Nike patents sleeve cuff with adjustable thumbhole for wind protection
This patent describes a sleeve design featuring a slot near the wrist that allows a thumb to pass through a specific opening. The cuff uses overlapping fabric panels to create a secure fit that can be adjusted to either block wind or allow for easier movement.
In the filing’s own words
A sleeve cuff is provided for a sleeve having an anterior patch affixed to the sleeve and covering at least a portion of a cutout in the sleeve, a distal strap affixed to the sleeve and spanning over at least a portion of a cutout in the sleeve, and the distal strap overlapping at least a portion of the anterior patch to form an aperture for receiving a thumb therethrough. The sleeve cuff has a plurality of configurations, including at least a closed configuration where the aperture is closed and minimizes the wearer's exposure to wind and air elements therethrough, and an opened configuration where the aperture is opened and minimizes the air penetration around the received thumb.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A garment having a sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a tube having a distal end opposite a proximal end; a slot formed through the tube proximate the distal end, the slot defined in part by a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge, wherein the first longitudinal edge is positioned across the slot from the second longitudinal edge; a first panel having a first panel trailing edge and a first panel leading edge, the first panel trailing edge extending across the slot from the first longitudinal edge to the second longitudinal edge, wherein the first panel is affixed to the tube proximate the distal end such that the distal end is defined in part by the tube and in part by the first panel leading edge; a second panel having a second panel leading edge extending across the slot from the first longitudinal edge to the second longitudinal edge; an aperture with a perimeter, the aperture in communication with an interior volume of the tube, the perimeter comprising at least a portion of the second panel leading edge and at least a portion of the first panel trailing edge; and a sheath joined to an interior of the tube and configured to extend through the aperture, wherein in a first in-use configuration the sheath is positioned entirely within the interior volume of the tube and the second panel leading edge continuously overlaps the first panel trailing edge from the first longitudinal edge to the second longitudinal edge such that from a perspective exterior to the tube and normal to the slot the sheath is covered by the first panel and the second panel and hidden from view from said perspective, and wherein in a second in-use configuration the sheath extends through the aperture to an outside of the tube.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Layered thumbhole structure
- Patent number
- US12727635B2
- Application number
- 19029619
- Filed
- Jan 17, 2025
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 4
- Claims
- 15
Classified under
A41D 27/10 Human necessitiesA41B 1/08 Human necessitiesA41B 7/00 Human necessitiesA41B 7/02 Human necessitiesA41D 13/08 Human necessitiesA41D 27/24 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Clothing & sport
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.