Patent Description:
As is known, in the field of textile artefacts and in particular clothing accessories, designers need to make objects that are always different and appealing to the public.

From an aesthetic point of view, the fabrics obtained with knitting machines offer various possibilities and aesthetic variations. The problem is that knitted fabrics do not have sufficient stiffness to be able to make a clothing element, such as a bag, that is free-standing. For this reason, the production of bags provided with knitted fabric portions has not been particularly widespread or has in many cases led to solutions which require a bearing structure which serves to support the portion of knitted fabric applied therein.

It is clear, however, that the provision of a support layer increases the thickness, weight and cost of the final artefact. Furthermore, the support layer needs to be finished and/or coated to prevent it from being unpleasant to the touch and to avoiding that, being visible, it may compromise the overall appearance of the artefact. Solutions according to prior art are disclosed by <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>.

The need is therefore perceived to resolve the drawbacks and limitations cited with reference to the known art.

This requirement is satisfied by a method of realization of an artefact according to claim <NUM>.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more understandable from the following description of its preferred and non-limiting embodiments, wherein:.

The elements or parts of elements in common between the embodiments described hereinafter will be indicated at the same numerical references.

With reference to the aforesaid figures, an overall schematic view of an artefact, such as a bag, a jacket, a sofa, a shoe, in accordance with the present invention is indicated collectively at <NUM>.

For the purposes of the present invention, it should be specified that the term artefact must be considered in a broad sense, and not limited to the examples of bags, sofas, jackets and footwear (illustrated in the figures).

This means that while referring hereinafter to a bag, the present invention is to be considered as applicable to any type of artefact.

In particular, the artefact according to the invention is at least partially knitted.

This means that the artefact may be at least partially and also fully knitted as better described hereinafter.

It is understood that the present invention may provide for embodiments wherein the artefact comprises both portions of a sheet, at least partially knitted, and portions of another material, for example, made of leather, hide, synthetic materials. It is possible that such portions in leather, hide, synthetic materials are applied peripherally to portions of knitted fabric and/or which are at least partially superimposed thereon. All these embodiments must be considered as included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

The method of realization comprises initially the step of kitting at least one multilayer fabric sheet <NUM> comprising at least a first layer <NUM> made with a first yarn <NUM> and at least a second layer <NUM>, made with a second yarn <NUM>.

The first layer <NUM> comprises a first knitting yarn <NUM>, of animal and/or plant and/or synthetic and/or artificial origin. For example, but not exclusively, the first yarn may be a yarn made of cotton, wool and/or synthetic fibers.

The second layer <NUM> comprises, as a second yarn <NUM>, a heat-shrinking yarn.

Heat-shrinking yarn means a yarn in a material which, once subjected to a certain heating, shrinks, or shortens, irreversibly.

The first and second layer <NUM>,<NUM> are at least partially interwoven in respective knitting stitches <NUM> during the kitting operation.

For the purposes of the present invention, the type of knitting stitch is irrelevant; it is, however, important that said layers <NUM>,<NUM> be interconnected with each other by the same kitting operation, in a plurality of knitting stitches <NUM>.

It is possible to provide that the first layer <NUM> is arranged on the straight side <NUM>, i.e. is visible on the outside, of the artefact <NUM>, and that therefore the second layer <NUM> is arranged on the back side <NUM>, not visible from the outside, of the same artefact (<FIG>).

It is also possible to provide that the second layer <NUM> is arranged on the straight side <NUM>, i.e. visible on the outside, of the artefact <NUM>, and that therefore the first layer <NUM> is arranged on the back side <NUM>, not visible from the outside, of the same artefact (<FIG>).

It should be noted that the second heat-shrinking yarn <NUM> may be visible or not visible, also on the basis of the structure of the knit stitch used.

For example, the second yarn <NUM> may be visible on the front side or on the back side of the knitted multilayer sheet <NUM>. When it is visible on the back side, the second layer <NUM>, which realizes the load-bearing structure of the multilayer sheet, also acts as a knit stitch to create 3D effects, glossy and opaque effects or color contrasts. If it is visible on the back side, the second layer <NUM> may be seen behind it while the external part remains soft.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention (<FIG>), the step of weaving the multilayer fabric sheet <NUM> comprises the kitting of a third layer <NUM> made of a third knitting yarn <NUM> of animal and/or plant and/or synthetic and/or artificial origin, wherein the second layer <NUM> with the second heat-shrinking yarn <NUM> is placed between said first and third layers <NUM>,<NUM> and is interwoven with these in respective knitting stitches <NUM>.

It should be noted that the multilayer sheet <NUM>, regardless of the number of layers it comprises, is characterized in this step by the fact that the layers <NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM> are interconnected with each other in a plurality of knit stitches <NUM> and that the second layer in particular is bound to at least one further layer (whether the first layer <NUM>, the third layer <NUM> or both) so as to be able to mechanically influence them following the subsequent heat treatment step, as better described hereinafter.

Advantageously, regardless of the overall number of layers of the multilayer sheet <NUM>, the percentage of heat-shrinking yarn <NUM> inside the sheet <NUM> is between <NUM>% and <NUM>%.

According to a preferred embodiment, said percentage of heat-shrinking yarn inside the multilayer sheet <NUM> is equal to <NUM>%.

According to one embodiment, the percentage by weight of heat-shrinking yarn <NUM> is less than <NUM>/<NUM> of the total weight of the multilayer sheet <NUM>.

In general, the overall percentage of the second yarn <NUM> with respect to the multilayer sheet <NUM> depends on the mechanical softness/stiffness features to be obtained. It is clear that, by increasing the percentage of the second yarn <NUM>, a greater stiffness of the multilayer sheet is obtained, to the detriment however of the tactile softness and also of its formability for realizing the artefact and also the adaptability of the artefact to a wearer, in the case of a clothing element. Conversely, the reduction in the percentage of the second yarn <NUM> reduces the stiffness of the multilayer fabric <NUM> and facilitates its assembly and its wearability.

After obtaining the multilayer sheet <NUM>, one proceeds with the shaping of at least one multilayer sheet <NUM> according to a predefined shape.

The predefined shape is dictated by the type of artefact to be made, and may be any shape, for the purposes of the present invention.

Therefore, the step of stabilizing the multilayer sheet <NUM> is carried out through the step of subjecting the sheet <NUM> to a heat treatment to obtain a predetermined shrinkage of the heat-shrinking yarn and a dimensional stabilization of the sheet itself.

According to one embodiment, the dimensional stabilization of the multilayer sheet <NUM> comprises the steps of:.

Preferably, the heat treatment is a steam heat treatment, which comprises sending a flow of steam onto the multilayer sheet <NUM> and simultaneous pressing for a time of more than <NUM> seconds.

Preferably, said heat treatment involves sending a flow of steam onto the multilayer sheet <NUM> at a temperature ranging from <NUM>° to <NUM>° C.

Following this heating step, as seen, the second heat-shrinking yarn <NUM> shrinks between <NUM>% and <NUM>% of the original length; since this second yarn <NUM> is interconnected with the other layers <NUM>,<NUM> at the knitting stitches <NUM>, such a significant shrinkage stiffens the multilayer sheet <NUM> considerably, which shrinks by tightening the knit at the knitting stitches <NUM>.

In other words, the second layer <NUM> comprising the heat-shrinking yarn <NUM>, once heat-shrunk, becomes rigid until a real bearing structure of the multilayer sheet <NUM> is obtained. Said bearing structure is closely connected to the other layer or layers <NUM>,<NUM> with which it is interconnected by means of the knitting stitches <NUM>. In this way the second layer <NUM> realizes a load-bearing structure intrinsically anchored to the other layers of the multilayer sheet <NUM>.

At this point it is necessary to definitively stabilize the shape and the size of the multilayer sheet <NUM>.

The dimensional stabilization of the multilayer sheet <NUM> comprises therefore the steps of:.

In particular, after heating, the step of cooling the multilayer sheet <NUM> occurs by means of a flow of forced ventilation or suction air.

After the cooling step, the multilayer sheet <NUM> acquires the desired features of stability, consistency and stiffness and may be assembled.

After having finished the dimensional stabilization step of the multilayer sheet <NUM>, one proceeds in effect with the assembly step the multilayer sheet <NUM>, already dimensionally stabilized, to form the required artefact <NUM> by means of stitching and/or bonding the edges of the dimensionally stabilized sheet.

For example, in the case of a bag, a closed body may be obtained from said multilayer sheet <NUM> which is folded and sewn and/or glued.

As may be appreciated from the foregoing, the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.

In particular, the present invention provides for a production, carried out with knitting machines, which incorporates a heat-shrinking yarn with a knitting stitch created from different knitting yarns.

This heat-shrinking yarn, as seen, creates a bearing structure that changes according to the chosen knitting stitch. The combined processing of these knitting yarns, together with the heat-shrinking yarn, allows the fabric to be locked, making it much stronger than a traditional knit fabric, and able to support the weight of an accessory, such as a bag, without having to resort to other supporting materials. Therefore, the drawback of the known solutions, which require the use of a specific bearing structure for the accessory, for example in leather, is resolved.

The heat-shrinking yarn may be visible or not visible, on the basis of the structure of the knit stitch used.

In the first case the structure may be visible on the front or back side of the knitted fabric. When the front side is visible, the bearing structure also acts as a knit stitch to create 3D effects, glossy and opaque effects or color contrasts. In this way, the possibilities for the stylist or designer to create aesthetic effects that are not present in known solutions are increased.

If the bearing structure is visible on the back side, the rigid part may be seen behind it while the external part remains soft. In this case, there will be two different layers.

On the other hand, when the bearing structure remains inside, it is not visible on the front nor on the back because it is completely covered by the other yarns. In this case there are therefore three different layers. On the outside and inside are the knitting yarns, while on the inside is the heat-shrinking yarn.

Thus, to sum up, the textile artefact, according to the present invention is provided with the necessary stiffness, so as to be free-standing, that is to say, self-supporting, without the need to use an inner support layer.

In this way the method of realization of the artefact is simplified, avoiding the need to resort to specific coatings of the bearing layer, both for aesthetic aspects and for comfort reasons, reducing the number of components and the total cost of the artefact.

From the technological point of view, the bag, or in general the accessory, is made simply by folding and stitching the single sheet on the sides, after the latter has undergone the stiffening process of the heat-shrinking yarn incorporated therein.

In addition, the kitting process may be carried out with different knitting stitches in the same sheet, thus allowing changes in production without having to sew different pieces: this entails a further advantage in terms of time and cost of realizing the finished product.

The kitting also allows shaping in some specific stitches to allow the parts to be joined without having to cut the sheet at any point: for example, it is possible to obtain a bag with only two side seams.

Claim 1:
Method of manufacturing an artefact (<NUM>) at least partially knitted, comprising the steps of:
- knitting at least one multilayer fabric sheet (<NUM>) comprising at least a first layer (<NUM>) made with a first yarn (<NUM>) and at least a second layer (<NUM>), made with a second yarn (<NUM>),
- wherein the first layer (<NUM>) includes a first knitting yarn (<NUM>), of animal and/or plant and/or synthetic and/or artificial origin,
- wherein the second layer (<NUM>) comprises a second heat-shrinking yarn (<NUM>),
- said first and second layer (<NUM>,<NUM>) being at least partially interconnected in respective knitting stitches (<NUM>), during the knitting operation,
- shaping the at least one multilayer fabric sheet (<NUM>) according to a predefined shape,
- stabilizing dimensionally the multilayer fabric sheet (<NUM>) by the step of subjecting the multilayer sheet (<NUM>) to a heat treatment to obtain a predefined shrinkage of the second heat-shrinking yarn (<NUM>) and a dimensional stabilization of said sheet, wherein following this heating step, the second heat-shrinking yarn (<NUM>) <NUM> shrinks between <NUM>% and <NUM>% of the original length, the second heat-shrinking yarn (<NUM>) forming a bearing structure of the multi-layer sheet (<NUM>),
- assembling the multilayer sheet (<NUM>), already dimensionally stabilized, so as to form the artefact (<NUM>) required, by stitching and/or gluing the edges of the dimensionally stabilized sheet,
wherein the percentage by weight of the second heat-shrinking yarn (<NUM>) is less than <NUM>/<NUM> of the total weight of the multilayer sheet (<NUM>),
wherein the step of heat treating the fabric provides, after heating, for a cooling step of the multilayer sheet (<NUM>) by means of a flow of forced ventilation or suction air.