Patent ID: 7435264
Filing Date: 2008-10-14
Classification: D06P,D06Q,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of making a woven or knitted fabric having corresponding color contrast and surface geometry contrast between first regions and second regions in the fabric, said method comprising: (a) providing a polyester fabric, said fabric having yarns forming a pile, said first pile having a first pile height, said fabric having first regions and second regions; (b) applying an unfixed dye to said pile of said fabric; (c) drying said fabric produced in step (b) by application of electromagnetic radio frequency energy to the fabric, said drying step being performed under conditions sufficient to at least partially dry said fabric but without fixing a substantial portion of said unfixed dye to said pile of said fabric, (d) selectively applying a chemical etching agent to said pile of said fabric, said agent being an alkaline paste applied to one or more second regions of said pile of the fabric and not applied to the first regions of the fabric, said yarn-degrading composition being effective to degrade yarns in said second regions, thereby forming in said second regions yams having a second pile height; and (e) reacting the chemical etching agent with one or more second regions of the pile of the fabric, thereby etching the yarns or fibers in the one or more second regions to produce yarns or fabers having a second height, the second height being less than the first height; (f) heating the fabric resulting from step (e) in a superheated steamer to fix the dye to the yarns or fibers in the first and second regions of the pile of the fabric, wherein the heating temperature is about 180 degrees C.; (g) drying the fabric at elevated temperature; (h) thereby producing a fabric having a pile on a surface thereof with yarms of the second region exhibiting a different dyed color than yarns or fibers of regions; (i) thereby forming a fabric having first regions of a first pile height and second regions of a second pile height, said second pile height being less than said first pile height and each of said respective regions having respective first and second ΔL* values, and the difference between the first ΔL* value and the second ΔL* value is equal to about 10% or more of the total first ΔL* value.