	US 12,104,323 B2
	Seamed press felt with partially anchored stuffer yarn packager
Jill Wilkie, Clinton, SC (US); and John Snead, Joanna, SC (US)
Assigned to AstenJohnson International, Inc., Charleston, SC (US)
Appl. No. 18/011,976
Filed by AstenJohnson International, Inc., Charleston, SC (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 4, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/035828 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 21, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2022/010604, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 13, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/048,251, filed on Jul. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0272582 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. D21F 7/10 (2006.01)

CPC D21F 7/10 (2013.01)

14 Claims

1. A seamed press felt comprising:

a base fabric having a CD width and an MD length with two opposing MD ends that are joined to form a continuous belt;

MD oriented yarns form uniform loops at the two opposing MD ends that are interdigitated to define a pintle channel extending the CD width;

CD oriented yarns connected to the MD oriented yarns;

loop open spaces located within the loops on each of the two opposing MD ends in a seam region, the loop open spaces being defined between a last one of the CD yarns at each of the two opposing MD ends and the pintle channel;

a stuffer package located in the loop open spaces on each of the two opposing MD ends, the stuffer package including at least one CD stuffer monofilament yarn having a diameter at least as large as a diameter of the CD oriented yarns, and at least two CD cabled monofilaments, each said CD cabled monofilament including at least 3 monofilament strands;

a stitch that extends through at least a portion of the stuffer package and a portion of the base fabric at each of the two opposing MD ends, the stitch holds the at least one CD stuffer monofilament yarn and a first subset of the at least two CD cabled monofilaments in place in the loop open spaces and a second subset of the at least two CD cabled monofilaments is free-floating in the loop open spaces; and

a pintle extending through the pintle channel to form a seam.