Patent Publication Number: US-7905980-B2

Title: Method of manufacturing paint roller covers from a tubular fabric sleeve

Description:
IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/740,119, filed on Apr. 25, 2007, entitled “Tubular Sliver Knit Fabric for Paint Roller Covers,” now U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,191 which patent application is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and which patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of paint roller covers, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing paint roller covers from a seamless, tubular fabric sleeve that is installed onto a hollow, cylindrical paint roller core member. 
     The two inventions which have had the greatest impact on paint application are the invention of the paint roller in the 1930&#39;s and the development of water-based paint in the late 1940&#39;s. While water-based paints are easy to mix, apply, and clean up, there is little doubt that the paint roller has been the greatest single time saving factor in the paint application process, allowing large surfaces to be painted with a uniform coat of paint quickly and easily. Typically, paint rollers are comprised of two components, namely a handle assembly and a paint roller cover for installation onto the handle assembly. 
     The handle assembly consists of a grip member having a generally L-shaped metal frame extending therefrom, with the free end of the metal frame having a rotatable support for a paint roller cover mounted thereon. The paint roller cover consists of a thin, hollow cylindrical core which fits upon the rotatable support of the handle, with a plush pile fabric being secured to the outer diameter of the paint roller cover. The core may be made of either cardboard or plastic material, with which material is used for the core generally being determined based upon the selling price of the paint roller cover. The pile fabric is traditionally applied as a strip which is helically wound onto the outer surface of the core with adjacent windings of the fabric strip being located close adjacent each other to provide the appearance of a single continuous pile fabric covering on the core. 
     Typically, the pile fabric is a dense knitted pile fabric, which may be knitted from natural fibers such as wool or mohair, synthetic fibers such as polyester, acrylic, nylon, or rayon, or from a blend of natural and synthetic fibers. The knitting is typically performed on a circular sliver knitting machine, which produces a tubular knitted base material with a knit-in pile in tubular segments which are approximately fifty-eight inches in circumference by thirty to fifty yards long (depending on fabric weight). 
     Generally, sliver knitting is a knitting process which locks individual pile fibers directly into a lightweight knit backing or base material in a manner wherein the pile fibers extend from one side of the knit base material. The knit base material itself is made from yarn, which may be knit in a single jersey circular knitting process on a circular knitting machine, with closely packed U-shaped tufts of the fibers being woven into the knit base material which anchors them in the completed pile fabric. The free ends of the fibers extend from one side of the knit base material to provide a deep pile face. The knit base material is typically made of synthetic yarns, with the pile being made of a desired natural or synthetic fiber, or a blend of different fibers. 
     Such fabrics are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,791,741, to Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,702, to Schmidt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,952, to Cassady, U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,680, to Daniel, U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,409, to Clingan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,286, to Abler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,042, to Lumb, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,668, to Sinykin, all of which patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Sliver knit high pile fabrics have been widely used for many years in the manufacture of imitation fur fabrics, and also have found use, for example, as linings for overcoats and footwear, as coverings for stuffed toys and floors, in applications in pet beds, case liners, boot and slipper liners, medical pads, and blankets, and, of course, as coverings for paint roller covers. 
     The components of the knitted fabric are a yarn, which is used to knit the fabric&#39;s knit base material, and fibers which are supplied in a “sliver” rope, which consists of fibers which are all longitudinally oriented in a rope which is typically less than three inches in diameter. The fibers are loose fibers of either a single type or a uniform blend of multiple types of fibers. The fiber mix will determine the performance, density, texture, weight, patterning, and color of the finished pile fabric. 
     The fibers are typically blown together in an air chamber to blend them, and then are carded in carding machines that “comb” the fibers to align them in parallel with each other. The fibers are then gathered into a soft, thick rope which is called “sliver” (which is the derivation for the term “sliver knit”) or “roving.” The yarn and the sliver are supplied to the circular knitting machine, which typically has eighteen heads and produces a tubular knit pile fabric which is approximately fifty-eight inches in circumference. (Thus, when the tubular knit pile fabric is slit longitudinally, the fabric is approximately fifty-eight inches wide.) 
     Such knitting machines are well known in the art, and are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,407, to Clingan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,637, to Thore, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,532,780 and 4,592,213, both to Tilson et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,431,029, 5,546,768, 5,577,402, 5,685,176, and 6,016,670, all to Kukrau et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,920, to Schindler et al., all of which patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Examples of commercial versions of such knitting machines are the Model SK-18 II Sliver Knitter and the Model SK-18J II Sliver Knitter which are available from Mayer Industries, Inc. of Orangeburg, S.C. 
     The first commercial circular sliver knitting machine had seven heads, and commercially-available circular knitting machines today have between seven and eighteen heads. Eighteen head knitting machines have upwards of one thousand needles, and produce tubular knitted segments that are approximately nineteen inches in diameter (fifty-eight inches in circumference). All of these circular sliver knitting machines produce tubular knitted pile fabric segments having the pile located on the inside. Such circular sliver knitting machines are incapable of either producing tubular knitted pile fabric segments having the pile on the outside or small diameter tubular knitted pile fabric segments. 
     Following the manufacture of the tubular knitted pile segments on a circular sliver knitting machine, the tubular knitted pile segments are slit longitudinally to produce extended knitted pile segments of fabric which are typically fifty-eight inches wide by thirty to fifty yards long. These extended knitted pile segments of fabric are then tensioned longitudinally and transversely, stretched to a sixty inch width or greater to guarantee the proper number of two and seven-eighth inch strips, and back coated (on the non-pile side of the knit base material) with a stabilized coating composition such as a clear acrylic polymer. The coating composition which is coated onto the non-pile side of the knit base material is then processed, typically by heat, to stabilize the coated, extended knitted pile segment. The heating operation dries and bonds the coating composition to the knit base material, producing a fabric which is essentially lint-free. 
     The coated, extended knitted pile segment can then be subjected to a shearing operation to achieve a uniform pile length, with the sheared fibers being removed by vacuum, electrostatically, or by any other known removal technique. The pile density, the nap length, and the stiffness of the fibers are varied based upon custom specifications and the particular characteristics of the paint roller cover that are desired. 
     The sheared, coated, extended knitted pile segment is then slit into a plurality of two and seven-eighths inch wide knitted pile fabric strips, of which there are typically twenty for a sixty inch wide fabric segment. Following this slitting operation, the strips must be vacuumed to remove stray fibers and lint. The knitted pile fabric strips are rolled onto a core to produce twenty rolls of knitted pile fabric strips, each of which is thirty to fifty yards long. These rolls of knitted pile fabric strips may then be shipped to a paint roller cover manufacturer. Alternately, a plurality of standard lengths of the fabric may be seamed together to produce an extended length fabric strip which may be helically wound in consecutive rows upon a core as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,779, U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,121, U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,131, U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,552, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,203, all to Jelinek et al., all of which patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     Both the standard length rolls of knitted pile fabric strips and the rolls of extended length knitted pile fabric strips have substantial material costs and labor costs that are incurred in the manufacturing process after the circular knitting process. The material costs include the cost of the coating material, losses due to fly (fly are extra fibers that come loose from the knitted pile fabric), losses during the cutting of the sixty inch wide fabric segment into twenty knitted pile fabric strips, and seam losses throughout the operation. The labor costs include the costs to perform the coating process, the brushing, the second pass shearing, and all of the finishing steps within the traditional sliver knit operation including slitting and continuously coiling the fabric slits. 
     Paint roller covers are manufactured by using a hollow cylindrical core made of cardboard or thermoplastic material which has the knitted pile fabric strip helically wound around the core. During the manufacture of paint roller covers, the knitted pile fabric strips are secured to the core either by using adhesive or epoxy, or by thermally bonding the knitted pile fabric strip in place on a thermoplastic core. For examples of these manufacturing processes see U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,975, to Garcia (the “&#39;975 patent”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,790, to Sekar (the “&#39;790 patent”), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,320, to Tams et al. (the “&#39;320 patent”), each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     The &#39;975 patent uses a core that is cut from preformed thermoplastic (e.g., polypropylene) tubular stock. The core is mounted on a rotating spindle, and a movable carriage mounted at an angle to the spindle feeds a continuous strip of knitted pile fabric onto the core, with the carriage moving parallel to the spindle in timed relation to its rotation so that the knitted pile fabric strip is wound on the plastic core in a tight helix. Also mounted to the movable carriage is a heat source for heat softening the thermoplastic core just in advance of the point where the knitted pile fabric strip is applied to the thermoplastic core, such that the knitted pile fabric is heat bonded to the thermoplastic core as it is wound thereon. The bond formed between the knitted pile fabric and the thermoplastic core is a strong one not subject to separation from exposure to paint solvents. 
     The &#39;790 patent uses a core that is formed from a strip (or multiple strips) of thermoplastic material that is (are) helically wound about a stationary mandrill. Alternately, the core may be formed by applying liquefied thermoplastic material to a drive belt which transfers the thermoplastic material to the mandrill. A layer of adhesive is then applied to the outer surface of the core, and the knitted pile fabric strip is applied to the core by helically winding the knitted pile fabric strip onto the core. Alternately, the paint roller cover may instead be made by bonding, in a single step, a knitted pile fabric strip to a wound strip of thermoplastic material that is wrapped about the mandrill. 
     The &#39;320 patent extrudes a cylindrical plastic core through a rotating extruder head that is cooled, with the outer surface of the core then being plasma treated. The knitted pile fabric strip is secured onto the plasma treated outer surface of the core by extruding thin films of first and second epoxy resin subcomponents onto the outer surface of the core as it is extruded, cooled, and plasma treated in a continuous process. 
     Other variations are also known, particularly in technologies relating to manufacturing pile fabric suitable for use on paint roller covers. For example, instead of using knitted pile fabric, woven pile fabric can be substituted. Woven pile fabric consists of three yarns—a knit base material or warp yarn, a filling or weft yarn, and a pile yarn. The threads of warp yarn are held taut and in a parallel array on a loom, and the threads of weft yarn are woven across the threads of warp yarn in an over/under sequence orthogonal to the threads of warp yarn, with threads of pile yarn being woven into the weave of warp and weft yarns such that the threads of pile yarn extend essentially perpendicularly from one side of the fabric. Such woven pile fabric may be processed in a manner similar to that described above with regard to the processing of knitted pile segments of fabric to produce strips of woven pile fabric that can be helically wound onto paint roller cover cores. 
     However, all paint roller covers manufactured using the methods described above have a seam. As the strips of fabric are helically wound around the cores, the fabric strips wrap contiguously around the core, thereby creating a helical seam that is located throughout the cover. The seam inevitably produces a less than optimal paint roller cover since a seam can interfere with the uniform application of paint from the paint roller cover. The helical winding process of manufacturing a paint roller cover requires careful attention to contiguous winding. Errors resulting in overlapped fabric or gaps in the contiguous winding process often occur, resulting in increased scrap or marketing poor quality covers. Such seams have the potential, particularly with short nap paint roller covers, to produce a seam mark or stippling effect on the surface being painted, particularly if the paint being applied combines with the seams to produce a more pronounced defective characteristic in the surface being painted. 
     An examination of prior technology in the paint roller cover arts reveals that this problem has been recognized in the past, with several solutions that have been proposed to deal with the challenge presented by the presence of seams in paint roller covers. The first of these, U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,955, to Barnes et al., which patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a paint roller cover made from a segment of canvas tubing that has yarn loops sewn therethrough, with the ends of the loops on the outside of the segment of the canvas tubing being cut. This approach is certainly far too expensive to represent a viable solution, and would not compare well to currently commercially available paint roller covers in the quality of the paint coat that could be applied. 
     Another approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,372, U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,588, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,867, all to Sannipoli et al., which patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference, which patents are related and disclose the use of a tubular knitted pile fabric manufactured on an apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,849,466, to Moore, which patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The apparatus disclosed in Moore, which is hand operated, was stated in the Sannipoli et al. patents to be capable of manufacturing a seamless tubular knitted sleeve in which the pile is located on the interior of the sleeve, thereby requiring that the sleeve be inverted prior to mounting it on a core to form a paint roller cover. As such, the apparatus disclosed in Moore is incapable of manufacturing a knitted sleeve in which the pile is located on the exterior of the sleeve. 
     The Sannipoli et al. patents invert the tubular knitted sleeve by positioning it within a hollow tube and pulling one end of the tubular knitted sleeve around the end of the tube and pushing successive portions of the tubular knitted sleeve along the outside of the tube. When the fabric is inverted, the material of the fabric is deformed due to stretching that occurs during the process of inverting the tubular knitted sleeve. This deformation tends to increase the diameter of the tubular knitted sleeve, thus requiring it to be stretched lengthwise to restore it to its former diameter. Not only is this process difficult and expensive, but it also results in variable density of the fabric as well as introducing the prospect of adhesive or thermoplastic bleed-through within the stitches. Such problems will result in unacceptable product quality in paint roller covers made from this type of fabric. 
     It has been determined that the Sannipoli et al. method has three drawbacks that make it impracticable. The first drawback of the Sannipoli et al. method is that it requires a high degree of manual operation in that it requires cutting of the tubular knitted sleeves to size and placement of the tubular knitted sleeves into the tubes of the inverting machine. The second drawback of the Sannipoli et al. method is that only relatively short length tubular knitted sleeves representing a single paint roller cover (typically nine inches) can be processed at a time, which makes the method inherently unsuitable for mass production. 
     The third, and by far the most serious, drawback of the Sannipoli et al. method is that the process of inverting the tubular knitted sleeves inevitably results in stretching the tubular knitted sleeves so that they will not snugly fit on the paint roller cover cores, potentially creating creases in a high percentage of them when they are adhesively secured to the paint roller cover cores. This results in an unacceptably high percentage of them being defective and necessitating them being scrapped, resulting in an unacceptably high scrap cost. Predictably, the method taught in the Sannipoli et al. patents has never found commercial acceptance due to these serious disadvantages. 
     The above-incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/740,119 discloses a tubular knitted pile fabric which is manufactured with the pile side facing outwardly rather than inwardly and with a diameter suitable for mounting on a paint roller cover core in a seamless manner. While the tubular knitted pile fabric in this patent application is disclosed as being for installation onto a core member, the method used to install the tubular knitted pile fabric onto the outer surface of the core member is not disclosed. As such, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the prior art does not teach or suggest any method by which a tubular pile fabric may be installed onto a core member having an adhesive outer surface. 
     It is accordingly apparent that it is desirable to provide a method by which a tubular pile fabric may be installed onto the outer surface of a core member. It is highly desirable that the installation method permanently secure the tubular pile fabric to the core member in a manner whereby the tubular pile fabric closely conforms to the outer surface of the core member. In order to facilitate the mass manufacture of paint roller covers, it is also desirable that the method facilitate the installation of an extended length segment of the tubular pile fabric onto an extended length core member, which can be cut into segments of any desired size after the installation of the tubular pile fabric onto the core member. 
     It is desirable that the tubular pile fabric, which is manufactured with the pile side out, need not be inverted during the process of installing it onto the core member. It is further desirable that the knitted pile fabric need not be excessively stretched during its installation onto the core member to ensure that when the tubular pile fabric is secured to the core member it will not have any wrinkles or other surface defects therein. It is also desirable that any of a wide variety of different technologies can be used both to manufacture the core member and to secure the knitted pile fabric to the core member. 
     The method used to install the tubular pile fabric onto the outer surface of a core member must result in a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which, when installed, should yield a paint roller cover of superior quality in which the fabric is permanently fixed to the paint roller cover core. In order to enhance the market appeal of the method of the present invention, it should also minimize the cost of manufacture of paint roller covers when compared to conventional methods of manufacturing paint roller covers to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also desirable that all of the aforesaid advantages and aspirations of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, a method of manufacturing paint roller covers is provided which installs a tubular knitted pile fabric segment onto a core member. The method can be used either to manufacture a single paint roller cover at a time (single paint roller cover length is typically seven or nine inches (one hundred seventy-eight millimeters or two hundred twenty-nine millimeters, respectively)), or, preferably, to manufacture a pile fabric covered core assembly that can be cut into a plurality of the unfinished paint roller covers which are then finished (such as sixty-four inches (one thousand six hundred twenty-five millimeters), which may be cut to produce seven nine inch paint roller covers or nine seven inch paint roller covers) The tubular knitted pile fabric segment is provided with its pile side out in a size in which its interior diameter is approximately the same size as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of a core member onto which it is to be installed (paint roller cover cores typically have an inner diameter of approximately one and one-half inches (thirty-eight millimeters) and an outer diameter of approximately one and five-eighths inches (forty-one millimeters) to one and three-quarters inches (forty-four millimeters)). 
     The tubular knitted pile fabric segment is provided in the desired length and is installed onto the outside of a hollow mounting tube having an inner diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the core member. In placing the tubular knitted pile fabric onto the mounting tube, it is typically stretched, but it is sufficiently resilient to shrink back to a size that is approximately the same as its original size. 
     The core member may be made according to any of a variety of ways, including being molded out of a thermoplastic material or manufactured out of a cardboard material, being made from helically wound strip(s) of thermoplastic material that is (are) formed around a mandrill, or being extruded from an extruder having a rotating extruder head and cooled. An adhesive bonding layer is provided on the outside of the core member. The adhesive bonding layer may be provided by the application of an adhesive or an epoxy (if epoxy is used, the outer surface of the core member is preferably plasma treated prior to application of the epoxy) to the outer surface of the core member, or by heating the outer surface of the core member to partially melt the outer surface thereof. 
     The core member with the adhesive bonding layer disposed on the outer surface thereof is then inserted into the interior of the mounting tube. It will be appreciated that the inner diameter of the mounting tube is sufficiently large so that when the core member with the adhesive bonding layer disposed on the outer surface thereof is inserted into the mounting tube the adhesive bonding layer will not come into contact with the interior of the mounting tube. 
     The mounting tube is then withdrawn from the tubular knitted pile fabric segment while maintaining the tubular knitted pile fabric segment and the core member stationary with respect to each other. As the mounting tube is withdrawn from the tubular knitted pile fabric segment, the tubular knitted pile fabric segment shrinks to conform to the adhesive bonding layer-coated outer surface of the core member, thereby forming a pile fabric covered core assembly. Thus, the tubular knitted pile fabric segment becomes secured to the outer surface of the core member by the adhesive bonding layer. 
     The pile fabric covered core assembly is finished by cutting it into a plurality of unfinished paint roller covers which may then be finished. The pile fabric is combed and sheared to the desired length, either before cutting the pile fabric covered core assembly or after cutting it into the unfinished paint roller covers. Finally, the edges of the unfinished paint roller covers are beveled, and any loose sliver fibers are then vacuumed off. The finishing of the pile fabric covered core assembly may be performed using the MBK Maschinenbau GmbH paint roller cover finishing machine, an Edward Jackson (Engineer) Limited finishing machine, or other equipment custom built by individual paint roller cover manufacturers. 
     It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches a method by which a tubular pile fabric may be installed onto the outer surface of a core member. The paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention permanently secures the tubular pile fabric to the core member in a manner whereby the tubular pile fabric closely conforms to the outer surface of the core member. In order to facilitate the mass manufacture of paint roller covers, the paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention facilitates the installation of an extended length segment of the tubular pile fabric onto an extended length core member, which can be cut into segments of any desired size after the installation of the tubular pile fabric onto the core member. 
     The tubular pile fabric, which is manufactured with the pile side out, need not be inverted during the process of installing it onto the core member. Further, the knitted pile fabric need not be excessively stretched during its installation onto the core member, thereby ensuring that when the knitted pile fabric is secured to the core member it will not have any wrinkles or other surface defects therein. Additionally, any of a wide variety of different technologies can be used both to manufacture the core member and to secure the knitted pile fabric to the core member. 
     The method used to install the tubular pile fabric onto the outer surface of a core member results in a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which, when installed, yields a paint roller cover of superior quality in which the fabric is permanently fixed to the paint roller cover core. The method of the present invention minimizes the cost of manufacture of paint roller covers when compared to conventional methods of manufacturing paint roller covers to thereby enhance its market appeal and afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and aspirations of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic isometric depiction showing a segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric having an end thereof located adjacent to an end of a thin, hollow, longitudinally moveable mounting tube; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric shown in  FIG. 1  as it is being pulled onto the outer surface of the mounting tube shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  located on the outer surface of the mounting tube shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of the mounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric thereupon shown in  FIG. 3  located adjacent to a hollow, cylindrical plastic core that is having its outer surface plasma treated and epoxy coated to produce an adhesive outer surface on the core; 
         FIG. 4B  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of the mounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric thereupon shown in  FIG. 3  located adjacent to a hollow, cylindrical thermoplastic core that is having its outer surface softened by a heater to produce an adhesive outer surface on the core; 
         FIG. 4C  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of the mounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric thereupon shown in  FIG. 3  located adjacent to a hollow, cylindrical core that is being formed on a mandrill from a helically-wound strip of thermoplastic material that subsequently has a liquid thermoplastic material or glue coated onto its outer surface to produce an adhesive outer surface on the core; 
         FIG. 4D  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the segment of the mounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric thereupon shown in  FIG. 3  located adjacent to a hollow, cylindrical core that is being formed by an extruder having a rotating head, with the core subsequently having its outer surface plasma treated and epoxy coated to produce an adhesive outer surface on the core; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic isometric depiction showing any one of the cores with an adhesive outer surface shown in  FIG. 4A ,  4 B,  4 C, or  4 D mounted onto a support shaft and inserted substantially into the interior of the mounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric located thereupon as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4A ,  4 B,  4 C, or  4 D; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional depiction of the mounting tube with the tubular paint roller cover fabric located thereupon and the core with an adhesive outer surface located therein as shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic isometric depiction of the elements shown in  FIG. 5 , showing an end of the tubular paint roller cover fabric being pulled off of the outer surface of the mounting tube and onto the adhesive outer surface of the core as the core begins to be withdrawn from the interior of the mounting tube; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic isometric depiction of the elements shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , with the core continuing to be withdrawn from the outer surface of the mounting tube as the tubular paint roller cover fabric continues to be pulled off of the outer surface of the mounting tube and onto the adhesive outer surface of the core; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the tubular paint roller cover fabric and the core shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  7 , and  8 , with the tubular paint roller cover fabric now covering and adhesively secured to substantially the entire outer surface of the core; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional depiction of the tubular paint roller cover fabric-covered core shown in  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic isometric depiction showing the tubular paint roller cover fabric-covered core being cut into paint roller cover-size core member segments; and 
         FIG. 12  is a flow diagram showing the manufacturing of a paint roller cover that is made according to the teachings of the present invention, with a number of the steps being those illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     An exemplary embodiment is discussed herein, it being understood that one skilled in the art could make any of a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the exemplary embodiment as described herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The exemplary embodiment utilizes the tubular knitted pile fabric disclosed in the above-incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/740,119, which discloses the tubular knitted pile fabric manufactured with the pile side facing outwardly and with a diameter suitable for mounting on a paint roller cover core. The exemplary embodiment taught herein discloses how the tubular knitted pile fabric is installed and affixed onto a core, following which the tubular knitted pile fabric-covered core may be cut into multiple paint roller-cover size core member segments which are subsequently finished in conventional fashion. 
     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a segment of tubular knitted pile fabric  30  having a first end  32  and a second end  34  is shown as it is about to be pulled onto the exterior surface of a thin, hollow, longitudinally moveable mounting tube  36  having a first end  38  and a second end  40 . The tubular knitted pile fabric  30  has an inner diameter that is approximately the same size as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of a paint roller cover core (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) upon which it will ultimately be installed, which outer diameter is typically approximately one and five-eighths inches (forty-one millimeters) to one and three-quarters inches (forty-four millimeters) (the inner diameter of a paint roller cover core is approximately one and one-half inches (thirty-eight millimeters)). 
     For purposes of the example discussed herein, it will be assumed that the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is approximately sixty-four inches (one thousand six hundred twenty-five millimeters) long, which is a sufficient length to allow the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  to be used for the manufacture of seven nine-inch long paint roller covers. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  could alternately be sized for use in manufacturing a single paint roller cover (nine-inches long or any other desired length as well), or for manufacturing any of several different numbers of paint roller covers of any of several different lengths. 
     Also for purposes of the example discussed herein, it will be assumed that the outer diameter of the paint roller cover core (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) is approximately one and five-eighths inches (forty-one millimeters) and that the inner diameter of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is approximately one and one-half inches (thirty-eight millimeters). Since the inner diameter of the mounting tube  36  needs to be sufficiently large to admit the paint roller cover core (which will have an adhesive bonding material disposed on the outer surface thereof as will become evident below in conjunction with the discussion of  FIGS. 4 through 10 ), for purposes of the example discussed herein, it will be assumed that the inner diameter of the mounting tube  36  is approximately one and seven-eighths inches (forty-eight millimeters) and the outer diameter of the mounting tube  36  is approximately two inches (fifty-one millimeters). For the sixty-four inch long tubular knitted pile fabric  30 , it will be appreciated that the mounting tube  36  will need to be sufficiently long to accommodate this length of tubular knitted pile fabric  30  (or any other desired length). 
     It may be seen that the mounting tube  36  is shown as being supported by a schematically-depicted support apparatus  42  which is supported for longitudinal movement on a support track  44 . The mounting tube  36  is supported by the support apparatus  42  in a parallel, spaced away relationship with the support track  44 , with the mounting tube  36  being moveable in a direction coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the mounting tube  36 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is shown with its first end  32  about to be pulled over the first end  38  of the mounting tube  36  of the mounting tube  36 . Since the inner diameter of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  in the example presented herein is smaller than the outer diameter of the mounting tube  36  in the example presented herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  will be stretched as it is pulled onto the outside of the mounting tube  36 .  FIG. 2  shows the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  partly pulled onto the mounting tube  36 , and  FIG. 3  shows the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  fully pulled onto the mounting tube  36 , with the first end  32  of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  located adjacent to the second end  40  of the mounting tube  36 , and with the second end  34  of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  located close adjacent to the first end  38  of the mounting tube  36 . 
     Since the outer diameter of the mounting tube  36  is larger than the inner diameter of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  must be manufactured in a manner whereby it is capable of stretching when it is pulled onto the mounting tube  36 , and subsequently resiliently shrinking to its former size (or close thereto) when the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is removed from the mounting tube  36  and installed onto a paint roller cover core (not shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3 ). Alternately, the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  could also be manufactured from a material that is capable of being shrunk onto a paint roller cover core, for example through the application of heat to the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  after it has been so installed. The tubular knitted pile fabric  30  taught in the above-incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/740,119 is resilient when stretched and will shrink to fit the outer diameter of a paint roller cover core. 
       FIGS. 4A through 4D  schematically illustrate four different methods of providing for the affixing the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto paint roller cover cores, each of which methods will use a common method for installing the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto an extended length segment of paint roller cover core material (which will be discussed below in conjunction with  FIGS. 5 through 10 ). In each of these four methods shown in  FIGS. 4A through 4D , an extended length segment of paint roller cover core material will be provided with an adhesive bonding material disposed on the outer surface thereof. Both the methods by which the extended length segment of paint roller cover core material are provided and the methods by which the extended length segment of paint roller cover core material is provided with an adhesive bonding material disposed on the outer surface thereof are varied in  FIGS. 4A through 4D . 
     Referring first to  FIG. 4A , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is to be affixed onto a length of plastic tubular core stock  50  having a first end  52  and a second end  54  using an adhesive such as an epoxy. The plastic tubular core stock  50  may be made of polypropylene or any other suitable material having the desired characteristics (including, for example, a paper or cardboard core), and is shown as being removably mounted onto a core support member  52  which is schematically illustrated as being in a fixed position to support the plastic tubular core stock  50  in coaxial alignment with the mounting tube  36 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the external surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50  is treated with high voltage electrical plasma by a surface treater  58  in order to cause the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50  to attract and accommodate adhesive. (It should be noted that if a paper or cardboard core is used instead of plastic, treatment by the surface treater  58  will not be required.) A thin layer of epoxy  60  or some other suitable adhesive is applied to the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50  by an epoxy extrusion unit  62  or any other suitable mechanism. The epoxy  60  may be, for example, any of the adhesive resins sold under the trademarks MASTERGRIP 5200, 5300, or 5408, which are available from Fielco Industries of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. 
     In this manner, the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50  will be coated with the epoxy  60  such that when the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is placed upon the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  of the plastic tubular core stock  50 , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  will become adhesively secured onto the plastic tubular core stock  50 . Thus, the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  will become an integral unitary extended length paint roller cover assembly. The epoxy  60  will also act to retain the pile fibers on the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 4B , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is to be affixed onto a length of plastic tubular core stock  70  having a first end  72  and a second end  74  using a heat fusing technique rather than an adhesive. The plastic tubular core stock  70  may be made of polypropylene or any other suitable thermoplastic material having the desired heat-bonding characteristics, and is shown as being removably mounted onto a core support member  76 , which, like the core support member  56  in  FIG. 4A , is schematically illustrated as being in a fixed position to support the plastic tubular core stock  70  in coaxial alignment with the mounting tube  36 . 
     A heat source  78  is positioned to soften the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  70  before the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is mounted on the plastic tubular core stock  70 , with the heat-softened outer surface  80  being ready to receive the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . The heat source  78  may be more elongated in the direction of the axis of the plastic tubular core stock  70  than is schematically shown in  FIG. 4B , and may, for example, consist of a manifold-like structure for directing a series of flame jets against the surface of the plastic tubular core stock  70 . Any suitable fuel may be used, such as, for example, natural gas. Alternatively, the heat source  78  may use an electrical, optical, or other type of energy source. 
     In this manner, the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  70  will be heat-softened to the point that when the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is placed upon the heat-softened outer surface  80  of the plastic tubular core stock  70 , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  will in effect fused onto the plastic tubular core stock  70 . Thus, the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  70  will become an integral unitary extended length paint roller cover assembly. The heat fusing will also act to retain the pile fibers on the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4C , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is to be affixed onto a length of plastic tubular core stock  90  having a first end  92  and a second end  94  that is manufactured by helically winding one or more strips of thermoplastic material  96  about a rotating mandrill  98 , which, like the core support member  56  in  FIG. 4A , is schematically illustrated as being in a fixed location to support the plastic tubular core stock  90  in coaxial alignment with the mounting tube  36 . The strip(s) of thermoplastic material  96  may be made of polypropylene or any suitable thermoplastic material having the desired characteristics. The strip(s) of thermoplastic material  96  are wound together in an overlapping relation about the mandrill  98  to form the plastic tubular core stock  90 . 
     The strip of thermoplastic material  96  used to make the plastic tubular core stock  90  may be bonded together by a thermoplastic material, again preferably polypropylene, that is applied to the strip of thermoplastic material  96  in liquid form, for example by sufficiently heating polypropylene to liquefy it, and then feeding it to the strips. The strip(s) of thermoplastic material  96  are rapidly bonded together to form the plastic tubular core stock  90  as the liquid polypropylene cools and sets. Alternately, liquefied thermoplastic may be applied to a belt (not shown herein) that transfers the rapid setting liquefied thermoplastic to the mandrill  98 . 
     After the plastic tubular core stock  90  is formed, an adhesive  100 , which may, for example, be a liquid thermoplastic material such as liquid polypropylene, may be applied to the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  90  by an applicator  102 . In this manner, the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  90  will be coated with the adhesive  100  such that when the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is placed upon the adhesive-coated outer surface  104  of the plastic tubular core stock  90  (which may be performed by stopping rotation of the plastic tubular core stock  90  while the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is placed onto the plastic tubular core stock  90 ), the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  will be bonded onto the plastic tubular core stock  90  by the adhesive  100 . The adhesive  100  will also act to retain the pile fibers on the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 4D , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is to be affixed onto a length of plastic tubular core stock  110  having a first end  112  and a second end  114  which is extruded through a rotating extruder head  116  on an extruder  118 . The extruder  118  receives a plastic resin, which may be polypropylene or any other suitable thermoplastic material having the desired characteristics. The plastic resin melts and is extruded through the rotating extruder head  116  into the plastic tubular core stock  110 , that rotates and moves forward at a constant velocity. The plastic tubular core stock  110  enters a vacuum sizing and cooling tank  120  where a vacuum is applied to the exterior of the plastic tubular core stock  110  along with chilled water spray that cools the plastic tubular core stock  110  down to a point at which full stability is achieved in the plastic material it is made of. 
     The plastic tubular core stock  110  is shown as being removably attached to a successive plastic tubular core stock  122  extending from the rotating extruder head  116  of the extruder  118 , which supports the plastic tubular core stock  110  in coaxial alignment with the mounting tube  36 . In the preferred embodiment, the external surface of the plastic tubular core stock  110  is treated with high voltage electrical plasma by a surface treater  124  in order to cause the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  110  to attract and accommodate adhesive. A thin layer of epoxy  126  or some other suitable adhesive is applied to the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  110  by an epoxy extrusion unit  128 . The epoxy  126  may be, for example, the adhesive resins sold under the trademarks MASTERGRIP 5200, 5300, or 5408, which are available from Fielco Industries of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. 
     In this manner, the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  110  will be coated with the epoxy  126  such that when the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is placed upon the epoxy-coated outer surface  130  of the plastic tubular core stock  110  (which may be performed by stopping rotation of the plastic tubular core stock  110  while the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is placed onto the plastic tubular core stock  110 ), the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  will become adhesively secured onto the plastic tubular core stock  110 . Thus, the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  110  will become an integral unitary extended length paint roller cover assembly. The epoxy  126  also acts to retain the pile fibers on the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . Following installation of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto the plastic tubular core stock  110 , it may be cut by the cutting blade  132  and removed from the successive plastic tubular core stock  122 . 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 5 through 10 , the continuation of the process of installing and affixing the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  of the plastic tubular core stock  50  is shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the process shown in  FIGS. 5 through 10  for the installation of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  of the plastic tubular core stock  50  is identical in all respects to the installation of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto each of the heat-softened outer surface  80  of the plastic tubular core stock  70  (shown in  FIG. 4B ), the adhesive-coated outer surface  104  of the plastic tubular core stock  90  (shown in  FIG. 4C ), and the epoxy-coated outer surface  130  of the plastic tubular core stock  110  (shown in  FIG. 4D ). 
     In the position shown in  FIG. 4A , the first end  52  of the plastic tubular core stock  50  coated with the epoxy  60  is about to be inserted into the interior of the first end  38  of the mounting tube  36 . In the rightmost of the two positions (in which it is shown entirely in dotted lines in  FIG. 5 ), the first end  52  of the plastic tubular core stock  50  coated with the epoxy  60  is shown inserted approximately one-third of the way into the interior of the mounting tube  36  from the first end  38  thereof. Finally, in the leftmost of the two positions shown partially in solid lines in  FIG. 5 , the first end  52  of the plastic tubular core stock  50  coated with the epoxy  60  is shown inserted into the interior of the mounting tube  36  near to the second end  40  of the mounting tube  36  such that the portion of the plastic tubular core stock  50  having the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  is fully or nearly fully within the mounting tube  36 . 
     Referring for the moment to  FIG. 6 , it may be seen that the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  of the plastic tubular core stock  50  is spaced away from the interior of the mounting tube  36 , such that the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  does not touch the mounting tube  36 . This is important to ensure that the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  does not come into contact with the inside of the mounting tube  36  whereby it could deposit adhesive material on the inside of the mounting tube  36 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the clearances must be very fine to keep the outer diameter of the mounting tube  36  as small as possible to avoid unduly stretching the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  which is stretched to place it on the outside of the mounting tube  36 . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 7 , the process of installing the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  onto the plastic tubular core stock  50  is initiated by withdrawing the mounting tube  36  from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  while maintaining the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  stationary with respect to each other. Those skilled in the art will immediately understand that this can done in one of two ways: first, by moving the mounting tube  36  to withdraw it from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  while maintaining the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  stationary; or second, by simultaneously moving the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  together away from the mounting tube  36  while maintaining the mounting tube  36  stationary. (It would also be possible to move the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  together away from the mounting tube  36  while simultaneously moving the mounting tube  36  away from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50 .) 
     The method shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  uses the easiest of these alternative methods, namely longitudinally moving the mounting tube  36  to withdraw it from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  while maintaining both the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  stationary. The tubular knitted pile fabric  30  may, for example, be maintained in place with respect to the plastic tubular core stock  50  through the use of several clamp carriers  140  that grip the second end  34  of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  to assist in pulling the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  off of the mounting tube  36 . Each of the clamp carriers  140  may include an L-shaped member  142  and a C-shaped member  144  which are used to engage the second end  34  of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . 
     The base of the “L” of the L-shaped member  142  is slipped under the second end  34  of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  such that it engages the inside of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  at the second end  34  thereof. The base of the “C” of the C-shaped member  144  then engages the outside of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  at the second end  34  thereof at a the same location as the base of the “L” of the L-shaped member  142 . The L-shaped member  142  and the C-shaped member  144  are then manipulated to pinch the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  at the second end  34  thereof therebetween and thus retain the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  in the clamp carriers  140  to enable the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  to be manipulated by the clamp carrier  140 . 
     Thus, in  FIG. 7 , it may be seen that the clamp carriers  140  have engaged the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  at the second end  34  thereof. In the example shown herein, the core support member  56  will maintain the plastic tubular core stock  50  in a stationary position, and the clamp carriers  140  will maintain the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  in a longitudinally stationary position as the mounting tube  36  is withdrawn from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , it may be seen that the mounting tube  36  is about two-thirds of the way removed from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 . It may also be seen that as the mounting tube  36  is removed from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  shrinks to conform to the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 , causing the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  to contact the epoxy-coated outer surface  64  (shown in  FIG. 4A ) and be retained thereby on the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 9 , as the process continues, the mounting tube  36  is completely withdrawn from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 , causing the entire length of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  to conform to the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 . At this point, the clamp carriers  140  are also removed from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30 , resulting in the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  shown in  FIG. 9 . The tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is permanently retained by the epoxy-coated outer surface  64 , as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     The pile fabric covered core assembly  150  shown in  FIG. 9  is the result irrespective of which of the versions shown in  FIGS. 4A through 4D  are used. In the exemplary embodiment, the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  is approximately sixty-four inches long, and it can be cut into paint roller cover segments of any desired size. Referring next to  FIG. 11 , eight cutting blades  160 ,  162 ,  164 ,  166 ,  168 ,  170 ,  172 , and  174  are schematically shown (although a single cutting blade that moves in position with respect to the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  may be used instead) to cut the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  into seven nine inch long unfinished paint roller covers  176 , with two short end pieces  178  being discarded. Alternatively, dual cutting blades mounted at angles can be used to simultaneously cut and bevel the edges of paint roller cover segments. 
     Finishing the unfinished paint roller covers  176  will include the steps of combing the pile of the knitted pile fabric on the unfinished paint roller covers  176  and shearing it to the desired length. It should be noted that these finishing steps could instead occur before cutting the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  to segments of the desired length. Finally, the edges of the unfinished paint roller covers  176  are beveled, and any loose fibers are vacuumed off. 
     The entire paint roller cover manufacturing method is shown in a flow chart in  FIG. 12 . The paint roller cover manufacturing operation starts in a cut fabric sleeve to length step  180  in which a potentially very long segment of tubular knitted pile fabric is cut into the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). The process next moves to a slide fabric sleeve onto mounting tube step  182  in which the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  is pulled onto the mounting tube  36  (as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3 ). 
     Next, the process moves to a provide adhesive bonding layer step  184  in which an adhesive bonding layer is provided on the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 . This may be done in any of several different manners, including the four that correspond with  FIGS. 4A through 4D . A first manner is in a plasma treat core and apply epoxy thereto step  184 A, which corresponds to the process shown in  FIG. 4A  in which the external surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50  is treated with high voltage electrical plasma by a surface treater  58  and has a thin layer of epoxy  60  applied thereto by an epoxy extrusion unit  62 . 
     A second manner is in a soften outer surface by applying heat step  184 B, which corresponds to the process shown in  FIG. 4B  in which a heat source  78  is used to soften the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  70 . A third manner is in an apply glue to helically-wound strip formed core step  184 C, which corresponds to the process shown in  FIG. 4C  in which plastic tubular core stock  90  is manufactured by helically winding a strip of thermoplastic material  96  about a rotating mandrill  98  and the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  90  is coated with the adhesive  100 . A fourth manner is in a plasma treat extruded core and apply epoxy thereto step  184 D, which corresponds to the process shown in  FIG. 4D  in which plastic tubular core stock  110  is extruded through a rotating extruder head  116  on an extruder  118 , processed by the vacuum sizing and cooling tank  120 , and has its external surface treated with high voltage electrical plasma by a surface treater  124  and has a thin layer of epoxy  126  applied thereto by an epoxy extrusion unit  128 . 
     Following the provide adhesive bonding layer step  184 , the process then moves to an insert core member into mounting tube step  186  (as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) in which the plastic tubular core stock  50 ,  70 ,  90  or  110  having the epoxy-coated outer surface  64 , the heat-softened outer surface  80 , the adhesive-coated outer surface  104 , or the epoxy-coated outer surface  130 , respectively, is inserted into the interior of the mounting tube  36 , which has the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  located thereupon. 
     The process next moves to a withdraw mounting tube from fabric sleeve and core member step  188  (shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 ) in which the mounting tube  36  is withdrawn from the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  while maintaining the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the plastic tubular core stock  50  stationary with respect to each other. This results in the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  shrinking to conform to the adhesive bonding layer-coated outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 ,  70 ,  90  or  110 , thereby creating the pile fabric covered core assembly  150 . 
     Optionally, a rolling to secure fabric to core member step  190  can then be used to use rollers or the like (not shown herein) to apply pressure onto the outside of the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  to enhance the bond created by the adhesive bonding layer between the interior of the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  and the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 ,  70 ,  90  or  110 . 
     With or without the rolling to secure fabric to core member step  190 , once the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  has been installed onto the plastic tubular core stock  50 ,  70 ,  90  or  110 , the tubular knitted pile fabric  30  becomes secured to the outer surface of the plastic tubular core stock  50 ,  70 ,  90  or  110  in a fabric sleeve becomes secured to core member step  192  (as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 ). 
     Next, in a cut fabric-covered core member to desired lengths step  194 , the pile fabric covered core assembly  150  is cut into a plurality of unfinished paint roller covers  176  of any desired size (as shown in  FIG. 11 ). The unfinished paint roller covers  176  may then have the fabric pile thereupon combed and sheared to a desired length in a comb and shear fabric pile step  196 . It should be noted that the comb and shear fabric pile step  196  may instead be performed before the cut fabric-covered core member to desired lengths step  194 . 
     Next, in a bevel edges of paint roller covers step  198 , the edges of the unfinished paint roller covers  176  are beveled to finish them. Finally, in a vacuum paint roller covers step  200 , loose fibers are vacuumed off the unfinished paint roller covers  176 , finishing them into paint roller covers which may then be packaged and sold. 
     It may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention that it teaches a method by which a tubular pile fabric may be installed onto the outer surface of a core member. The paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention permanently secures the tubular pile fabric to the core member in a manner whereby the tubular pile fabric closely conforms to the outer surface of the core member. In order to facilitate the mass manufacture of paint roller covers, the paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention facilitates the installation of an extended length segment of the tubular pile fabric onto an extended length core member, which can be cut into segments of any desired size after the installation of the tubular pile fabric onto the core member. 
     The tubular pile fabric, which is manufactured with the pile side out, need not be inverted during the process of installing it onto the core member. Further, the knitted pile fabric need not be excessively stretched during its installation onto the core member, thereby ensuring that when the knitted pile fabric is secured to the core member it will not have any wrinkles or other surface defects therein. Additionally, any of a wide variety of different technologies can be used both to manufacture the core member and to secure the knitted pile fabric to the core member. 
     The method used to install the tubular pile fabric onto the outer surface of a core member results in a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which, when installed, yields a paint roller cover of superior quality in which the fabric is permanently fixed to the paint roller cover core. The method of the present invention minimizes the cost of manufacture of paint roller covers when compared to conventional methods of manufacturing paint roller covers to thereby enhance its market appeal and afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and aspirations of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage. 
     Although the foregoing description of the paint roller cover manufacturing method of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.