Solid-color weave pattern belt

The present invention relates to a solid-color weave pattern belt and more particularly to a solid-color weave pattern belt suitable for use in applications such as seat belts of automobiles and hanging belts of bags.

With the spread of users of automobiles in recent years, the demand for seat belts has been diversified.

In general, a 2/2 twill weave is used as a weave for the conventional seat belt. Further, in order to maintain the tenacity required of the seat belt, the warp density is so high that the wefts are substantially hidden behind the warps. For this reason, the twill angle of the warps relative to the longitudinal direction is very small, which makes it difficult to confirm the twill lines, so that only turnover lines of the twill and the difference of gloss due to the reflection of light rays are recognized. Therefore, the conventional 2/2 twill weave has become difficult to cope with the above-described diversification.

In order to cope with the above-described diversification, a seat belt having a pattern will be possibly proposed. However, if the pattern is formed by blend weaving of different kinds of yarns with different colors, it is very complicated to stock those different kinds of yarns in a production site and therefore inevitably disadvantageous from the view point of cost. In order to avoid the disadvantage, Japanese patent application Kokai publication No. 62-28438 has proposed to render a weave pattern on a belt which is formed by making an interrupted portion in a twill weave line of a weave of 2/2 twill. However, although the weave pattern formed by interruption of a twill weave line is able to make a large pattern, it is not able to make a fine pattern or an unique pattern having no twill weave line and therefore it lacks the degree of freedom in designing patterns.

Document GB-A-2040327 discloses a process for the production of brightly colored and patterned saftey belts. The process involes the use of yarns of different colors, at least one of which is brightly colored.

An object of the present invention is to provide a solid-color weave pattern belt having a high degree of freedom of designing patterns and to be able to form many possible weave patterns.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a solid-color weave pattern belt preferable for use as a seat belt or a hanging belt of a sports bag.

In order to attain the above-described objects, the solid-color weave pattern belt of the present invention comprises a weave in which warps are arranged at such a high density that wefts are substantially hidden behind said warps, characterised in that the said weave comprises a combination of different warp threading arrangement units of at least one of three different unit groups formed by omitting one warp threading phase to three warp threading phases from a basic 2/2 twill weave consisting of four warp threading phases, said warp threading arrangement units being successively arranged, one adjacent to another, to thereby form an uneven weave pattern on the surface of the belt.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

• Fig. 1A is a diagram of 2/2 twill weave of a solid-color weave pattern belt according to an example of the present invention;
• Fig. 1B is a disgram for threading of warps through heddles which corresponds to the diagram of fig. 1A;
• Fig. 2A is a diagram of 2/2 twill weave of a solid-color weave pattern belt according to another example of the present invention;
• Fig. 2B is a diagram for threading of warps through heddles which corresponds to the diagram of fig. 2A;
• Fig. 3A is a diagram of 2/2 twill weave of a solid-color weave pattern belt according to another example of the present invention;
• Fig. 3B is a diagram for threading of warps through heddles which corresponds to the diagram of Fig. 3A;
• Fig. 4 is a diagram of a weave comprising a conventional 2/2 twill basic unit; and
• Fig. 5 is a diagram of a conventional pointed twill weave comprising the basic unit shown in Fig. 4.

The warp used in the belt of the present invention is important for attaining the tenacity of the belt. The yarn of the warp may be in the form of any of a multi-filament yarn and a spun yarn. However, in seat belt applications, it is preferred to use a multi-filament yarn of a synthetic fiber. Preferable examples of the material for the synthetic fiber include polyesters, polyamides, and polyvinyl alcohols.

In the present invention, no combination of at least two kinds of yarns different from each other in the material is used as the warp, and only yarns made of the same material is used. Further, it is preferred that the yarns be the same with each other in the material as well as in the fineness.

There is no particular limitation with respect to the weft because the weft does not so much contribute to the belt tenacity as the warp. However, in general, it is preferred to use a weft made of the same material as that of the warp and having a fineness of as same as or about 1/2 of that of the warp.

As described above, the belt of the present invention comprises warps and wefts basically in a two-ups-and-two-downs weave (i.e., a weave of 2/2 twill) and has such a high warp density that the wefts are substantially hidden behind the warps.

As shown in Fig. 4, the weave of 2/2 twill used in a conventional seat belt comprises a basic warp arrangement unit wherein the warps are subjected to straight drafting of four kinds of warp threading phases 1,2,3 and 4 with successive one-stitch staggering of 2/2 twill weave. For example, the belt has a twill pattern like a pointed twill shown in Fig. 5. In this weave, the warps are represented by squares arranged in the longitudinal direction of the weave, while the wefts are represented by squares arranged in the lateral direction of the weave. Further, the squares marked with X represent the state where the warp passes over the weft (or the weft is under the warp), while the non-marked squares represent the state where the warp passes under the weft (or the weft is over the warp).

However, as described above, in the conventional pointed twill weave as shown in Fig. 5, an increase in the warp density renders the twill line vague and very monotonous.

Also, the weave disclosed in the above-described Japanese patent application Kokai publication No. 62-28438, which has a weave pattern formed by making an interrupted portion in a twill weave line of 2/2 twill weave, is not able to make a fine pattern or an unique pattern having no twill weave line, although it is able to made a large pattern. According to the present invention, as described above, the weave pattern comprises a combination of at least one warp threading arrangement unit selected from three kinds of units formed by omitting one to three warp threading phases from 2/2 twill weave consisting of four warp threading phases and further a plurality of the above described warp threading arrangement units are successively adjacent to each other, thereby forming an uneven weave pattern on the surface of the belt. This irregular arrangement of the warp threading enables a distinct uneven weave pattern to be formed on the surface of the belt. Specifically, in the 2/2 twill weave comprising the above irregular warp threading arrangement according to the present invention, a noticeable recess is formed, and the depth of the recess is as large as about at least 50 % of the thickness of the warp. Therefore, it is possible to form a weave pattern which can be clearly recognized with naked eyes and also a fine pattern as well as a large one or an unique pattern having no twill weave line.

Examples of the omission of one warp threading phase include the following arrangement.

Specifically, the conventional 2/2 twill weave like a pointed twill shown in Fig. 5 is formed by repeating a basic unit consisting of four kinds of warp threading phases 1,2,3 and 4 or 4,3,2 and 1 shown in Fig. 4, i.e., comprises the following arrangement:

   .....123(4)12(3)41(2)34(1)234.....

By contrast, in the present invention, a parenthesized threading phase is omitted from the above arrangement to form the following arrangement:

   .....123124134234.....

A 2/2 twill weave of an example of the arrangement according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 1A. Also, a threading of warps through heddles is shown in Fig. 1B. In Figs. 1A and 1B, from an arrangement comprising a combination of the following basic units is omitted one or two parenthesized warp threading phases from each basic unit one by one according to the above-described technique, thereby forming the following arrangement:

   .....14(3)21(4)32(1)43(2)14(3)21(4)32(1) 43(2)14(3)21(4)32(1)43(2)14(3)214(32)1(2) 34(1)23(4)12(3)41(2)34(1)23(4)12(3)41(2) 34(12)34(1)23(4)12(3)41(2)34(12)34(1)23(4) 12.....

Although as with the Figs. 1A and 1B, the 2/2 twill weave shown in Figs. 2A and 2B comprises a combination of an arrangement formed by omitting one parenthesized warp threading phase from each basic unit in the following arrangement with an arrangement formed by omitting two parenthesized warp threading phases from each basic unit in the following arrangement, it has a higher frequency of omission of the warp threading phase:

   .....4(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)4(3) 2(14)3(2)1(4)3(2)1(4)3(2)1(4)3(2)1(4)3(2) 14(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)(4)3(2)1(4)3(2) 14(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)4(3)2(14)3(2)1(4)3(2) 1(4)3(2)1(4)3(2)14(3)2(1)4(3)2(1)4(3)2(1) 4(3)2(1)4(3)2.....

In the present invention, the weave may comprise an arrangement unit formed by omitting three threading phases from the above-described base unit. The omission of three warp threading phases causes only one threading phase to be left, thus forming an arrangement comprising the same phases running in a row. Figs. 3A and 3B is a weave pattern wherein a plurality of warps constituting each arrangement unit and having the same warp threading phase are doubled and the number of doubled warps is successively changed in the arrangement units adjacent to each other.

In the 2/2 twill weave according to the present invention formed by the above-described irregular threading, a noticeable recess having a depth as large as about 50 % of the thickness of the warp appears in an area where a part where the warp passes over the weft (a square marked with X) exists in only one row and not in two or more rows or in an area where a port where the warp passes under the weft (a non-marked square) exists in three or more rows. A plurality of the recesses arrange regularly to form an uneven pattern.

Although the above-described belt of the present invention is best suited for use as a seat belt, it may be also applied to other fashionable small-width woven fabrics such as hanging belts of sports bags.

As described above, according to the present invention, a pattern comprising noticeable unevennesses can be formed by a warp threading arrangement comprising at least one arrangement units selected from those three kinds of units formed by omitting one to three warp threading phases from 2/2 twill threading phases consisting of four warps, in which the arrangement units are successively adjacent to each other. Also, all sorts of patterns such as a fine pattern, a large pattern and a pattern without twill weave line are possible to be formed.