Fabric with cooling characteristics

Abstract

A fabric for thermal management including the cooling of an object, such as a person's skin. The fabric is formed of a plurality of materials including at least one liquid transport enhancing material and at least one evaporative transport impeding material. When the fabric is in use, the transport enhancing material is located near an object to be cooled, while the evaporation impeding material is spaced away from the object. The fabric is peached so that there is an entanglement of the two materials. Peaching is performed on both sides of the fabric, but initially on the side with the transport enhancing material such that a portion of the evaporation impeding material is pulled into the fabric core. A method of making the fabric is also described.

1 . A fabric having a front side, a back side and an interior between the front side and the back side, wherein the front side of the fabric is the side adjacent to the environment when the fabric is in use and the back side is the side adjacent to an object to be cooled when the fabric is in use, the fabric comprising:
 one or more fiber materials wherein at least one of the one or more fiber materials has a liquid diverting trait, wherein the at least one of the fiber materials is positioned at the back side of the fabric and wherein the one or more fiber materials are arranged to establish a network of interstices in the interior of the fabric sufficient to slow the progression of liquid from the interior out of the fabric through the front side thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The fabric as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the one or more fiber materials include a first fiber material and a second fiber material, wherein the second fiber material is the at least one of the one or more fiber materials. 
     
     
         3 . The fabric as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the one or more fiber materials includes a hollow fiber material. 
     
     
         4 . The fabric as claimed in claim further comprising an additive material. 
     
     
         5 . The fabric as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the additive is a silver fiber. 
     
     
         6 . The fabric as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the one or more fiber materials are knitted together. 
     
     
         7 . The fabric as claimed in claim wherein the one or more fiber materials are woven together. 
     
     
         8 - 20 . (canceled)