Nike patents clothing that opens vents when exposed to heat or light
Nike has been granted a patent for a piece of clothing that features a vent which automatically opens and closes. The design uses small film strips that expand when they encounter an external trigger, such as heat, which pulls the fabric edges apart to create an opening.
In the filing’s own words
Aspects herein are directed to an article of apparel having a vent opening formed by overlapping the edges of a first panel and a second panel. A plurality of discrete overlay film structures are applied to the second panel adjacent to the vent opening. When the article of apparel is exposed to an external stimulus, the film structures undergo a reversible increase in dimension in at least the z-direction which cause the second panel of material to undergo a reversible decrease in dimension in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the vent opening thereby causing the vent opening to dynamically transition from a closed state to an open state.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An article of apparel comprising: a panel comprising a first surface and an opposite second surface; a slit extending through the panel from the first surface to the second surface, the slit comprising a first edge, an opposing second edge, a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end; a plurality of discrete overlay film structures affixed to the panel, the plurality of discrete overlay film structures comprising a first discrete overlay film structure and a second discrete overlay film structure positioned adjacent to the first edge of the slit, and; two spaced-apart stiffening panels affixed to the first surface between the first discrete overlay film structure and the second discrete overlay film structure, the two spaced-apart stiffening panels comprising a different material than the plurality of discrete overlay film structures.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Apparel with dynamic vent structure
- Patent number
- US12745811B2
- Application number
- 18946480
- Filed
- Nov 13, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 29, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A41D 27/28 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.