Seamless spacer fabrics for electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10427374-B2
Application number	US-201815920340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 21, 2017
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

Electronic equipment may include seamless spacer fabric. Seamless spacer fabric may be used as a protective case or cosmetic cover for an electronic device such as a speaker. A seamless spacer fabric may include a seamless fabric outer layer, a spacer fabric inner layer, and an adhesive layer that bonds the seamless outer layer to the spacer fabric inner layer. The spacer fabric layer may have a seam region where one portion of the spacer fabric layer is joined with another portion of the fabric layer. The seamless fabric outer layer may cover the seam region to hide it from view. One or more additional seam hiding layers or strips may be formed on opposing sides of the spacer fabric layer to cover the seam. The seamless spacer fabric may have an array of openings that extends uniformly around the perimeter of the seamless spacer fabric.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cover for an electronic device, comprising:
a seamless fabric tube having opposing interior and exterior surfaces that surround a longitudinal axis;
a spacer fabric that lines the interior surface of the seamless fabric tube; and
an adhesive material interposed between the seamless fabric tube and the spacer fabric.

2. The cover defined in claim 1 wherein the spacer fabric has a first array of openings, the adhesive material has a second array of openings, the seamless fabric tube has a third array of openings, and wherein the first, second, and third arrays of openings are aligned with one another.

3. The cover defined in claim 2 wherein the openings in the first, second, and third arrays of openings comprise diamond-shaped openings.

4. The cover defined in claim 2 wherein the spacer fabric comprises first and second fabric layers joined by a spacer layer.

5. The cover defined in claim 2 wherein the spacer fabric has a fused region where a first portion of the spacer fabric has been fused to a second portion of the spacer fabric.

6. The cover defined in claim 5 further comprising:
an elongated strip of fabric interposed between the seamless fabric tube and the spacer fabric, wherein the elongated strip of fabric overlaps the fused region.

7. The cover defined in claim 6 further comprising a fourth array of openings in the elongated strip of fabric, wherein the fourth array of openings aligns with the first, second, and third arrays of openings.

8. The cover defined in claim 7 wherein the first, second, and third arrays of openings extend around the cover in a uniform pattern.

9. The cover defined in claim 1 wherein the seamless fabric tube, the spacer fabric, and the adhesive material surround a central opening having a length that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein the central opening has a first diameter at a first location along the length and a second diameter that is less than the first diameter at a second location along the length.

10. The cover defined in claim 9 wherein the cover has first and second opposing ends, wherein the length of the opening extends between the first and second ends, wherein the second location with the second diameter is at one of the first and second ends, and wherein the first location with the first diameter is between the first and second ends.

11. A fabric item, comprising:
a multi-layer spacer fabric that forms a loop around a longitudinal axis, wherein the multi-layer spacer fabric has a seam region where first and second portions of the multi-layer spacer fabric have been joined, and wherein the multi-layer spacer fabric comprises first openings;
a single-layer fabric that forms a seamless loop around the longitudinal axis, wherein the single-layer fabric comprises second openings that align with the first openings; and
an adhesive layer interposed between the multi-layer spacer fabric and the single-layer fabric, wherein the adhesive layer has third openings that align with the first and second openings.

12. The fabric item defined in claim 11 wherein the first, second, and third openings have a matching shape, size, and spacing.

13. The fabric item defined in claim 11 wherein the multi-layer spacer fabric comprises first and second fabric layers joined by a spacer layer.

14. The fabric item defined in claim 11 wherein the single-layer fabric surrounds the multi-layer spacer fabric.

15. The fabric item defined in claim 11 wherein the multi-layer spacer fabric comprises fusible material.

16. A removable fabric cover for an electronic device, comprising:
a first fabric layer that forms a seamless loop; and
a second fabric layer that forms a loop having a seam, wherein the second fabric layer lines an interior surface of the first fabric layer such that the first fabric layer covers the seam in the second fabric layer, wherein the second fabric layer has a pattern of openings that extends uniformly across the seam, and wherein the first fabric layer is bonded to the second fabric layer.

17. The removable fabric cover defined in claim 16 , further comprising a thermoplastic material that bonds the first fabric layer to the second fabric layer.

18. The removable fabric cover defined in claim 17 wherein the thermoplastic material has a pattern of openings that aligns with the pattern of openings in the second fabric layer.

19. The removable fabric cover defined in claim 18 wherein the first fabric layer comprises a tube of single-layer knit fabric and the second fabric layer comprises a spacer fabric having first and second outer layers joined by a spacer layer.

20. The removable fabric cover defined in claim 19 wherein the first fabric layer has a pattern of openings that aligns with the pattern of openings in the second fabric layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hamada yohji
• Hegde Siddhartha
• Masse Zebinah P
• Bhatia Rimple
• Coxeter Peter F
• Barve Amit S
• Olmstead Donald L
• Mendez Javier

Classifications

• B32B2262/103

  Metal fibres · CPC title

• B32B2250/20

  All layers being fibrous or filamentary · CPC title

• H04R2499/10

  General applications · CPC title

• B32B1/08 Primary

  Tubular products · CPC title

• B32B7/12

  using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties · CPC title