FIBERS WITH MULTICOMPONENT FIBERS USED FOR CODING

摘要

Disclosed are fibers which contains identification fibers. The identification fibers can contain a plurality of distinct features, or taggants, which vary among the fibers and/or along the length of the identification fibers of the fibers, a fiber band, or. The disclosed embodiments also relate to the method for making and characterizing the fibers. Characterization of the fibers can include identifying distinct features, combinations of distinct features, and number of fibers with various combinations of distinct features to supply chain information. The supply chain information can be used to track the fibers, fiber band, or yarn from manufacturing through intermediaries, conversion to final product, and/or the consumer.

主权项

1. Fibers comprising identification fibers,
wherein the identification fibers comprise multicomponent fibers,
wherein each of the multicomponent fibers comprises 2 to 100 segments, wherein each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature, wherein each of the multicomponent fibers exhibits the at least one distinct feature comprising one or more taggant segment counts, one or more taggant segment shapes, one or more taggant segment sizes, one or more taggant segment geometrical relationships, or one or more taggant segment pointers, wherein the identification fibers comprise one or more groups of distinguishable identification fibers, each group of the distinguishable identification fibers being formed by the identification fibers having the same distinct feature or a same combination of the distinct features, wherein a number of the identification fibers in each group of the distinguishable identification fibers is defined as a fiber count,
wherein at least one of the fiber counts corresponds to a taggant fiber count; and wherein (i) the distinct features in each group of the distinguishable identification fibers and (ii) the one or more taggant fiber counts are representative of a code of the fibers.