Patent ID: 7596972

Claim:
A knit pile fabric suitable for use on paint roller covers, said knit pile fabric comprising: a knitted base fabric having a tubular configuration defining an outside and an inside, said base fabric having a predetermined number of wales located adjacent each other and arranged around the circumference of said base fabric, said base fabric having successive courses each of which is knit after a preceding course, said base fabric comprising a plurality of loops, wherein each loop in any particular wale is knitted through a loop in the preceding course in said particular wale from the outside to the inside of said tubular configuration of said base fabric; a plurality of cut-pile segments, each of said cut-pile segments having opposite ends with a loop portion located therebetween, said loop portion of each of said plurality of cut-pile segments being knitted together with a loop of said base fabric into said base fabric, said opposite ends of said plurality of cut-pile segments extending outwardly from said base fabric and forming the pile of said knit fabric; and a plurality of tufts of fibers, each of said tufts of fibers having opposite ends with a loop portion located therebetween, said loop portion of each of said plurality of tufts being knitted together with a loop of said base fabric into said base fabric, said opposite ends of said plurality of tufts of fibers extending outwardly from said base fabric and forming part of the pile of said knit pile fabric; said plurality of cut-pile segments and said plurality of tufts of sliver knit fabric being disposed in alternating successive courses in the knit pile fabric.