Renewable imaged nonwoven fabric comprising reconstituted fibers

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a nonwoven fabric comprising reconstituted or regenerated fibers (hereinafter referred to as reconstituted fiber or reconstituted fibers), said nonwoven fabric exhibiting improved aesthetic and physical performance, thus permitting use of the fabric in a wide variety of consumer applications. The nonwoven fabric exhibits a three-dimensional image that is durable to both converting and end-use application. In particular, the present invention contemplates that a fabric is formed from a precursor web comprising at least one reconstituted fiber, which when subjected to hydroentanglement on a moveable imaging surface of a three-dimensional image transfer device, an enhanced product is achieved.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A nonwoven fabric comprised of at least one type of reconstituted, finite length fiber, wherein said reconstituted fiber exhibits a prevalence of fibrous artifacts of equal to or less than 10 percent by weight, said reconstituted fiber having been integrated into a nonwoven fabric, wherein said nonwoven fabric has imparted therein regions of differing fiber density and/or basis weight, said nonwoven fabric exhibiting sufficient resistance to elongation, strength when wetted, and abrasion resistance to be usable in durable and semi-durable end-use applications.  
     
     
         2 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 1 , wherein the type of reconstituted, finite length fiber is selected from the group comprising natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and the blends thereof.  
     
     
         3 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 2 , wherein the natural fibers are cotton fibers.  
     
     
         4 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 2 , wherein the synthetic fibers are polyester fibers.  
     
     
         5 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 1 , wherein the reconstituted fiber length is between about 0.13 inches and 1.0 inches.  
     
     
         6 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 5 , wherein the reconstituted fiber length is between about 0.25 inches and 0.75 inches.  
     
     
         7 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 1 , wherein the prevalence of fibrous artifacts is equal to or less than 5 percent by weight.  
     
     
         8 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 5 , wherein the prevalence of fibrous artifacts is equal to or less than 1 percent by weight.  
     
     
         9 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 1 , wherein the nonwoven fabric is integrated by use of hydroentanglement.  
     
     
         10 . A nonwoven fabric comprised of at least one type of reconstituted, finite length fiber, wherein said reconstituted fiber exhibits a prevalence of fibrous artifacts of equal to or less than 10 percent by weight, said reconstituted fiber having been integrated into a nonwoven fabric, wherein said nonwoven fabric has imparted therein regions of differing fiber density and/or basis weight, said nonwoven fabric exhibiting sufficient resistance to elongation, strength when wetted, and abrasion resistance to be usable in durable and semi-durable end-use applications, and wherein said nonwoven fabric can be deconstructed into its fibrous components and reformed to manufacture a new nonwoven fabric of equivalent aesthetic and/or physical performance.  
     
     
         11 . A nonwoven fabric as in  claim 10 , wherein the same fibrous components can be formed into a nonwoven fabric and subsequently deconstructed for at least 5 cycles.