Patent Issued for Artificial turf and associated devices and methods for making same (USPTO 11268248): Columbia Insurance Company

2022 MAR 29 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Alexandria, Virginia, NewsRx journalists report that a patent by the inventors Fowler, Gregory D. (Ringgold, GA, US), Porter, Lisa (Ringgold, GA, US), Stricklen, Phil (Dalton, GA, US), filed on December 3, 2018, was published online on March 8, 2022.

The patent’s assignee for patent number 11268248 is Columbia Insurance Company (Omaha, Nebraska, United States).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors:

“Field of the Invention

“This invention relates generally to artificial turf and, more particularly, to artificial turf having tufts comprised of at least three distinct yarns as well as devices and methods for making the same.

“Description of the Related Art

“Artificial turf surfaces are widely used as playing field surfaces for sports such as tennis, football, soccer, baseball, and golf. Conventional artificial turf surfaces are most frequently made of artificial turf or synthetic grass-like carpeting which is intended to simulate natural grass. However, these conventional artificial turf surfaces suffer from a number of limitations. In one aspect, some artificial turf can exhibit linear striping due to variations in adjacent tuft rows and, in other aspects, can be challenging for an installer to cut and match sections to ensure a uniform appearance. In other aspects, many turf companies use twisted yarns which results in additional manufacturing expense.

“Accordingly, a need exists for artificial turf surfaces that have a more grass-like aesthetic and that are less expensive and easier to install.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “It is to be understood that this summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. This summary is exemplary and not restrictive, and it is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor delineate the scope thereof. The sole purpose of this summary is to explain and exemplify certain concepts of the disclosure as an introduction to the following complete and extensive detailed description.

“In one aspect, the present disclosure describes an artificial turf having a backing layer and a plurality of rows of individual tufts tufted into the backing layer. In further aspects, each tuft comprises at least three yarns per tuft, wherein each one of the at least three yarns varies from the others in at least one of material, color, texture, tuft denier, denier per filament, cross-section and the like. In other aspects, one of the at least three yarns comprises a wrap yarn. In yet other aspects, a given tufted row of the plurality of tufted rows is substantially similar to each adjacent tufted row.

“In another aspect, the present disclosure provides for a tufting assembly having a plurality of needles, a creel assembly, and a plurality of tensioners. In one aspect, each needle of the plurality of needles is adapted to receive at least a first yarn, a second yarn, and a third yarn. In a further aspect, each of the first yarn, the second yarn, and the third yarn can be selected to be distinct from each other. In one aspect, the creel assembly has at least three post positions associated with each needle and each post position is operable to receive a yarn bundle having one of at least the first yarn, the second yarn and the third yarn. In another aspect, each one of the plurality of tensioners is associated with each of the first yarn, the second yarn and the third yarn. In a further aspect, a tension associated with each tensioner can be selectively modified such that substantially equal tension between the first, second and third yarns can be delivered to each needle. In a further aspect, each of the plurality of needles is adapted to tuft at least the first yarn, the second yarn and the third yarn simultaneously through at least a primary backing layer.

“Additional features and advantages of exemplary implementations of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of such exemplary implementations. The features and advantages of such implementations may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of such exemplary implementations as set forth hereinafter.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A method of making an artificial turf, comprising: delivering at least first, second, and third distinct yarns from a creel assembly to each respective needle of a plurality of needles; threading the first, second, and third distinct yarns through an eye of each respective needle of the plurality of needles; using the plurality of needles to tuft a plurality of rows of individual tufts into a backing layer, wherein each tuft comprises at least the first, second, and third distinct yarns per tuft, wherein each one of the first, second, and third yarns varies from the other yarns of the first, second, and third yarns of the tuft in at least one of material, color, texture, denier, denier per filament, or cross-section; using a plurality of hook and knife assemblies to hold and cut the individual tufts of the plurality of rows of individual tufts, thereby forming cut tufts, wherein the first, second, and third yarns of each tuft are not twisted together prior to threading through the eye of each needle of the plurality of needles, and wherein the at least first, second, and third yarns of each tuft are simultaneously delivered, by a single needle of the plurality of needles, through the backing layer to produce the tuft, wherein the first yarn is a wrap yarn, wherein the second yarn is a slit tape yarn, and wherein the third yarn is a monofilament yarn.

“2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creel assembly comprises at least three post positions associated with each needle of the plurality of needles, and wherein each post position of the plurality of post positions receives a corresponding one of the first, second, and third yarns.

“3. The method of claim 2, wherein each tensioner of a plurality of tensioners is associated with a respective one of the first, second, and third yarns, and wherein the method further comprises using each tensioner to selectively modify a tension of the yarn of the first, second, and third yarns that is associated with the tensioner.

“4. The method of claim 3, wherein the tension associated with each tensioner of the plurality of tensioners is selectively modified such that substantially equal tension between the first, second and third yarns is delivered to each needle of the plurality of needles.

“5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using at least three feed rollers to deliver the respective first, second, and third yarns to the plurality of needles, wherein each feed roller of the three feed rollers is associated with a respective yarn of the first, second, and third yarns.

“6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one yarn of the first, second, and third yarns of each tuft comprises a textured yarn.

“7. The method of claim 1, further comprising disposing an infill material on a top surface of the backing layer and in between the tufts of the plurality of rows of individual tufts.

“8. The method of claim 7, wherein the infill material comprises at least one of rubber particles, sand or natural materials.

“9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third yarns of each tuft comprises a material selected from the group consisting of LDPE, MDPE, Nylon, PP, PET, PLA, and co-extruded biomaterials thereof.

“10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wrap yarn, the tape yarn, and the monofilament yarn each comprise a respective material selected from the group consisting of LDPE, MIDPE, Nylon, PP, PET, PLA, and co-extruded biomaterials thereof.

“11. The method of claim 10, wherein the wrap yarn comprises polyethylene, wherein the tape yarn comprises polyethylene, and wherein the monofilament yarn is selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyethylene, and polypropylene.

“12. The method of claim 11, wherein the monofilament yarn comprises polyethylene.

“13. The method of claim 11, wherein the monofilament yarn comprises polypropylene.

“14. The method of claim 11, wherein the monofilament yarn comprises nylon.

“15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third distinct yarns have respective deniers ranging from 100 to 7,500, and wherein the first, second, and third distinct yarns have a combined denier of 10,800 to 16,600, wherein the combined denier is equal to a total of the respective deniers of the first, second, and third distinct yarns.

“16. The method of claim 1, wherein each row of the plurality of rows of individual tufts is substantially similar to each adjacent row of the plurality of rows of individual tufts.”

For additional information on this patent, see: Fowler, Gregory D. Artificial turf and associated devices and methods for making same. U.S. Patent Number 11268248, filed December 3, 2018, and published online on March 8, 2022. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11268248.PN.&OS=PN/11268248RS=PN/11268248

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