Skin care fabric having a heterogeneous frictional property

Abstract

A fabric system which can provide a skin care effect and which is comprised of first and second faces, a first face having a lower coefficient of friction than a second face, is disclosed.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
         1 . A fabric comprising:
 a hydrophilic yarn comprising hydrophilic fibers; and   a hydrophobic yarn comprising hydrophobic fibers,   wherein said fabric is comprised of first and second faces, said first face having a lower coefficient of friction than said second face.   
     
     
         2 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said first face of fabric has a coefficient of friction which is 5% lower than a coefficient of friction of the second face. 
     
     
         3 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said first face has a coefficient of friction which is 10% less than said second face. 
     
     
         4 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , comprising 25-45 wt. % of hydrophobic fiber, wt. % being based on the entire weight of fibers of the fabric. 
     
     
         5 . The fabric according to  claim 1  wherein said hydrophilic yarn is comprised of a first hydrophilic fiber comprising rayon and a second hydrophilic fiber comprising cotton. 
     
     
         6 . The fabric according to  claim 5 , wherein said first hydrophilic fiber comprises fibers prepared by the Lyocell method. 
     
     
         7 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic fiber comprises nylon. 
     
     
         8 . The fabric according to  claim 5 , wherein a weight ratio of first and second hydrophilic fibers is 2.5:1 to 1:2. 
     
     
         9 . The fabric according to  claim 5 , wherein said first hydrophilic fiber is present in an amount of 40-50 wt. % said second hydrophilic fiber is present in an amount of 15-25 wt. % wt. % being based on the entire weight of fibers of the fabric. 
     
     
         10 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said first face exhibits a coefficient of surface friction against human skin of from 0.100 to 0.150 μm. 
     
     
         11 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said fabric is woven. 
     
     
         12 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said fabric is knit. 
     
     
         13 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein a heterogeneous frictional property is achieved in the absence of heterogeneous surface treatment. 
     
     
         14 . The fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein a heterogenous frictional property is achieved based on the relative exposure of hydrophobic yarn and hydrophilic yarn. 
     
     
         15 . A bed sheet comprising the fabric according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         16 . A sleep mask comprising the fabric according to  claim 1 , wherein said sleep mask is configured such that a face of said fabric having a lower coefficient of friction contacts facial skin when in use. 
     
     
         17 . The article selected from the group consisting of clothing, sleepwear, an undergarment, a robe, a duvet cover and spa linen comprising the fabric of  claim 1 , wherein said first face having a lower coefficient of friction than said second face is oriented towards skin when in use.