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(11) | EP 0 766 520 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
FABRIC GEWEBEBAHN ETOFFE |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0001] The present invention relates to a fabric and more particularly, but not exclusively to a clothing fabric.
[0002] It is known to produce breathable fabrics such as those marketed under the trade mark GORETEX (RTM). Breathable fabrics are substantially impermeable to water from one side thereof whereas they allow water vapour to exit through the fabric from the other side. These fabrics are used as a component of clothing, particularly jackets and coats. Here the fabric provides rainproofing while at the same time preventing the entrapment of water vapour from perspiration under the coat. US-A-3272685 discloses a waterproof fabric having at least two separate layers.
[0003] The present invention seeks to provide a further breathable fabric suitable for making into clothing.
[0004] According to the present invention there is provided a multilayer breathable cloth of a clothing garment, said cloth comprising at least two separate layers interlocked, the layers having differing deniers so as to provide a denier gradient through the thickness of the fabric, at least one of the layers being of a woven structure, wherein the finer denier layer is located at the outside of the garment.
[0005] The denier gradient enables condensation formed on the inside of the garment to migrate to the surface of the fabric layer whereupon it evaporates. In use the finer denier layer is located at the outside of the garment.
[0006] The woven layer provides windproofing. Ideally all of the layers are woven. The weave pattern of the finer layer may comprise any conventional weave pattern for example plain weave or twill such as 2/2 twill, 2/1 twill or 3/1 twill.
[0007] The cloth is preferably or a Duplex construction. The individual layers are linked together by locking of the thread from the coarse back layer the fine face layer. Permanent contact between the back and face layers is preferred, but not necessary, although it is the contact of yarns with the face that increases the capillarity of the fabric, creating the wicking action which is necessary for transport of the condensation from the innerside to the outerside of the garment. The number of contact points between the threads of the backing layer and the face layer is preferably in the range from 120 to 220 per cm2.
[0008] A typical fabric in accordance with the invention would comprise two individual interlocked layers. The layers may be made from any conventional natural or synthetic material such as polyamide or more preferably polyester. Part of the fibres in the back are preferably raised, for example by emerising, to produce a light nap.
[0009] The outer face of the fabric may be provided with a hydrophylic coating finish in order to enhance the capillary action of removal of water vapour from the inner face of the garment.
[0010] The garment may also comprise an inner lining layer for the fabric in accordance with the present invention which is provided at the outerside of the garment.
[0011] In order that the present invention may be more readily understood a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Fig.1 is a plan view of the back layer of a fabric in accordance with the present invention; and
Fig.2 is a cross section through the fabric of fig.1 along the line A-A.
[0012] A fabric for use in the outerlayer of a garment has a Duplex-style configuration, i.e. it comprises two individual interlocked layers. The upper layer as illustrated comprises a 50f88 polyester microfibre warp (85-95 ends per cm) and various polyester wefts, including 50f88 with 2/167f20 false twist textured or 78f36 false twist textured; or 170f272 air jet textured with 2/167f30 false twist textured (40-68 picks per cm). The back layer threads were the 2/167f30 or 78f36 false twisted textured. A dobby weave was used.
1. A multilayer breathable cloth of a clothing garment, said cloth comprising at least
two separate layers interlocked, the layers having differing deniers so as to provide
a denier gradient through the thickness of the fabric, at least one of the layers
being of a woven structure, wherein the finer denier layer is located at the outside
of the garment.
2. A multilayer cloth as claimed in claim 1, wherein all of the layers of the cloth are
woven.
3. A multilayer cloth as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cloth is of a Duplex
construction having two separate layers interlocked.
4. A multilayer cloth as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the number of contact
points between threads of the said layers is in the range from 120 to 220 per cm2.
5. A multilayer cloth as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the fabric is provided
with a hydrophylic coating.
1. Ein mehrschichtiger, atmungsfähiger Stoff von einem Kleidungsstück, wobei dieser Stoff
Wenigstens zwei ineinandergreifende, separate Schichten umfaßt, wobei diese Schichten
unterschiedliche deniere (= längenbezogene Masse der Fasern) aufweisen, um einen denier-Gradienten
über der Dicke dieser Stoffbahn zu bewirken, wobei wenigstens eine dieser Schichten
von einer gewebten Struktur ist und wobei die feinere denier-Schicht auf der Außenseite
des Kleidungsstücks angeordnet ist.
2. Ein mehrschichtiger Stoff nach Anspruch 1, wobei alle von diesen Schichten von diesem
Stoff gewebt sind.
3. Ein mehrschichtiger Stoff nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, wobei dieser Stoff eine Doppelkonstruktion
ist, die zwei verschiedene ineinandergreifende Schichten aufweist.
4. Ein mehrschichtiger Stoff nach irgendeinem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die
Anzahl der Kontaktpunkte zwischen Fäden von diesen Schichten in dem Bereich zwischen
120 und 220 pro cm2 ist.
5. Ein mehrschichtiger Stoff nach irgendeinem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die
Stoffbahn mit einer hydrophilen Beschichtung versehen ist.
1. Etoffe multicouche permettant la respiration d'un vêtement, l'étoffe comprenant au
moins deux couches séparées entrelacées, les couches ayant des deniers différents
pour présenter un gradient de denier sur l'épaisseur du tissu, l'une au moins des
couches ayant une structure tissée, dans laquelle la couche de denier le plus fin
est située à l'extérieur du vêtement.
2. Etoffe multicouche selon la revendication 1, dans laquelle toutes les couches de l'étoffe
sont tissées.
3. Etoffe multicouche selon l'une des revendications 1 et 2, dans laquelle l'étoffe est
de construction duplex et comporte deux couches séparées entrelacées.
4. Etoffe multicouche selon l'une des revendications précédentes, dans laquelle le nombre
de points de contact entre fils desdites couches est dans la plage allant de 120 à
220 par cm2.
5. Etoffe multicouche selon l'une des revendications précédentes, dans laquelle le tissu
comporte un revêtement hydrophyle.