Structured fabrics for electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9894789-B1
Application number	US-201414579953-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

Electronic equipment may include structured fabric. Structured fabric may be used as a protective case or cosmetic cover for an electronic device, may be used to form a band that holds an electronic device against a user's body, or may be used to cover one or more openings in an electronic device. Structured fabrics may be soft and pliable while maintaining the ability to hold a given shape without added support. Structured fabric may be formed by laminating fabric such as warp-knit fabric with a stiffener such as polymer film. Structured fabrics may include openings through which signals such as optical or audio signals pass. To maintain the geometry and shape of the openings in the structured fabric without covering the openings, the stiffener and adhesive that are attached to the fabric may be cut to form a pattern of openings that align with the openings in the fabric.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus, comprising:
fabric having a first plurality of openings;
a stiffener having a second plurality of openings; and
a layer of adhesive interposed between the fabric and the stiffener, wherein the layer of adhesive includes a third plurality of openings, wherein the first plurality of openings is aligned with the second and third plurality of openings, and wherein the first plurality of openings comprises diamond-shaped openings.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stiffener comprises a polymer film.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric comprises a warp-knit fabric.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein each opening in the first plurality of openings is less than 5 millimeters wide.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric includes a rigid portion and a flexible portion, wherein the stiffener and adhesive are attached to the rigid portion of the fabric, and wherein the flexible portion of the fabric is uncovered by the stiffener.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric is curved to form a hollow tube.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the layer of adhesive and the stiffener do not directly overlap the openings.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stiffener comprises polyethylene terephthalate.

9. A cover for an electronic device, comprising:
structured fabric having a plurality of holes through which signals from the electronic device pass, wherein the structured fabric comprises fabric that is laminated with a stiffener, wherein each hole in the plurality of holes passes through the fabric and the stiffener, and wherein the fabric comprises a warp-knit fabric.

10. The cover defined in claim 9 wherein the holes are diamond-shaped and are each less than 5 millimeters across.

11. The cover defined in claim 9 wherein the stiffener comprises a polymer film.

12. The cover defined in claim 9 wherein the structured fabric has a cylindrical shape and forms a hollow tube that surrounds the electronic device.

13. A fabric cover for an electronic device, comprising:
a first fabric layer having a first array of openings;
a second fabric layer having a second array of openings; and
an adhesive layer interposed between the first and second fabric layers, wherein the adhesive layer has a third array of openings, wherein the first, second, and third arrays of openings align with one another, and wherein the first fabric layer, the second fabric layer, and the adhesive layer each have a tube shape.

14. The fabric cover defined in claim 13 wherein the openings in the first, second, and third arrays of openings are diamond-shaped.

15. The fabric cover defined in claim 13 wherein the adhesive layer comprises a thermally activated adhesive layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hamada yohji
• Baker John J
• Coxeter Peter F
• Rappoport Benjamin M
• Walker Joseph B

Classifications

• B32B38/0008

  Electrical discharge treatment, e.g. corona, plasma treatment; wave energy or particle radiation (heat treatment B32B38/0036) · CPC title

• B32B2305/182

  knitted · CPC title

• B32B2250/03

  3 layers · 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

• B32B38/0004

  Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details (cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence) · CPC title