AU655997B2

AU655997B2 - A shapable yielding fabric for application onto the body of animals subjected to biological shearing

Info

Publication number: AU655997B2
Application number: AU19576/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Piero Rusconi Clerici
Original assignee: Ausonia SpA
Current assignee: Ausonia SpA
Priority date: 1991-07-10
Filing date: 1992-07-09
Publication date: 1995-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-09
Also published as: AU1957692A; ITMI911909A1; IT1250665B; ITMI911909A0

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION S F Ref: 215630 FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

sc r Name and Address of Applicant:

S

S Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Ausonia S.p.A.

Via Liberta 49 20052 Monza Milano

ITALY

Piero Rusconi Clerici Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia A Shapable Yielding Fabric for Application onto the body of Animals Subjected to Biological Shearing The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845/4 I

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a shapable yielding fabric for application onto the body of animals subjected to biological shearing. More particularly, this invention relates to a yielding fabric adapted to be worked into wrappers for gathering and holding hair, particularly sheep wool, therein.

Throughout this description and the appended claims, the expression "biological shearing" will be used 1 to identify a technique whereby animals raised mainly for their wool, such as sheep, are shorn by administering a protein called epidermal growth factor (EGF). The S animal's epidermis will then discontinue generation, in the hair follicle, of those cells which form each wool 16 fiber for a time period of approximately 24 hours, thereby causing a physical interruption of the growing individual hair. When this discontinuity reaches, after about a 4-6 weeks, the animal's skin, each hair will fall off spontaneously.

A basic requirement of biological shearing is that the skin of the animal should be protected after the hair loss. This loss is so uniform and thorough that the animal is particularly subject to environmental attack, in particular to sunburns and scores.

To ful-fill this requirement, the animal's body -2is wrapped in a polyethylene net intended to hold the wool as close as possible against the animal's body. The net is removed after a sufficient time period to allow the animal to grow enough fresh wool to be once again protected.

However, the use of such polyethylene nets is not free from problems: in fact, they are inadequate to retain the hair satisfactorily and rather prone on shedding it randomly out after the shearing.

As a result some regions of the animal's body become exposed to environmental attack; in addition, collection of the wool lost by the animal is more difficult.

Further, the wool so retrieved is a mixture of hair from several parts of the 10 animal (belly, back, etc.) having markedly different qualities.

'In addition, there is the depreciation of the wool brought about by the action of the weather.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the o o•1 above disadvantages.

There is disclosed herein a shapable yielding fabric adapted for being worked into wrappers for gathering and holding hair, wherein the fabric comprises a plurality of portions formed integrally therewith for bearing hair catching elements.

oo.ooi Advantageously, said portions which are formed continuously across the yielding fabric and integrally therewith, comprise hair catching elements which are effective for retaining the hair lost by the animal, thus lowering significantly the random shedding with which the prior art nets are beset.

[n:\libTT00321 :IAD -3- Further features and advantages of the invention can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of a non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a yielding fabric having portions formed with catch elements according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing, to an enlarged scale, some details of the fabric in Figure 1; and Figures 3 and 4 are diagrammatic front views, drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating further embodiments of the catch elements of Figure 1.

10 With reference to the drawing views, generally shown at 1 is a yielding fabric according to the invention, which can be formed conventionally on a o* 0...o too, S *o* ln:\IibTTI00321IAD 4 straight knitting machine, e.g. of the FITTEX type.

Preferably, the fabric 1 is of a variety commonly referred to as hemstitched, and has plural portions 2 provided with catch elements, indicated at 3.

SMore specifically, the portions 2 are formed by working a synthetic monofilament 4, e.g. of polyamide, polyester, or polypropylene, through a chain stitch warp of a synthetic fiber.

Thus, a plurality of contiguous strips 6, 7 lo with a yielding weft 8 and a stiff weft 9, respectively, are defined.

The catch elements 3 may be variously fashioned from the monofilament 4 to form, with the knitting process complete, an inverted U-shape as shown in Figures 2-4.

By suitably shaping the fabric just described, a wrapper, for example in the form of a coat, can be obtained for gathering and holding the hair, which can be applied to the animal's body and secured thereon in a s2 manner ;:nown per se, as by means of a closure of the Velcro (Registered Trademark) type sewn along the back side of the wrapper.

By virtue of its yielding feature, the wrapper of this invention can be made to fit closely around the a6- animal's body to keep it suitably protected.

5 The yielding fabric also ensures, because of the capability of its loops to open up when fitted around the animal's body, good ventilation of the hair lost by the animal on biological shearing, preventing it from becoming damaged by rot.

By having the portions 2 with the catch elements 3 made integral with the fabric 1, the wrapper of this invention can afford the additional advantage of being very convenient to use.

Not least advantageous is the fact that the fabric 1 of this invention can be manufactured in large volumes at a low cost on conventional knitting machines.

*SSS

50 *oe

Claims

1. A shapable yielding fabric adapted for being worked into wrappers for gathering and holding hair, wherein the fabric comprises a plurality of portions formed integrally therewith for bearing hair catching elements.

2. A fabric according to claim 1, wherein said portions comprise a plurality of strips set at a pitch distance apart and comprise said hair catching elements.

3. A fabric according to claim 1, wherein said hair catching elements are substantially hooked elements.

4. A shapable yielding fabric adapted to be worked into wrappers for g, .1 and holding hair said fabric being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 or Fig. 3 or Fig. 4. A wrapper comprising a shapable yielding fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A wrapper according to claim 5, wherein the wrapper is adapted for 15 gathering the wool from animals subjected to biological shearing. DATED this Twenty-fifth Day of October 1994 Ausonia S.p.A. Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON ln:\libTT100321:IAD ABSTRACT A shapable yielding fabric for making wrappers to gather and hold hair, in particular for gathering the wool from animals subjected to biological shearing, comprises a plurality of portions with catch elements formed integrally therewith. The fabric is highly eff cive to hold the hair separated from the animal while providing for an adequate ventilation thereof. t. 0 0 a *44 f o *o* Figure 1