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  Contamination resistant fiber sheetUSPTO Application #: 20060084335Title: Contamination resistant fiber sheet Abstract: A fiber sheet composed of knitted, woven, or non-woven fiber, which is resistant against contamination, and such contamination is easily washed off, and is durable, and suitable for use as materials to make curtains, tapestries, screens, flags, wallpaper, and sliding screen door(fusuma), for both indoor and outdoor environments. The fiber sheet is coated on its both sides of the fiber by ceramics composed of oxidized, nitrogenous, or carbonized forms of metals such as tin, titanium, aluminum, and other metals, forming a thin contamination resistant coating. Typically, the contamination resistant coating comprises SiO2 or SnO2 or a combination/mixture of the two substances, and such coating is hard and is superior in protection against contamination (end of abstract)
Agent: Pitney Hardin LLP - New York, NY, US Inventors: Masayuki Suzuki, Toshikazu Suzuki, Katsuhide Manabe, Eigo Nakajima USPTO Applicaton #: 20060084335 - Class: 442063000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Fabric (woven, Knitted, Or Nonwoven Textile Or Cloth, Etc.), Coated Or Impregnated Woven, Knit, Or Nonwoven Fabric Which Is Not (a) Associated With Another Preformed Layer Or Fiber Layer Or, (b) With Respect To Woven And Knit, Characterized, Respectively, By A Particular Or Differential Weave Or Knit, Wherein The Coating Or Impregnation Is Neither A Foamed Material Nor A Free Metal Or Alloy Layer, Coating Or Impregnation Formed In Situ (e.g., By Interfacial Condensation, Coagulation, Precipitation, Etc.) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060084335. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to a contamination resistant fiber sheet and to a fiber sheet which is resistant to contaminants, such as soil, dirt, smoke, oily soiling and other particles, including airborne particles and substances, (collectively called "contamination" hereafter) have difficulty adhering to the fiber sheet and even if attached, such substances are easily removed therefrom. [0002] The process of starching textiles is known to be effective in resisting contamination from adhering to the fibers forming the textile and is known to make the cleaning of the fibers of the contamination easier. However, this process is only effective against cotton textiles, and is not known to have positive effect for synthetic textile which is known to be lipophilic and also prone to discoloration. In addition, the textile requires starching every time the textile is washed. [0003] The process of mixing silica and alumina as a colloid spread liquid and treating the textile by filling the tiny spaces between the fibers, flattening, and evening out the surface of the textile with the tiny colloid particles is also known but this process also is effective for cotton textile but not for synthetic fiber textile, and also poses an additional problem of durability. [0004] On the other hand, the SR process is a known process for protecting synthetic fibers from contamination, however this process is only effective to a certain extent in preventing contamination, and especially oily contamination from adhering to the fiber sheet. Once contamination adheres, it is difficult to remove the contamination and is not able to prevent repeated contamination. In addition, SR process is not effective against preventing contamination from entering and spreading through the fibers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a contamination resistant fiber sheet to which contamination and other foreign particles are not easily attached. [0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide a contamination resistant fiber sheet of knitted, woven, or non-woven fiber, which is resistant against contamination, and such contamination is also easily washed off. [0007] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a contamination resistant fiber sheet which possess durability, suitable for use as materials to make curtains, tapestries, screens, flags, wallpaper, and sliding screen door(fusuma), for both indoor and outdoor use. [0008] According to the first embodiment of the present invention, a fiber sheet is made of knitted, woven, or non-woven fiber and is characterized by a resistance against contamination, and such contamination is easily washed off the surface of the fiber and the fiber possesses durability, suitable for use as material to make curtains, tapestries, screens, flags, wallpaper, and Japanese style sliding screen doors(fusuma), for both indoor and outdoor use. [0009] The fiber sheets with resistance against contamination is made from nylon fibers, polyester fibers, polyacrylonitrile fibers, aramid fibers, and other synthetic fibers, which are woven, knitted, or non-woven forming the fiber sheet. This fiber sheet may be plain without any design or may contain designs from dye processes or may have embossed designs. It is desirable to be used especially for curtain, tapestry, screen, flag, wallpaper, and Japanese style sliding screen door (fusuma). [0010] For fiber sheet which is resistant to contamination, it is desirable to use synthetic fibers formed from filaments, and if knitted or woven, the fibers to be used are in the form of monofilament or multi-filament thread. [0011] The present invention involves the fiber sheet being coated on both sides of the fiber sheet by ceramics composed of oxidized, nitrogenous, or carbonized forms of metals such as tin, titanium, aluminum, and other metals, forming a thin contamination resistant coating. This contamination resistant coating is hard and prevents contamination from entering into and between the fibers, making it difficult for the contamination to adhere, and also the surface of the coating is hydrophilic, water droplet forming, non-stick, and allows water to flow on the surface, making it more effective for rain water and/or washing water to wash off the contamination from the sheet. [0012] The fiber sheet resistant to contamination is formed from filaments of synthetic fibers. The contamination resistant coating for the contamination resistant fiber sheet is fixed on the fiber sheet through a physical vapor depositing method, such as vacuum vapor deposit, spatter vapor deposit, or ion plating. The resultant coating is durable and is not easily removed during usage or during washing. When a spatter vapor deposit, or ion plating method is used, an especially durable coating is obtained. [0013] When a spatter vapor deposit method is used and the fiber sheet is rapidly cooled from the back side of the fiber sheet, the coating becomes non-continuous, forming an amorphous structure, consisting of a tightly packed assembly of small needle-like structure, providing a touch to a person which is more like a fiber sheet than a coating or film, and when the fiber sheet is bent, the needle-like structure is not displaced, increasing the durability. [0014] For fiber sheet resistant to contamination, it is desirable to have the contamination resistant coating to be composed of SiO.sub.2 or SnO.sub.2 or a combination/mixture of the two substances, as such a coating is hard and is superior in protection against contamination, and especially when the coating is composed of a mixture of the two substances, the hydrophilic property and anti-stick water droplet forming property is superior, water flows over the surface more easily, and removal of contamination is improved. [0015] The contamination resistant coating, using tin or silicon board (plate) or sintered board (plate) of either substance as the target of the spattering equipment, and by spatter vapor depositing under an atmosphere containing very small amount of oxygen, the silicon or the tin is oxidized while it is stabilized onto the front of the fiber sheet. The thickness of the coating is to be between 1-1000 nm, and more desirably between 1-500 nm, but when under 1 nm, the effectiveness of the coating in resisting contamination is lost. On the other hand when the coating is thicker than 1000 nm, the feeling of the fiber sheet is lost and the transparency also declines and it becomes difficult to see the design of the fiber sheet, making use of the sheet less desirable. [0016] The second embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a resistance against contamination and especially effective against oily contamination, the contamination is easily washed off the surface of the fiber, and the fiber sheets possesses durability, suitable for use as material to make curtains, tapestries, screens, flags, wallpaper, and Japanese style sliding screen door(fusuma), for both indoor and outdoor use. [0017] According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the fiber sheets are made from nylon fibers, polyester fibers, polyacrylonitrile fibers, aramid fibers, and other synthetic fibers, which are woven, knitted, or non-woven forming the fiber sheet. This fiber sheet may be plain without any design or may contain designs from dye processes or may have embossed designs. [0018] The second embodiment of the present invention, includes the fiber sheet being coated on both sides of the fiber with a transparent ceramic coating, in which the coating' main component is SiO.sub.2. Prior to affixing this coating, the front side of the fiber sheet is to be coated with transparent fluoride resin coating as an undercoating. This undercoating is to provide breathable water resistant treatment to the fiber sheet and also provide resistance against contamination and oily soiling. This undercoating is made of fluoride resin which is composed of one the following or combination of the following substances: monofluoroethylene, difluoroethylene, trifluoroethylene, or tetrafluoroethylene. The fluoride resin is affixed to the fiber sheet through emulsification and is soaked and absorbed by the fiber or sprayed, and then dried, and then heat treated, which as a result an undercoating is formed over the fiber sheet. This undercoating fills up the small spaces and gaps between the fibers forming the fiber sheet. It is preferable for this undercoating to be between 0.1.about.10 nm, and when the undercoating is less than 0.1 nm in thickness, the effectiveness of the coating is lost, and when it is more than 10 nm in thickness, both transparency and the breathability is lost and it also becomes uneconomical as the cost of the coating increases. [0019] In the second embodiment, the fiber sheet resistant to contamination is then coated by a transparent contamination resistant ceramic coating over the undercoating. The main component of the ceramic is to be SiO.sub.2. This contamination resistant coating is hard and prevents contamination from entering into and between the fibers, making it difficult for the contamination to adhere, and also the surface of the outer coating is hydrophilic, water droplet forming, non-stick, and allows water to flow on the surface, making it more effective for rain water and/or washing water to wash off the contamination from the sheet. The main component of the ceramic coating of SiO.sub.2 is hard but when compared to other ceramic substances, it is relative softer, and it matches and fits well with the fluoride undercoating. Additionally, it is transparent and the feel and touch of a fiber sheet is not lost from the coating. [0020] In the second embodiment of the invention, the fiber sheet resistant to contamination is formed from filaments of synthetic fibers. The contamination resistant coating is fixed on the fiber sheet a through physical vapor depositing method, such as vacuum vapor deposit, spatter vapor deposit, or ion plating. The contamination resistant coating for the contamination resistant fiber sheet is fixed on the fiber sheet through a physical vapor depositing method, such as vacuum vapor deposit, spatter vapor deposit, or ion beam method. The resulting coating is durable and is not easily removed during usage or during washing. When spatter vapor deposit or ion beam method is used, an especially durable coating is obtained. [0021] The second embodiment of the invention contains the fluoride resin undercoating between the fiber sheet and the outer ceramic coating. The durability and fixing of the outer layer is tremendously improved when compared to fixing the outer coating directly onto the fiber sheet, but the effectiveness in making it difficult for contamination to adhere to and if adhered to, easy to remove, is not affected. [0022] When the spatter vapor deposit method is used and the fiber sheet is rapidly cooled from the back side of the fiber sheet in the second embodiment, the outer coating becomes non-continuous, forming an amorphous structure, consisting of a tightly packed assembly of small needle like structure, providing a touch to a persons which is more like a fiber sheet than a coating or film, and when the fiber sheet is bent, the needle-like structure is not displaced, increasing the durability. Continue reading... Full patent description for Contamination resistant fiber sheet Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Contamination resistant fiber sheet patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Contamination resistant fiber sheet or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method for producing a nonwoven material by hydrodynamic needling Next Patent Application: High strength lightweight composite fabric with low gas permeability Industry Class: Fabric (woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.) ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Contamination resistant fiber sheet patent info. 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