Foam nodes for creating stand off on apparel items
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsYuki Aihara, Alice Fockele, David Turner, Carmen L. Zolman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects herein relate to apparel items and apparel systems that utilize applied or printed foam nodes to provide, among other things, stand-off between an apparel item and a wearer's skin surface. One or more of the foam nodes, or areas of the textile surrounding the foam nodes, may be perforated to provide a fluid communication path between an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface of the apparel item. The communication path may be used to facilitate air exchange between the external environment and the wearer's body and/or to provide an exit path for moisture vapor generated by the wearer.
Claims18
An apparel item comprising:
- at least one panel of material having an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface;
- and
- one or more foam ink nodes located on the inner-facing surface of the panel of material, wherein at least a portion of the one or more foam ink nodes comprise a perforation extending through the foam ink nodes and the panel of material to form a fluid communication path from the inner-facing surface of the panel of material to the outer-facing surface of the panel of material.
An apparel item comprising;
- at least one panel of material comprising an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface;
- and
- at least one foam ink node applied to the inner-facing surface of the panel of material, wherein the foam ink node extends convexly away from the inner-facing surface of the panel of material, wherein a deboss pattern is formed on the outer-facing surface of the panel of material at a location corresponding to the foam ink node, and wherein the foam ink node comprises a perforation extending through the foam ink node and the panel of material to form a fluid communication path from the inner-facing surface of the panel of material to the outer-facing surface of the panel of material.
A method of manufacturing an apparel item having one or more foam ink nodes, the method comprising:
- providing at least a panel of material having a first surface and a second opposite surface;
- applying at least a first layer of ink having a foaming additive in a first predetermined pattern to at least a portion of the first surface;
- curing the ink to form a foam ink node;
- perforating the foam ink node and the panel of material to form a fluid communication path from the first surface of the panel of material to the second opposite surface of the panel of material;
- and
- forming the apparel item from at least the panel of material such that the first surface of the panel of material forms an inner-facing surface of the apparel item.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.