Method of making fibers with chemical markers and physical features used for coding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10527593-B2
Application number	US-201715825148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2017
Priority date	Jun 27, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are fibers which contain identification fibers. The identification fibers can contain a one or more of chemical markers and one or more distinct features, or taggants, which may vary among the fibers or be incorporated throughout all of the fibers. The chemical markers and distinct features can be representative of specific supply chain information. The supply chain information can be used to track the fibers from manufacturing through intermediaries, conversion to final product, and/or the consumer. The disclosed embodiments also relate to the method for making and characterizing the fibers. Characterization of the fibers can include identifying chemical markers and distinct features and correlating the chemical markers and distinct features to manufacturer-specific taggants to determine supply chain information.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of making an acetate tow band comprising fibers, wherein the fibers comprise standard fibers and identification fibers, wherein the standard fibers comprise cellulose acetate,
wherein the method comprises:
(a) obtaining the identification fibers
(b) producing the standard fibers on a first fiber production process; and
(c) combining the identification fibers and the standard fibers into the acetate tow band,

wherein a portion of the identification fibers comprise 1 to 100 chemical markers, wherein an amount of each of the chemical markers, based on a weight of the fibers, is defined as a chemical marker amount, wherein at least one of the chemical marker amounts corresponds to a taggant chemical marker amount, and
wherein a portion of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature, wherein the identification fibers comprise one or more groups of distinguishable identification fibers, each group of the distinguishable identification fibers being formed by the identification fibers having the same distinct feature or a same combination of the distinct features,
wherein a number of the identification fibers in each group of the distinguishable identification fibers is defined as a fiber count, wherein at least one of the fiber counts corresponds to a taggant fiber count, and
wherein (i) the chemical markers, (ii) the taggant chemical marker amounts, (iii) the distinct features in each group of the distinguishable identification fibers and (iv) the taggant fiber counts are representative of at least one supply chain component of the fibers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of the identification fibers comprises at least one of (i) producing a portion of the identification fibers on the first fiber production process, (ii) producing a portion of the identification fibers on a second fiber production process, or (iii) receiving at least a portion of the identification fibers from a third party.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the chemical markers comprise 1 to 50 taggant non-volatile organic compounds, or 1 to 50 taggant polymeric additives, each of the chemical marker amounts ranges from 500 ppb to 5,000 ppm, a number of the taggant chemical marker amounts for each of the chemical markers ranges from 1 to 20, and
wherein the distinct features comprise 1 to 20 taggant cross-section shapes, 1 to 20 cross-section sizes, 1 to 20 taggant optical properties, or 1 to 20 taggant surface markings, and a number of the taggant fiber counts for each group of the distinguishable identification fibers ranges from 1 to 10.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the taggant nonvolatile organic compounds comprise fatty acids, wherein the fatty acids comprise lauric acid, palmitic acid, or stearic acid.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the taggant polymeric additives comprise polystyrene having an average molecular weight of 500 to 100,000.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the identification fibers comprise reference fibers, wherein the reference fibers exhibit a reference cross-section size and a reference cross-section shape, wherein a ratio of each of the taggant cross-section sizes to the reference cross-section size ranges from 20:1 to 1:20, and wherein the reference cross-section size and the taggant cross-section sizes are determined based upon an effective diameter.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identification fibers comprise acrylic, modacrylic, aramid, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, rayon, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, PTFE, or cellulose acetate.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the chemical markers is added to a spinning solution upstream of the first fiber production process, at a spinning cabinet contained within the first fiber production process, or at an individual spinneret contained within the spinning cabinet.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the chemical markers are applied to a portion of the identification fibers at any point before the combining of the standard fibers and identification fibers into the acetate tow band.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a spin finish or a crimper coolant comprises one or more of the chemical markers.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises adding a compound to a spinning solution used to produce a portion of the identification fibers, wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting compound CAS No. 84632-65-5, Copper Phthalocyanine (CAS No. 147-14-8), FD&C Yellow Lake No. 5 (CAS No. 12225-21-7), anatase titanium dioxide, rutile titanium dioxide, and mixed-phase titanium dioxide, whereby the taggant optical properties are exhibited.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the taggant cross-section sizes range from 1 to 30 dpf and wherein a portion of the identification fibers comprise cellulose acetate.

13. The method of claim 3 , wherein the identification fibers exhibiting taggant cross-section shapes or taggant cross-section sizes are produced using distinguishable spinneret holes, each group of the distinguishable spinneret holes being formed by spinneret holes having the same distinguishable spinneret hole geometry, wherein each group of the distinguishable identification fibers exhibiting taggant cross-section shapes or taggant cross-section sizes are produced using a corresponding group of the distinguishable spinneret holes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein all of the distinguishable spinneret holes are contained in a single spinneret.

15. The method of claim 3 , wherein one or more of the taggant surface markings are produced using noncontact equipment and wherein the noncontact equipment comprises use of laser, microwave, ultraviolet, x-ray electromagnetic radiation, or printer.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one supply chain component comprises at least one of wherein the at least one supply chain component comprises a manufacturer of the acetate tow band, a manufacture site of the acetate tow band, a manufacturing line of the acetate tow band, a production run of the acetate tow band, a production date of the acetate tow band, a bale of the acetate tow band, a warehouse of the acetate tow band, a customer of the acetate tow band, or a ship-to location of the acetate tow band.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one supply chain component comprises the manufacturer of the acetate tow band and the customer of the acetate tow band.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one supply chain component comprises the manufacturer of the acetate tow band and the ship-to location of the acetate tow band.

Assignees

• Eastman Chem Co

Inventors

• Gaynor Scott Gregory
• Mcleod Andrew Ervin
• Wilson Steven Anthony
• Collazo Humberto
• Renfro Larry Wayne
• Salyer Lydia Juanita
• Steach Jeremy Kenneth
• Rodig Michael John
• Seiler Brian Douglas
• Horton Jonathan
• Tatum Clarissa

Classifications

• G01N30/72

  Mass spectrometers {(mass spectrometers per se H01J49/00)} · CPC title

• G07D7/12

  Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation · CPC title

• D01D5/253

  with a non-circular cross section; Spinnerette packs therefor (D01D5/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D01F2/28

  from organic cellulose esters or ethers, e.g. cellulose acetate · CPC title

• B41M5/267

  Marking of plastic artifacts, e.g. with laser · CPC title