Patent ID: 9517165
Filing Date: 2016-12-13
CPC Classification: A61F,D04H,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method to temporarily restrain stretchability of a stretchable non-woven fabric during a converting process, said method comprising: (a) providing a stretchable non-woven fabric; (b) modifying the stretchable non-woven fabric by inserting non-stretchable elements, the non-stretchable elements consisting of a continuous string or fiber, into the stretchable non-woven fabric to provide non-stretchability characteristics to the stretchable non-woven fabric so as to temporarily restrain stretchability of the non-woven fabric at least in the machine direction; and (c) restoring the stretchability of the stretchable non-woven fabric by subsequently eliminating the non-stretchability characteristics previously acquired by the non-woven fabric by eliminating continuity of the non-stretchable elements by disconnecting, cutting, or melting the non-stretchable elements into short segments during or after a converting process, wherein the short segments are not bonded to the non-woven fabric and move freely within the non-woven fabric, and wherein the short segments do not restrain the stretchability of the non-woven fabric.