Issued Patents

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:

Batting pad for adjusting location of bat in batter's hand:  A batting pad comprising a body made from a cushioning material and having a ring portion adapted to fit over a batter's thumb and an appendage to cushion the palm area between a batter's thumb and index finger.  Patent 8763162.  Inventor:  Lomedico:  Assignee:  Pro-Hitter Corporation

Convertible maternity garment:  A convertible maternity garment that includes a first garment configured and arranged as a maternity garment to be worn by a woman during her maternity term and a second garment constructed from a portion of the first garment to provide a garment having a configuration for non-maternity use.  Patent:  8763164.  Inventor:  MacGillivray.  Not Assigned.

Head guard:  A head guard is provided which has a fabric layer and a padding layer. The head guard is stretchable between a relaxed configuration and an expanded configuration. The expanding configuration has a convex shape such that it can conform to a head of a wearer. The head guard can be worn by a wearer in combination with a helmet.  Patent:  8763166.  Inventor:  Velasco.  Assignee: 2^nd Skull LLC.

Anti-ballistic paneled protective undergarments:  A protective undergarment with protective panels with slash-proof properties. The protective areas are made from a flexible Kevlar® knit and extend to cover the groin, crotch, substantial areas of the buttocks and the inner thigh regions of both legs. The protective panels stitched to a low thermal burden material to provide elasticity and complete the structure of the shorts. Patent 8763167.  Inventor:  Howell, et.al.  Assignee:  BCB International, Limited. 

Method of producing a hydroentangled nonwoven material:  A method of producing a nonwoven material by hydroentangling a fiber mixture containing spunlaid filaments, natural fibers and synthetic staple fibers.  At least at least 10% by fiber weight manmade staple fibers is wetlaid and hydroentangled in a first hydroentangling station and spunlaid filaments are laid on top of the hydroentangled first fibrous web.  A finishing fibrous web including natural fibers is wetlaid on top of said spunlaid filaments. Patent:  8763219.  Inventor:  Jonsson, et.al.  Assignee:  SCA Hygiene Products Ab.

Removable outsole elements for articles of footwear:  An outsole element for an article of footwear having a base and a lug that extends from the base. The outsole element includes a body and a cavity defined in the body. The cavity receives the lug to removably couple the body to the lug. Also, the cavity includes an internal undercut.  Theoretically, this allows the replacement of portions of a shoe tread pattern.  Patent 8763276.  Inventor:  Greene, et.al.  Assignee:  Nike, Inc.

Footware with shock absorbing sole:  A shoe including cushioning elements housed in a tread sole adapted to come into contact with the ground.  The cushioning elements include a plurality of cushioning capsules orientated in a manner such that they substantially follow a line on which the weight of a person is transferred during walking.  The cushioning capsules have different sizes and shapes that are geometrically similar to each other, constituting a series of modular elements adaptable to every shoe size and type.  Patent:  8763277.  Inventor:  Sartor.  Assignee:  Stonefly S.P.A.

Footwear assembly with integral footbed suspension system:  A footwear assembly with integral footbed suspension system. A shoe comprises a sole, a blade extending away from the sole, an Energy Return System (ERS) connected to the blade, an upper, and a cradle coupled to the upper and coupled to the ERS via a plurality of ties. The ERS is configured to resiliently deform under pressure from the foot while the foot is substantially suspended via the cradle relative to the sole. A plurality of sensors are configured to detect relative movement between components of the shoe and to transmit data to a chip positioned in the shoe. The data can be used for gait and performance analysis.  Patent:  8763278.  Inventor:  McKay.  Assignee:  Plantiga Technologies, Inc. 

Seam construction for a one piece woven airbag:  A seam construction for a woven fabric for an OPW airbag, in particular for person restraint systems, which seam construction is characterized by a weaving seam having a single-layer region which is surrounded by an at least two-layer region, the individual layers of which have in each case a looser woven structure than the single-layer region.  Patent:  8763649.  Inventor:  Becker, et.al.  Assignee:  Global Safety Textiles Gmbh

Antimicrobial fabrics made using sol-gel/N-halamine chemistry, and methods of making same:  Methods of treating fabrics using sol-gel halamine chemistry to impart antimicrobial properties thereto are described, as well as fabrics produced by the described methods. In one embodiment, the antimicrobial fabrics may be used to fabricate antimicrobial divider curtains for use in hospitals and medical facilities.  Patent:  8764851.  Inventor:  Ghosh and Mannari.  Assignee:  Eastern Michigan University.

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.