Patent ID: 6969437

Claim:
A process for producing a yarn suitable for tufting, said process comprising the steps of: a. forming a bundle consisting essentially of a first base fiber, said first base fiber being selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters, polyolefines, cotton and wool; b. ring spinning or wrap spinning the bundle of fiber with a second fiber; said second fiber being twisted or wrapped uniformly around the bundle of fiber and consisting essentially of a blend of a second base fiber and a heat-activated binder material having a melting point lower than that of said bundle of fiber to form a yarn, said yarn comprising 0.1 to 12 weight percent of the binder material; the heat-activated binder material having a melting point range substantially below that of the base fiber, wherein said base activated binder material has a melting point range of 105Â° to 190Â° C. under ambient conditions; c. twisting two or more of the yarns to form a plied yarn comprising 0.1 to 12 weight percent of the binder material; d. heating the piled yarn sufficiently to melt the binder material and causing the binder material to flow to intersecting points with the first base fiber; followed by e. cooling the plied yarn to solidify the binder material to thereby encapsulates and bind the first base fiber and retain the twist in the plied yarn.