Patent ID: 8359720

Claim:
A method of enhancing softness, drape, and thickness of a patterned nonwoven web, comprising: providing a sided nonwoven web comprising a first set of fibers hydraulically needled with a web of a second set of fibers, the first set of fibers primarily containing short fibers having a length of 0.7 mm to 25 mm and the second set of fibers primarily containing one of (a) substantially continuous filaments, (b) long fibers, and (c) short fibers having an average fiber length at least twice the average fiber length of the first set of fibers, the sided nonwoven web having a first surface predominately comprising the first set of fibers and an opposing second surface predominately comprising the second set of fibers, disposing the nonwoven web between a surface of a non-porous patterned support and a hydraulic needling manifold so at least one of the first surface and the second surface is orientated toward the hydraulic needling manifold and the other of the first surface and the second surface is orientated toward the support surface, discharging fluid from the hydraulic needling manifold to rearrange fibers on at least one of the first and second surfaces, passing fluid discharged from the hydraulic needling manifold through the nonwoven web to impact the support surface, and patterning the nonwoven web by discharging fluid from the hydraulic needling manifold and impacting the fluid on the non-porous support surface and reflecting the fluid into the surface of the nonwoven web that is oriented toward the non-perforated support surface.