AU663267B1 - Method of manufacture of terry cloth items - Google Patents

Description

66 32 67

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For A Standard Patent ORIGINi.L Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: CANNIING VALE WEAVING MILLS LTD FRANCESCO ATTILIO PRAINITO 0 0 0 0 0* 0 Address for Service: WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, 239 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

Attorney code: WR Invention Title: Invention Title: "METHOD OF MANUFACTURE OF TERRY CLOTH ITEMS" Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PM7929 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -2- THIS INVENTION relates to the weaving of textile items formed of terry cloth such as towels and the like.

In order to apply a pattern to terry cloth, there are several limitations upon the manner in which the pattern can be applied. The principal reason for this difficulty relates to the nature of the terry cloth which by its nature does not lend itself to a detailed pattern. Generally, in the past, a pattern has been applied to items formed of terry cloths such as a towel by weaving a pattern into the cloth.

Though proposals have been made in the past 'bor printing patterns onto towels and other terry cloth items, these methods have generally been unsatisfactory for several reasons.

i* *One of the principle reasons comprises the texture characteristic of the terry cloth which prevents a detailed and distinct pattern being printed to the towel. In order to achieve an improved definition in design reproduction proposals have been made to shear the terry loops from the cloth, however this is costly and can substantially detract from the principal function of the towel which is to absorb and store moisture. Another proposal for applying printed patterns to towels has comprised utilising a panel which may comprise a header panel at one or both 20 ends of the towel and weaving into that header panel a decorative pattern. There have also been proposals to apply printed patterns to the header panels. It is however, not generally possible to apply a printed pattern directly onto the header panel of a towel since the dyes used in the printing process are washed from the cotton fibre in normal use of the towel. To date, the only successful means of providing a printed header panel has generally comprised the application of a separate piece of printed fabric over the towel in the region of the header panel. This technique however suffers from the difficulty that the separate piece of material is of a different nature to the terry cloth of which the towel is formed and therefore can have differing shrinkage characteristics to the remainder of the towel. Furthermore, the stitching retaining the separate piece of fabric to the towel can be damaged causing the separate piece to be separated from the towel resulting in a rapid deterioration of the appearance of the towel.

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-3- It is an object of this invention to provide a technique whereby a printed pattern can be applied to a panel of a item formed of terry cloth whereby the printed pattern is stable.

Accordingly, the invention resides in a method of manufacturing an item formed of terry cloth having a decorative printed panel, said method comprising weaving the item of terry cloth with a panel which is loopless and is double sided, where at least one face of the panel is formed of a synthetic fusible fibre, apo)lying heat and pressure to the at least one face to form a smooth substantially uniform surface and applying a decorative printed pattern to the one face.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the other face of the terry cloth item is formed from a fibre corresponding to the remainder of the terry cloth item.

According to an alternative preferred feature of the invention both faces of the 15 terry cloth item can be formed from the synthetic fusible fibre.

SAccording to a further prefe rred feature of the invention, the synthetic fusible fibre comprises a polyester fibre.

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20 According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the application of heat, pressure and the printed pattern is effected substantially simultaneously. It is preferred that the printed pattern is applied by application of a transfer master Sover the panel prior to the application of heat and pressure to the panel.

s o According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the terry cloth item comprises a towel.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of one specific embodiment. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: 47 r -4- Figure 1 is a peg plan which illustrates the weaving pattern of the header panel of a towel manufactured according to the method of the embodiment; and Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the weaving pattern illustrated in Figure 1.

The embodiment relates to the manufacture of cotton towels which are formed with a header panel which is capable of being printed and whereby the printed pattern is resistant to washing and whereby the surface of the panel can accept a detailed pattern with little loss of definition. The towel is woven according to the embodiment according to conventional practice with the exception of one or more header panels which may be provided on the towel. The header panel is formed t- as a double-sided loopless header. The weaving of the header panel is effected 15 utilising two differing weft yarns in accordance with the peg plan shown at Figure I 1 where one yarn P is formed of a synthetic fusible fibre such as polyester and o,.

the other weft yarn C is formed of the same fibre as the remainder of the towels.

9 The weft yarns P and C are alternatively woven across the two warp yarns P and G which comprise the pile and ground yarns respectively in accordance with the S 20 peg plan shown at Figure 1 and which is schematically illustrated at Figure 2. By so weaving the weft yarns, the synthetic weft P yarn is woven such that it is S:,o positioned to lie predominantly on one face of the header panel and the cotton weft yarn C is positioned to lie predominantly on the other face of the header panel. There is only limited exposure of yarn which predominantly lies at one face of the panel, at the opposed face of the panel.

The effect of the weaving process according 'to the method described above is that the weft yarns are floated to one or the other surface of the panel and such that they are formed as a loose weave on the respective surface of the header panel. The result is that the one face of the header panel is such that it is substantially composed of the synthetic fibre although as a result of the weaving process, some of the cotton yarn does extend through to the one face.

On completion of the weaving of the towel incorporating the header as described above, the towel can be dyed according to conventional techniques. However the synthetic fibre because of its nature will not accept the dye. The result is that the one face of the header panel which is predominantly formed by the synthetic fibre will remain undyed while the other face of the header panel which is predominantly formed of cotton fibre does accept the dye and will be in conformity with the remainder of the towel.

Once the dying of the towel has been completed, the header panel is then placed in a press and the one face is subjected to pressure and heat by means of a heated platen whereby as a result of the high pressure and heat applied to the one face of the header panel, the synthetic fibres formed on the one face are softened and become fused together. In the weaving of the synthetic weft yarns on the one face, there is sufficient bulk in the fibres such that on them becoming compressed and fused by the heated platen they fo;rm a substantially smooth or silky surface in which the cotton weft yarns which also !ie on the one face are effectively embedded. The one face then has a printed pattern applied to it by application of a printed transfer master by application of the appropriate heat and pressure.

In the heating and compression of the header panel, the cotton fibres located on Sthe other side of the header panel are stabilised by their contact with the inside face of the synthetic fibres with which they come into contact, whereby the 80°0 previously loose nature of the cotton layer is eliminated.

According to a preferred form of the embodiment, the fusing and compression of the fibres on the one face of the header panel by the application of heat and pressure and the application of the printed pattern by means of the transfer master can be effected simultaneously. This is done by applying the master of 30 the transfer which bears the printed pattern in position on the one face of the header panel and then placing the header panel within a press whereby the movable heated platen is applied over the one face of the header panel with the transfer master located between the one face and the heated platen. The -6application of the heat and pressure to the one face partially melts the synthetic fibres and causes them to be bonded one to another while the printed pattern is applied to the surface of the fused layer of fibres.

The results of the process of the embodiment is a towel having a header panel which has one face which is formed with a smooth silky finish having a printed pattern applied to it and where the other face is formed of the same material and has the same colouring as the remainder of the towel. Furthermore, the printed pattern which has been applied to the one face of the header is resistant to washing and the other usual requirements of the towel and the pattern can be one having a higher definition of the pattern and than has previously been possible.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

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Claims (9)

1. A method of manufacturing an item formed of terry cloth incorporating a decorative printed panel comprising; weaving the item of terry cloth with a panel which is loopless and is double-sided and wh3re at least one face of the panel is formed of a 3ynthetic fusible fibre; applying heat and pressure to the at least one face to form a smooth substantially uniform surface; and applying a decorative printed pattern to the one face.

2. A method as claimed at claim 1 wherein the one face of the terry cloth item is formed from a synthetic fusible fibre and the other face is formed from a fibre corresponding to the remainder of the terry cloth item.

3. A method as claimed at claim 1 wherein both faces of the panel are formed 15 of a synthetic fusible fibre. S

4. A method as claimed at claim 1, 2, or 3 wherein the synthetic fusible fibre S comprises a polyester fibre. *see 20

5. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the terry cloth item is formed of cotton fibre.

S6. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the application of heat, pressure and the printed pattern is effected substantially 25 simultaneously. ee t oo

7. A method as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the terry cloth item is a towel. a •e

8. A method of manufacturing an item formed of terry cloth substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. -8-

9. An itr 1 formed of terry cloth having a decorative printed panel which is manufactured according to the method of any one of the preceding claims. An item formed of terry cloth as claimed at claim 9 where the item comprises a towel. Dated this TWENTY-FIRST day of JULY 1995. CANNING VALE WEAVING MILLS LTD Applicant WRAY ASSOCIATES Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant. 6 #66 6 66 *6 6 6O 66 #6 6 66 6 6 *9 6 -9- Abstract A method of manufacturing an item formed of terry cloth incorporating a decorative printed panel comprising; weaving the item of terry cloth with a panel which is loopless and is double-sided and where at least one face of the panel is formed of a synthetic fusible fibre; applying heat and pressure to the at least one face to form a smooth substantially uniform surface; and applying a decorative printed pattern to the one face. o* *ooo* i e