Office panel and fabric covering therefor

Abstract

An office panel assembly and fabric covering therefor. The panel assembly includes a supporting frame and a covering of textile fabric. The textile fabric is of a stitch bonded construction including a stitch yarns extending in a repeating stitch arrangement through a nonwoven fibrous substrate such that the stitch yarns cooperatively form a patterned show surface across one side of the said textile fabric.

1 . An office panel assembly comprising: a supporting frame and a covering of textile fabric, wherein said textile fabric is of a stitch bonded construction comprising a plurality of stitch yarns extending in a repeating stitch arrangement through a nonwoven fibrous substrate such that said stitch yarns cooperatively form a patterned show surface across one side of said textile fabric.  
     
     
         2 . The invention as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said stitch yarns are polyester yarns.  
     
     
         3 . The invention as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said polyester yarns stitch yarns are bright polyester yarns.  
     
     
         4 . The invention as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said polyester yarns are characterized by a linear density of about 300 denier to about 1000 denier.  
     
     
         5 . The invention as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said polyester yarns are characterized by a linear density of about 450 denier.  
     
     
         6 . The invention as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven fibrous substrate is a hydroentangled nonwoven.  
     
     
         7 . The invention as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven fibrous substrate is a spunbonded nonwoven.  
     
     
         8 . The invention as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said fibrous substrate is formed substantially of polyester fiber elements.  
     
     
         9 . The invention as recited in  claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of said polyester fiber elements comprise solution dyed polyester.  
     
     
         10 . The invention as recited in  claim 8 , wherein said fibrous substrate includes at least two polyester constituents of different melting point.  
     
     
         11 . The invention as recited in  claim 10 , wherein said fibrous constituent comprises about 40% to about 95% of a first polyester constituent having a melting point of about 250 to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit and about 5% to about 60% of a second polyester constituent having a melting point less than the melting point of said first polyester constituent.  
     
     
         12 . The invention as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the melting point of said second polyester constituent is at least about 50 degrees Fahrenheit less than the melting point of said first polyester constituent.  
     
     
         13 . The invention as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said fibrous substrate comprises a mixture of fiber elements of different melting points.  
     
     
         14 . An office panel assembly comprising: a supporting frame and a covering of textile fabric, wherein said textile fabric is of a stitch bonded construction comprising a plurality of polyester stitch yarns having a linear density in the range of about 300 denier to about 1000 denier extending in a repeating stitch arrangement through a hydroentangled nonwoven fibrous substrate such that said stitch yarns cooperatively form a patterned show surface substantially covering one side of said textile fabric, wherein said fibrous substrate is formed substantially of polyester fiber elements.  
     
     
         15 . The invention as recited in  claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of said polyester fiber elements comprise solution dyed polyester.  
     
     
         16 . The invention as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said fibrous substrate includes at least two polyester constituents of different melting point.  
     
     
         17 . The invention as recited in  claim 16 , wherein said fibrous constituent comprises about 40% to about 95% of a first polyester constituent having a melting point of about 250 to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit and about 5% to about 60% of a second polyester constituent having a melting point less than the melting point of said first polyester constituent.  
     
     
         18 . The invention as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the melting point of said second polyester constituent is at least about 50 degrees Fahrenheit less than the melting point of said first polyester constituent.  
     
     
         19 . A textile fabric of a stitch bonded construction suitable for use in covering relation to an office panel substrate, the textile fabric comprising: a plurality of stitch yarns of bright polyester having a linear density of about 450 denier extending in a repeating stitch arrangement through a nonwoven fibrous substrate such that said stitch yarns cooperatively form a patterned show surface extending across one side of said textile fabric, wherein said fibrous substrate consists essentially of solution dyed polyester.  
     
     
         20 . The invention as recited in  claim 19 , wherein said fibrous substrate comprises at least two polyester constituents of different melting points.