

The approximation language used throughout this specification can be applied to modify any quantitative expression that can be tolerably varied without resulting in a change in the underlying function involved. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms such as “about” or “substantially” is not limited to the exact value specified. For example, such terms can mean less than or equal to ±5%, such as less than or equal to ±2%, such as less than or equal to ±1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.5%, such as less than or equal to ±0.2%, such as less than or equal to ±0.1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.05%. You can. In some cases, the language of approximations may correspond to the precision of the instrument that measures the value.

All publications cited herein are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.

The subject matter incorporated by reference should not be construed as an alternative to any claim limitation, unless explicitly indicated otherwise.

Where more than one range is referred to throughout this specification, each range is intended to be an abbreviated form of information, wherein the range refers to each individual point within the range as if each individual point within the range were fully described herein. is understood to include.

Although various aspects and embodiments of the invention have been described and shown herein, alternative aspects and embodiments may be employed by those skilled in the art to achieve the same purpose. Accordingly, this disclosure and the appended claims are intended to cover all such additional and alternative aspects and implementations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (61)

A method of manufacturing at least one individual fiberfill cluster, the method comprising:
Obtaining individual bundles of a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm, wherein the plurality of fibers are arranged together longitudinally; and
Disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers in the bundle such that the plurality of fibers in the bundle extend and mix irregularly in three dimensions to form individual fiberfill clusters. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises breaking the longitudinal arrangement of only some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle. The method comprising maintaining the remaining portion of the bundle longitudinally aligned together and mixing with the irregularly extending three-dimensional fibers. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the irregularly three-dimensionally extending fibers form an outer region extending outward from the remainder of the bundle. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the remaining portion of the bundle comprises a higher density of fibers than the outer region. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle causes the plurality of fibers of the bundle to remain longitudinally aligned. A method comprising destroying both longitudinal arrangements. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of all of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises: a region of relatively densely packed three-dimensional fibers interior to at least one; A method of forming an outer, relatively less densely packed region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the dense region. 7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle causes some of the broken fibers to form fiberfill clusters, and the breaking includes: and mixing only some of the broken fibers such that some of the broken fibers do not form fiberfill clusters. 8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the step of disrupting the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises at least one pair of disrupting members such that a fracture surface abuts the bundle. ), positioning the bundle between the abutting faces of the bundle and forming at least one first bundle along a path extending longitudinally along the longitudinal length of the fibers of the bundle and laterally along a lateral direction oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A method comprising translating a destruction member relative to at least one second destruction member. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the distance between the fracture surfaces remains substantially constant during fracture. According to clause 8 or 9,
the at least one first breaking member moves along an arcuate path for at least a first portion of time;
the at least one first breaking member moves along an elliptical path for at least a first portion of time;
the at least one first destruction member moves along a random orbital pattern for at least a first portion of time;
at least one of the abutting surfaces comprises a substantially flat and smooth surface;
wherein at least one of the abutting surfaces comprises a substantially planar array of particles or protrusions. 11. The method of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle comprises exposing the bundle to at least one stream of gas and/or liquid. Including, method. 12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the individual bundles are obtained from a filament yarn and comprise a plurality of 25 to 3600 fibers with a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 76 mm. a bundle, wherein the plurality of fibers are arranged together in a longitudinal direction, and the fibers have a mixed nip portion in which the plurality of fibers are entangled with each other; Breaking the longitudinal arrangement breaks the plurality of fibers adjacent the mixed nip portion to form at least one outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the mixed nip portion, wherein the breaking Later, the plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented with respect to each other, and the mixed nip portion corresponding to the remaining portion of the bundle of the plurality of fibers has a higher density of fibers than the at least one outer region. , method. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement includes processing the bundle as follows:
- Processing in a fiber opening machine;
- Processing in a garnet machine; or
- Air treatment. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein air treating the bundle includes air-tumbling the bundle. According to any one of claims 12 to 14,
The plurality of fibers forming the fiberfill cluster originate from segments of mixed long fiber yarn, and the mixed nip portion of the cluster corresponds to the mixed nip portion of the mixed long fiber yarn;
the plurality of fibers of the mixed nip portion extend non-linearly along their longitudinal length;
The method of claim 1, wherein the fibers in the cluster are not bonded to each other. 15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein, prior to breaking, at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle are joined together at at least one point along the longitudinal length of the bundle to form at least one fiber. The method further comprising forming a junction point. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bonding point is formed by heating at least some of the plurality of fibers at the at least one point to bond the fibers to each other at the at least one bonding point. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein heating at least some of the plurality of fibers at the at least one point comprises contacting the plurality of fibers at the at least one point with a material that is at a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the fibers. Including, method. 19. The method of any preceding claim, wherein breaking the longitudinal arrangement of at least some of the plurality of fibers of the bundle includes entangling some of the broken fibers with each other. method. 20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the method is for producing the fiberfill cluster according to any one of claims 21 to 57. As an individual fiberfill cluster, the individual fiberfill cluster comprises:
Comprising a plurality of fibers mixed with each other, wherein the plurality of fibers includes 25 to 3600 fibers having a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm,
The plurality of fibers are,
a remainder portion of the bundle comprising some of the plurality of fibers arranged together in a longitudinal direction; and
an outer region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the remainder of the bundle comprising some of the plurality of fibers randomly and non-uniformly oriented relative to each other,
wherein the remaining portion of the bundle comprises a higher density of fibers than the outer region. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the bundle remainder portion comprises fewer fibers than the outer region, for example at least 25%, at least 50%, or at least 75% less fibers than the outer region. Individual fiberfill clusters. 23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein the plurality of fibers originate from segments of a blended long fiber yarn, and the bundle remainder portion of the individual fiberfill clusters corresponds to a blended nip portion from the blended long fiber yarn. That is, individual fiber fill clusters. 24. The individual fiberfill cluster of claim 23, wherein the plurality of fibers of the remainder of the bundle are intertwined. 25. An individual fiberfill cluster according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the bundle remainder extends non-linearly along its length. 26. Individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of long fiber yarn. 27. The individual fiberfill cluster of claim 26, wherein the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of textured long fiber yarn. 27. The individual fiberfill cluster of claim 26, wherein the bundle remainder portion is part of a segment of flat long fiber yarn. 29. Individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein the plurality of fibers of the remainder of the bundle extend substantially parallel to each other along their longitudinal length. 30. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-29, wherein the plurality of fibers are non-textured linear fibers. 30. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-29, wherein the plurality of fibers are textured linear fibers. 32. The method of any one of claims 21 to 31, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises:
extending non-linearly along their longitudinal length;
Individual fiberfill clusters extending irregularly along their longitudinal length. 33. Individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of claims 21 to 32, wherein some of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. 34. The individual fibers of claim 33, wherein less than about 50%, such as less than about 25%, of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are entangled with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. Peel Cluster. 35. Individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of claims 21 to 34, wherein at least some of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted with each other or with at least one fiber in the remainder of the bundle. 36. The individual fiber of claim 35, wherein less than about 50%, such as less than about 25%, of the plurality of fibers in the outer region are twisted together or with at least one fiber of the remainder of the bundle. Peel Cluster. 37. An individual fiberfill cluster according to any one of claims 21 to 36, wherein the individual fiberfill cluster comprises at least one bonding point at which at least some of the plurality of fibers are bonded to each other. 38. The individual fiberfill cluster of claim 37, wherein the at least one bonding point comprises some fibers of the residual portion and some fibers of the outer region. 39. An individual fiberfill cluster according to claim 37 or 38, wherein the at least one bonding point comprises only some fibers of the remainder of the bundle and some fibers of the outer region. 40. The method of any one of claims 21 to 39, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness,
The length and width are greater than and/or greater than the thickness;
Individual fiberfill clusters whose length is greater than their width. 41. The method of any one of claims 21 to 40, wherein the fiberfill clusters define a length, width and thickness,
the length is in the range of about 0.5 to about 6.5 cm;
Individual fiberfill clusters, wherein the width ranges from about 0.5 to about 6.5 cm. 42. An individual fiberfill cluster according to any one of claims 21 to 41, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a substantially ovoid shape. 42. An individual fiberfill cluster according to any one of claims 21 to 41, wherein the fiberfill cluster defines a substantially spherical shape. 44. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-43, wherein the plurality of fibers has a denier of about 0.7 to about 1.7. 45. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-44, wherein the plurality of fibers of the bundle have a longitudinal length of about 20 to about 50 mm. 46. The individual fibers of any one of claims 21 to 45, wherein the fiberfill clusters have a density of about 0.08 to 0.70 mg/cm ³ , for example about 0.10 to about 0.50 mg/cm ³ Peel Cluster. 47. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-46, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises from about 50 to about 500 fibers. 48. The method of any one of claims 21 to 47, wherein the plurality of fibers is polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, polylactic acid, poly(butyl acrylate), acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin, nylon, rayon. , lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, or combinations thereof. 49. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-48, wherein the plurality of fibers are polyester fibers. The method of claim 49, wherein the polyester fibers are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) fiber, and polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fiber. , individual fiberfill clusters selected from copolyester fibers, for example, copolyester fibers comprising PET structural units, biopolymer fibers, protein-based synthetic material fibers, or combinations thereof. 50. The individual fiberfill cluster of claim 49, wherein the polyester fibers are PET fibers. 52. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-51, wherein the fibers comprise recycled polymer material. 53. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-52, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises siliconized fibers. 54. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-53, wherein the plurality of fibers comprise solid fibers. 54. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-53, wherein the plurality of fibers comprises hollow fibers. 56. The individual fiberfill cluster of any one of claims 21-55, wherein the plurality of fibers in the bundle are doped with a durable water repellency (DWR) or silicone chemical. As an individual fiberfill cluster, the individual fiberfill cluster comprises:
Comprising a plurality of fibers randomly mixed with each other, wherein the plurality of fibers includes 25 to 3600 fibers with a denier of 0.2 to 12.0 and a length of 8 to 160 mm,
the plurality of fibers are randomly and non-uniformly oriented relative to each other,
The plurality of fibers are,
At least one internal, relatively densely packed region of fibers; and
forming an external, relatively less densely packed region of fibers extending three-dimensionally outward from the at least one internal, relatively densely packed region,
The individual fiberfill clusters have a length of 0.5 cm to 6.5 cm, a width of 0.5 cm to 6.5 cm, and a density of 0.08 to 0.70 mg/cm ³ . An insulation material or filler comprising a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of claims 21 to 57. 59. The insulation or filler of claim 58, wherein the plurality of individual fiberfill clusters include fiberfill clusters of a first size and fiberfill clusters of a second size different from the first size. An article comprising a plurality of individual fiberfill clusters according to any one of claims 21 to 57 or a thermal insulation or filler according to claim 58 or 59. 61. The article of claim 60, wherein the article is selected from shoes, outerwear, clothing, sleeping bags, and bedding.