The North Face Apparel Corporation

Mary-Ellen Smith

Justin Lee Gladish

Graham Page

Mark William McMillan

Eric Tuscia

William Cass

Graham C Page

In certain aspects, the inventive subject matter is directed to production of constructs of footwear and components thereof by jet extrusion. The inventive subject matter contemplates novel processes for making such constructs using jets or streams of materials that solidify as fibers, and which form into two- or three-dimensional webs as they are collected. The webs may be in the nature of films, membranes, or mats. In some embodiments, the inventive subject matter generally relates to nonwoven textiles consisting of webs of superfine fibers, i.e., fibers with diameters in nanoscale or micronscale ranges.

Footwear and other articles formed by jet extrusion processes

A textile construct with a performance film formative built into a textile structure. The textile construct needs only to be subject to a fusing agent to cause the performance film formative to convert from its lattice structure (e.g., knit or woven structure) into a film that is built into a retained lattice structure of the textile. More particularly, the formation of the textile construct is based on fusion of selected filaments, e.g., thermoplastic fibers or yarns, to selectively create a film on one side or layer in the construct while substantially preserving the lattice structure of an opposing side or adjacent layer of non-fusible filaments in a lattice structure. This creates a hybrid film/lattice textile construct. Both open-faced and sandwiched constructions of the film in a unitary structure with the retained lattice structure of another side or layer(s) are possible.

Textile constructs formed with fusible filaments

In some aspects, the inventive subject matter contemplates: providing a substrate; providing a biomaterial to be affixed to the substrate; and subjecting the substrate and biomaterial to reactive species from a plasma generated by an atmospheric plasma apparatus until the biomaterial affixes to the substrate. The biomaterial may be silk or wool polypeptide. The biomaterial is deposited as a monomeric film on the surface of the substrate before the substrate is subjected to the reactive species of the plasma. Once the substrate with the film of biomaterial is subjected to the reactive species, the reactive species facilitates the polymerization of the film as a coating on the underlying portion of substrate. The resulting coated substrates are novel constructs that have improved attributes based on the biomaterial selected for use. For example, silk proteins may be used improve the hand or strength of textile materials.

Functional biomaterial coatings for textiles and other substrates

A method of treating a substrate, comprising providing a substrate having a generally sheet or planar form or a fiber or yarn form; providing a colorant to be set at the surface of the substrate; and subjecting the substrate and colorant to reactive species from a plasma generated by an atmospheric plasma apparatus until the colorant is set at the surface of the substrate. A method of setting a colorant on a substrate, comprising performing an etch operation, or plasma pre-treatment to change surface charge, on a substrate using a plasma, particularly a plasma generated at atmospheric conditions, to create a desired surface texture, or surface charge, at the surface of substrate; and depositing a colorant on the surface under plasma or non-plasma conditions; and allowing the colorant to set at the surface of the substrate.

Plasma treatments for coloration of textiles, fibers and other substrates

A releasable closure having a first structure that encapsulates a magnetic composition based on magnetic particles, such as a smart fluid of the group electrorheological fluid, magnetorheological fluid, ferrofluid, or that is formed of a printable composition with dispersed magnetic particles. The first structure is magnetically attracted and thereby joinable to an opposing, second structure, with the first and second structures forming the releasable closure.

Growing community of inventors

Kihei, HI, United States of America

Mary-Ellen Smith