Apple Inc.

Liming Wang

Daniel A Podhajny

Yi Zou

Hao Zhu

Hua Song

Kirk M Mayer

Yoji Hamada

Rimple Bhatia

An item such as a fabric-based item may have a layer of fabric such as a layer of woven fabric. The fabric layer may include warp and weft strands. The fabric may cover keys in a keyboard or may be used in forming other structures in the fabric-based item. Each key may have an illuminated key label. Portions of the fabric may be processed by pressing heated protrusions on a textured mold into polymer optical fibers in the fabric. The protrusions form corresponding light-scattering recesses in cladding portions of the optical fibers. Light-emitting diodes or other light sources may be coupled to respective end surfaces of the optical fibers. The light-emitting diodes emit light that is emitted from the thermally imprinted light-emitting regions formed by pressing the heated protrusions into the optical fibers.

Fabric items with thermally imprinted light-emitting regions

Items such as fabric-based items may include magnetic strands. Magnetic strands may be formed using extrusion equipment. To form single component magnetic strands, first and second feed hoppers may respectively feed a base polymer and a magnet masterbatch to an extruder. The magnet masterbatch may include particles of a rare-earth alloy or other magnetic materials in a polymer blend. The extruder may push the base polymer and magnet masterbatch through a spinneret. To form bicomponent magnetic strands, a first extruder may push a base polymer and magnet masterbatch through a first set of openings in a spinneret, while a second extruder may push an additional polymer through a second set of openings in the spinneret. Bicomponent magnetic strands may have a magnetic core and non-magnetic sheath, may have a non-magnetic core and magnetic sheath, or may have other suitable configurations.

Magnetic strands for fabric items

A portable electronic device may have an electronic device strap. The strap may include inner and outer fabric layers and optional intermediate fabric layers. The inner fabric layer may have strands of material that are characterized by a larger denier per filament value than the outer fabric layer to help draw moisture away from the body of a user. The fabric layers may have stretchable warp fibers that allow the strap to be stretched. Weft fibers at the bottom of grooves that span the width of the strap may be provided with different colors than other weft strands. When the strap is stretched, the visibility of the weft fibers at the bottoms of the grooves may increase. A hook-and-loop fastener may be used to close the strap. Loops for the fastener may be formed from warp strands and may have multiple sizes.

Electronic devices with wrist straps

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Windham, NH, United States of America

Liming Wang