US2686348A - Nylon-coated sheer open-mesh hair net and process for forming same - Google Patents

Description

H. F. NYLON-COATED SHEER OPEN-MESH HAIR GOLDSMITH NET AND PROCESS FOR FORMING SAME Filed Nov. 5, 1948 BY I *1;

Patented ug. 17, 1954 UNiTED STATES TENT OFFICE NYLON-COATED SHEER OPEN-MESH HAIR NET AND PROCESS FOR FORMING SAME 2 Claims. l

The present invention relates to sheer openmesh netted fabrics for use in hair-nets, veilings, curtains, and the like and it relates more particularly to a new and improved article of manufacture and a process of treating such fabrics so as to render them stronger and easier to handle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved article of manufacture, and a process of manufacturing sheer openmesh fabrics for hair-nets, veilings, curtains, and the like. Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel process of treating sheer open-mesh fabrics so as to render them stronger and easier to handle. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively strcng non-entangling long-lasting openmesh fabric at relatively7 low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and appended claims.

Sheer open-mesh fabrics are very widely used for hair-nets, veilings, curtains, and the like. These fabrics are usually constructed of textile materials and have threads or courses of loopstitches running diagonally and fastened to adjoining threads or courses of loop-stitches at spaced intervals so as to form a series of diamond-shaped or octagonal or other polygonal openings. The sheer open-mesh fabrics commercially produced today are usually manufactured on knitting machines or lace-making machines in a manner well-known in the art.

One such type of sheer open-mesh fabric is shown in my Patent 2,428,071 and is formed of courses of knitted loops which are fastened to adjoining courses at spaced intervals by iioating inlay threads to give a series of generally diamond-shaped openings in what is commonly referred to as a Raschel construction,

These sheer open-mesh fabrics are usually knitted or otherwise formed under tension and, when the tension is released, the fabric tends to contract due to the inherent resilience of the structure. When this type of sheer open-mesh fabric is not under tension, it has a marked tendency to tangle and is quite apt to tearl during a disentangling operation due to its sheerness and the very ne gauge threads employed.

It has been suggested, in my Patent 2,428,071, to apply a coating of a thermo-setting or thermoplastic synthetic resin to the open-mesh fabric so as to render it less susceptible to tangling and, at the same time, to strengthen the structure, particularly by bonding the juncture points of the threads. However, the application of the synthetic resin to the fabric presents serious problems, from an industrial standpoint. IThus, While the individual threads or bers can be coated preliminary to the knitting or similar forming operation, this is relatively costly and timeconsuming and has not been found to be very practical.

On the other hand, if the sheer open-mesh fabric is rst formed and is subsequently coated after leaving the knitting machine, or the like. the tendency to tangle, as referred to above, makes it extremely difficult to apply the synthetic plastic properly so as to effect the proper disposition of the coating without tearing or otherwise injuring the fabric.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 32,- 645, filed June 12, 1948, now U. S. Patent 2,601,- 770 of which the present application is a continuation-in-part, I have disclosed a novel process of, and apparatus for, applying natural or synthetic resin or other plastic or similar sizing material to a continuous length of sheer openmesh fabric immediately after it leaves the needle-bank of the knitting machine or the like and while said length of fabric is still under the tension under which it was formed, and thereafter sending it through appropriate drying and/or setting operations whereby the resin or other sizing material Will harden so that the treated fabric will assume its final sized nonentangling form before release of the original tension under which it was knitted or otherwise formed.

According to the present invention, I have found that particularly beneficial results are obtained when the sheer open-mesh fabric is treated (preferably according to the process of my co-pending application Serial No. 32,645, led June 12, 1948) with a solution of nylon; the nal nylon-coated open-mesh fabric having superior qualities in various respects.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the following drawings like reference characters refer to like parts.

Figure 1 represents a perspective View of an 3 embodiment of the present invention as it appears in use.

Figure 2 represents a fragmentary elevational View on a greatly enlarged scale of the open-mesh hair-net fabric, the selvage ends not being shown.

Referring to the drawings the hair-net I of the present invention comprises a plurality of textile threads joined together to form an openmesh structure. The threads are joined together to form a diamond-shaped pattern when taut in two directions at a right angle to each other.

The textile threads are coated with nylon or the like at the junction points i2, which nylon coating forms a protective outer layer for the threads and also permanently adheres the threads together to provide a relatively strong more or less form-retaining and more vor less nonentangling open-mesh hair-net.

The selvage edges I 4 of the hair-net are formed with elastic threads or strands (such strands preferably consisting of an inner core of synthetic or natural rubber around which a thread of the same color as the hair-net is wound). lThe terminal loops of the hair-net are passed over the selvage edge.

In carrying out the process of the present invention, I iii-st prepare a treating-bath by dissolving nylon (which is a polyamide-type synthetic resin containing a large number of amide linkages as disclosed, for example, in Patents 2,071,250 and 2,071,251) in an appropriate solvent. I preier to employ those polyamide-type resins which are soluble in alcohol-water mixtures, as disclosed, for example, in Patent 2,416,041,

While this solution can be applied to the sheer open-mesh fabric in various ways (as for example spraying, dipping, etc), I prefer to apply it in the manner disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 32,645; that is, by passing the fabric under the original tension as it comes from the needle-bank, across one or more rolls wholly or partially immersed in the treating-bath so as to stretch the fabric and thereby to insure thorough penetration and coating of the fabric by the solution. Thereafter, the coated fabric is passed over the drying rolls for hardening the coating; the rolls themselves being internally heated (by electric heating coils or by steam or the like) or, instead, external heat beingI applied by means of a heated reflector-shield or a bank of heating-lamps or the like, all as more fully disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 32,645.

rIhe nylon-containing treating-bath may be prepared by dissolving the nylon in a mixture of ethanol and water or isopropanol and water.

By way of illustration, a 25% solution of nylon can be prepared by dissolving nylon granules in a solvent containing 80 parts of ethanol (or isopropanol) and 20 parts of water at a temperature of approximately 160 F., with vigorous agitation.

A solution of this concentration tends to gel on standingI overnight. However, gelled solutions can be restored to effectiveness by simply warming the container somewhat.

Soiutions containing a smaller percentage of nylon, as for example will stand for ten and even longer without gelling.

The addition of a small amount (for example 1% by weight or the solvent) of furfural or furfuryl alcohol, will greatly facilitate the dissolving of the nylon and will substantially prolong the period during which the solution will stand without gelling.

As more fully described in my co-pending application Serial No. 32,645, filed June l2, 1948, a plurality of individual strips of sheer open-mesh fabric (which may, optionally, have the structure disclosed in my Patent 2,428,071, wherein individual chains of knitted loops are drawn and fastened to one another, alternately left and right in generally Zig-zig fashion by floating inlay threads so as to provide a generally diamondshaped construction) disposed in laterallyspaced relationship by temporary connecting threads may be formed on a conventional Raschel knitting machine and may be drawn, directly from the needle-bank of the knitting machine through an elongated trough containing the treating-bath (the strips passing over one or more rolls partly and/or wholly immersed in the treating-bath so as to stretch the fabric and to ensure better penetration and coating of the fabric), after which the strips may be drawn over one or more rolls to effect drying, with or without heating of the fabric (by heating coils disposed witliin a drying cylinder or within a rcector-shield disposed closely adjacent thereto, or by a bank of heating-lamps or the like) so that the solvent of the treating-bath is removed by evaporation and so that the nylon hardens or solidiiies in-situ, and without release of the original tension under which the strips were knitted.

In this way, tangling of the untreated openmesh material prior to the coating operation is avoided.

This treating of the open-mesh material results in the formation of a thin protective coating or outer layer of nylon upon the individual threads and loops of the netted material and, in addition, hardens or sets at the juncture points of the loops so as to insure a much stronger final structure.

I have found that open-mesh netted fabric, when treated with nylon in the manner described above, is markedly superior to the untreated fabric, and is also superior to fabric treated with most other synthetic resins or other sizing materials, in its strength, non-entangling characteristics and body or form-retaining properties. These properties are particularly advantageous when the open-mesh fabric is made up into hair-nets, veilings or curtains, 0r the like.

At the same time, this outer coating of nylon improves the sheen and texture of the treated fabric, and renders it markedly superior in appearance compared to untreated material or to material treated with most other synthetic resins or other sizing materials so that articles constructed of this nylon-coated open-mesh material have greater customer-appeal and are much more easily sold than would otherwise be the case.

In addition, I have found that nylon-treated open-mesh fabric is appreciably more flame-resistant than the untreated fabric, as well as fabrics treated with other sizing materials, so that the danger of accidental nre is substantially minimized.

The present invention may be embodied in other speciiic forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent:

1. A sheer open-mesh hair-net having. large and generally diamond-shaped openings therein when taut in two directions at a right angle t0 each other, said openings being many times the size of the thread-thickness, said hair-net being formed of relatively thin textile threads bounding said openings and forming a plurality of junction-joints contiguous with each opening, at which junction-points diiierent threads are secured to each other, a nylon coating extending over said threads and extending over and enveloping said junction-points, said nylon coating forming a protective outer layer for said threads and also permanently adhering together threads at the junction-points thereby to provide a relatively strong, more or less form-retaining and more or less non-entangling open-mesh hair-net.

2. In the manufacture of a sheer open-mesh hair-net having large and generally diamondshaped openings therein when taut in two directions at a right angle to each other, the process which compriese knitting under tension an elongated strip of sheer open-mesh knit structure of relatively thin uncoated textile threads with the openings in adjacent rows being staggered in relation to each other and with each opening bounded by threads secured to each other at four junction-points contiguous with each opening, continuously coating said open-mesh knit structure with a solution of nylon while it is moving from the aforesaid knitting operation under the aforesaid tension, so as to coat and envelope only the aforesaid junction-points and the threads between such points without however in any way closing the openings by such coating, and thereafter continuously drying the so coated knit structure under tension so as to cause the setting of the nylon on the threads and over said junction-points and adhering to each other and en- Veloping the inter-looping portions of the threads at said junction-points.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 280,886 Ward July 10, 1883 1,758,665 Hofner May 13, 1930 2,020,694 Mauritsch et al. Nov. 12, 1935 2,058,476 Lovett Oct. 27, 1936 2,135,711 Hiers Nov. 8, 1938 2,138,876 Novak Dee. 6, 1938 2,220,958 Jennings Nov. 12, 1940 2,297,881 Fuller Oct. 6, 1942 2,301,703 Humphreys Nov. 10, 1942 2,313,058 Francis, Jr. Mar. 9, 1943 2,320,088 Leekley May 25, 1943 2,416,041 Austin Feb. 18, 1947 2,428,071 Goldsmith Sept. 30, 1947 2,433,279 Johnson Dec. 23, 1947

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