Patterned textile product

Abstract

A textile substrate is patterned by the selective application of various dyes to the substrate surface in a way that provides desirable, visually apparent enhancements in the area of pattern detail, definition, and color range, through the use of a novel patterning system, including the application of various chemical agents, that makes such enhancements possible. In one embodiment, the patterning system described herein is capable of producing pile-faced textile substrates, useful as floor coverings, that exhibit a unique combination of desirable pattern attributes that have been identified and measured using novel techniques specifically developed for these substrates and pattern attributes.

1 . A patterned textile comprising a substantially planar backing substrate to which a plurality of individual pile yarns have been secured, each of said individual yarns extending upwardly from said backing substrate and having a proximal portion where each of said yarns is attached to said backing substrate and a distal portion, located opposite said proximal portion and comprising a pile surface comprising distal portions of said pile yarns, said pile surface further comprising contiguous pattern areas within which different dyes have been selectively and respectively dispensed under the control of electronically-defined patterning data to said distal portions of said pile yarns and allowed to migrate from said distal portions of said pile yarns toward the respective proximal portions of said pile yarns, said contiguous pattern areas having a coincident border region, said border region having a minimum semi-infinite Transition Width less than 1.3 mm and wherein a majority of said pile yarns comprising said border region show dye penetration that, for each pile yarn comprising said majority, extends from said distal portion of said yarn to a location at least 40% of the distance along said yarn separating respective distal and proximal portions of said yarn, and wherein, for at least one such pile yarn comprising said majority, dye penetration extends to a location less than 100% of said distance.  
   
   
       2 . A patterned textile comprising a substantially planar backing substrate to which a plurality of individual pile yarns have been secured, each of said individual yarns extending upwardly from said backing substrate and having a proximal portion where each of said yarns is attached to said backing substrate and a distal portion, located opposite said proximal portion and comprising a pile surface comprising distal portions of said pile yarns, said pile surface further comprising contiguous pattern areas within which different dyes have been selectively and respectively dispensed under the control of electronically-defined patterning data to said distal portions of said pile yarns and allowed to migrate from said distal portions of said pile yarns toward the respective proximal portions of said pile yarns, said contiguous pattern areas having a coincident border region, said border region having a minimum Feature Width that, for a given wet pickup level, is no larger than the diameter of a spherical drop of dye corresponding to such wet pickup level boundary region having a minimum Feature Width in any direction less than 1.5 mm and said Feature Width exhibits an Isotropy Index of less than 1.1, and wherein a majority of said pile yarns comprising said boundary region show dye penetration that, for each pile yarn comprising said majority, extends from said distal portion of said yarn to a location at least 50% of the distance along said yarn separating respective distal and proximal portions of said yarn, and wherein, for at least one such pile yarn comprising said majority, dye penetration extends to a location less than 100% of said distance, said distance being at least about 2 mm.  
   
   
       3 - 10 . (canceled)