Apparel printing system and methods for printing on articles with repeating patterns
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorDavid Turner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparel printing system for printing on regions of tubular fabrics with repeating patterns includes a textile printer having a print head and a tubular platen that includes features on the platen surface to retain and register the tubular fabric on the platen surface during printing.
Claims27
An article of apparel having a tubular knit textile region, the tubular knit textile region having an internal side and an opposite external side configured to be exposed during use, the tubular knit textile region comprising:
- a plurality of yarns in an arrangement of interlocked loops;
- a series of parallel rows of loops on the external side formed from the arrangement of interlocked loops, the rows of loops each having a pair of opposite side portions and a top portion therebetween facing outward from the tubular region;
- a plurality of channels on the external side formed between adjacent ones of the parallel rows of loops, each of the plurality of channels including a base channel portion facing outward from the tubular region and opposing side portions of the adjacent rows of the loops that form the channel;
- and
- a printed ink design on the external side of the tubular knit textile region formed from ink applied to the parallel rows of loops and to the channels,
- wherein the tubular knit textile region is expandable in a lateral direction generally transverse to the rows and channels, and a width of the rows increases as the tubular knit textile region is expanded in the lateral direction, and
- wherein the tubular knit textile region includes a plurality of orientation gaps formed therein and configured to orient the tubular knit textile region on a platen surface during printing.
An article of apparel having a three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region, the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region having an internal side and an opposite external side configured to be exposed during use, the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region comprising:
- an arrangement of interlocked loops;
- a series of parallel rows of loops on the external side formed from the arrangement of interlocked loops, the rows of loops each having a pair of opposite side portions and a top portion therebetween facing outward from the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region and a printed ink design on the external side of the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region formed from ink applied to the parallel rows of loops;
- and
- a plurality of channels on the external side formed between adjacent ones of the parallel rows of loops, each of the plurality of channels including a base channel portion facing outward from the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region and opposing side portions of the adjacent rows of the loops that form the channel;
- wherein the printed ink design on the external side of the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region formed from ink is also applied to the channels, and
- wherein the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region includes a plurality of orientation gaps formed therein and configured to orient the three-dimensional or tubular knit textile region on a platen surface during printing.
A textile printer comprising:
- a print head;
- and
- a tubular platen comprising:
- a drum;
- a support connecting the drum to the printer;
- a platen surface extending around an outer region of the drum and configured to support a tubular knit textile during printing;
- and
- features on the platen surface configured to retain the tubular knit textile on the platen surface in a printing configuration and to maintain a registration arrangement of the tubular knit textile with the print head,
- wherein the tubular platen is removable and comprises a first tubular platen configured to support a first tubular knit textile of a first configuration during printing, the textile printer further comprising a second tubular platen configured to support a second tubular knit textile of a second configuration differing from the first configuration during printing, and
- wherein the features on the platen surface comprise a plurality of raised geometric features disposed on the platen surface in a spaced apart configuration, and the raised geometric features include a plurality of uprights having a geometric shape configured to be received by corresponding ones of a pattern of repeating gaps formed in the tubular knit textile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.