Adaptive planar shift garment material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9609901-B2
Application number	US-201414249916-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2014
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

Articles and methods of using and making adaptive garment portions are provided. An adaptive garment portion is one that has shifting surfaces with apertures that shift from an aligned to an offset orientation depending on environmental conditions/stimuli. For example, a first surface material and a second surface material may be coupled by a responsive material portion. The responsive material portion may physically change in response to a change in environmental conditions internal or external to the garment (e.g., thermal energy, moisture) and/or stimuli (e.g., light energy, electrical energy, magnetic fields). The physical change in the responsive material portion facilitates the planar shift of the first surface material relative to the second surface material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adaptive garment portion, comprising:
a first material portion comprised of a first aperture, the first material portion having a top surface and a bottom surface in a first planar direction;
a second material portion comprised of a second aperture, the second material portion having a top surface and a bottom surface in the first planar direction;
a responsive material that changes from a first physical state to a second physical state in direct response to changes in one or more of temperature, moisture, light energy, magnetic field, or electrical energy, the responsive material coupled to the first material portion bottom surface and to the second material portion top surface;
the first aperture offset a first amount from the second aperture in the first planar direction when the responsive material is in the first physical state; and
the first aperture offset a second amount from the second aperture in the first planar direction when the responsive material is in the second physical state.

2. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the first material portion and the second material portion are formed from different materials.

3. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the first aperture extends through the top surface and the bottom surface of the first material portion.

4. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the first material portion and the second material portion are offset in a direction perpendicular to the first planar direction a first distance when the responsive material is in the first physical state; and the first material portion and the second material portion are offset in the direction perpendicular to the first planar direction a second distance when the responsive material is in the second physical state, the first distance and the second distance are different.

5. The adaptive garment portion of claim 4 , wherein the first offset is greater than the second offset and the first distance is greater than the second distance.

6. The adaptive garment portion of claim 4 , wherein a distance between the first material portion and the second material portion is greater with the first offset than the second offset.

7. The adaptive garment portion of claim 4 , wherein the offset in the first planar direction is lateral and the offset in the direction perpendicular to the first planar direction is vertical.

8. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the first material portion is comprised of a first plurality of apertures in a first pattern and the second material portion is comprised of a second plurality of apertures in the first pattern, such that the first plurality of apertures and the second plurality of apertures are substantially aligned when the responsive material is in the second physical state.

9. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the first material portion is comprised of a first plurality of apertures in a first pattern and the second material portion is comprised of a second plurality of apertures in the first pattern, such that the first plurality of apertures and the second plurality of apertures are substantially not aligned when the responsive material is in the first physical state.

10. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the responsive material is at least one of a shape memory polymer, a polyester and nylon blend, and a printed or extruded material.

11. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the responsive material is comprised of a first responsive material substantially oriented in a first direction and a second responsive material, wherein the first responsive material is more responsive to temperature or moisture changes than the second responsive material.

12. The adaptive garment portion of claim 1 , wherein the responsive material is comprised of a first responsive material substantially oriented in a first direction and a second responsive material oriented substantially in an opposite second direction.

13. A method of shifting a first layer relative to a second layer in response to a first environmental condition comprising one or more of a first thermal value or a first moisture level value, the method comprising:
at the first environmental condition, offsetting a first aperture of a first material portion in a first plane from a second aperture of a second material portion in a second plane, the second plane and the first plane are substantially parallel; and
in response to a change from the first environmental condition to a second environmental condition comprising one or more of a second thermal value or a second moisture level value, a responsive material positioned between and coupled with the first material portion and the second material portion reduces the offset between the first aperture and the second aperture.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first environmental condition and the second environmental condition further comprise one or more of, respectively:
1) a first electrical stimuli value and a second electrical stimuli value;
2) a first magnetic field value and a second magnetic field value; or
3) a first light energy value and a second light energy value.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first aperture and the second aperture are offset in a direction parallel with the first plane.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the responsive material relies on fibers that contract in response to a change in the one or more of the first thermal value or first moisture level value.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising, in response from transitioning from the second environmental condition back toward the first environmental condition, the responsive layer increases the offset between the first aperture and the second aperture.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising reducing a distance between the first plane and the second plane at the first environmental condition to the second environmental condition.

19. A method of manufacturing an adaptive planar shift material that is adaptive in response to environmental condition changes, the method comprising:
affixing a top surface of a responsive material portion to a bottom surface of the first material portion;
affixing a bottom surface of the responsive material portion to a top surface of a second material portion;
exposing the responsive material portion as affixed with the first material portion and the second material portion to a first environmental condition comprising one or more of a first temperature condition, a first moisture condition, a first magnetic field condition, a first electrical energy condition, or a first light energy condition, wherein exposing the responsive material portion to the first environmental condition directly causes the responsive material portion to change from a first physical state to a second physical state; and
after the change from the first physical state to the second physical state creating an aperture through the first material portion and the second material portion.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein affixing the top surface of the responsive material portion to the bottom surface of the first material portion include integrally forming the responsive material portion and the first material portion.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first environmental condition is selected such that the aperture of the first material portion and the second material portion are configured to be aligned.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Nordstrom Matthew D
• Williams Patrick

Classifications

• B32B2437/00

  Clothing · CPC title

• B32B33/00

  Layered products characterised by particular properties or particular surface features, e.g. particular surface coatings; Layered products designed for particular purposes not covered by another single class · CPC title

• B32B3/266 Primary

  characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12 · CPC title

• A41D27/00 Primary

  Details of garments or of their making (buttons, pins, buckles, slide fasteners or the like A44B) · CPC title

• A41D31/065

  using layered materials · CPC title