Textile product having thinned regions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10077517-B2
Application number	US-201313794135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2013
Priority date	Mar 11, 2013
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments described herein may take the form of a textile fabric, including: a first region defined by a first plurality of textile fibers; a second region adjacent the first region and being formed from a second plurality of textile fibers and a hot melt material adjacent the second plurality of textile fibers; wherein the first region is free of hot melt material. Other embodiments may take the form of a method for fabricating a textile product, including the operations of: applying heat to a textile having associated hot melt fibers, thereby melting the hot melt fibers; modifying a mechanical property of a portion of the textile by introducing a solvent to the textile; and stopping an action of the solvent on the textile when the mechanical property reaches a target.

First claim

We claim:

1. A textile fabric, comprising:
a first region defined by a first plurality of textile fibers;
a second region adjacent to and non-overlapping with the first region, wherein the second region comprises a second plurality of textile fibers and a hot melt material positioned on the second plurality of textile fibers and wherein the first region is free of hot melt material; and
a third region adjacent to and non-overlapping with the first region, wherein the third region comprises a third plurality of textile fibers and an additional hot melt material positioned on the third plurality of textile fibers, wherein the first region is interposed between the second and third regions, wherein the second and third regions are stiffer than the first region, wherein the first region has a longitudinal axis, and wherein the third region is configured to rotate relative to the second region about the longitudinal axis.

2. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein:
the hot melt material comprises a plurality of hot melt fibers; and
the plurality of hot melt fibers are wrapped about at least a portion of the second plurality of textile fibers.

3. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein:
the hot melt material comprises a plurality of hot melt fibers; and
the plurality of hot melt fibers are impregnated within at least a portion of the second plurality of textile fibers.

4. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the hot melt material surrounds an intersection of at least some of the second plurality of fibers, thereby strengthening the intersection.

5. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the textile fabric is a nonwoven material.

6. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the first region is thinned in comparison to the second region.

7. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the first region provides superior acoustic transmissivity in comparison to the second region.

8. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the first region provides superior light transmissivity in comparison to the second region.

9. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the first region encircles the second region.

10. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the hot melt material is resistant to dissolution by a solvent, the solvent being configured to one of dissolve or weaken the textile fibers of the first region or the second region.

11. The textile fabric of claim 10 , wherein the hot melt material protects the textile fibers of the second region from the solvent.

12. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the hot melt material is less than a diameter of the textile fibers of the second region.

13. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the hot melt material is positioned adjacent a portion of the second plurality of textile fibers of the second region to form an upper surface of the textile fabric at the second region.

14. The textile fabric of claim 1 , wherein the hot melt material comprises a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the first and second plurality of textile fibers.

15. A cover for an electronic display, wherein the cover is configured to vertically overlap the electronic display, the cover comprising:
a first panel and a second panel, each of the first and second panels comprising a plurality of textile fibers and a material positioned on at least a portion of the plurality of textile fibers, wherein the material comprises a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the plurality of textile fibers; and
a connecting member interposed between the first panel and the second panel and having another plurality of fibers free of the material, wherein the first panel has a first height, a first length, and a first width, the second panel has a second height, a second length, and a second width, and the connecting member has a third height, a third length, and a third width, wherein the third width is less than the first width, wherein the third width is less than the second width, wherein the first, second, and third lengths are the same, wherein the connecting member has a longitudinal axis extending parallel to the third length of the connecting member, and wherein the first panel is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the connecting member relative to the second panel while the first panel and the second panel remain planar.

16. The cover of claim 15 , wherein the first panel is configured for removable engagement with a display window of an electronic device.

17. The cover of claim 15 , where the connecting member is chemically treated by a solvent such that the connecting member comprises a lesser stiffness than the first panel or the second panel.

18. The cover of claim 15 , wherein the first panel and the connecting member do not vertically overlap and wherein the second panel and the connecting member do not vertically overlap.

19. A textile fabric having a length, a width, and a height, comprising:
a first region defined by a first plurality of textile fibers, wherein the first region has a first length that is the same as the length of the textile fabric, wherein the first region has a first width that is less than the width of the textile fabric, and wherein the first region has a first height that defines the height of the textile fabric in the first region of the textile fabric;
a second region adjacent to and non-overlapping with the first region, wherein the second region has a second length that is the same as the length of the textile fabric, wherein the second region has a second width that is greater than the first width and less than the width of the textile fabric, wherein the second region has a second height that defines the height of the textile fabric in the second region of the textile fabric, wherein the second region comprises a second plurality of textile fibers and a hot melt material positioned on the second plurality of textile fibers, and wherein the first region is free of hot melt material; and
a third region adjacent to and non-overlapping with the first region, wherein the third region has a third length that is the same as the length of the textile fabric, wherein the third region has a third width that is greater than the first width and less than the width of the textile fabric, wherein the third region has a third height that defines the height of the textile fabric in the third region of the textile fabric, wherein the third region comprises a third plurality of textile fibers and an additional hot melt material positioned on the third plurality of textile fibers, wherein the first region is interposed between the second and third regions, wherein the second and third regions are stiffer than the first region, wherein the first region has a longitudinal axis that extends along the first length, and wherein the third region is configured to rotate relative to the second region about the longitudinal axis.

20. The textile fabric of claim 19 , wherein the third region is configured to rotate relative to the second region about the longitudinal axis while the first and second regions are planar.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Whitley James C
• Baker John J
• Crews Kathryn P
• Hamada Yoji

Classifications

• D04H1/62

  at spaced points or locations · CPC title

• D04H1/74 Primary

  the fibres being orientated, e.g. in parallel {(anisotropic fleeces)} · CPC title

• Y10T428/2481

  including layer of mechanically interengaged strands, strand-portions or strand-like strips · CPC title