Patent Publication Number: US-2011070790-A1

Title: Structure of Spacer Fabric Surface Layer and Reinforced Knitting Method of Producing the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a structure of spacer fabric surface layer and a reinforced knitting method of producing the structure, which comprises a middle support layer having a yarn lapped with an extending segment of a surface mesh layer to reinforce the surface mesh layer. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B  for a conventional spacer fabric which comprises a bottom layer  11 , a middle layer  12  and a surface layer  13 , wherein the surface layer  13  forms in meshes or polyhedral meshes; each mesh or polyhedral mesh comprises a main segment  131  and an extending segment  132 ; the main segment  131  is formed by lapping two loop strings to knit the surface layer  13  into meshes, while the extending segment  132  only comprises one single loop string, and the loop string is formed by stringing a plurality of loops; when the middle layer  12  moves up and down between the bottom layer  11  and the surface layer  13 , one end of the middle layer  12  connects with the main segment  131  and the extending segment  132  of the surface layer  13 , while the other end connects with bottom layer  11  to form the spacer fabric with a sandwiched structure. However, the extending segment  132  of the surface layer  13  only comprises one single loop string and cannot provide enough strength to the structure; besides, the extending segment  132  is supported by the middle layer  12 , so when the surface layer  13  is rubbed, the main segment  131  and the extending segment  132  are being rubbed at the same time since they are connected with each other. In the long term, extending segment  132  could break off first due to its weak strength, leading to the destruction and disabling of the mesh of the surface layer  13 . 
     Therefore, the conventional structure and knitting method still present some shortcomings to be overcome. 
     In view of the deficiencies of the prior art techniques, after years of constant researches, the inventor has successfully proposed a structure of spacer fabric surface layer and a reinforced knitting method of producing the structure in the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of spacer fabric surface layer and a reinforced knitting method of producing the structure; as in the process of knitting the middle support layer, the yarn of the middle support layer is lapped with the extending segment of the surface mesh layer to reinforce the strength of the extending segment with the middle support layer. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a structure of spacer fabric surface layer and a reinforced knitting method of producing the structure, which is easy to produce and sustainable to prolong the lifetime of the product. 
     In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention discloses a structure of spacer fabric surface layer and a reinforced knitting method of producing the structure; the steps of the knitting method comprising; disposing a yarn into a knitting machine; knitting the yarn to form a three laminated fabric layer structure having a surface mesh layer, a middle support layer and a bottom fabric layer from top to bottom by using the knitting machine, wherein the surface mesh layer is knitted into meshes or polyhedral meshes, the surface mesh layer is consisted of a main segment having two loop strings lapping with each other and an extending segment having one single loop string, each loop string is formed by stringing a plurality of loops; when in the process of knitting the middle support layer, moving the yarn up and down to have the yarn knitted between the main segment of the surface mesh layer and the bottom fabric layer to let the one end of the yarn of the middle support layer connect with the main segment of the surface mesh layer and the other end connect with the bottom fabric layer, when the yarn of the middle support layer moves to the extending segment of the surface mesh layer, it laps with the extending segment to reinforce the strength of the extending segment and leaves the extending segment with no support of the middle support layer from down under; then in the steps of the knitting method, moving the yarn of the middle support layer up and down between the main segment and the bottom fabric layer until the surface mesh layer is fully supported, wherein the yarn of the middle support layer laps with all the extending segments laps to reinforce the extending segments. 
     These features and advantages of the present invention will be fully understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B  illustrate a conventional spacer fabric; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a flowchart of the reinforced knitting method of producing the structure of the spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a structural view of the structure of the spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a structural view of another embodiment of the structure of the spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a structural view of still another embodiment of the structure of the spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a structural view of still another embodiment of the structure of the spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2  for a flowchart of a reinforced knitting method of producing a structure of a spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention, the method comprises the following steps: 
     S 10 : disposing a yarn into a knitting machine; 
     S 11 : knitting the yarn to form a spacer fabric having a surface mesh layer, a middle support layer and a bottom fabric layer by using the knitting machine, wherein the surface mesh layer is knitted into meshes, so the surface mesh layer is consisted of a main segment having two loop strings lapping with each other and an extending segment having one single loop string; as in the process of knitting the middle support layer, moving the yarn up and down to have the yarn knitted between the main segment of the surface mesh layer and the bottom fabric layer to let one end of the yarn of the middle support layer connect with the main segment and the other end connect with the bottom fabric layer, when the yarn of the middle support layer moves to the extending segment of the surface mesh layer, it laps with the extending segment to reinforce the strength of the extending segment; then moving the yarn of the middle support layer up and down between the main segment and the bottom fabric layer to knit the yarn between the main segment and the bottom fabric layer; 
     S 12 : finishing the knitting of the three laminated layer fabric. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3  for a structural view of the structure of the spacer fabric surface layer in the present invention, the structure comprises: 
     a bottom fabric layer  2 ; 
     a surface mesh layer  3  consisted of meshes, hexagonal meshes or polyhedral meshes in honeycomb shape. The surface mesh layer  3  comprises a plurality of main segments  31  having ends connected and a plurality of extending segments  32 , the main segments  31  and the extending segments  32  are formed in one body, so each main segment  31  comprises at least two lapping loop strings, and each extending segment  32  only comprises one single loop string, the loop string is formed by stringing a plurality of loops; when the surface mesh layer  3  is formed in polyhedral meshes or quadrangles in honeycomb shape, two neighboring loop strings are lapped first to form a main segment  31 , then an end portion of the main segment  31  start to separate to form extending segments  32 , when the extending segments  32  join again to lap with each other, the two loop strings would lap with each other to form the main segment  31  again; therefore a polyhedral mesh or a quadrangle in honeycomb shape is formed by repeating the above knitting process; wherein the main segment  31  comprises two loop strings, and the extending segment  32  comprises only one single loop string; 
     a middle support layer  4  comprising a vertical yarn  41  and a horizontal yarn  42 , the vertical yarn  41  has one end connected with the main segment  31  of the surface mesh layer  3  and the other end connected with the bottom fabric layer  2  to act as a support to the surface mesh layer  3 , and the horizontal yarn  42  of the middle support layer  4  lapping with the extending segment  32  of the surface mesh layer  3  to reinforce the strength of the extending segment  32 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4  for a structural view of another embodiment in the present invention. The difference between  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 3  is that the vertical yarn  41  of the middle support layer  4  only supports the front portion or the portion near the rear portion of the main segment  31  of the surface mesh layer  3 ; and the front portion and the rear portion of the main segment  31 , and the front portion and the rear portion of the main segment  31 , and the extending segment the extending segment  32  lap with the horizontal yarn  42  of the middle support layer  4  to further reinforce the strength of the extending segment  32 . The rest of the structure in  FIG. 4  is the same as that in  FIG. 3  and will not be described for the sake of brevity. 
     Please to  FIG. 5  for a structural view of still another embodiment in the present invention. In  FIG. 5 , the bottom fabric layer  2  can be a bottom mesh layer  5 , the bottom mesh layer  5  comprises a plurality of main segments  51  having ends connected and a plurality of extending segments  52 , each main segment  51  comprises at least two lapping loop strings, and each extending segment  52  only comprises one single loop string, therefore the bottom mesh layer  5  is formed in meshes; the vertical yarn  41  of the middle support layer  4  has one end connected with the main segment  31  of the surface mesh layer  3  and the other end connected with the main segment  51  of the bottom mesh layer  5  to support the surface mesh layer  3 ; the horizontal yarn  42  of the middle support layer  4  laps with the extending segments  32 ,  52  of the surface mesh layer  3  and the bottom mesh layer  4  respectively to reinforce the strength of the extending segment. The rest of the structure in  FIG. 5  is the same as that in  FIG. 3  and will not be described for the sake of brevity. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 6  for a structural view of still another embodiment in the present invention. The difference between  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 5  is that the vertical yarn  41  of the middle support layer  4  only supports the front portion or the portion near the rear portion of the main segments  31 ,  51  of the surface mesh layer  3 ; and the front portion and the rear portion of the main segment  31  and the bottom mesh layer  5 , and the front portion and the rear portion of the main segments  31 ,  51 , and the extending segment  32 ,  52  lap with the horizontal yarn  42  of the middle support layer  4  to further reinforce the strength of the extending segments  32 ,  52 . The rest of the structure in  FIG. 6  is the same as that in  FIG. 3  and will not be described for the sake of brevity. 
     Furthermore, since the extending segment  32  of the surface mesh layer  3  is not supported by the middle support layer  4  from down under, so when the surface mesh layer  3  is abraded, the extending segment  32  will not be directly abraded to break off easily; therefore the lifetime of the surface mesh layer is extended. 
     Hence, in order to prove the sustainability of the spacer fabric in the present invention, the inventor uses an abrasion tester to test the spacer fabric and the prior art spacer fabric, the prior art surface layer  13  breaks off from the extending segment  132  after only 150 cycles turned by the abrasion tester. On the other hand, the extending segment  32  of the surface mesh layer  3  breaks off after 300 cycles turned by the abrasion tester, proving that using the middle support layer  4  to reinforce the extending segment  32  of the surface mesh layer  3  can successfully increase the strength of the extending segment  32 . 
     The present invention discloses a structure of spacer fabric surface layer and a reinforced knitting method of producing the structure, while compared to other prior art techniques, is advantageous in: 
     1. The present invention discloses a knitting method that, in the process of knitting the middle support layer, the yarn of the middle support layer is lapped with the extending segment of the surface mesh layer to reinforce the strength of the extending segment with the middle support layer. 
     2. The present invention is easy to produce and sustainable to prolong the lifetime of the product. 
     Many changes and modifications in the above described embodiment of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, to promote the progress in science and the useful arts, the invention is disclosed and is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.