US2809669A - Tufted and embossed fabric and method of manufacture - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1957 E. MORGAN ET AL 2,809,659

TUFTED AND EMBOSSED FABRIC AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed Sept. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f1 g=1 1o Eowm MOQGAN and THEODORE C. SIPPEL -1 8? mm}? m ATTORNEYS INVENTORSI Oct. 15, 195? MORGAN ETAL 2,809,669

TUFTED AND EMBOSSED FABRIC AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed Sept. 15. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Enwa N M ORGAN ana Tmzovoaz C. 5 m 2 INVENTORS gain: PM

ATTORNEYS United States Patent filiee 2,309,559 Patented Got. 15, 1957 TUFTED AND EMBOSSED FABRIC AND METHQD OF MANUFACTURE Edwin Morgan and Theodore C. Sippel, Laurinburg,

N. C., assignors to Scotland Mills, Incorporated, Laurinburg, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,508

9 Claims. (Cl. 139-37) This invention relates to woven tufted fabrics, such as chenille and the like and it is an object of this invention to provide a base or ground fabric woven from relatively fine yarns and having rows of spaced tufts thereon formed from relatively large or heavy embossing yarns or tuft-forming yarns and wherein certain adjacent tufts in at least some rows are spaced substantially from each other as compared to others and sections of the relatively heavy yarn used in forming the tufts are interwoven with the base fabric to form braided-eifect areas, in the form of recurrent closely spaced uncut embossed dots, between said certain adjacent tufts.

Heretofore, in producing chenille and similar fabrics, either weftwise or warpwise extending rows of closely spaced tufs have been formed from a relatively heavy yarn as compared to the yarn employed in weaving the ground or base and, in order that ornamental designs could be formed from certain groups of tufts in adjacent rows, it has been customary to float the tuft-forming yarns over substantial portions of the fabric and then cut away the excess floated portions, leaving only enough of said floated portions tied into the base fabric to form those tufts which are spaced substantially from each other.

In producing the improved fabric, ground fabric is woven, preferably from relatively fine or light warp and weft yarns, and sections of relatively heavy embossing yarns, preferably soft, loosely twisted yarns, are interwoven with a relatively few yarns of the ground fabric at relatively closely spaced points to define relatively short floats therebetween. yarns are interwoven successively above and below the ground fabric at closely spaced points to form said other sections of the embossing yarns into dots which dots, individually, are each a relatively small fraction of the length of the floats above defined.

In forming each row of floats, it is preferable that two or more such loosely twisted yarns be woven in closely spaced parallel relationship or in juxtaposition and, after the fabric is woven, the floats are severed intermediate their ends and the portions of the floats disposed on opposite sides of each of the points at which they are tied into the fabric form a tuft during the subsequent finishing or washing and tumbling operations. Thus, rows of tufts are formed on the ground fabric wherein certain adjacent tufts in each or any number of the rows are spaced substantially from each other and a dotted rib or braidedeifect area of considerable length is formed between said certain adjacent tufts. Also, since each tuft is normally formedfrom a half of the floated portion each side of each point at which the floats are tied into fabric, it follows that the tufts appearing at each end of the braidedefiect areas are approximately one-half the size of the immediately adjacent tufts which are formed from half of the floats at each side of the points at which the floats are tied into the 'base. a

For purposes of clarity, the fabric shall hereinafter be described as though the embossing or tuft-forming yarns,

Other sections of the embossing from which the design rows of braided-effect areas and tufts are formed, extend warpwise while the ground yarns employed in tying or binding the embossing yarns into the fabric shall be defined as though extending Weftwise of the fabric. However, it is to be distinctly understood that the embossing yarns may be Woven either warpwise or weftwise of the fabric and it is apparent that, when the embossing yarns extend weftwise of the fabric, they would then be tied into the base fabric by warpwise extending ground yarns.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects wil appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of -a portion of the improved fabric as it is woven, but after the floats thereof have been cut;

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged view of substantially the broken line area indicated at 2 in Figure 1 prior to the float being severed;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the fabric taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view of a portion of fabric woven accord ing to the present invention showing one of many different types of braided-effect design areas formed in conjunction with tufted areas and showing the fabric as it appears after it has been finished or washed.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral ltl broadly designates a suitably woven base or ground fabric area which is preferably, but not necessarily, woven from relatively fine warp yarns and weft or filling yarns made from any desired synthetic or natural textile material, the warp yarns, in this instance, being generally designated at W and the ground filling yarns being generally designated at F. The ground warp yarns W and ground filling yarns F may be interwoven in any usual way so as to produce a plain weave, twill, sateen or any other desirable base or ground fabric. A detailed description of the base fabric 10 is thus deemed unnecessary. It might be stated, however, that the open areas or lines formed in the base fabric in Figures 1 and 2 are incidental to the weaving of the fabric, these lines having been formed, in the particular fabric illustrated, by the reed dents of the loom, but not being a necessary characteristic of the base fabric and, therefore, being omitted from Figure 4.

In initially weaving the fabric, groups of one or more relatively large tuft-forming yarns or embossing yarns are interwoven for substantial sections of their lengths with the base fabric 10 and other sections of their length are tied into the base fabric at substantially equally spaced intervals to form floats between adjacent tie-in points. In this instance, the tuft-forming yarns extend warpwise of the fabric and each of these tuft-forming yarns may be of a single ply or multi-ply construction. If multi-ply yarns are used, the plies thereof are preferably loosely twisted together. The tuft-forming yarns are preferably, but not necessarily, made from a soft, fluffy textile material as compared as to the texture of the material forming the ground warp yarns W and the ground weft yarns or filling yarns F.

Throughout the specification and the appending claims, the term braidedeffect is used to identify areas of the fabric in which portions of one or more embossing yarns are interwoven or interlaced in substantially equal alternation above and beneath the base fabric in the form of short closely spaced dots or floats, each having a length equal to or only slightly greater than the transverse dimensions of the individual yarns. There should be at least two successive dots formed from a yarn or yarns in each braided-effect area and the overall length of each braided-effect area should be substantially the same 3 t as the adjacent portions of the embossing yarn forming a tuft or substantially the same as the center-to-center distance between adjacent pairs 'of tufts. In the instance of there being two or more parallel embossing yarns in a braided-effect area, the dots in adjacent rows are'preferably staggered as will be more fully described hereinafter.

In this instance, the groups of tuft-forming yarns, effect yarns or embossing yarns which form each warpwise row of intermingled tuft and braid-effect areas, are

indicated in each repeat at R-l, R-2, R-3, R-4 and R-S. In this instance, there are three embossing yarns 11, 12 and 13 included in each group although a single embossing yarn or a greater or lesser number of embossing yarns than that shown may be included in each group R-1 to' R5, inclusive.

Now, it will be noted that sections of each of certain design rows'd'efined' by the embossing yarns 11, 12 and '13, such as rows R2, R-t-3, R-4 and R-S in Figures 1 and'4 are formed as braided-effect areas or sections, whichyfor convenience, are bracketed and indicated at 14 in Figure 4 only, and wherein each of the embossing yarns 11, 12 and 13 is alternately woven above and beneath successive groups of approximately four ground weft yarns F in such a manner that the portions of each of the body yarns which appear on the face of the fabric are disposed in off-set relation to the portions of the next adjacent embossing yarn.

In other words, it will be noted in Figure 1 that those filler yarns or weft yarns'which extend over the two outside embossing yarns 11 and 13 in each of the rows R2 to R-S, inclusive, pass beneath the corresponding portions of the centermost embossing yarn 12 in each of said last-named'groups to produce a braided appearance to the areas 14, although the embossing yarns 11, 12 and 13 are not, in fact, braided at the braided-effect areas 14. Of course, at the terminal end of each of said braidedeifect areas 14, the corresponding filling yarns or weft yarns F serve as binder threads so the terminal portions of the yarns 11, 12and 13 forming each braided-effect area 14 all' appear on the face of the fabric. The portions of the ground weft yarns or-filling yarns F which serve as bmder threads at opposed ends of each braided efrect area 14 are indicated at 15 in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

I Those sections of the embossing yarns 11, 12 and 13 in each of the groups R-2 to R-S, inclusive, which are 7 not formed into braided-effect areas 14 are tied or woven into the base fabric 10 at spaced intervals, as indicated 'at*16, and are floated over the surface of the base fabric indicated at 16, since the design rows R-l differ from the intervening design rows only in that no braided-effect areas are provided in the design rows R,1.

, Although adjacent design rows R-l to R5, inclusive,

preferable that adjacent design rows be spaced a distance substantially equal to the distance between the adjacent warpwise spaced woven intervals 16, which woven inter'vals may be termed tuft tie-in or binderpoints. The

7 length of the spaced intervals 16 in'which ,the-tuft-forming or embossing yarns tor threads 11, 12 and 13 are woven into the fabric may varytand the lengthof, the

floating sections 17 of each group of embossing yarns may vary in accordance with the'desired design, although it is preferable that the length of the floating sections 17 and the spaced intervals '16tbe uniform inthose sections of the design rows other than "the braided-effect areas,

in order that all of the tufts subsequently formed, other than thoseappearing at opposite ends of each braided effect area 14, may be of uniform height or length. I

' s a The fabric thus woven is particularly designed to be V yarns being interwoven with the filler yarns.

severed by a suitable mechanical tuft cutting device wherein the cutting device moves weftwise upon the ground fabric in straighttlines and severs the floats 17 intermediate their respective points of'securement 15 and 16. It will be noted that, since the embossing yarns 11, 12 and 13 are interwoven with the ground filler yarns F in the braided-effect areas 14, a tuft cutting device will 'readily pass over the braided-effect areas 14 without severing the embossing yarns 11, 12 and 13 at these points. e

The fabric illustrated is thus initially woven with a plurality of separate substantially spaced groups of closely spaced embossing yarns, substantial sections of each of which groups are alternately woven into the body of the fabric and floated overthe surface thereof with other sections of certain of said separate groups of embossing The sections of the individual embossing yarns in said separate groups or design rows which are interwoven for a sub stantial portion of their lengths with the ground filler yarns alternately appear on the face of the fabric in offset relation to the immediately adjacent embossing yarn in order to produce the braided-effect appearance to the fabric in the areas 14. After the fabric has been thus woven, the floating sections 17 of the groups of tuft-forming yarns appearing in individual design rows R'1 to R-S, inclusive, are severed substantially midway between adjacent tie-in or binder points 16 and are also severed between adjacent binder points 15 and 16 so that a half-tuft portion is formed of adjacent floats each side of each of the float tie-in or binder points 16, said half-tufts being indicated at 20 in Figure 1. It is to be noted that, when the fabric is washed and tumbled, dyed, subjected to steam, or otherwise treated, and dried sufliciently to shrink the fabric, the half-tufts 20 tend to stand outwardly away from the ground fabric 10 and bunch together to form full-tufts which are indicated at 20a in Figure 4. 7

Now, it will be noted that only a half-tuft or halffloat portion 22 is formed as a result of severing the floats 17 at each end of each of the braided-effect areas 14 so that, when the fabric is subsequently washed and 7 14 in Figure 4. t

may be spaced varying distances from each other, it is in t It is apparent that any one or more of the portions of V the embossing yarns appearing in any one or more of the braided-effect areas 14 may be floated and secured to r the base fabric10 at spaced intervals while the other embossing yarn or yarns in the corresponding braidedeffect area may be interlaced with the base fabric in the i form of embossed dots so that, when the resultant floats are severed intermediate their points of securement, spaced relatively small tufts are formed within the braided-effect areas. For example, the two outside yarns 11 and 13 in any one or more of the' areas 14 maybe interwoven with the ground fabric as shown in Figures 1 and 4 and the intervening embossing yarn 12 recurrently floated and secured to the base fabric at spaced intervals. Thus, asthe'other floats are severed in the manner heretofore describedgthe floatedportions of the intervening embossing yarn between the corresponding braided-effect portions of the outside yarns 11 and 13 would also be' severed between their points of securement and, when the resultant fabric hasbeen subjected to steam or any other form of liquid treatment, sufficient to shrink the fabric, and then dried, one or more relatively small tufts would be present between the braided-effect or interwoven portions of the two outside embossing yarns 11 and 12 in addition to the spaced tufts 20a and 22 (Figure 4) present in the corresponding row. s

The arrangement of spaced relatively small tufts along beside or straddled by braided-effect lines in sections of a design row or rows in combination with the large tufts in other sections of the corresponding row or rows may be further enhanced by application of the principles of the invention disclosed in our co-pending application Serial Number 455,716, filed September 13, 1954 and entitled Fabric With Variant-Height Tufts and Method.

It is thus seen that we have provided an improved tufted fabric comprising a base or ground fabric, preferably woven from relatively fine or small filling and warp yarns and having spaced rows of substantially equally spaced tufts of substantially uniform size therein, in some of which rows, braided-effect areas are interposed at predetermined intervals and said braided-effect areas being formed from the embossing yarns employed in forming the tufts and wherein the tufts at opposite ends of each of said braided-effect areas are substantially smaller than the intervening tufts between adjacent braided-effect areas. It should be noted that all the yarn employed in initially weaving the fabric remains as part of the fabric to the extent that no filler threads or weft threads need be removed from the fabric after it has been woven and the floats thereof severed, although there may be substantial distances between certain of adjacent pairs of tufts, since the sections of the embossing yarns intervening between adjacent substantially spaced tufts are interwoven in the fabric to produce braided-effect areas which greatly enhance the appearance of the finished fabric.

It is apparent, by referring to Figure 4, that the rows of tufts may be considered as extending weftwise and warpwise of the fabric and the interspersed embossed braided-efiect areas extending in alinement with the rows of tufts in either a warpwise or weftwise direction and the lengths of adjacent braided-effect areas may vary according to any desired pattern, the particular pattern of Figure 4 being shown by Way of illustration only.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. A woven bedspread fabric comprising a base of interwoven weft yarns and warp yarns, a plurality of design roWs on said base, each of said design rows including a plurality of spaced tufts, certain of said design rows having adjacent tufts spaced substantially further apart from each other than others of said tufts in the same rows, all of said tufts being spaced apart a distance at least equal to the height of adjacent tufts, and an embossed braided-eflect area formed between only those tufts which are spaced from each other a greater distance than said others of said tufts.

2. A woven bedspread fabric comprising a base fabric of interwoven weft yarns and warp yarns, relatively large embossing yarns forming a plurality of spaced parallel design rows on said base fabric, each of said design rows including a plurality of spaced tufts, sections of certain of said design rows each having an elongated embossed braided-effect area formed between adjacent tufts which are spaced from each other a substantially greater distance than others of said tufts, all of said tufts in each row being spaced from each other a distance greater than the height of the tufts, and said braidedetfect areas including at least two embossing yarns woven above and below said base fabric in alternation.

3. A woven bedspread fabric comprising a base fabric of interwoven relatively small filling yarns and warp yarns, separate groups of relatively large warp yarns, first sections of the large warp yarns of each group being interwoven with the base fabric for substantial distances at first spaced intervals, second sections of the large warp yarns of each group being interwoven with the base fabric at second spaced intervals sufliciently only to tie the yarns of each group to the base fabric at said second spaced intervals, said second spaced intervals each embracing at least twelve of said filling yarns to thereby form floats on the surface of the base fabric between said second spaced intervals and to thereby form braided-effect areas at said first sections whereby the floats may subsequently be severed at their medial portions to form tufts therefrom.

4. The method of making a tufted woven bedspread fabric which comprises initially weaving the fabric with separate groups of relatively large parallel yarns having first relatively closely spaced sections of each group floating on the surface of the fabric suflicient amounts to enable the subsequent formation of tufts from the floating sections and the portions of the yarns between the floating sections woven into the fabric sufficient only to tie the floats to the fabric, weaving second sections of each group of yarns between said first spaced sections to form braided-elfect areas in each group, severing the yarns of each floating section substantially midway of each floating section to form free-end portions at opposite ends of each second section and at each side of the portions of the yarns woven into the fabric in said first spaced sections, which free-end portions then constitute tufts.

5. A Woven bedspread fabric comprising a base of interwoven Weft yarns and warp yarns, a plurality of design rows on said base, each of said design rows including a plurality of spaced relatively large tufts, certain of said design rows having adjacent tufts spaced substantially further apart from each of other than others of said tufts, an embossed braided-effect area formed between those tufts which are spaced from each other a greater distance than said others of said tufts, at least one relatively small tuft disposed immediately adjacent at least one of said braided-effect areas and disposed in the same design row as said last-mentioned braidedeffect area, and all of said tufts being spaced from each other a distance at least as great as the height of said large tufts.

6. A woven bedspread fabric comprising a base of interwoven relatively small weft yarns and Warp yarns, a plurality of spaced substantially parallel design rows on said base, each design row comprising a group of relatively large closely adjacent parallel elfect yarns, at least a section of each group being formed into a plurality of spaced relatively large tufts, said large tufts being spaced from each other a greater distance than the height of the large tufts, at least one other section of at least one of said groups having at least one of its efifect yarns interwoven with said base to form a row of recurrent closely spaced dots defining an effect area extending between certain adjacent pairs of said relatively large tufts, and at least one other of the effect yarns in said other section being formed into at least one relatively small tuft disposed beside said row of dots.

7. The method of making a tufted woven bedspread fabric which comprises initially weaving the fabric with separate groups of substantially parallel effect yarns having first sections of each group floating on the surface of the fabric suflicient amounts to enable the subsequent formation of tufts from the floating sections and the portions of the yarns between the floating sections woven into the fabric sufficiently only to tie the floating sections to the fabric, weaving second sections of at least some of said groups of yarns between adjacent spaced first sections, and severing the yarns of each floating section substantially midway of each floating section to form freeend portions at opposite ends of each second section and at each side of the portions of the yarns woven into the fabric in said first sections, which free-end portions then constitute tufts.

8. A woven bedspread fabric comprising a base of interwoven base weft yarns and base; warp yarns; a plu: rality of design areas on said base each'including a; plur'ality of spaced tufts formed from a plurality of relatively large embossing yarns, a pluralityof-the embossing yarns forming adjacent tufts being interwoven with said base between said adjacent tufts, and the latter embossing yarns-successively extending over a plurality 'of consecutive base yarns and under a plurality of consecutive base yarns to form embossed areas on the base between said adjacent tufts.

9. A woven bedspread fabric comprising a base of interwoven relatively small base weft yarns and base warp yarns, a plurality of design areas on said base each in: cluding a plurality of spaced tufts formed from a plurality of relatively large embossing yarns, a plurality of relatively large embossing yarns interwoven with said base between some adjacent tufts, and the latter. embossing yarns successively extending over a plurality of con ames secutive base yarns and under a plurality'of consecutive base yarns to form en'rbpssed areas said adjacent tufts. I

References Cited in the file of-this' patent "UNITED STATES PATENTS on the base between

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