Patent ID: 7083853

Claim:
A consolidated yarn comprising (a) discontinuous filaments of different lengths that have not been drawn and are intermingled along a length of the yarn to maintain a unity of the yarn, and (b) continuous filaments intermingled with the discontinuous filaments along the length of the yarn; wherein the discontinuous filaments comprise materials selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, an aramid, a fluoropolymer, an acetate polymer or copolymer, an acrylic polymer or copolymer, polyacetal, an acrylate polymer or copolymer, polyacrylonitrile, a cellulose polymer, an olefin polymer or copolymer, polyimide, a styrenic polymer or copolymer, an ether/ester copolymer, a copolymer of an amide with an ether and/or ester, a vinyl polymer, and a polyimide; and mixtures of any two or more thereof; wherein the continuous filaments comprise materials that are different from the materials from which the discontinuous filaments are comprised and are selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, an aramid, a fluoropolymer, an acetate polymer or copolymer, an acrylic polymer or copolymer, polyacetal, an acrylate polymer or copolymer, polyacrylonitrile, a cellulose polymer, an olefin polymer or copolymer, polyimide, a styrenic polymer or copolymer, an ether/ester copolymer, a copolymer of an amide with an ether and/or ester, a vinyl polymer, a polyimide, a polyurethane, a copolymer having blocks of polyurethane and blocks of polymerized ethers and/or esters, a natural fiber, a metallic fiber or wire, a glass fiber or a ceramic fiber; and mixtures of any two or more thereof; and wherein the average length, “avg”, of the discontinuous filaments is greater than 6 inches, and the discontinuous filaments have a filament length distribution characterized by the fact that 5% to less than 15% of the discontinuous filaments have a length that is greater than 1.5 avg.