Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a flooring article with a backing that is both soft and skid-resistant. The present flooring construction includes a soft backing that will not abrade or slide across other flooring on which the article is placed (such as hardwood flooring). The construction comprises four basic layers, a textile upper surface having a primary substrate, an adhesive layer positioned between the textile upper surface and a secondary backing, a soft secondary backing, and a coated mesh fabric. These layers are secured to one another by subjecting the layers to heat and pressure, which cause the adhesive layer and the coated mesh fabric to melt and fuse to adjacent layers. The resulting composite has a backing that is soft, skid-resistant, and durable.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Many flooring articles, such as area rugs or mats, include a backing surface covered with latex or similar material. The problem with articles having a latex backing surface is that their rigidity tends to abrade flooring surfaces on which such articles are placed. Additionally, many manufacturers are concerned by the use of latex, because of processing difficulties (for example, emissions of volatile organic chemicals).  
           [0003]    An alternative to latex backing surfaces is the use of a felt-like material as a backing. The felt material, while soft, tends to cause the flooring article to slide across the surface on which the article is placed. This tendency can pose a slipping danger to pedestrians crossing the article.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0004]    In at least one embodiment, there is provided a flooring article having a composite structure, whose soft secondary backing material and/or mesh fabric address these issues. The soft backing material prevents damage to the flooring surface on which the rug is placed. The mesh fabric, when incorporated in the flooring composite, prevents the finished article from sliding across the flooring surface during use. For these reasons, the present combination represents a useful advancement over the prior art. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0005]    [0005]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present flooring article; and  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the present construction, as seen from the rear side of the flooring article. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0007]    In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, flooring article  20  has a textile upper surface  14  having yarns  2  and a primary substrate  4  in which yarns  2  are secured; an adhesive layer  6  positioned between primary backing or substrate  4  and secondary backing or substrate  8 ; a secondary backing or substrate  8 ; and an open mesh layer  16  whose coating  12  is fused into the flooring construction.  
         [0008]    Yarns  2  are comprised of natural and/or synthetic fibers. By way of example, yarns  2  may be nylon, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene, cotton, wool, or any combination thereof. Nylon is the preferred fiber type because of its durability, pile resistance, and colorfastness when dyed. Alternatively, solution dyed synthetic yarns may also be used. Yarns  2  of textile upper surface  14  are preferably attached to and/or through the primary backing or substrate  4 , as will be described.  
         [0009]    Primary substrate  4 , in which yarns  2  are preferably placed, is comprised of any woven or nonwoven material, such as, but not limited to, nylon, polypropylene, polyester, cotton, wool, acrylic, glass, or combinations thereof. One preferred primary substrate is a polyester nonwoven that is coated with nylon and, more preferably, that is dyed a dark color to mask the appearance of the substrate and to emphasize the color of the yarns. Speaking of this preferred substrate, the nylon component of substrate  4  tends to accept the dye used for yarns  2 , further masking substrate  4  from users. One important aspect of using a nylon-coated polyester nonwoven substrate is its dimensional stability, particularly during dye processing, during the backing formation process, and during laundering. Alternately, a woven polypropylene substrate with either a nonwoven nylon cap or a nonwoven polypropylene cap may also be used.  
         [0010]    Texile upper surface  14  may comprise a tufted cut-pile surface, a tufted loop-pile surface, a tufted multi-level pile, a tufted combination of loop and cut pile, a needle-punched surface, a bonded pile surface, a woven fabric, a knit fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a combination thereof. Preferably, textile upper surface  14  is a tufted cut-pile surface, because of its appearance, softness, and dust control attributes. Textile upper surface  14  may further be patterned by methods such as, but not limited to, dye injection, graphic tufting, screen printing, pad dyeing, flocking, or combinations thereof. Dye injection printing is preferred because of the ability to create intricate and customized designs.  
         [0011]    Adhesive layer  6  serves to secure yarns  2  in primary substrate  4 . Adhesive layer  6  is typically a solid material that softens when subjected to heat and pressure. This softening creates cohesion between primary substrate  4  and secondary backing substrate  8 . Adhesive layer  6  may be comprised of any number of materials, including, but not limited to, natural rubbers, synthetic polyisoprene rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-sytrene rubbers, ethylene propylene rubbers, urethanes, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polyester, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polyvinyl chloride, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoset plastics, low-melt thin films, or any combinations thereof. The use of thermoplastic elastomer is preferred because of its adhesion properties and its ease of use in manufacturing.  
         [0012]    Secondary backing or substrate  8  is useful in providing a soft backing for flooring article  20  and in providing dimensional stability to flooring article  20 . Secondary backing or substrate  8  also decreases the likelihood of adhesive layer  6  cracking or breaking with use of flooring article  20 . In addition, secondary backing or substrate  8  provides a uniform appearance on the reverse side of flooring article  20 . Cotton, polyester, polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, or any combinations thereof may be used to create secondary backing substrate  8 , which may be a woven, nonwoven, or knit material. The use of a cotton or polyester woven material is preferred for softness.  
         [0013]    The final component of flooring article  20  is a mesh fabric  10  that has a coating  12  surrounding the mesh. Coated mesh fabric  16  adds dimensional stability to flooring article  20  and prevents flooring article  20  from sliding during use. Coated mesh fabric  16  may comprise any woven, nonwoven, or knit material (shown as fabric  10  in the drawings), having a substantially open configuration; woven fabrics are preferred for the uniformity of the mesh. The openings in mesh fabric  10  should preferably be from about 0.125 inches to about 1.5 inches, and more preferably be about 0.5 inches. Fabric  10  itself may be comprised of cotton, polyester, polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, or any combination thereof, although cotton or polyester is more preferred. When using cotton or polyester, it may be desirable to pre-shrink the fabric before coating.  
         [0014]    Fabric  10  is coated with, by way of example, natural rubbers, synthetic polyisoprene rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-sytrene rubbers, ethylene propylene rubbers, urethanes, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polyester, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polyvinyl chloride, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoset plastics, or any combinations thereof. The coating  12  is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The preferred mesh fabric  16  is a woven fabric  10  with a latex coating  12 , in which the fabric component  10  is made from cotton or polyester. It has been found that production of flooring article  20  is most successful when the melting points of coating  12  and adhesive layer  6  are comparable.  
         [0015]    Flooring article  20  is produced by placing the component pieces on top of one another as in a continuous vulcanization press or shuttle vulcanization press. The process may be run continuously or in batch mode. The layers are positioned as follows: coated mesh fabric  16 , secondary backing substrate  8 , adhesive layer  6 , and textile upper surface  14 , which comprises primary substrate  4  and yarns  2 . It should be noted that coated mesh fabric  16  should be positioned toward the heating platen of the vulcanization chamber (that is, if the heating platen is at the top of the chamber, then the order described above should be reversed).  
         [0016]    The pre-assembly is then subjected to heat and pressure, as would be found in a vulcanization chamber. The heat and pressure of the vulcanization environment cause adhesive layer  6  and coating  12  of mesh fabric  16  to melt and fuse the component layers together. Temperatures in the range of about 180° C. to about 220° C. are preferred, while temperatures in the range of about 195° C. to about 200° C. are more preferred. Pressures ranging from about 15 pounds per square inch (gauge) (p.s.i.g.) to about 50 p.s.i.g. are preferred, while a pressure of about 30 p.s.i.g. is more preferred.  
         [0017]    The composite may be edge-trimmed and a serger may be used to complete the edges of flooring article  20 . Alternatively, edging tape may be sewn around the perimeter of flooring article  20  to create a finished edge. Yet another alternative is to create a solid edge formed from natural rubbers, synthetic polyisoprene rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene-sytrene rubbers, ethylene propylene rubbers, urethanes, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polyester, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polyvinyl chloride, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoset plastics, or any combinations thereof.  
         [0018]    Flooring article  20  preferably has a backing that is soft, skid-resistant, and durable. Such a backing prevents damage to flooring surfaces on which flooring article  20  is placed and prevents flooring article  20  from sliding during use.

Technology Category: 7