US5380580A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flexible nonwoven mat
Assignee: 3M Co
•
Filing: 1994-01-03
•
Granted: 1995-01-10
•
Expires: 2014-01-03
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a flexible nonwoven mat comprising physically entangled shot-free ceramic oxide fibers. The flexible nonwoven mat is useful, for example, as filter material, mounting mat, thermal insulation, and sound insulation.
Inventors
- 👤 John J. Rogers
- 👤 John L. Erickson
- 👤 Stephen M. Sanocki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 01:45
CPC Classifications
D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/42; D04H1/4209; B; B32; B32B; B32B5/00; B32B5/02; B32B5/06; B32B5/22; B32B5/24; B32B5/26; C; C04; C04B; C04B35/00; C04B35/622; C04B35/62227; C04B35/62231; C04B35/6224; C04B35/62245; D04H1/4218; D04H1/4234; D04H1/4242; D04H1/4374; D04H1/4382; D04H1/43825; D04H1/43828; D04H1/43835; D04H1/43838; D04H1/44; D04H1/46; B32B2262/00; B32B2262/10; B32B2262/101; B32B2262/105; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/10; B32B2307/102; B32B2307/30; B32B2307/302; C04B2235/00; C04B2235/02; C04B2235/30; C04B2235/34; C04B2235/3409; C04B2235/50; C04B2235/52; C04B2235/5208; C04B2235/526; C04B2235/5264; F; F01; F01N; F01N3/00; F01N3/08; F01N3/10; F01N3/24; F01N3/28; F01N3/2839; F01N3/2853; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/902; Y10S428/92; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2918; Y10T428/30; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/608; Y10T442/614; Y10T442/615; Y10T442/618; Y10T442/682; Y10T442/684; Y10T442/687; Y10T442/689
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
151 words
A flexible nonwoven mat comprising shot-free ceramic oxide fibers, wherein at least a portion of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are physically entangled, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers have a diameter greater than 5 micrometers and a length greater than about 1.5 cm, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminosilicate-based fibers comprising aluminum oxide in the range from 60 to about 85 percent by weight and silicon oxide in the range from about 40 to about 15 percent by weight silicon oxide, based on the total weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers, said aluminosilicate-based fibers being at least 20 percent by weight crystalline; (b) crystalline quartz fibers, and (c) mixtures of (a) and (b), and wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least 50 percent by weight of the total weight of said nonwoven mat.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
151 words
A flexible nonwoven mat comprising shot-free ceramic oxide fibers, wherein at least a portion of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are physically entangled, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers have a diameter greater than 5 micrometers and a length greater than about 1.5 cm, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminosilicate-based fibers comprising aluminum oxide in the range from 60 to about 85 percent by weight and silicon oxide in the range from about 40 to about 15 percent by weight silicon oxide, based on the total weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers, said aluminosilicate-based fibers being at least 20 percent by weight crystalline; (b) crystalline quartz fibers, and (c) mixtures of (a) and (b), and wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least 50 percent by weight of the total weight of said nonwoven mat.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 1, wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least 60 percent by weight of the total weight of said nonwoven mat.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 1, wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least about 75 percent by weight of the total weight of said nonwoven mat.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 3, wherein said mat can be bent back upon itself without breaking more than 10 percent of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers present.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 3 having an average of at least 5 needle punches/cm 2 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 3, wherein at least a portion of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are hydroentangled.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 3, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are aluminosilicate-based fibers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, wherein said aluminosilicate-based fibers are crystalline fibers which comprise about 67 to about 77 percent by weight aluminum oxide and about 33 to about 23 percent by weight silicon oxide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are crystalline fibers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, wherein said aluminosilicate-based fibers are aluminoborosilicate fibers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
57 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 10, wherein said aluminoborosilicate fibers comprise about 55 to about 75 percent by weight aluminum oxide, less than 45 to greater than zero percent by weight silicon oxide, and less than 25 to greater than zero percent boron oxide by weight, based on the total weight of said aluminoborosilicate fibers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 11, wherein said aluminosilicate-based fibers are at least 50 percent by weight crystalline.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 11, wherein said aluminoborosilicate-based fibers are at least 75 percent by weight crystalline.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 11, wherein said aluminosilicate-based fibers are crystalline.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
14 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, which is essentially free of shot.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, said mat being essentially free of ceramic fiber having a diameter less than 5 micrometers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, said mat being essentially free of ceramic fiber having a diameter less than 3 micrometers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, wherein at least a portion of said aluminosilicate-based fibers are needle-punched, and wherein said flexible, nonwoven mat has a weight per unit area value in the range from about 50 to about 5000 g/m 2 .
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, said mat comprising a plurality of layers of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
37 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, further comprising high strength fibers selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide fibers, silicon nitride fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, stainless steel fibers, brass fibers, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
12 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, further comprising fugitive fibers.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, needle-punched, nonwoven mat comprising fibers selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide fibers, carbon fibers, silicon nitride fibers, glass fibers, stainless steel fibers, brass fibers, fugitive fibers, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
27 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 7, which is at least one of filtration media, thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, mounting mat, gasket material, or catalyst support.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
41 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 3 having an average of at least 5 needle punches/cm 2 and which can be bent back upon itself without breaking more than 1 percent of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said quartz fibers present.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
167 words
A method for making a flexible nonwoven mat, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a flexible nonwoven mat comprising shot-free ceramic oxide fibers, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers have a diameter greater than 5 micrometers and a length greater than about 1.5 cm, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminosilicate-based fibers comprising aluminum oxide in the range from 60 to about 85 percent by weight and silicon oxide in the range from about 40 to about 15 percent by weight silicon oxide, based on the total weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers, said aluminosilicate-based fibers being at least 20 percent by weight crystalline; (b) crystalline quartz fibers, and (c) mixtures of (a) and (b), and wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least 50 percent by weight of the total weight of the nonwoven mat; and (b) physically entangling at least a portion of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
167 words
A method for making a flexible nonwoven mat, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a flexible nonwoven mat comprising shot-free ceramic oxide fibers, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers have a diameter greater than 5 micrometers and a length greater than about 1.5 cm, wherein said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are selected from the group consisting of (a) aluminosilicate-based fibers comprising aluminum oxide in the range from 60 to about 85 percent by weight and silicon oxide in the range from about 40 to about 15 percent by weight silicon oxide, based on the total weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers, said aluminosilicate-based fibers being at least 20 percent by weight crystalline; (b) crystalline quartz fibers, and (c) mixtures of (a) and (b), and wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least 50 percent by weight of the total weight of the nonwoven mat; and (b) physically entangling at least a portion of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method according to claim 25, wherein the combined weight of said aluminosilicate-based fibers and said crystalline quartz fibers is at least about 75 percent by weight of the total weight of said nonwoven mat.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
22 words
The flexible nonwoven mat according to claim 1 wherein said at least a portion of said shot-free ceramic oxide fibers are hydroentangled.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-01-09 | 1998-07-11 | 1999-01-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-01-09 | 2002-07-11 | 2003-01-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-01-09 | 2006-07-11 | 2007-01-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |