Catching Up

This week I will focus on issued patents.  Below is a summary of selected patents that have been recently issued in textile related classification codes:

Venting apparatus with no-catch mechanism:  A venting apparatus with a no-catch mechanism for use with apparel and a method of manufacture of the apparatus are described. The venting mechanism comprises an opening, a mesh arrangement, and a no-catch mechanism.  Patent:  8713712.  Inventor:  Maurer.  Assignee:  North Face Apparel Group.

Necktie assembly:  A necktie with an additional strip attached and a knot ring.  The knot ring is used in lieu of tying a knot.  Patent:  8713713.  Inventor:  Yao.  Not assigned.

Thiophene azo dyes and laundry care compositions containing the same:  Thiophene azo dyes for use as hueing agents and laundry care compositions comprising such thiophene azo dyes a process for making such dyes, and laundry care compositions and methods of using these dyes. The thiophene azo dyes contain a formally charged moiety and are generally comprised of at least one chromophore component and at least one polymeric component. Chromophore components fluoresce blue, red, violet, or purple colors when exposed to ultraviolet light, or may absorb light to reflect these same shades. These thiophene azo dyes will whiten fabrics but not build up over time.  ous in providing a hueing effect, for example, a whitening effect to fabrics, will not build up over time and are stable with bleaching agents used in laundry care compositions.  Patent:  8715368.  Inventor:  Miracle, et.al.  Assignee:  The Proctor & Gamble Company.

Device for use in sewing:  A thread removal tool for getting rid of loose thread pieces, thread ends, etc. from textiles, fabric, cloth and the like, for example, after ripping open a previously produced seam.  Patent:  8713766.  Inventor:  Wiman.  Not assigned.

Ventilating shoe:  A ventilating shoe including a removable deodorant and/or a perfumed pad includes. A series of closely spaced small openings are disposed between the sole and the upper shoe portion surrounding the shoe with the exception of a back portion thereof. In addition, an open porous pad impregnated with a deodorant and/or perfume and a longitudinally extending air chamber are provided.  Patent:  8713816.  Inventor:  Al-Sabah.  Not Assigned.

Training Footwear:  An article of footwear includes a sole having a forefoot portion, a heel portion and an outsole having a bottom surface including a primary ground contacting surface. The bottom surface of the outsole includes a forefoot bulge and a heel bulge which provide the footwear with controlled instability for providing dynamic conditioning of the wearer's muscles during the gait cycle.  Patent:  8713817.  Inventor:  Litchfield, et.al.  Assignee:  Reebok International Limited.

Cushioned shoe construction:  A shoe construction including a shoe upper, an intermediate composite structure and an outsole. The composite structure includes cushion members with one cushion member being positioned to underlie a heel of a wearer and another cushion member being positioned to underlie the ball of the foot. The composite structure can also include a relatively rigid lower member underlying the cushion member for the ball of the foot. The composite structure can provide a flexure discontinuity in the shoe forward of the midfoot zone of the shoe.  Patent:  8713818.  Inventor:  Doerer and Schauster.  Assignee:  Brown Shoe Company, Inc. 

Composite sole structure:  A lightweight sole structure may include a lobed member having a protruding portion associated with a cleat member and a chambered member located in an indention in an intermediate member. Patent:  8713819.  Inventor: Auger.  Assignee:  Nike, Inc.

Braided eye splice and method:  A braided eye splice is presented that is formed with the braider yarns of the rope, in which the braider yarns are braided back into the rope. A braided section of rope may be used as a braider yarn or combined with another braider yarn to form the splice. The tensile failure of ropes made with this splice occurs outside the spliced section, suggesting that full rope strength is maintained.  Patent:  8713905.  Inventor:  Branscomb.  Not Assigned.

Composite coating for strings:  A buffer layer is used to coat on the multi-filament wrapped string to fill the gaps and allow better or more consistent application of nanoparticles. The polymers of the buffer-layer coating have a high melt-flow (low viscosity) during coating process to fill all the gaps between the filaments, and the filaments are fixed by the coatings onto base core materials. An outer protective coating is applied, which may comprise a composite nylon, clay nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, an impact modifier, or any combination of the foregoing.  Patent:  8713906.  Inventor:  Yaniv and Mao.  Assignee:  Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc.

Knitted fabric for hook-and-loop fastener:  A knitted fabric for hook-and-loop fastener comprising of tricot stitch for the knitted fabric for hook-and-loop fastener.  Patent:  8713974.  Inventor:  Tsuchida and Habe.  Assignee:  Marubeni Intex Co., Ltd., Maruha Tateami Co., Ltd.

Protective glove having segmented wrist guard:  A protective sports glove including a contoured wrist cuff that substantially shields a gap defined between adjacent portions of the protective sports glove, such as hand and cuff portions. The contoured wrist cuff and/or the cuff portion can include multiple segments that enable the wrist cuff to flex with a wearer's wrist.   Patent:  8719963.  Inventor:  Winningham.  Assignee:  Warrior Sports, Inc.

Method for increasing thickness of non-woven fabric and apparatus for implementing the same:  The present invention utilizes jet streams of hot gas at a high efficiency and thereby to increase a bulk of non-woven fabric. Non-woven fabric containing thermoplastic synthetic fibers is subjected to jet streams of hot gas in a thickness direction of the non-woven fabric. A temperature of the jet streams of hot gas used for this process is set to a level lower than the temperature at which a resinous ingredient forming the surface of the thermoplastic begins to be melted. The jet streams of hot gas are directed to penetrate fiber interstices in the non-woven fabric and then to strike on a means serving to divert the jet streams of hot gas.  Patent:  8720021.  Inventor:  Takahashi.  Assignee:  Uni-Charm Corporation

Impact attenuating and spring elements and products containing such elements:  Impact attenuating/spring systems with two body portions and at least one spring member between the body portions for use in apparel of footwear.  The components of the impact attenuating and spring element are arranged such that when a force is applied to the body portions, the spring member will exert a counter force.  The spring members include one or more polymeric element that stretches under a tensile force. The impact attenuating and spring elements may be included in a piece of footwear or other device in a manner such that a user or a retailer (or others) can select an appropriate spring member (or portion thereof), e.g., depending on characteristics of the user or the intended use.  Patent:  8720085.  Inventors:  Smaldone, et.al.  Assignee:  Nike, Inc.

Impact attenuating and spring elements and products containing such elements:  Sister patent to 8720085 above.  Patent:  8720084.  Inventors:  Smaldone, et.al.  Assignee:  Nike, Inc.

Yarn, especially a thread or an embroidery thread as well as a method to produce such a yarn:  A yarn, especially a sewing thread or an embroidery thread, is described, which has the structure of a core yarn with at least one core consisting of multifilament yarns and a spin over of staple fiber yarns.  The advantage is that the new method binds the staple more tightly to the core increasing strength and suitability of the yarn for sewing and embroidery thread.  Patent:  8720174.  Inventor:  Kochmann.  Assignee:  Amann & Sohne Gmbh & Co. Kg

Thin-wall polymer coated articles and gloves and a method therefor:  Clothing and gloves having a polymer coating the surface where the polymer coating comprises a polyurethane dispersion made from the reaction product of an isocyanate functional prepolymer, a chain extender, and a chain terminator.  The invention provides improved flexibility, breathability, dexterity and feel, as well as self-sanitizing, self-deodorizing capabilities and improved non-slip grip performance.  Patent:  8719964.  Inventor:  O’Neill.  Assignee:  O’Neill LLC.
 

Jim Carson is a principal of RB Consulting, Inc. and a registered patent agent.  He has over 30 years of experience across multiple industries including the biotechnology, textile, computer, telecommunications, and energy sectors.  RB Consulting, Inc. specializes in providing management, prototyping, and regulatory services to small and start-up businesses.  He can be reached via email at James.Carson.Jr@gmail.com or by phone at (803) 792-2183.