Abstract:
A carpet and method for making a carpet suitable for both indoor and outdoor use that has a soft and luxurious finish as well as adaptable to stressful outdoor environments. The carpet includes binding chains with both tight warp yarn and slack warp yarn, the slack warp yarn including synthetic fibers and the tight warp yarn including synthetic fibers and natural fibers. Weft is cut from polypropylene film and the pile is formed of polypropylene extruded yarn. The carpet is formed using a rapier loom with a double rapier head system.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to the field of carpets and carpet manufacturing, and more specifically to carpets intended for both indoor and outdoor use and the manufacturing of the same.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a water resistant carpet that is suitable for use both indoors and outdoors. The present invention also relates to the manufacturing of such a carpet.  
         [0003]     The term “carpet” is used throughout this specification to cover all types of woven surface coverings.  
         [0004]     Carpets are typically woven from yarn. The yarn may include synthetic or natural filaments or fibers. Additionally, the yarn may consist of several filaments or fibers twisted together. A particular type of fiber of importance in carpet weaving is the staple fiber. The staple fiber is generally short fibers, usually ranging in lengths from 1 inch to 8 inches long. A group of these staple fibers are twisted together to form a yarn. These yarns are then used for different aspects of the carpet, such as the pile, weft and binding chain, as described below in further detail.  
         [0005]     The pile is the generally vertical material (when the carpet is placed on a horizontal surface) above the backing. The pile is the part of the carpet that protrudes upwards above the backing. The backing is the structure that provides stability for the pile. The backing may consist of numerous different materials, such as weft, binding chains and stuffer.  
         [0006]     Warp yarn refers to that yarn that may be used for the backing, piles and binding chains. The warp generally runs in a linear direction. The length of the warp controls the carpet&#39;s length. The weft is the yarn that runs in a transverse direction to the warp. The length of the weft controls the carpet&#39;s width.  
         [0007]     The binding chains are the warp yarn that is woven in a chain-like manner. This chain-like weaving is used to hold all the components of the carpet together, including the pile, weft and backing.  
         [0008]     The stuffer is additional warp yarn that lays flat in the backing, it is usually woven under a heavy load, and its purpose is to provide linear stability, strength, and additional weight to the carpet.  
         [0009]     In a typical weaving process, pile and warp yarn move in a linear direction at a steady rate. There may be more than one strand of each type of yarn (pile and warp) involved in the weaving of the carpet. The warp yarn may be used for different parts of the carpet, such as the binding chains or the stuffer. The pile and warp yarn are pulled through the eyes of heald wires. A heald wire is a wire with its eye (a small opening allowing the yarn to run through it, like the eye of a needle) approximately half way up its vertical length. Each strand of yarn may have its own heald wire that it travels through. Since the yarn travels through the eye of the heald wire, the yarn can be moved by driving the heald wire up or down. This will change the vertical position of the particular strand of yarn running through the moving heald wire.  
         [0010]     By driving the heald wires up and down, openings can be created in between the various different yarns. This intermittent space is called a shed. It is through these sheds that the weft material is inserted. The weft can be inserted through the shed with a shuttle. A shuttle is the part of the weaving loom that carries fill yarn back and forth across the fabric width.  
         [0011]     A particular weaving loom of importance in carpet weaving is the rapier loom. The rapier loom does not have any shuttles. Instead, one or more rapiers (small metal rods) are used to carry the weft material through the sheds across the width of the carpet. After the rapier has carried the weft yarn across the width of the carpet, the weft is cut. A single insertion of the weft is called a shot.  
         [0012]     A reed is then used to “beat” the material tightly together. A beat up arm controls the reed. The beaten material travels through the point of weave which is the focus of all the warp and weft material, and the point where the individual materials becomes a carpet.  
         [0013]     A Jacquard is a mechanism that moves individual warp yarn material in any programmed sequence. This allows for preprogrammed designs that are complex in design and visual effects.  
         [0014]     The selvage is the edge of the carpet finished in such a manner that it will not unravel and it does not require any additional binding or hemming.  
         [0015]     Face-to-face weaving is a useful weaving technique that allows two carpets with identical pile design to be woven at the same time, these two carpets being interlaced by the pile warp ends. The produced “double” carpet can be cut in the center, cutting the pile in between the two carpets, producing a top carpet and a bottom carpet.  
         [0016]     Presently, available carpets suffer from their incompatibility with certain environments. Some carpets are suitable for an indoor setting, being soft and luxurious among other characteristics. These carpets, however, do not withstand a more stressful outdoor environment. If these carpets were placed in an outdoor environment they may trap dirt, absorb water, become faded due to UV exposure, and the pile may become trampled down.  
         [0017]     Other carpets are suitable for an outdoor environment, being durable and rugged among other characteristics. These carpets, however, are not appropriate for an indoor environment. Outdoor carpets are generally made from more durable material that is not as soft as materials used for indoor carpets. If placed indoors, an outdoor carpet would be uncomfortable to walk on without shoes. Additionally, such a carpet would not give the appearance of a luxurious carpet, a typical aesthetic requirement for indoor carpet.  
         [0018]     Some presently available carpets are intended for both indoor and outdoor use. These carpets, although they may be softer and more luxurious than the typical outdoor carpet, and may be more durable and rugged than a typical indoor carpet, never achieve both indoor and outdoor characteristics to the same degree as achieved by exclusively indoor and outdoor carpet. In such a carpet there is a trade-off between indoor carpet and outdoor carpet qualities.  
         [0019]     There is thus a need for a carpet that is suitable for both indoor and outdoor environments, yet does not suffer from the trade-off between indoor and outdoor qualities. Such a carpet should be as soft and luxurious as an exclusively indoor carpet and as durable and rugged as an exclusively outdoor carpet.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     The present invention provides for a carpet that is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. This carpet will provide all the benefits of an indoor carpet, such as a soft luxurious finish, while remaining adaptable to the stressful outdoor environment. This carpet will include features not typically found in indoor carpets, such as water resistance, and features not found in indoor carpets, such as durability.  
         [0021]     According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carpet having pile made of polypropylene extruded yarn. The pile yarn may optionally be made from a dyed polypropylene solution. The pile yarn may optionally include added UV stabilizers.  
         [0022]     According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a carpet having binding chains made from a combination of tight and slack warp yarn. The tight warp yarn is made of polyester staple fibers combined with cotton. The cotton provides added stability, lower elongation and a lower sensitivity to temperature variation than polyester warp without cotton. The ratio of polyester staple fibers to cotton controls the degree of the added stability, lower elongation and lowered temperature sensitivity. The slack warp yarn is made of polyester staple fiber. The ratio of the tight warp yarn to the slack warp yarn controls certain characteristics of the carpet, such as the degree of the added stability and lowered temperature sensitivity.  
         [0023]     According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carpet having wefts made of filling yarn cut from a polypropylene film. The filling yarn may be twisted at a high twist, such as 40 twists per meter. The filling yarn may be heated prior to carpet assembly to pre-shrink the yarn.  
         [0024]     According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for the production of the carpet which includes weaving together pile material, weft material and binding chain material in such a manner to produce the desired weave structure.  
         [0025]     One aspect of the method for production of the carpet includes the use of a rapier loom with a double rapier-head system. One rapier head is used to insert the weft material in the sheds while the other rapier head is used to receive the weft material. The insert rapier head may be made of a hard metal, while the receiving rapier head may be micro ribbed. Both rapier heads may be treated with a plasma coating.  
         [0026]     Another aspect of the method for production of the carpet includes the use of scissors that can cut the hard and stiff filling yarn used for the weft. These scissors may have micro serrated knife blades.  
         [0027]     Another aspect of the method of production of the carpet may include the use of a Jacquard system to produce intricate patterns in the finished carpet. The Jacquard system may also be used to tie off the filling yarn once it is released from the receiving rapier head, creating a selvage on the carpet. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a carpet according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0029]      FIGS. 2, 3  and  4  are cross-sectional perspectives of the carpet during the manufacturing process according to one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0030]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of a loom used in the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0031]      FIG. 1  shows diagrammatically a cross-sectional perspective of a finished carpet  1  according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Binding chains  2  form a chain of links which, with wefts  4 , bind pile yarns  6 ,  8  and  10  to the backing. Stuffer  12  lies straight in the backing. The binding chains  2  alternately connect with the wefts  4  which in turn bind the pile yarns  6 ,  8  and  10 .  
         [0032]     The stuffer  12  includes extra warp and pile yarn, such as pile yarn  10 . When pile yarn  10  is not being used to form the pile of the carpet, as is depicted in  FIG. 1  from point  10 ′ and to the right, it is incorporated into the stuffer. This technique is called “incorporating the dead pile.” Pile yarns of different colors, such as pile yarns  6  and  8 , may be used interchangeably throughout the carpet, allowing for different designs and different color schemes. When a particular pile yarn is not being used to form the pile at that point in the carpet, that pile yarn is incorporated into the stuffer. Alternatively, unused pile yarns could remain “floating” on the back of the bottom of the carpet. Those floating pile yarns could be removed after carpet production. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the unused, or dead, pile yarns are incorporated into the stuffer, providing additional structure to the stuffer.  
         [0033]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention the, pile yarn is extruded from a polypropylene solution. The solution may be dyed to provide a uniform color throughout the entire fiber. The pile yarn may contain added UV stabilizers to prevent the fading or changing of color as a result of UV exposure.  
         [0034]     The binding chains are made from a combination of tight and slack warp yarn. The tight warp yarn consists of a combination of polyester staple fibers and cotton. The cotton adds stability, lowers elongation and lowers temperature variation sensitivity of the warp yarn. The ratio of polyester to cotton controls the extent of the added features of the warp yarn. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention the tight warp yarn consists of about 80% polyester staple fibers and about 20% cotton. The slack warp yarn is made from polyester staple fibers. A 100% polyester binding chain provides for an increased tightening of the “V pile”, the visible pile on the face of the rug. The ratio of tight to slack warp yarn controls certain characteristics of the carpet, such as the degree of added stability, lowered elongation, lowered temperature variation sensitivity and tightness of the “V pile”. As the ratio of tight to slack warp yarn increases, the degree of added stability, lowered elongation and lowered temperature variation sensitivity increases. As the ratio of tight to slack warp yarn decreases, the tightness of the “V pile” increases.  
         [0035]     The weft is made from a filling yarn extruded from a polypropylene solution. This solution may be dyed to provide a uniform color throughout the entire fiber. A film is taken from the solution and cut lengthwise into small bands. The yarn may be twisted at a relatively high twist. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention the filling yarn is twisted at about 40 twists per meter. The filling yarn may be preshrunk prior to the weaving process to reduce the shrinkage of the finished product to less than 0.5%. This preshrinking can be achieved by heating the filling yarn in an oven for two days.  
         [0036]      FIGS. 2, 3  and  4  show diagrammatically cross-section perspectives of the carpet during the manufacturing process according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. According to the preferred embodiment, the carpet is manufactured using the face-to-face weaving technique. Referring to  FIG. 2 , a top carpet  20  and a bottom carpet  22  are produced simultaneously with the pile yarns, such as  24 ,  26  and  28 , being woven into both carpets. These pile yarns are used to created the pile in both carpets as well as being incorporated into the stuffer of both carpets. The top carpet has its own binding chains  30 , wefts  32  and stuffer  34 . The bottom carpet also has its own binding chains  36 , wefts  38  and stuffer  40 . The top and bottom carpets are interlaced by the pile yarns.  
         [0037]     In the face-to-face weaving technique pile yarns of different colors, such as pile yarns  26  and  28 , can be used to produce a carpet with a particular color scheme. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention a Jacquard mechanism is used to program and control the design of the carpet.  
         [0038]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the top carpet  20  and the bottom carpet  22  are separated from each other by cutting of the pile yarns, such as pile yarns  56  and  58 , by a cutting device  54 . In the preferred embodiment the cutting device  54  is a knife. The top carpet  20  and bottom carpet  22  are drawn away from the cutting device  54  at a steady rate and collected as finished carpets. The drawing of the carpets continuously pulls the unfinished, interlaced top and bottom carpets towards the cutting device  54 . The finished top carpet  20  and bottom carpet  22  have identical piles, providing two finished carpets having identical pile design.  
         [0039]      FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional perspective of the finished top carpet  20  and bottom carpet  22  after being separated from each other. The finished top carpet  20  and bottom carpet  22  have identical pile designs on the face of each carpet.  
         [0040]      FIG. 5  shows the diagrammatically the shedding details of the loom according to a preferred method of manufacturing using the face-to-face weaving technique. The focus point of all the warp and weft material in the top carpet  20  is the top point of weave  94 , and the focus point of all the warp and weft material in the bottom carpet  22  is the bottom point of weave  96 . It is at these points of weave that the top and bottom carpets are formed. The binding chains  98  and  100  pass through the eyes  102  of the heald wires  104 . Each yarn has its own heald wire in which it passes through. The pile yarns  106  and  108  also pass through the eyes  102  of the heald wires  104 .  
         [0041]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, a Jacquard mechanism is attached to the tops of the heald wires  104 . The Jacquard mechanism can be programmed to design an intricate color scheme on the carpet. The Jacquard mechanism controls the movement of the heald wires up and down, which in turn controls the placement of the yarns in the carpet. According to the depicted process, two pile yarns alternate between the top and bottom carpets, each carpet having two binding chains.  
         [0042]     Sheds are the spaces created between the yarns as a result of the movement of the heald wires. Rapiers  110  carrying the weft material are inserted into the sheds. According to the preferred embodiment, a double rapier system is used, allowing for the insertion of two rapiers simultaneously. Other embodiments include, but are not limited to, single and triple rapier weave structures.  
         [0043]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention two separate rapier heads operate in each rapier. One rapier head is the insertion rapier head, and it inserts the weft material into the shed. The second rapier head is the receiving rapier head and it receives the weft material from the insertion rapier head. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the insertion rapier head is made from a hard metal and the receiving rapier head is micro ribbed. Both rapier heads have a plasma coating, which needs to be applied on a regular basis. The plasma coating prevents wear and allows the rapier to run the polypropylene filling yarn.  
         [0044]     During the weaving process, weft material is inserted by the rapiers. The rapiers are removed and the weft material is cut by scissors. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the weft material is made of polypropylene filling yarn, the scissors have micro serrated knife blades capable of cutting the stiff filling yarn.  
         [0045]     During the weaving process, weft material is inserted into the sheds. The beat up arm  112  drives a reed  114  forward towards the points of focus. The reed beats up the weft material into the carpets to complete a weaving cycle. The heald wires can then be repositioned, new sheds created and new weft material inserted.  
         [0046]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the Jacquard mechanism is used to tie off the filling yarn once it is released from the rapier receiving head to create a selvage system. This selvage system prevents the carpet from unraveling, not requiring any further binding or hemming. This provides additional stability to the final woven carpets.  
         [0047]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention the timing of the machine needs to be adjusted from typical settings using jute yarn to accommodate the preferred materials and process. Each weaving cycle (insertion of the weft and beat up of the weft) can be regarded as taking 360 degrees. Accordingly, the timing of the insertion rapier head needs to be moved forward 5 degrees, causing the receiving rapier head on the left side to be delayed by 8 degrees. Additionally, the opening of the scissors need to be moved up 6 degrees.  
         [0048]     While there have been shown, described, and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or steps which perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way, to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. It is also to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but that they are merely conceptual in nature. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.