Fabric having a backing material for a covering for an architectural opening

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11242711-B2
Application number	US-201615738887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2016
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

An architectural covering with an operable vane having a fabric backing is provided. The vane may include a vane fabric and a backing material connected to the vane fabric by a layer of adhesive. The backing material may increase a machine-direction stiffness of the vane while slightly affecting a cross-direction stiffness of the vane. As such, the vane may have increased stiffness in its machine direction while simultaneously remaining flexible in its cross direction.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A fabric laminate for an architectural coveting, the fabric laminate comprising:
a fabric material portion having a first stiffness in a first direction, and a second stiffness in a second direction transverse to said first direction; and
a backing material portion bonded to said fabric material portion, wherein said backing material portion increases said first stiffness, said backing material portion increasing said second stiffness less than said first stiffness so as to increase a stiffness ratio between said first stiffness and said second stiffness;
wherein:
said backing material portion comprises a nonwoven web formed from a plurality of entangled fibers or filaments;
said plurality of entangled fibers or filaments are oriented substantially along said first direction;
said backing material has a basis weight of less than 20 grams per square meter (gsm); and
said backing material portion and said fabric material portion form discrete layers of the fabric laminate.

2. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein:
said first direction extends along a machine direction of said fabric material portion; and
said second direction extends along a cross direction of said fabric material portion.

3. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein:
said fabric material portion has a first stiffness ratio biased in one of said first direction and said second direction; and
said backing material portion causes said fabric laminate to have a second stiffness ratio biased in the other of said first direction and said second direction.

4. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said stiffness ratio is greater than approximately 1.5:1.

5. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said backing material portion increases the first stiffness in the first direction at least about 1.5 times greater than an effect on said second stiffness in said second direction.

6. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven web comprises a spunbond web, a meltblown web, a carded web, a hydroentangled web, an airlaid web, a wetlaid web, or a coform web.

7. A fabric laminate as defined in claim 1 , wherein said backing material portion increases said first stiffness at least 3 times, while increasing the second stiffness less than 2 times.

8. A fabric laminate as defined in claim 1 , wherein said fabric material portion has an elongation in said first direction and wherein said backing material portion bonded to said fabric material portion decreases said elongation in said first direction at least about 20%.

9. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein the backing material portion bonded to said fabric material portion increases an opacity of said fabric material portion by less than about 30%.

10. A fabric laminate according to claim 9 , wherein said fabric material portion has an optical density (opacity) of from about 0.2 to about 2.

11. A vane laminate for an architectural covering, the vane laminate having a machine direction stiffness along a length of said vane laminate and a cross direction stiffness along a height of said vane laminate, the vane laminate comprising:
a woven vane fabric; and
a backing material connected to said woven vane fabric, said backing material comprising a nonwoven web comprising a plurality of entangled fibers and/or filaments;
wherein:
said backing material increases said machine direction stiffness of said vane laminate while slightly affecting said cross direction stiffness of said vane laminate such that the machine direction stiffness increases at least about 1.5 times greater than the effect on said cross-direction stiffness;
said plurality of entangled fibers and/or filaments are oriented substantially along a machine direction extending along the length of said vane laminate;
said backing material has a basis weight of less than 20 grams per square meter (gsm); and
said backing material is adhesively bonded to said woven vane fabric.

12. A vane laminate according to claim 11 , wherein:
said woven vane fabric has a first stiffness ratio;
said vane laminate has a second stiffness ratio; and
said first stiffness ratio of said woven vane fabric is less than approximately 1:1; and
said second stiffness ratio of said vane laminate is greater than approximately 1.5:1.

13. A vane laminate according to claim 12 , wherein said machine direction stiffness increases by at least about 3 times or more while said cross direction stiffness increases by less than about 1 times.

14. A vane laminate according to claim 12 , wherein a stiffness ratio between said machine direction stiffness and said cross direction stiffness of said vane laminate is greater than about 1.5:1.

15. A vane laminate according to claim 14 , wherein said stiffness ratio is less than or equal to about 18:1.

16. A vane laminate according to claim 11 , wherein said nonwoven web comprises a spunbond web, a meltblown web, carded web, hydroentangled web, airlaid web, wetlaid web, or conform web, said vane fabric having an optical density (opacity) of from about 0.2 to about 2 and wherein said backing material has a basis weight of less than 17 gsm.

17. A covering for an architectural opening, the covering comprising:
a support sheet;
at least one vane having a first edge and a second edge opposite said first edge, said first edge connected to said support sheet, and said second edge movable relative to said support sheet, wherein said at least one vane comprises the vane laminate according to claim 11 .

18. The covering according to claim 17 , further comprising:
a head rail; and
a bottom rail;
wherein:
said support sheet extends between said head rail and said bottom rail; and
said at least one vane extends substantially parallel to said head rail and said bottom rail.

19. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said fabric material comprises a woven fabric material.

20. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said backing material portion is adhesively bonded to said fabric material portion.

21. A vane laminate according to claim 11 , wherein said backing material and said woven vane fabric form discrete layers of the vane laminate.

22. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said backing material has a basis weight of less than 17 gsm.

23. A fabric laminate according to claim 22 , wherein said backing material has a basis weight of less than 13 gsm.

24. A fabric laminate according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven web comprises a unidirectionally oriented web hydroentangled with one or more additional webs.

25. A fabric laminate according to claim 24 , wherein the one or more additional webs comprises one or more carded webs.

26. A vane laminate according to claim 11 , wherein said nonwoven web comprises a unidirectionally oriented web hydroentangled with one or more additional webs.

27. A vane laminate according to claim 25 , wherein the one or more additional webs comprises one or more carded webs.

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Lynch David
• Phillips Erick A
• Swiszcz Paul G
• Wisecup Stephen T

Classifications

• E06B2009/1516

  Means to increase resistance against bending · CPC title

• B32B5/08 Primary

  the fibres or filaments of a layer being of different substances {, e.g. conjugate fibres, mixture of different fibres} · CPC title

• B32B7/022

  Mechanical properties · CPC title

• B32B5/02

  characterised by structural features of a {fibrous or filamentary} layer {(layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02)} · CPC title

• E06B9/34

  roller-type; {Roller shutters with adjustable lamellae} · CPC title