Nike patents laser-bonded fabric that resists pilling
Nike describes a method for treating nonwoven textiles with a laser to bond fibers together. The laser heats specific fibers until they soften and wrap around neighboring fibers, creating a stable structure as they cool. This process aims to prevent fibers from moving to the surface and forming pills.
In the filing’s own words
A nonwoven textile can be treated with a laser to construct bonding structures between fibers of the nonwoven textile. In examples, the nonwoven textile can have fibers including a material that absorbs electromagnetic radiation emitted by a laser. In addition, based on absorbing the electromagnetic radiation, the fibers can soften, and the softened portions of the fibers can contact one or more other fibers of the nonwoven textile. When the softened portions re-solidify (e.g., after removal of the electromagnetic radiation), the re-solidified portions of the fiber can at least partially encapsulate the other fiber(s) to form the bonding structure between the re-solidified portions and the other fiber(s). In some examples, the bonding structure can reduce the likelihood of the fibers that are associated with the bonding structure from migrating through a face of the nonwoven textile and forming pills.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A composite nonwoven textile comprising: a first fiber web comprising first fibers and second fibers, the first fiber web comprising a machine direction, a cross-machine direction, and a thickness, wherein: the first fibers, as compared to the second fibers, comprise a higher amount of an ERA material; the first fiber web comprises a substantially homogenous blend of first fibers to second fibers distributed in one or more of the machine direction, the cross-machine direction, and the thickness; and the first fiber web comprises a plurality of amorphous polymer agglomerates that include material from one or more fibers of the first fibers encapsulating one or more fibers of the second fibers; and the substantially homogenous blend is distributed in the machine direction and in the cross-machine direction.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Laser-bonded non-woven textile
- Patent number
- US12760455B2
- Application number
- 18651276
- Filed
- Apr 30, 2024
- Granted
- Oct 13, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 28
Classified under
D04H 1/559 Textiles & paperD04H 1/4374 Textiles & paperD04H 1/43828 Textiles & paperD04H 1/43835 Textiles & paperD04H 1/5412 Textiles & paperD04H 1/558 Textiles & paperMore from Nike in Materials & manufacturing
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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.