Textured Thermoplastic Non-Woven Elements

• US 20100199520A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Hawkinson, Karen A., Dua, Bhupesh
• Application Number:
  US12/579,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20100199520A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/87
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 9/00 Undergarments corsets A41C1/00; brassières A41C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/06 Trousers
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 27/245 made by welding or gluing joining of plastics by welding or gluing B29C65/00; sewing machines for concurrently making thread and welded seams D05B17/00; thermal or chemical fixing of seams and hems D06M
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/125 Moisture handling or wicking function through layered materials
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/145 using layered materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/025 assembled by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/18 using heated tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1282 comprising at least one overlap joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12841 comprising at least two butt joint-segments
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/133 Fin-type joints, the parts to be joined being flexible the parts to be joined being rigid B29C66/1312
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/14 the joint having the same thickness as the thickness of the parts to be joined B29C66/1142 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/244 said joint lines being non-straight, e.g. forming non-closed contours
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/303 the joint involving an anchoring effect B29C66/341, B29C65/56 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/30326 in the form of porosity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/43 : Joining a relatively small portion of the surface of said articles B29C66/45 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/431 : Joining the articles to themselves B29C66/4322 and B29C66/4332 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/433 : Casing-in, i.e. enclosing an element between two sheets by an outlined seam for bookbinding B42C11/06; for packaging B65B; by laminating B32B37/00; enclosing tubular articles between substantially flat elements B29C66/53261
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/45 : Joining of substantially the whole surface of the articles methods or apparatus for laminating B32B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/472 : said single elements being substantially flat
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/4722 : Fixing strips to surfaces other than edge faces fixing strips to edge faces B29C63/0026
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/4724 : said single elements being appliques, e.g. in the form of a text or drawing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 : characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/723 : being multi-layered B29C66/7292, B29C66/72941 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/727 : being porous, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/729 : Textile or other fibrous material made from plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7294 : Non woven mats, e.g. felt
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 : characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 : characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7394 : characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoset
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81422 : being convex
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81423 : being concave
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81435 : comprising several parallel ridges, e.g. for crimping comprising a single ridge B29C66/81427
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/83221 : cooperating reciprocating tools, each tool reciprocating along one axis
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8362 : Rollers, cylinders or drums moving relative to and tangentially to the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 : Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/10 : Thermosetting resins
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/12 : Thermoplastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/4842 : Outerwear
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/485 : Jackets
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/4857 : Trousers
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/50 : Footwear, e.g. shoes or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 3/08 : characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 : Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24438 : Artificial wood or leather grain surface

Abstract

A non-woven textile may be formed from a plurality of thermoplastic polymer filaments. The non-woven textile may have a first region and a second region, with the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. A variety of products, including apparel (e.g., shirts, pants, footwear), may incorporate the non-woven textile. In some of these products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another textile element to form a seam. More particularly, an edge area of the non-woven textile may be heatbonded with an edge area of the other textile element at the seam. In other products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another component, whether a textile or a non-textile.

Claims

1. A textured material element comprising:

a non-woven textile layer that includes a plurality of filaments at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material; and

a skin layer positioned adjacent to the non-woven textile layer, the skin layer being formed from a polymer sheet that includes the thermoplastic polymer material, and an outward-facing surface of the skin layer including a texture.

2. The textured material recited in claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is thermoplastic polyurethane.

3. The textured material element recited in claim 1, wherein the texture includes a plurality of elongate and non-linear indentations.

4. The textured material element recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the filaments of the non-woven textile layer form the skin layer and are fused into the skin layer.

5. A synthetic leather material comprising:

a non-woven textile layer that includes a plurality of filaments at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material; and

a skin layer positioned adjacent to the non-woven textile layer, the skin layer being formed from a polymer sheet that includes the thermoplastic polymer material, and an outward-facing surface of the skin layer being textured to include includes a plurality of elongate and non-linear indentations,

wherein at least a portion of the filaments of the non-woven textile layer extend into the skin layer and are fused into the skin layer.

6. The synthetic leather material recited in claim 5, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is thermoplastic polyurethane.

7. An article of apparel including a textured material element comprising:

a non-woven textile layer that includes a plurality of filaments at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material; and

a skin layer positioned adjacent to the non-woven textile layer, the skin layer being formed from a polymer sheet that includes the thermoplastic polymer material, and an outward-facing surface of the skin layer being textured to include includes a plurality of elongate and non-linear indentations,

wherein the outward-facing surface of the skin layer forms an exterior surface of the article of apparel.

8. The article of apparel recited in claim 7, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is thermoplastic polyurethane.

9. The article of apparel recited in claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the filaments of the non-woven textile layer extend into the skin layer and are fused into the skin layer.

10. The article of apparel recited in claim 7, wherein the article of apparel is an article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the textured material element being incorporated into the upper.

11. A method of texturing comprising:

positioning a non-woven textile element between a first surface and a second surface, the non-woven textile element including a plurality of filaments at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material, and at least the first surface including a plurality of protrusions;

heating and compressing the non-woven textile element between the first surface and the second surface to extend the protrusions into the non-woven textile element and texture a surface of the non-woven textile element.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of positioning includes utilizing a texture element having the protrusions as the first surface.

13. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of positioning includes selecting protrusions that are elongate and non-linear.

14. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of heating and compressing includes melting a portion of the filaments to form an at least partially non-filamentous configuration at the surface of the non-woven textile element.

15. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the step of heating and compressing includes forming a skin layer with the texture at the surface of the non-woven textile element.

16. A method of forming a synthetic leather material comprising:

positioning a non-woven textile element between a first surface and a second surface, the non-woven textile element including a plurality of filaments at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material, and at least the first surface including a plurality of elongate and non-linear protrusions;

heating the first surface to more than 140 degrees Celsius; and

compressing the non-woven textile element between the first surface and the second surface to (a) apply pressure in a range of 345 and 1034 kilopascals to the non-woven textile element for more than three seconds and (b) extend the protrusions into a surface of the non-woven textile element to form a plurality of elongate and non-linear indentations in the surface of the non-woven textile.

17. The method recited in claim 16, wherein the step of positioning includes utilizing a texture element having the protrusions as the first surface.

18. The method recited in claim 16, wherein the step of compressing includes melting a portion of the filaments to form an at least partially non-filamentous configuration at the surface of the non-woven textile element.

19. The method recited in claim 16, wherein the step of compressing includes forming a skin layer with the texture at the surface of the non-woven textile element.