CUT PILE CARPET WITH COLOR ACCENTS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

Abstract

A multicolored and accented carpet includes a plurality of tufts of color accented fiber including two or more differently colored extruded solution dyed yarns and a base yarn twisted together whereby a plurality of color transitions are provided along the length of the single accented fiber. A cut pile carpet is produced, having the appearance of a space dyed carpet, with the fade and bleach resistance of a solution dyed carpet.

Claims

1. A multicolored carpet comprising: a primary backing material; and a plurality of piles tufted with the primary backing material to form a carpet, wherein at least a portion of the piles of the carpet comprise color accented 2-ply yarns, the color accented 2-ply yarns comprising a single ply tri-colored solution dyed fiber twisted together with a single ply of solid colored fiber.

2. The multicolored carpet of claim 1, further comprising one or more piles tufted with the primary backing material in the form of solid color 2-ply yarns.

3. The multicolored carpet of claim 1, further comprising one or more piles tufted with the primary backing material in the form of a barber pole yarn.

4. The multicolored carpet of claim 3, wherein the barber pole yarn comprises a 2-ply yarn comprising two differing colors of pre-colored, solution dyed fibers.

5. The multicolored carpet of claim 1, wherein between about 10-70% of the piles tufted with the primary backing comprise color accented 2-ply yarns.

6. The multicolored carpet of claim 5, wherein about 33% of the piles tufted with the primary backing comprise color accented 2-ply yarns.

7. The multicolored carpet of claim 3, wherein the color accented 2-ply yarn in combination with the barber pole yarn provides a plurality of color transitions along a length of the carpet.

8. The multicolored carpet of claim 1, wherein the carpet comprises cut piles.

9. The multicolored carpet of claim 8, wherein the carpet comprises a combination of cut piles and loop piles.

10. A method of manufacturing multicolored and color accented carpet, the method comprising: providing a color accented 2-ply yarn, the color accented 2-ply yarn comprising at least two differently colored extruded solution dyed yarns twisted together, wherein twisting of the at least two colored extruded solution dyed yarns results in a plurality of color transitions along a length of the color accented 2-ply yarn; providing a primary backing; and tufting the color accented 2-ply yarn into the primary backing to form the carpet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein prior to tufting the color accented 2-ply yarn into the primary backing, the color accented 2-ply yarn is twisted together with a main fiber, and wherein twisting of the color accented 2-ply yarn about the main fiber provides for a plurality of color transitions along the length thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising tufting barber pole yarn into at least a portion of the primary backing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the barber pole yarn comprises a 2-ply yarn comprising two differing colors of pre-colored, solution dyed fibers.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising tufting solid color 2-ply yarns into the primary backing.

15. A multicolored and color accented carpet formed by the method of claim 10.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising cutting at least a portion of the piles of the carpet.

17. A multicolored and color accented cut pile carpet comprising: at least one pile in the form of a color accented 2-ply yarn; at least one pile in the form of a barber pole yarn; and at least one pile in the form of a solid color 2-ply yarn.

18. The multicolored and color accented cut pile of claim 17, wherein the at least one color accented 2-ply yarn comprises a single ply tri-colored solution dyed fiber twisted together with a single ply of solid colored fiber.

19. The multicolored and color accented cut pile of claim 17, wherein the barber pole yarn comprises a 2-ply yarn comprising two differing colors of pre-colored, solution dyed fibers.

20. The multicolored and color accented cut pile of claim 17, wherein about 33% of the piles comprise the color accented 2-ply yarn.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a plan view of three colored yarns prior to being twisted together to form a single ply accented yarn, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the single ply accented yarn formed by twisting the yarns of FIG. 1 together, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the single ply accented yarn of FIG. 2 being twisted together with a main fiber to form a 2-ply tri-color accented yarn, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the resulting 2-ply tri-color accented yarn of FIG. 3 formed by twisting together the single accented yarn of FIG. 2 with a main fiber, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic elevation view of a tufted carpet having piles of 2-ply tri-color accented yarns and regular yarns forming a multicolored and accented carpet according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a chart showing E values of a plurality of color combinations according to example embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a of component of a yarn extrusion and twisting machine showing draw rolls of the extrusion machine, which are provided to stretch the fibers for strengthening.

[0023] FIG. 8 is a close up perspective view of a finished package of tri-colored accented fiber according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 9 is a plan view of a multicolored and accented carpet according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 10 is a close up view of the multicolored and accented carpet of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. Any and all patents and other publications identified in this specification are incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.

[0027] Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms a, an, and the include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from about or approximately one particular value and/or to about or approximately another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent about, it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.

[0028] In example embodiments, the present invention generally relates to a color accented fiber, for example, wherein two or more solution dyed yarns comprising differing colors are twisted together to form a color accented fiber. In example forms, the two or more yarns are extruded using an extruding machine and each yarn is solution dyed to provide a desired color. In example forms, the extrusion machine may be an Orlicon-Neumag extrusion machine. Optionally, according to other example embodiments, other tri-color extrusion machines may be used to form the yarns, for example, a Neumag SD5, Plantex, Impianti, Filteco, Bermag or other tri-color extrusion machines. According to typical example forms, each of the two or more yarns are generally a solid color (which is generally different from the other colors of the two or more yarns), and whereby twisting the yarns together provides a resulting yarn comprising a plurality of color accents. For example, depending on the colors and twist of the yarns, the resulting twisted yarn comprises a plurality of color accents or highlights at points or segments along its length, for example, which is substantially visibly similar to a traditional space dyed color accented fiber.

[0029] With reference now to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1-4 show a process for forming a 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 according to an example embodiment of the present invention. In example embodiments, about three colored yarns or fibers 10, 12, 14 are twisted together to form a single accented yarn 16 (see FIGS. 1-2), and then the single accented yarn 16 is then twisted together with an additional solid colored yarn or main fiber 20 to form a 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 (see FIG. 4). The solid colored fiber 20 is generally provided without accents and can be pre-colored (e.g., solution dyed) or can be a non-colored yard (e.g., a natural white yarn). After the twisting, the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 is taken through a heat setting process by which twist memory is provided to the yarn. Alternatively, in other example embodiments, only two or more than three colored yarns can be twisted together to form the single multi-color accented yarn, for example, when more or fewer colors are desired.

[0030] According to example forms, the fibers 10, 12, 14 and 16 can be formed from one or more materials including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polyamides (nylon 6 or nylon 6,6), polypropylene (PP), olefins or any polymer fiber as desired. Optionally, other natural or synthetic materials (or combinations thereof) may be used as desired.

[0031] In example forms, the twist process by which the fibers 16 and 20 are twisted together results in one of the three colors (of the fibers 10, 12, 14) being positioned along the exterior of the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 at different segments or positions along the length L of the yarn (see FIG. 4). In example embodiments, the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 comprises a plurality of accents (e.g., color transitions) along the length L thereof. For example, starting from the top end of the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22, a segment of yarn 10 is visible, followed by a segment of yarn 14, followed by a segment of yarn 12, and so forth along the entire length L of the yarn. In example forms, the twist process causes one of the yarns 10, 12, 14 to become present along the exterior thereof randomly by chance, for example, wherein there is generally no set values to control which of the yarns 10, 12, 14 will be exposed for a given length of the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22. However, according to additional example embodiments, one or more parameters may be configured with the twist process such that the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 comprises a desired pattern of colors, and for example, wherein the span or length of each colored segment can be configured as desired.

[0032] In example embodiments, prior to forming the carpet, the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 is generally planted with regular non-accented yarn 24 (e.g., natural yarn or solution dyed yarn) on a tufting machine (e.g., 12-15 foot wide computer controlled high speed sewing machine). In some example forms, the regular non-accented yarn 24 is in the form of 2-ply solid colored solution dyed yarn. The tufting machine then forms tufts of the yarn within a primary backing material to form a carpet greige cloth 30 (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 5, the carpet greige cloth 30 comprises a plurality of tufts including tufts formed from the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 and tufts formed from the regular non-accented yarn 24. According to preferred forms, the carpet greige cloth 30 is in the form of cut pile carpet. Optionally, the carpet greige cloth 30 may be in the form of loop pile, or a combination of both cut pile and loop pile. According to some example forms, the thread-up configurations for the tufting machine are A-A-A-B or AB AB, for example, where A is the non-accented regular fiber 24 and B is the 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22.

[0033] According to example embodiments, the E values (i.e., the color difference or perceived distance between two colors, for example according to the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) CIELAB color scale or color space) of the fibers determine the effect of the colors and their exposure throughout the plurality of tufts formed in the carpet 30. According to one form, the E values comprise a L value, a a value and a b value. To provide a preferred effect of the tri-color accents (e.g., a generally high contrast), the L value is about 50, the a value is about 19, and the b value is about 19. Optionally, to provide a tonal effect, the a and b values can be set at about 10. Optionally, the L value, a value and b value can be set as desired, for example, to provide the desired effect. According to example forms, for example as depicted in FIG. 6, the E values (L, a, and b) can be configured to produce a plurality of color combinations. For example, sample A includes three colors including beige, black, and orange. As shown, each of the three colors comprises a E value. According to some example forms, the tolerance level E CMC is generally set between about 0.5-1.0.

[0034] According to some example embodiments, if the regular non-accented fiber 24 is a pre-colored solid color (e.g., solution dyed), then the carpet cloth (greige goods) of FIG. 5 has SBR carpet backing applied prior to packaging for shipment. However, if the non-accented regular yarn 24 (natural white yarn) requires additional color to be applied, the carpet cloth can be over-dyed with aqueous dyes into the desired color in the background. The background color is generally a light to medium neutral shade that is lighter than the color accented fiber, for example, which will allow the carpet to exhibit color highlights. Once the carpet cloth (greige goods) has been dyed, a secondary backing and SBR latex can be applied and the carpet can be packaged and prepared for shipment.

[0035] According to example forms, the present invention provides a more consistent color blend, and a better quality carpet with contrasting color accents, which is more light-fast and color enhanced and provides superior fade resistance compared to previously known carpet manufactured using space dye processes. Furthermore, the present invention preferably eliminates the space dying step of previously known manufacturing processes and thus reduces the costs associated therewith.

[0036] According to an alternate example embodiment of the present invention, rather than extruding the colored yarns, twisting the yarns, and then heat setting the yarns (see FIGS. 1-4), the yarns may go through an air entangling and twist tack process. In another aspect, the color accented 2-ply yarn 22 is comprised of two 2-ply tri-colored solution dyed fibers, for example, wherein two single accented yarns 16 are twisted together, for example, rather than twisting the single accented yarn 16 with the main fiber 20. In example embodiments, these two fibers are twisted together which creates a plurality of color accents along the length of the yarn. Optionally, these color accented 2-ply yarns can be combined with a solid color 2-ply yarn. For example, in another aspect, the color accented 2-ply yarn comprising two tri-colored solution dyed fibers is combined with solid colored yarn to produce a color accented multi-color carpet.

[0037] In example embodiments and as depicted in FIG. 11, a pair of draw rolls of an extrusion machine can be provided to stretch the fibers 10, 12, 14 to strengthen them, for example prior to being twisted together to form the single accented yarn 16. After the fibers 10, 12, 14 are twisted together, the single accented yarn 16 is generally rolled up on a spool to form a finished package 40 of tri-color accented fiber 16, for example, as depicted in FIG. 8. The finished package 40 is then arranged to be planted with the regular non-accented yarn 24 on the tufting machine, for example, to form the carpet greige cloth 30.

[0038] FIG. 9 shows a color accented multi-color carpet 50 according to an example embodiment of the present invention. In example forms, the carpet 50 is formed from a combination of 2-ply tri-color accented yarn 22 regular non-accented yarn 24. In example embodiments, the carpet 50 comprises cut pile, however, in other example embodiments, the carpet 50 can comprise loop pile, or a combination of cut pile and loop pile. FIG. 10 shows a close up, detailed view of the color accented multi-color carpet 50.

[0039] In another example embodiment, the present invention relates to methods or processes of manufacturing multicolored and color accented carpet, and to carpet produced by such methods. In example embodiments, the manufacturing method or process comprises providing a single accented yarn, the single accented yarn comprising at least two differently colored extruded solution dyed yarns and a main yarn twisted together, wherein twisting of the at least two colored extruded solution dyed yarns and the main yarn together results in a plurality of color transitions along a length of the single accented yarn; and tufting the single accented yarn into a primary backing to form a carpet.

[0040] In another example embodiment, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing multicolored and color accented carpet comprising providing a color accented 2-ply yarn, the color accented 2-ply yarn comprising at least two differently colored extruded solution dyed yarns twisted together, wherein twisting of the at least two colored extruded solution dyed yarns results in a plurality of color transitions along a length of the color accented 2-ply yarn; providing a primary backing; and tufting the color accented 2-ply yarn into the primary backing to form the carpet. In some example embodiments, prior to tufting the color accented 2-ply yarn into the primary backing, the color accented 2-ply yarn is twisted together with a main fiber, and wherein twisting of the color accented 2-ply yarn about the main fiber provides for a plurality of color transitions along the length thereof.

[0041] According to another example embodiment, the invention relates to a multicolored and color accented cut pile carpet comprising at least one pile in the form of a color accented 2-ply yarn, at least one pile in the form of a barber pole yarn, and at least one pile in the form of a solid color 2-ply yarn. In example embodiments, the at least one color accented 2-ply yarn comprises a single ply tri-colored solution dyed fiber twisted together with a single ply of solid colored fiber. In example embodiments, the barber pole yarn comprises a 2-ply yarn comprising two differing colors of pre-colored, solution dyed fibers, which are twisted together. In example embodiments, about 33% of the piles comprise the color accented 2-ply yarn. Optionally, the multicolored and color accented carpet can comprise a combination of color accented 2-ply yarn and solid color 2-ply yarn, or for example, can comprise a combination of color accented 2-ply yarn and barber pole yarn.

[0042] While the invention has been described with reference to preferred and example embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications, additions and deletions are within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.