Method and apparatus (continuous imperforate portions on backing means of open sandwich)

Claim 1

A method of producing a patterned nonwoven fabric having a plurality of patterns of groups of fiber segments that alternate and extend throughout said fabric, from a layer of fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but are capable of movement under applied liquid forces, which comprises: supporting said layer of fibrous starting material in a fiber rearranging zone in which fiber movement in directions parallel to the plane of said fibrous material is permitted in response to applied liquid forces, said rearranging zone having an entry side and an exit side and being subdivided into deflecting regions arranged in a discontinuous pattern and barrier regions that are continuous and lie between and interconnect said deflecting regions; projecting streams of liquid into the fibrous layer substantially uniformly and continuously across the surface thereof in a direction perpendicular to said layer at the entry side of said rearranging zone; passing first portions of said streams of liquid through the initial part of each of said deflecting regions, as the fibrous layer lies in said region, toward a plurality of dispersal points in said deflecting region adjacent the exit side of the rearranging zone, said dispersal points being surrounded by fiber accumulating zones; at each such dispersal point, deflecting said first portions of liquid diagonally and downwardly away from said perpendicular direction into the area immediately surrounding said dispersal point, to move fiber segments lying adjacent said dispersal point into said area surrounding the dispersal point; positioning fiber segments thus moved in said fiber accumulating zones located in peripheral portions of said deflecting region, to form in those locations yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments; simultaneously passing second portions of said liquid through the parts of said layer of fibrous starting material that lie in said barrier regions of the rearranging zone to effect movement of at least some segments of the fibers therein transverse to the direction of travel of the projected streams; at the exit side of the rearranging zone, blocking the passage of said second portions of liquid out of said parts of the fibrous layer that lie in the barrier regions and deflecting the same sidewise into said deflecting regions, at least some of said sidewise deflection and some of said diagonal and downward deflection occuring in the same plane to move some of the fiber segments that lie in said barrier regions into said deflecting regions to position them there in the aforementioned yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments and to move others of the fiber segments that lie is said barrier regions into substantial alignment with each other in bridging positions extending between said discontinuous deflecting regions; actively mingling said first and second portions of liquid after they have been thus deflected; passing said intermingled first and second portions of liquid out of said fiber rearranging zone through spaced exits in the deflecting regions at the exit side of the rearranging zone; at the same time and intermingled therewith passing out of said exits third portions of liquid that upon being projected into said fibrous layer were moved to said exits without passing through a dispersal point or a barrier region; and applying a vacuum at the exit side of said fiber rearranging zone to assist in moving all said liquid through the fibrous starting material and in rearranging said fiber segments, thereby forming a nonwoven fabric having a first pattern of yarnlike bundles of fiber segments in discontinuous portions of said fabric, which yarn-like bundles define areas of low fiber density arranged in accordance with the pattern of arrangement of said dispersal points, and a second pattern of groups of substantially aligned fiber segments extending between and interconnecting pairs of said discontinuous portions of the fabric immediately adjacent each other.

Claim 2

A method of producing a patterned nonwoven fabric having a plurality of patterns of groups of fiber segments that alternate and extend throughout said fabric, from a layer of fibrous starting material whose individual fibers are in mechanical engagement with one another but are capable of movement under applied liquid forces, which comprises: supporting said layer of fibrous starting material in a fiber rearranging zone in which fiber movement in directions parallel to the plane of said fibrous material is permitted in response to applied liquid forces, said rearranging zone having an entry side and an exit side and being subdivided into deflecting regions arranged in a discontinuous pattern and barrier regions that are continuous and lie between and interconnect said deflecting regions; projecting streams of liquid into the fibrous layer substantially uniformly and continuously across the surface thereof in a direction perpendicular to said layer at the entry side of said rearranging zone; passing first portions of said streams of liquid through the initial part of each of said deflecting regions, as the fibrous layer lies in said region, toward a plurality of dispersal points in said deflecting region adjacent the exit side of the rearranging zone, said dispersal points being surrounded by fiber accumulating zones; at each such dispersal point, deflecting said first portions of liquid diagonally and downwardly away from said perpendicular direction into the area immediately surrounding said dispersal point, to move fiber segments lying adjacent said dispersal point into said area surrounding the dispersal point; positioning fiber segments thus moved in said fiber accumulating zones located in peripheral portions of said deflecting region, to form in those locations yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments; simultaneously passing second portions of said liquid through the parts of said layer of fibrous starting material that lie in said barrier regions of the rearranging zone to effect movement of at least some segments of the fibers therein transverse to the direction of travel of the projected streams; at the exit side of the rearranging zone, blocking the passage of said second portions of liquid out of said parts of the fibrous layer that lie in the barrier regions and deflecting the same sidewise into said deflecting regions, at least some of said sidewise deflection and some of said diagonal and downward deflection occuring in the same plane to move some of the fiber segments that lie in said barrier regions into said deflecting regions to position them there in the aforementioned yarn-like bundles of closely associated and substantially parallel fiber segments and to move others of the fiber segments that lie is said barrier regions into substantial alignment with each other in bridging positions extending between said discontinuous deflecting regions; actively mingling said first and second portions of liquid after they have been thus deflected; passing said intermingled first and second portions of liquid out of said fiber rearranging zone through spaced exits in the deflecting regions at the exit side of the rearranging zone; at the same time and intermingled therewith passing out of said exits third portions of liquid that upon being projected into said fibrous layer were moved to said exits without passing through a dispersal point or a barrier region; and applying a vacuum at the exit side of said fiber rearranging zone to assist in moving all said liquid through the fibrous starting material and in rearranging said fiber segments, thereby forming a nonwoven fabric having a first pattern of yarnlike bundles of fiber segments in discontinuous portions of said fabric, which yarn-like bundles define areas of low fiber density arranged in accordance with the pattern of arrangement of said dispersal points, and a second pattern of groups of substantially aligned fiber segments extending between and interconnecting pairs of said discontinuous portions of the fabric immediately adjacent each other.