WO2017031133A1 - A self-cleaning and stain resistant denim fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

Self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabrics, including one or more implementations that are woven/knitted with silver bonded filaments or staple silver fibers or coated with anti-microbial and anti-odor treatment. In some embodiments, the strength of the anti-microbial and anti-odor properties may vary at the time of coating the fabric or at the time of weaving/knitting based on the ratio use of silver filament/staple silver fibers compared to the ratio of other yarns in the fabric.

Description

A SELF-CLEANING AND STAIN RESISTANT DENIM FABRIC

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application claims benefit/priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/206,046, filed August 17, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field:

The present innovations relate to self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts.

Description of Related Information:

Denim jeans have been around for over a century. There have been many fits, styles and types of jeans in the market. Because of the way indigo yarn is dyed, denim jeans are designed to fade with time as the wearer wears the jeans. However, it is difficult to let the indigo yarn fade naturally with abrasion and stress because denim jeans start to smell after a few wears and when the denim jeans are washed after a few wears, the indigo dye fades uniformly rather than naturally with abrasion and stress. Letting denim fade naturally with abrasion and stress creates the desired "worn" look. If the denim jeans are not washed, stink develops. Thus, there are concerns both when denim jeans are washed and when denim jeans are not washed. Moreover, denim jeans and shirts are not usually washed after every wear like other clothes. Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a known denim fabric interaction 100. The denim fabric interaction 100 includes a traditional denim surface 1 10 and a potential stain 120. Because the denim surface 1 10 is flat, a potential stain 120 can make contact with the denim surface 1 10 with a large surface area, thus making the denim surface 1 10 more prone to absorb the stain 120. Additionally, traditional denim fabrics are made from pure cotton fibers that exhibit some useful properties like absorbency and soft hand feel. But with the change in lifestyle, the needs of a consumer have changed. Traditional denim fabrics made from cotton, polyester or a blend thereof are not able to meet the requirements of the modern consumer that is busy, performance driven and environment conscious. Aspects explaining how and why the innovations herein overcome such drawbacks and/or include newly discovered aspects and benefits are set forth below in connection with the detailed description and drawings, including Figure 6.

One significant drawback to denim is the waste of water in its lifecycle. With the environmental changes taking place at an unprecedented rate, the conscious use of natural water is the need of the hour. It is estimated that about 50% water consumed during the life of a pair of denim jeans comes from home launderings after the jeans are bought by the consumer from the stores, while the other 50% is consumed in the production of the denim jeans. Of the nearly 3,800 liters of water used in the lifecycle of a pair of jeans, consumer care has the second-highest impact on consumption, after cotton. Levi Strauss & Co. found that by wearing jeans ten times before washing, American consumers can reduce their water and climate change impact by seventy-seven percent, UK and French consumers by seventy- five percent and Chinese consumers by sixty-one percent. (Levi Strauss Co., Unzipped blog, LCA Finding. March 20 1 5: http://www.levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2015/03/lca- fmdings/.)

Some uses of silver to kill bacteria have been verified by scientists in the recent decades. Since then, companies have added silver to different consumer goods to reap the benefits of silver's functional properties such as the ability to control odor and kill bacteria.

In some existing fabrics, nano-silver ion fiber may be used in an outer layer of a three-layer denim cloth for heat preservation. The three layers may comprise or consist of an outer layer of nano-antibacterial denim cloth made of pure cotton warp, pure cotton weft and nano-silver ion fiber. The nano-silver ion fiber is woven in the warp. The warp and weft cotton to the silver nanoparticle ratio is kept between 90: 10 and 75:25; a middle layer comprising or consisting of a polyethylene layer on top of a concave metal layer that reflects and increases in temperature under the sunlight; and a bottom layer made of heat preserving cotton. Advantages of such implementations include heat preservation and the decrease of cloth thickness that is particularly suitable for the winter.

In other known fabrics, polyester fiber with silver coating is used in an upper layer of a two-layer denim cloth to solve the problem of air permeability. The two layers comprise or consist of an upper layer that interweaves tencel fibers, cotton fibers, and lycra fibers in a 1 :3 : 1 ratio and a lower layer in which the warp comprises or consists of polyester fiber with silver coating and cotton fibers while the weft comprises or consists of polyester fibers and lycra fibers. The two layers are held together with glue. Such fabrics may provide elasticity and moisture and air permeability. The lycra fibers increase the elasticity of the denim cloth while the polyester fiber increases the moisture and air permeability.

According to other known fabrics, a nano-silver antibacterial agent, together with crushed resin, water, crosslink agent, fiber protection agent, and a penetrating agent, is used to form a solution. Untreated denim cloth is soaked in this solution and dried. This process gives the denim cloth a silver nanoparticle finish, formed by silver nanoparticle making a bond with the surface of the denim cloth.

In another known fabric, silver-plated fiber is used in creating denim having radiation and antibacterial properties. Fabrics comprising or consisting of cotton fibers in the warp direction and silver-plated fibers in the weft direction are used, in which the proportion by weight of silver fiber to total fiber is 1.5-5.0%, with the preferred proportion being 3.0%, and in which the silver fiber is of specification l . l-1.5DX30-50mm, with the preferred specification being 1.5DX38mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of a known denim surface interaction with a potential stain.

Figure 2 illustrates a silver fiber comprising or consisting of 99.9% pure silver bonded permanently to a base polymer, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein.

Figure 3 illustrates a woven fabric comprising or consisting of the weft yarn and warp yarn, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein.

Figure 4 illustrates a silver ion release process and features after oxidation from the denim fabric, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein.

Figure 5 illustrates silver ions penetrating a bacterium and various ways silver ions inhibit bacterial growth, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein. Figure 6 illustrates surface interaction between denim implementations herein and a prospective stain, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein.

Figure 7A illustrates a generic flow chart of steps for fabricating denim fabric according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein.

Figure 7B illustrates a more detailed flow chart of steps for fabricating denim fabric according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE IMPLEMENTATIONS

The present innovations relate to self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts. In implementations herein, some denim according to present innovations may also be treated with water and oil repellant finish as well as an antimicrobial finish. In particular, aspects of the present innovations relate to a denim fabric that is used in making denim jeans and shirts having anti-microbial and anti-odor properties that also repel water, oil and other fluids that are water and oil based. This decrease in the need for washings conserves water and saves the environment. Additionally, these properties persist even after repeated washings.

Features of the present innovation provide denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts that are self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly, with water repellent and oil repellent in addition to fighting odor producing bacteria. The denim fabric provides consumers with the protection from oil and water based stains, smelly and stinking jeans and shirts while staying fashionable and also saving water in reduced home launderings owing to the built-in odor fighting mechanism.

According to implementations herein, aspects of the present innovations may relate to self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts that can be woven or knitted with silver fibers or yarn that is spun with silver fibers along with any other natural and/or man-made fibers. Figure 2 illustrates such silver fiber 200 comprising or consisting of 99.9% pure silver bonded permanently to a base polymer, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein. The silver fiber 200 may comprise, or consists of, a 99.9% pure silver outer element 220 bonded permanently to a base polymer 210. Self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric consistent with the present innovations may be used to manufacture bottoms like jeans, shorts, skirts, and tops like shirts, blouses and jackets etc., and other articles such as shoes or shoe parts, caps, hats, and gloves etc. Self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric consistent with the present innovations may also be used to make pants in any size and style such as baggy, slim, skinny, regular straight etc., for males, females and children of all ages. The self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric of the present invention can also be used to make shorts of any size and style designed for males, females and children.

According to certain implementations, self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric consistent with the present invention may be a fabric of various constructions, including but not limited to weaving and knitting. Self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric consistent with the present innovations may be a woven fabric of any weight or weave like 3/1 warp-faced twill, dobby, jacquard etc. The fabric may be knitted with a combination yarn spun of cotton, polyester or blends or any other natural or man-made fibers along with silver fiber 200 in any ratio.

Figure 3 illustrates a weft and warp yarn fabric 300, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein. Odorless denim fabric consistent with the innovations herein may take on the weft and warp yarn fabric form. Such weft and warp yarn fabric 300 may comprise, or consists of, a weft yarn 310 woven with a warp yarn 320. In some implementations, the weft yarn 310 may be spun with a blend of silver fibers 200 and other natural or man-made fibers with ratio of other natural or man-made fibers: silver fibers 200 between 95 :5 to 80:20, for example, with the ratios of 95:5, 90: 10, 85: 15, or 80:20. The warp yarn 320 can be made of cotton or any other natural or man-made fiber, including but not limited to polyester, lycra, and modal.

Implementations of the present innovations may include or involve a weave with the silver fiber 200 in the weft yarn 310. As discussed above, some embodiments include silver fibers 200 only in the weft yarn 310. Some embodiments, in contrast, include silver fiber 200 in both the weft yarn 310 and the warp yarn 320. Silver fiber 200 is sometimes included and sometimes not included in the warp yarns 320 due to two reasons. The first reason is that usually only weft yarns 310 need cleaning. For example, when the garment made from the fabric is a pair of jeans, the weft yarns 310 would make up the inside of the jeans that would normally be white while the warp yarns 320 would make up the outside of the jeans that could be different colors including indigo. Because only the inside of the jeans would come into contact with the skins while the outside of the jeans does not, only the weft yarns 310 need silver fibers 200 for self-cleaning properties. The second reason is that silver fibers 200 are more expensive than other non-silver containing natural or man-made fibers. Thus including silver fibers 200 only in the weft yarns 310 creates a cost-saving strategy. However, to increase anti-stink performance of the fabric 300, silver fibers can be included in both the weft yarns 310 and the warp yarns 320.

The warp yarn 320 is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom. The weft yarn 310 is inserted over-and-under the warp yarn 320. In some embodiments, the warp yarn 320 is held under high tension and thus the warp yarn 320 must be strong. Therefore, in these embodiments, it is further advantageous to only have silver fiber 200 in the weft yarns 310 so that the silver fiber 200 is not subject to as strong a strain as when the silver fiber 200 is in the warp yarn 320. In indigo denim, the warp yarn 320 is dyed while the weft yarn 310 is left white. Because silver fiber 200 is in the weft yarn 310, it is not necessarily subject to dyeing.

The self-cleaning, odorless, and eco-friendly denim fabric in the present invention may be a woven fabric with silver fiber 200 including, but not limited to silver staple fibers or X-Static^® or XT2^® woven permanently in the weft yarn 310 in any ratio at regular or irregular intervals along with other yarns such as cotton, polyester, lycra, modal or a blend or any other man-made or natural fibers in any ratio.

The self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts of the present invention may be different shades of the typical indigo blue or can also be different shades of other colors like red, black, pink, purple, green, brown, orange or any other color and shades available for the dyeing of cotton, polyester, rayon and other man- made or natural fibers. The dyeing process of the fabric includes, but is not limited to rope dyeing.

Most of the stink associated with denim or other clothes is associated with sweat. But in reality, sweat itself has no smell. It's the bacteria that feed on sweat that produces odor. If the bacterial growth can be inhibited, the odor that develops in the clothes can be controlled. Silver is an ideal anti-microbial agent in fabrics. Figure 4 illustrates the silver ion release process 400 in which silver may oxidize in the presence of oxygen and moisture, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein. Silver ions released from the fabric eventually move around the fabric surface. An illustrative fabric matrix 410, here, may be made of the weft yarn 310 and warp yarn 320 as shown in Figure 3. On exposure to oxygen, silver releases positively charged silver ions 420 that penetrate the surface of the bacteria. Once the positively charged silver ions 420 enter the bacteria, they adversely affect the cellular metabolism and inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Figure 5 is a representative diagram 500 illustrating such bacterial-killing processes, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein. Silver ions 540, flowing from silver particles when oxidized, kill bacterial cells in several ways, three of which are illustrated here at 530A, 530B, and 530C. A first way 530A silver ions kill bacteria is by breaking through the cell wall 510, thus making the cell wall 510 more permeable so that the silver ions 540 can interfere with the cell's metabolism. The oxidation process releases silver ions 540 that are positively charged. Bacterial cell walls 510, on the other hand, have a negative charge. Positively charged silver ions 540 are attracted to the negatively charged bacterial cell wall 510. Once inside the bacteria, silver ions disrupt the aerobic function inside the cell and prevent the bacteria from reproducing. A second way 530B silver ions 540 kill bacteria is by damaging the intracellular structure and denaturing the ribosomes 550 and inhibiting protein synthesis. A third way 530C silver ions 540 kill bacteria is by interfering with bacteria's DNA 520 and inhibiting replication.

To make the self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric in the present invention anti-stain, a special treatment may be added to the surface of the denim to repel stains such as water, oil, water based and oil based stains. Figure 6 illustrates such a water repellant interaction 600, according to one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein. The technology is based on creating an irregular denim surface 610 that reduces the contact area between the denim fabric and a potential stain 620. The irregular denim surface 610 is created by making billions of irregular peaks on the surface of the denim. The irregular peaks are microscopic nano-spheres bonded permanently to the yarn and fabric surface. The bonding is created by applying a solution containing nano-spheres to the denim and curing the denim for a period of time at a certain temperature range. In some embodiments, the denim is cured for a period of time, for example, for 10 minutes. In some embodiments, the denim is cured at a temperature range including 150 °C.

A generic flow chart 700 showing one or more aspects consistent with the innovations herein is shown in Figure 7A. A more detailed flow chart 750 is shown in Figure 7B. In some embodiments, the self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirt may be prepared by constructing a weft yarn and a warp yarn. In these embodiments, the weft yarn preparation 702 comprises or consists of making silver fibers with cotton or other natural or man-made fibers in any ratio, including ratios of natural or man-made fibers:silver fiber in the ratio of 95:5 to 80:20. The weft yarn preparation 752 may further comprise or consist of making silver fibers with cotton or other natural or man- made fibers in any ratio, including ratios of natural or man-made fibers:silver fiber in the ratios of 95:5, 90: 10, 85: 15 and 80:20, or about 95:5, about 90: 10, about 85: 15, or about 80:20.

The warp yarn in these embodiments comprises or consists of cotton or any blend of natural or man-made fibers. Some embodiments include mixing such a blend and spinning it into a yarn of any account 704 or 754. Some embodiments include mixing cotton or any blend of natural or man-made fibers and spinning it into yarn of any account 706. Some embodiments include mixing cotton or any blend of natural or man-made fibers and spinning it into yarn of any required count 756.

In some embodiments, one or more yarns is made into a beam and dyed into any color 708. In some embodiments, one or more yarns is made into a beam and dyed into any color, including indigo 758. Fabrics are made by weaving weft yarn and the beam made of warp yarn 710 or 760 and processed with different processes 712. Processing the fabric can be done with required processes including but not limited to mercerizing, calendering and ironing 762.

The fabrics are stitched into garments 714 or 764 and washed, and finished into the desired looks and colors 716 or 766. Additionally, a solution made of nano spheres is prepared and applied to the garments 718. One such way of applying the solution is by dipping the garment in the solution 768. This solution is applied to the garments for a period of time and the garments are removed from the solution, and the garments are put into a hydro extractor to remove a portion of the solution 720. In some embodiments, the solution is applied to the garments for a period of time, for example, for 10 minutes, and the garments are removed, and the garments are put into a hydro extractor to remove about a portion, for example, 35%-45% of the solution 770.

In some embodiments, the solution is applied to the garments for a period of time at a certain temperature range, and the garment is put into a curing chamber for a period of time at a certain temperature range 722. In some embodiments, the garment is dried for a period of time, for example, for 1 5 minutes at a certain temperature range, including 100 °C and then the garment is put in a curing chamber at a certain temperature range including 150 °C for a period of time, for example, for 10 minutes 772. In some embodiments, the garments are finished by removing excess threads and fixing buttons, rivets and other accessories 724 or 774.

Self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirt may possess water and oil repellent properties by incorporating fabric treatment such as but not limited to NanoSphere^® by Schoeller Textiles AG, 3XDRY^® by Schoeller Textiles AG, Nikwax etc. The water and oil repellent finish are applied by padding or other methods at the fabric stage or by exhaust, dipping or other methods after stitching. With the addition of the repellent finish, the surface of the self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly and repellent denim fabric repels water, oil, oil based and water based fluids. This helps keep the denim clean and away from the washing machine, and thus reducing water consumption.

Some implementations or embodiments of the self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco- friendly denim fabric consistent with the present invention may comprise or consists of three overall production levels. The first is what is in the denim cloth itself. The denim cloth is weaved by a silver fiber 200 made with 99.9% pure silver 220 bonded permanently to a base fiber 210. This provides advantages over existing fabrics, such as those based on nano-silver ion fiber. For example, silver fiber 200 made with 99.9% pure silver 220 permanently bonded to a base 210 does not utilize nanotechnology or a chemical formula involving other compounds, it involves only naturally occurring metallic silver. 99.9% pure silver 220 is bonded such that the 99.9% pure silver 220 is on the outside of a base fiber 210, and this allows the 99.9% pure silver 220 to come into contact with the odor causing agents directly. Silver fiber 200 made with 99.9% pure silver 220 permanently bonded to a base 210 includes, but is not limited to commercially available options. Commercially available examples of such a fiber is X-Static or XT2 . Silver in X-Static or XT2 is added during manufacturing processes by electrodeless plating. Other commercially available options include SmartSilver from Nanohorizons. In contrast, nano-silver ion fiber is formed by grafting silver solutions onto the fiber. In such cases, compounds comprising or consisting of silver ions rather than 99.9% pure silver 220 are attached to the fiber. This attachment is not permanent. In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to have pure silver fibers rather than nano-silver ion fibers because silver particles from some nano-silver ion fibers can more easily enter cells or the blood-brain barrier and cause damage to small children or pets if they chew on the denim cloth. Additionally, nano-silver ion fibers, when washed, will leach out silver ions into the sewerage and adversely impact the environment by killing good bacteria.

Inter alia, the present innovations are also not restricted in regard to the ratio of cotton fibers to silver fibers, such as to ranges between 90: 10 and 75:25. Further, innovations herein are advantageously not limited to a silver fiber 200 made of polyester fiber with a silver coating. For example, implementations may use a nylon fiber with a silver coating. This speaks to several important advantages of the present innovations, such as being concerned about killing bacteria and odor to eliminate the washing of the denim cloth and to save the environment rather than increase the air and moisture permeability of the denim cloth. Additionally, the present invention involves just one layer, rather than multiple layers. One layer simplifies the production process and imparts the various stated advantages to the present innovations, not other, unrelated concerns such as retaining heat, or increasing elasticity or moisture and air permeability.

In some implementations, self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric according to the present innovations may incorporate commercially available silver staple fibers available from but not limited to Noble Biomaterials Inc., Argent 47, NanoHorizons etc., and yarns and polymers that are permanently bonded with silver such as but not limited to X-Static^® or XT2^®available from Noble Biomaterials Inc., Argent 47, SmartSilver from Nanohorizons, etc. The silver staple fibers and silver bonded polymers and yarns when woven or knitted with other yarns or polymers give a fabric that is anti-microbial and kills odor by inhibiting bacterial growth.

According to further embodiments, a second level of treatment utilized in certain implementations herein is the use of one or more antimicrobial finishes. Such finishes may include, but are not limited to commercially available options such as Silvadur by Dow, PureTex by HHL Group Ltd, Sanitized AG etc. These finishes are either applied by padding or other methods at the fabric stage or by exhaust, dipping or other methods after stitching. The antimicrobial finish is not limited to application to a silver base. With the use of an antimicrobial finish, implementations herein two levels of antimicrobial protection. According to some implementations, a self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric consistent with the present innovations may also be treated, finished or sprayed on with anti-microbial treatments with or without the presence of silver, available in the market such as but not limited to Silvadur by Dow, PureTex by HHL Group Ltd, Sanitized AG, etc.

In some embodiments, a third level of treatment utilized in various implementations herein may include or involve use of a water- and oil-repellant finishes. Such finishes may include, though are not limited to commercially available options such as NanoSphere^® by Schoeller Textiles AG, 3XDRY^® by Schoeller Textiles AG, Nikwax etc. These finishes can be applied by padding or other methods at the fabric stage or by exhaust, dipping or other methods after stitching.

Implementations herein may involve innovations around two aspects: anti-odor and anti-stain. To make the denim anti-odor, for example, implementations may utilize a special yarn involving silver fiber 200 comprising or consisting of 99.9% pure silver 220 bonded permanently to a base fiber 210. The base fiber 210 may include, though is not limited to, man-made and natural fibers such as polyester, modal and cotton. This special yarn may comprise, consist of, or include commercially available options such as X-Static^® or XT2^® fibers from Noble Biomaterials Inc. In some implementations, the proportion by weight of silver in this yarn to the overall weight of the yarn may vary from 5% to 35%. Because sliver is thermally conductive, incorporating silver into fibers will help the garment retain heat. And varying the amount of silver in the fibers will also increase or decrease the heat retention properties of the fibers. In some embodiments, there is a decrease in the proportion by weight of silver to the overall weight of the yarn for garments designed for cool climates such as those in Europe for the winter. The proportion of silver to overall weight of the yarn also changes based on the identity of the yran. For example, when X-Static^® is used, the proportion by weight of silver to the overall weight of the yarn is about 5%. When X2^® is used, the proportion by weight of silver to the overall weight of the yarn is about 10%. In some embodiments, silver will be used in the weft yarn 310 (also called the horizontal or fill yarn) while the warp yarn 320 doesn't have silver in it and can be made up of cotton or any other natural or man-made fiber. Advantages consistent with the above include eliminating bacteria and odor as well as the quantity of washings of the denim cloth required to save the environment, rather than to decrease overall thickness, or increase air or moisture exchange. When the water and oil repellant is applied, such implementations will additionally repel water and oil. As such, innovations herein create self-cleaning denim that kills odor and repels stains. Because silver fiber 200 is spun in the yarn and is present in the fabric permanently, the anti-odor property of the present invention works for the life of the jeans. The self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts of the present invention may also incorporate an antimicrobial finish. The denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts may be finished with special anti-microbial solutions with or without silver, available commercially in the market, including though not limited to Silvadur by Dow, PureTex by HHL Group Ltd, Sanitized AG etc. These finishes are either applied by padding or other methods at the fabric stage or by exhaust, dipping or other methods after stitching. Self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly denim fabric, denim jeans and denim shirts consistent with the innovations herein may also be treated with a water and oil repellent finish. Denim in accordance with the present invention may also provide stretch that adds comfort, flexibility and ease of movement.

The present innovations are different than and superior to heat preservation fabrics because the present invention focuses on killing bacteria and odor and keeping the denim fabric clean. Such heat preservation fabrics have three layers of which only the top layer has silver in it, with the three layers being directed to preserving heat. Certain silver fibers consonant or consistent with one or more aspects of the present innovations may be made of 99.9% pure silver bonded permanently to the base of the fiber. The nano-silver ions in existing fabrics, on the other hand, are not permanently bonded to the fiber. Nano-silver ions also leach out in the sewerage and adversely impact the environment by killing good bacteria. The present innovations are also superior because they may incorporate a repellent layer on the surface that repels water and oil based stains. Both the silver fibers and the repellent finish help in keeping the denim clean and reduce the need to wash the denim frequently. The present innovations are both different from moisture- and air-permeability fabrics because the present innovations focus on killing bacteria and odor and keeping the denim fabric clean. The present innovations are also superior to such prior fabrics consisting of two layers held together by glue, with the upper layer consisting of a blend of tencel and other fibers and the lower layer consisting of silver in the warp. For example, as explained elsewhere herein, the present innovations have silver in the weft rather than in the warp. The present innovations are also superior to such prior fabrics because the present innovations incorporate a repellent layer on the surface that repels water and oil based stains. Both the silver fibers and the repellent finish help in keeping the denim clean and reduce the need to wash the denim frequently.

Implementations herein are also different than and superior to prior fabrics involving a dipping method to treat the denim in that the present innovations comprise denim fabricated with silver fibers. Such prior fabrics, for example, involve mixing a nano-silver agent with water and resin and dips the denim into the solution so that the silver nanoparticles make a bond with the surface of the denim. The present invention is superior to such prior fabrics because the silver ions attached to the denim in the prior fabric is not permanent and would wash off in a few cleaning cycles. According to the present innovations, however, the silver is permanently bonded to the base fiber. Additionally, such prior fabrics and methods are harmful to the environment because silver nanoparticles that leach off from the surface of the denim enter the sewerage system and kill good bacteria that are responsible for decomposition in the natural environment.

Implementations herein are also different than and superior to fabrics that focus on preventing static electricity and radiation, inter alia, based on the features behind the innovations of killing bacteria and odor and decreasing the number of washes of the denim to save the environment. Among other things, implementations herein are superior to fabrics preventing static electricity and radiation in that they may include a step of an anti-stain finish that will repel water- and oil-based stains. For example, certain innovative features behind the anti-stain finish involve creating an irregular surface area that reduces the contact area between the denim fabric and potential stains. Such features and innovations involve creating billions of irregular peaks on the surface of the denim. The peaks may be fabricated via microscopic nano-spheres bonded permanently to the yarn and fabric surface. This bonding may be created by dipping the jeans in a solution containing the nano-spheres. After the dip, jeans are cured in a curing chamber at 150 °C for about 10 minutes, to provide such innovative and superior fabrics.

As discussed above, an advantage of implementations herein is to manufacture a fabric that keeps the wearer fresh and kills odor without the need to wash the denim/fabric too frequently. The self-cleaning, odorless, and/or eco-friendly and repellent denim fabric of the present invention may be used to make jeans and shirts for commuters. The jeans may have a reinforced gusset and other features for cyclists like an increased percentage of silver to kill odor from increased perspiration.

The characteristics discussed above are not restricted to denim only and may be incorporated to other kinds of fabrics as well.

In the above the disclosure has mainly been described with reference to a limited number of embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the disclosure, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. A self-cleaning and stain resistant denim fabric, comprising:

warp yarns in the vertical direction made with natural and/or man-made fibers;

weft yarns in the horizontal direction made with natural and/or man-made fibers, in addition to silver fibers made of 99.9% or about 99.9% pure silver permanently bonded to a base polymer that is made with natural and/or man-made fibers; and

anti-stain treatment on the fabric's surface that is both oil repellant and water repellant with irregular peaks made of microscopic nano-spheres bonded to the fabric's surface and warp and weft yarns.

2. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the warp yarn is comprised of natural or man-made fibers or any combination thereof.

3. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, the weft yarn comprising silver fibers made of 99.9% pure silver permanently bonded to a base polymer.

4. The fabric of claim 3 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the base polymer comprises or consists of man-made fibers.

5. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the weft yarn comprises a combination of the silver fibers and the natural or man made fibers in any ratio, or in one or more specific ratios set forth herein.

6. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the weft yarn comprises commercially available silver fibers.

7. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the anti-stain treatment comprises irregular peaks made of microscopic nano-spheres bonded permanently to the fabric's surface and warp and weft yarns.

8. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the anti-stain treatment is comprised of an anti-water and/or anti-oil finish.

9. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the anti-microbial treatment includes finishes including but not limited to commercially available options such as Silvadur™, PureTex™ and Sanitized AG™.

10. The fabric of claim 1 or the invention of any claim herein, further comprising:

an antimicrobial treatment on the fabric's surface; and

1 1 . A method of making self-cleaning and stain resistant denim fabric comprising:

constructing weft yarns made by mixing natural and/or man-made fibers and silver fibers made of 99.9% pure or about 99.9% pure silver permanently bonded to a base polymer that is made with natural and/or man-made fibers;

spinning warp yarns made with natural and/or man-made fibers;

making a beam with the warp yarns;

dyeing the warp yarns;

weaving a fabric using the warp yarn on the beam and the weft yarns;

processing the fabric with one or more processes including but not limited to one or both of mercerizing and/or calendaring;

stitching the fabric to make garments;

washing the garments;

finishing the garments to various looks;

preparing a solution of nano-spheres to dip the garments;

dipping the garments into the solution for a period of time, such as 10 minutes;

removing the garments;

putting the garments in a hydro extractor to remove a percentage, such as 40%, of the solution;

drying the garments for a period of time, such as 15 minutes at a temperature such as 100 °C; and putting the garments in a curing chamber at a temperature, such as 150 °C, for a period of time, such as 10 minutes.

12. The method of claim 10 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the weft yarn are constructed via blending the natural and/or man-made fibers with the silver fibers in a certain ratio, including but not limited to 95 :5, 90: 10, 85 : 15, 80:20, about 95 :5, about 90: 10, about 85: 15, about 80:20, or about 95:5.

13. A self-cleaning and stain resistant denim fabric, comprising:

warp yarns in the vertical direction made with natural and/or man-made fibers;

weft yarns in the horizontal direction made with natural and/or man-made fibers; and anti-stain treatment on the fabric's surface that is both oil repellant and water repellant with irregular peaks made of microscopic nano-spheres bonded permanently to the fabric's surface and warp and weft yarns.

14. The fabric of claim 1 1 or the invention of any claim herein, further comprising:

an antimicrobial treatment on the fabric's surface.

15. The fabric of claim 12 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the anti-microbial treatment comprises a finish.

16. The fabric of claim 13 or the invention of any claim herein, wherein the finish includes one or more of Silvadur™, PureTex™ and Sanitized AG™.

17. A method of making self-cleaning and stain resistant denim fabric comprising:

constructing weft yarns made by blending natural and/or man-made fibers with silver fibers or a material having anti-microbial property;

spinning warp yarns made with natural and/or man-made fibers;

making a beam with the warp yarns;

dyeing the warp yarns;

weaving a fabric using the warp yarn on the beam and the weft yarns; processing the fabric with one ore more processes including but not limited to mercerizing and calendaring;

stitching the fabric to make garments;

washing the garments;

finishing the garments to various looks;

preparing a solution of nano-spheres to dip the garments;

dipping the garments into the solution for a period of time, such as 10 minutes;

removing the garments;

putting the garments in a hydro extractor to remove a percentage, such as 40%, of the solution;

drying the garments for a period of time, such as 15 minutes at a temperature such as 100 °C; and

putting the garments in a curing chamber at a temperature, such as 150 °C, for a period of time, such as 10 minutes.

18. The method of claim 16 or any claim herein, comprising the material having antimicrobial property, wherein the material comprises a finish containing silver ions.

19. The method of claim 17 or any claim herein, wherein the finish includes one or more of Silvadur™, PureTex™ and/or Sanitized AG™.

20. A self-cleaning and stain resistant denim fabric, comprising:

warp yarns in the vertical direction made with natural and/or man-made fibers;

weft yarns in the horizontal direction made with natural and/or man-made fibers, in addition to silver fibers made of 99.9% or about 99.9% pure silver permanently bonded to a base polymer that is made with natural and/or man-made fibers; and

anti-stain treatment on the fabric's surface that is both oil repellant and water repellant with irregular peaks made of microscopic nano-spheres bonded permanently to the fabric's surface and warp and weft yarns.