Woven materials and methods of forming woven materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016258084-A1
Application number	US-201514790123-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 2, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Woven material and altering the weave pattern of the woven material. The woven material may comprise a first portion comprising a weave pattern formed by a plurality of warp threads and at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads. The first portion may have a first thickness. The woven material may also comprise a locally thinned portion positioned adjacent the first portion. The locally thinned portion may comprise an altered weave pattern, which may comprise the plurality of warp threads positioned on a single side of the at least one weft thread, and/or the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads in the locally thinned portion is separated by a first distance. The first distance may be greater than a second distance positioned between the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads in the first portion.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A woven material comprising:
a first portion comprising a weave pattern formed by a plurality of warp threads and at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads, the first portion having a first thickness; and a locally thinned portion positioned adjacent the first portion, the locally thinned portion comprising an altered weave pattern comprising at least one of:
the plurality of warp threads positioned on a single side of the at least one weft thread; and
the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads in the locally thinned portion is separated by a first distance, the first distance greater than a second distance positioned between the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads in the first portion.

2 . The woven material of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of warp threads in the altered weave pattern are positioned below the at least one weft thread in the locally thinned portion.

3 . The woven material of claim 1 , wherein the locally thinned portion extends over a predetermined portion of a length of the woven material.

4 . The woven material of claim 1 , wherein the locally thinned portion comprises a second thickness smaller than the first thickness of the first portion.

5 . The woven material of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of warp threads alternate between being positioned above and below the at least one weft thread in the first portion and the locally thinned portion.

6 . The woven material of claim 1 further comprising a distinct portion positioned opposite the first portion, and separated from the first portion by the locally thinned portion, the distinct portion having the first thickness.

7 . A method of forming a woven material, the method comprising:
altering a weave pattern of the woven material comprising at least one weft thread, and a plurality of warp threads, the altering of the weave pattern comprising at least one of:
positioning the plurality of warp threads on a single side of the at least one weft thread; and
increasing a distance between the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads; and
creating a locally thinned portion in the woven material at the altered weave pattern.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the positioning of the plurality of warp threads on the single side of the at least one weft thread further comprises positioning the plurality of warp threads below the at least one weft thread for a predetermined length of the woven material.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the increasing of the distance between the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads further comprises continuously alternating the position of the plurality of warp threads above and below the weft thread in the altered weave pattern.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the created locally thinned portion in the woven material comprises a portion of the plurality of warp threads of the woven material positioned between the at least one weft thread having the increased distance.

11 . The method of claim 7 further comprising melting the woven material at the locally thinned portion of the woven material.

12 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the creating of the locally thinned portion in the woven material further comprises reducing the thickness of the woven material in the locally thinned portion.

13 . A woven material comprising:
a first layer of a plurality of warp threads, the first layer forming a top surface; a second layer of a plurality of warp threads positioned adjacent the first layer; a third layer of a plurality of warp threads positioned adjacent the second layer; a fourth layer of a plurality of warp threads positioned adjacent the third layer, the fourth layer forming a bottom surface; at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads over a length of:
the first layer;
the second layer;
the third layer; and
the fourth layer; and
at least one set of connection yarns woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between at least two distinct layers of the plurality of warp threads.

14 . The woven material of claim 13 , wherein the at least one set of connection yarns further comprises:
a first set of connection yarns; and a second set of connection yarns.

15 . The woven material of claim 14 , wherein the first set of connection yarns is woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
the second layer; and the third layer.

16 . The woven material of claim 15 , wherein the second set of connection yarns is woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
one of:
the first layer, or
the second layer; and
the fourth layer.

17 . The woven material of claim 16 , wherein in response to the second set of connection yarns woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in the second layer and the fourth layer, the first layer of the plurality of warp threads is disconnected from the remaining layers of the plurality of warp threads.

18 . The woven material of claim 15 , wherein the second set of connection yarns is positioned between the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
the second layer; and the third layer.

19 . The woven material of claim 14 , wherein the first set of connection yarns is positioned between the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
the second layer; and the third layer.

20 . The woven material of claim 19 , wherein the second set of connection yarns is woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
one of:
the first layer, or
the second layer; and
the fourth layer.

21 . The woven material of claim 13 , wherein the at least one set of connection yarns comprises:
a first connection yarn woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
the first layer and the fourth layer in a first portion of the woven material;
the second layer and the third layer in a second portion of the woven material positioned adjacent the first portion; and
the first layer and the fourth layer in a third portion of the woven material positioned adjacent the second portion; and
a second connection yarn woven through the at least one weft thread positioned between the plurality of warp threads in:
the first layer and the fourth layer in the first portion of the woven material;
the second layer and the third layer in the second portion of the woven material positioned adjacent the first portion; and
the first layer and the fourth layer in the third portion of the woven material positioned adjacent the second portion.

22 . The woven material of claim 21 further comprising a localized separation formed within the second layer of the plurality of warp threads and the third layer of the plurality of warp threads positioned in the second portion of the woven material.

23 . A wearable electronic device comprising:
a housing; and a wearable band formed from a woven material coupled to the housing, the woven material comprising:
a first layer of a plurality of warp threads, the first layer forming a top surface;
a second layer of a plurality of warp th

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hatanaka Motohide
• Su ying-liang
• Hamada Yoji

Classifications

• D03D13/00

  Woven fabrics characterised by the special disposition of the warp or weft threads, e.g. with curved weft threads, with discontinuous warp threads, with diagonal warp or weft · CPC title

• D03D11/02

  Fabrics formed with pockets, tubes, loops, folds, tucks or flaps (fabrics consisting of a single tube D03D3/02) · CPC title

• D03D3/005 Primary

  Tapes or ribbons not otherwise provided for (D03D1/0005, D03D1/0011, D03D1/06, D03D1/08, D03D1/0094 take precedence) · CPC title

• D06C7/00 Primary

  Heating or cooling textile fabrics · CPC title

• D03D13/004

  with weave pattern being non-standard or providing special effects · CPC title