1. A bulked continuous carpet filament consisting essentially of a recycled polymer.
2. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 1, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament is produced using a process that includes at least a step of passing a recycled polymer through an extruder comprising:
(A) a first satellite screw extruder, said first satellite screw extruder comprising a first satellite screw that is mounted to rotate about a central axis of said first satellite screw;
(B) a second satellite screw extruder, said second satellite screw extruder comprising a second satellite screw that is mounted to rotate about a central axis of said second satellite screw;
(C) a pressure regulation system that is adapted to maintain a pressure within said first and second satellite screw extruders below a pressure of about 1.5 millibars as said recycled polymer passes through said first and second screw extruders; and
(D) a satellite screw extruder support system that is adapted to orbitally rotate said first and second satellite screws about a main axis as said recycled polymer passes through said first and second screw extruders, said main axis being substantially parallel to both: (1) said central axis of said first satellite screw; and (2) said central axis of said second satellite screw.
3. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 2, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament has an internal viscosity of between about 0.79 dLg and about 1.00 dLg.
4. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 2, wherein said recycled polymer consists essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
5. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 2, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament is produced using a process that includes at least a step of passing said recycled polymer through at least one filter after said step of passing said recycled polymer through said extruder.
6. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 5, wherein said at least one filter comprises:
a first filter having a micron rating of less than about 50 microns; and
a second filter having a micron rating of less than about 30 microns.
7. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 1, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament consists essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
8. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 7, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament has a tenacity that is between about 3 gfden and about 8 gfden.
9. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 1, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament is produced using a process that includes at least a step of passing a recycled polymer through an extruder comprising:
(A) at least six satellite screw extruders, each of said at least six satellite screw extruders comprising a satellite screw that is mounted to rotate about a respective central axis of each said satellite screw;
(B) at least one vacuum pump that is adapted to maintain a pressure within each of said at least six satellite screw extruders below a pressure of about 5 millibars as said recycled polymer passes through each of said at least six satellite screw extruders; and
(C) a satellite screw drum that houses said at least six satellite screw extruders and is adapted to orbitally rotate said at least six satellite screw extruders about a main axis as said recycled polymer passes through said at least six satellite screw extruders, said main axis being substantially parallel to each said central axis.
10. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 9, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament consists essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
11. A bulked continuous carpet filament comprising between about 80% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and about 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), wherein:
said bulked continuous carpet filament has a tenacity of at least about 3 gfden.
12. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 11, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament has a tenacity of between about 3 gfden and 9 gden.
13. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 12, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament is produced using a process that includes at least a step of passing a recycled polymer through an extruder comprising:
(A) a first satellite screw extruder, said first satellite screw extruder comprising a first satellite screw that is mounted to rotate about a central axis of said first satellite screw;
(B) a second satellite screw extruder, said second satellite screw extruder comprising a second satellite screw that is mounted to rotate about a central axis of said second satellite screw;
(C) a pressure regulation system that is adapted to maintain a pressure within said first and second satellite screw extruders below a pressure of about 1.2 millibars as said recycled polymer passes through said first and second screw extruders; and
(D) a satellite screw extruder support system that is adapted to orbitally rotate said first and second satellite screws about a main axis as said recycled polymer passes through said first and second screw extruders, said main axis being substantially parallel to both: (1) said central axis of said first satellite screw; and (2) said central axis of said second satellite screw.
14. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 13, wherein said recycled polymer consists essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
15. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 13, wherein said recycled polymer has an internal viscosity of between about 0.79 dLg and about 1.00 dLg while passing through said first and second satellite screw extruders.
16. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 15, consisting essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
17. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 11, comprising between about 0% virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and about 20% virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
18. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 11, wherein said bulked continuous carpet filament is produced using a process that includes at least a step of passing a recycled polymer through an extruder comprising:
(A) at least six satellite screw extruders, each of said at least six satellite screw extruders comprising a satellite screw that is mounted to rotate about a respective central axis of each said satellite screw;
(B) at least one vacuum pump that is adapted to maintain a pressure within said at least six satellite screw extruders between a pressure of about 0.5 millibars and a pressure of about 5 millibars as said recycled polymer passes through said at least six satellite screw extruders; and
(C) a satellite screw drum that houses said at least six satellite screw extruders and is adapted to orbitally rotate said at least six satellite screw extruders about a main axis as said recycled polymer passes through said at least six satellite screw extruders, said main axis being substantially parallel to each said central axis.
19. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 18, wherein said recycled polymer consists essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
20. The bulked continuous carpet filament of claim 19 consisting essentially of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A door catch, comprising:
a ball plunger assembly including a body with a threaded exterior, a bottom surface with a tool receiving pattern and an interior cavity open to a top portion of the body, and a ball captive within the interior cavity and biased by a spring to partially extend out of the top portion of the body;
a catch bar bracket including a first mounting portion, a catch bar integrally formed with the first mounting portion and projecting away from the first mounting portion, the catch bar including a first planar surface in which a detent is formed;
a ball catch base including a second mounting portion and a base portion, the base portion including a base portion end outer surface distal from the second mounting portion and radiused about a vertical axis and a second planar surface projecting away from the second mounting portion to the base portion end outer surface with a threaded aperture therethrough, the ball plunger assembly threaded into the threaded aperture with the ball extending out of the second planar surface;
the catch bar bracket and the ball catch base being mountable on opposing vertical surfaces of a wall structure and a door by the first and second mounting portions so that the ball and the detent frictionally engage to hold the door in an open position, wherein when the ball and the detent are frictionally engaged with one another, the first planar surface and the second planar face one another and are parallel to each other while extending orthogonally to a corresponding one of the opposing vertical surfaces of the door and the wall structure; and
a force of impinging of the ball against the detent is adjustable by rotating the body within the threaded aperture, causing the ball to raise or lower with respect to the second planar surface.
2. The door catch of claim 1, wherein:
the first mounting portion includes a fastener-receiving aperture configured to receive a fastener so as to mount the first mounting portion in a fixed and non-adjustable position relative to one of the wall structure and the door.
3. The door catch of claim 1, wherein:
the catch bar is a downward facing L-bracket; and
the first mounting portion is configured as a planar back with respect to the downward facing L-bracket.
4. A door catch, comprising:
a ball plunger assembly including a body with a threaded exterior, bottom surface with a tool receiving pattern, an interior cavity open to a top portion of the body, and a ball captive within the body within the interior cavity and biased by a spring to partially extend out of the top portion of the body;
a catch bar bracket including a first mounting portion and a catch bar, the catch bar bracket comprising a one-piece rigid structure, wherein the catch bar is constrained to project away from the first mounting portion along a fixed axis and includes a first planar surface in which a detent is formed;
a ball catch base including a second mounting portion and a base portion, the base portion including a second planar surface projecting away from the second mounting portion and with a threaded aperture therethrough, the ball plunger assembly threaded into the threaded aperture with the ball extending out of the second planar surface, the base portion comprising a base portion end outer surface that is distal to the first mounting portion and radiused about a vertical axis;
the catch bar bracket and the ball catch base being mountable by the first and second mounting portions on opposing vertical surfaces of a wall structure and a door so that the ball and the detent frictionally engage to hold the door in an open position, wherein when the ball and the detent are frictionally engaged within one another, the first planar surface and the second planar face one another and are parallel to each other while extending horizontally away from a corresponding one of the opposing vertical surfaces of the wall structure and the door; and
a force of impinging of the ball against the detent is adjustable by rotating the body within the threaded aperture, causing the ball to raise or lower with respect to the second planar surface.