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  Flame resistant fabric useful as a batting in mattresses and upholsteryUSPTO Application #: 20060172649Title: Flame resistant fabric useful as a batting in mattresses and upholstery Abstract: Flame resistant fabrics useful as battings such as in mattresses and upholstery contain cellulose fibers (which retain at least 10 percent of their weight when heated in air to 700° C. at a rate of 20° C. per minute) and animal wool. (end of abstract) Agent: E I Du Pont De Nemours And Company Legal Patent Records Center - Wilmington, DE, US Inventors: Warren F. Knoff, Walter Randall Hall USPTO Applicaton #: 20060172649 - Class: 442414000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Fabric (woven, Knitted, Or Nonwoven Textile Or Cloth, Etc.), Nonwoven Fabric (i.e., Nonwoven Strand Or Fiber Material), Including Strand Or Fiber Material Which Is Stated To Have Specific Attributes (e.g., Heat Or Fire Resistance, Chemical Or Solvent Resistance, High Absorption For Aqueous Compositions, Water Solubility, Heat Shrinkability, Etc.) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060172649. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to a fire resistant fabric particularly useful as a fire-blocking batting in a mattress and furniture. [0003] 2. Description of the Invention [0004] The State of California has led the drive to regulate and reduce the flammability of mattresses and mattress sets in an attempt to reduce the number of lives lost in household, hotel, and institutional fires. In particular, the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation of the Department of Consumer Affairs of the State of California issued in July 2004 Technical Bulletin 603 "Requirements and Test Procedure for Resistance of a Residential Mattress/Box Spring Set to a Large Open-Flame" to quantify the flammability performance of mattress sets. One measure of screening fabrics to determine suitability as fire blockers is by use of a test that measures thermal performance temperature (TPT) of the fabric, which is a value that is a linear positive function of the amount of heat that passes through the barrier fabric. Low thermal performance temperature values mean the fabric is a good insulator from flame and will help to retard heat transfer to internal areas of an article such as a mattress. [0005] There are several ways to incorporate a fire barrier into a mattress, however, it is preferred in many instances that one of the existing layers of material be converted to one that can act as a fire blocking layer. In particular, most mattresses have a high loft fiber batting, and this batting can provide additional fuel if made from flammable materials. Replacing this high loft material with material having a low thermal performance temperature typically represents an acceptable solution. [0006] Fire resistant cellulosic fibers can be used effectively to thermally protect a mattress, however these battings are typically dense and not soft to the touch. [0007] PCT Publication WO 03/023108 discloses a nonwoven high loft flame barrier for use in mattresses and upholstered furniture. These barriers have very low density, ranging from 5 to 50 kilograms per cubic meter, most preferably 7.5 to 15 kilograms per cubic meter. The preferred nonwoven high loft flame barrier comprises a blend of fibers including fibers that are inherently fire resistant and resistant to shrinkage by direct flame, and fibers from polymers made with halogenated monomers. [0008] United States Patent Application Publication US 2004/0060119 discloses a fire barrier fabric having a fire barrier layer and a thermally insulating layer. The fire barrier layer can be composed of a blend of aramid and modacrylic fibers and the thermally insulating layers can be composed derived from fire resistant viscose and modacrylic fibers. [0009] These patent applications disclose many types of fabrics but do not disclose any desired relationship between the thermal performance temperature of the fabric, density of the fabrics and the desired softness of the fabric. Therefore, what is needed is a fabric useful as a batting in mattresses and furniture having a low thermal performance temperature and a high degree of softness. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] This invention relates to a fire-resistant fabric useful as a batting in fire blocking an article such as a mattress or upholstery and a method of incorporating the fabric into an article. The fabric comprises: [0011] (a) cellulose containing fibers which retain at least 10 percent of their weight when heated in air to 700.degree. C. at a rate of 20.degree. C. per minute, and [0012] (b) wool, wherein (b) is present in a range of from 15 to 70% by weight on a basis of (a) and (b). [0013] In a preferred mode the fabric will have a least one of the following: [0014] (a) a thermal performance temperature in a range from 125.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. [0015] (b) a compression of at least 40% measured at 24 hours in accordance with modified ASTM D 6571-01 [0016] (c) a density in a range from 0.3 to 6.0 pounds per cubic foot (5 to 96 kilograms per cubic meter) and [0017] (d) a basis weight of 3 to 18 ounces per square yard (102 to 610 grams per square meter). [0018] The present invention also relates to a method of incorporating the fabric into a final article of manufacture such as a batting in a mattress or furniture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0019] FIG. 1 is a graph of thermal performance temperature versus wool content in a fabric on a basis of cellulose fiber and wool. All fabrics displayed in this figure have a nominal basis weight of 5.0 ounces per square yard (169.5 grams per square meter) 20% of which is binder fiber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0020] A first necessary material in the present invention is a cellulose fiber which retains at least 10 percent of weight when heated in air at a rate of 20.degree. C. per minute. [0021] A preferred cellulose fiber is one formed from viscose fiber containing hydrated silicon dioxide in the form of a silicic acid with aluminum silicate sites. Such fibers, and methods for making such fibers are generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,417,752 and PCT Pat. Appl. WO9217629. Viscose fiber containing silicic acid is sold under the trademark Visil.RTM. by Sateri Oy Company of Finland. [0022] A second necessary material in the present invention is animal wool such as from sheep and goats. Sheep's wool is preferred due to availability and cost. The amount of wool present in the fabric will be in a range from 15 to 70% by weight on a basis of the cellulosic fiber and wool. Preferably, the wool will be in a range from 20 to 50% on the same basis of cellulosic fiber and wool. [0023] Weight as employed herein can also be expressed as basis weight measured in accordance with ASTM D 6242-98. [0024] Although both woven and non-woven fabrics are within the scope of the present invention, a preferred embodiment is a non-woven fabric that contains a binder. The preferred non-woven fabrics are high loft battings having thermoplastic binders. [0025] Preferred binders are activated by the application of heat. A preferred binder is in the form of a fiber, namely a sheath/core bicomponent fiber having a core of polyester homopolymer and a sheath of copolyester such as are commonly available from Unitika Co., Japan (e.g., sold under the trademark MELTY.RTM.). Other binders such as thermoplastic powders or fibers commonly used to bind fibers in webs may be used. [0026] Preferably the fire-resistant fabric will have a thermal performance temperature in a range from 125.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. More preferably the range will be from 200 to 400.degree. C. Continue reading... Full patent description for Flame resistant fabric useful as a batting in mattresses and upholstery Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Flame resistant fabric useful as a batting in mattresses and upholstery 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. 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