Reinforced fabric seam
AssigneePatagonia, Inc.
InventorRandy Harward
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A composite seam system including a narrow weld bead joining two panels of fabric and a seam tape applied thereon. The applied seam tape comprises a top layer, a reinforcing layer and an adhesive layer melted through the reinforcing layer and connecting the top layer to the fabric panels over the weld bead. The narrow weld bead and the small seam allowance of the fabric panels it joins allows the seam tape to be secured over the weld bead to the fabric panels while lying in a flat plane. The use of a narrow reinforcing layer of woven polyester, nylon or non-woven ultra-fine fibrous material in the seam tape allows the seam tape to be flexible enough to move with the fabric it joins, reducing the incidence of tape edge abrasion.
Claims21
A composite seam system comprising:
- two pieces of fabric fused to each other at a seam;
- and
- a seam tape laid over the seam and covering a portion of each of the two pieces of fabric, the seam tape comprising:
- a reinforcing layer;
- a top layer laid over the reinforcing layer;
- and
- an adhesive secured to the top layer and passing through the reinforcing layer to contact the two pieces of fabric at the seam to attach the seam tape to the two pieces of fabric;
- wherein the seam tape is less than about eleven millimeters wide.
A composite seam system comprising:
- two pieces of fabric fused to each other at a seam;
- and
- a seam tape laid over the seam and covering a portion of each of the two pieces of fabric, the seam tape comprising:
- a reinforcing layer;
- a top layer laid over the reinforcing layer;
- only one adhesive securing the top layer to the reinforcing layer and securing the top layer and the reinforcing layer to the two pieces of fabric, the adhesive passing through the reinforcing layer to contact the two pieces of fabric at the seam to attach the seam tape to the two pieces of fabric;
- and
- wherein the seam tape is less than about eleven millimeters wide.
A composite seam system comprising:
- a first piece of fabric having a first end, a second end, a top surface and a bottom surface;
- a second piece of fabric having a first end, a second end, a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface of the first piece of fabric and the bottom surface of the second piece of fabric overlap and are fused together at the first end of the first piece of fabric and at the first end of the second piece of fabric to form a seam;
- a seam tape laid over the top surface of the first piece of fabric and the top surface of the second piece of fabric at the seam and directly contacting the top surface of the first piece of fabric and directly contacting the top surface of the second piece of fabric, the seam tape covering a portion of each of the two pieces of fabric, the seam tape comprising:
- a reinforcing layer;
- a top layer laid over the reinforcing layer;
- and
- an adhesive secured to the top layer and passing through the reinforcing layer to contact the two pieces of fabric at the seam to attach the seam tape to the two pieces of fabric;
- wherein the seam tape is less than about eleven millimeters wide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.