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US 12,420,473 B2Granted
Tack and drag printing
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsTodd A. Waatti, Yoav Sterman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for bonding a yarn to a wearable article includes bonding the yarn to the wearable article at a first portion and a second portion. A first bonding location and a second bonding location are spaced apart from one another on a surface of the wearable article and an intermediate portion of the yarn extends contiguously between the first bonding location and the second bonding location and is not bonded to the wearable article.
Claims20
A method of bonding a yarn to a wearable article at a plurality of bonding locations, comprising:
- disposing a first portion of a yarn at a first bonding location;
- bonding the first portion of the yarn at the first bonding location;
- disposing a second portion of a yarn at a second bonding location;
- and
- bonding the second portion of the yarn at the second bonding location,
- wherein the first bonding location comprises a first portion of the wearable article and the second bonding location comprises a second portion of the wearable article;
- the first bonding location and the second bonding location are spaced apart from one another on a surface of the wearable article;
- an intermediate portion of the yarn extends contiguously between the first bonding location and the second bonding location;
- the intermediate portion of the yarn is not bonded to the wearable article;
- and
- the bonding comprises disposing a softened thermoplastic material and the yarn in contact with one another and then allowing the thermoplastic material to harden, anchoring the yarn in position.
8 more elements
A wearable article comprising:
- a surface of the wearable article;
- a yarn bonded to the surface at a plurality of bonding locations;
- a first bonding location on the surface of the wearable article at which a first portion of the yarn is bonded to the surface of the wearable article;
- a second bonding location on the surface of the wearable article at which a second portion of the yarn is bonded to the surface of the wearable article, the first bonding location and the second bonding locations being spaced apart from one another;
- and
- an intermediate portion of the yarn that extends contiguously between the first bonding location and the second bonding location,
- wherein the intermediate portion of the yarn is not bonded to the wearable article, and
- wherein the yarn is bonded to the surface of the wearable article by a hardened thermoplastic material in contact with the yarn at the first bonding location and the second bonding location.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.