Apple Inc.

Ying-Liang Su

Yoji Hamada

Edward Siahaan

Motohide Hatanaka

Matthew Dean Rohrbach

Benjamin Andrew Shaffer

Teodor Dabov

Douglas Joseph Weber

Naoto Matsuyuki

Whitney D Mattson

Peter N Russell-Clarke

Daniel A Podhajny

Dhaval N Shah

Michael J Webb

Hsiang Hung Chen

Peter F Coxeter

Michael Brickner

Embodiments disclosed are directed to a woven fabric band that is capable of being secured to another object using threads or the band itself. The woven fabric band may include an inner layer having a first temperature melting point and an outer layer having a second temperature melting point that is higher than the first temperature melting point. When heat having the first temperature is applied to the woven fabric band, the inner layer of the woven fabric band melts while the outer layer remains in its original state. When the inner layer melts, the inner layer conforms to a first shape. As a result of the inner layer conforming to the first shape, the outer layer also conforms to the same shape.

Using woven fibers to increase tensile strength and for securing attachment mechanisms

A woven material () including bonding fibers () and a method of reinforcing woven material using bonding fibers is disclosed. The woven material () includes a plurality of warp threads (), and at least one weft thread () coupled to the warp threads (). The woven material () also includes a plurality of bonding fibers (). The bonding fibers () are positioned in parallel with the warp threads (), and/or in parallel with the weft thread(s) (). Additionally, the bonding fibers () are formed from a material having a melting temperature that is lower than a melting temperature of the material(s) used to form the warp threads () and the weft thread(s) () of the woven material.

Woven material including bonding fibers

Woven material and altering the weave pattern of the woven material. The woven material may comprise a first portion comprising a weave pattern formed by a plurality of warp threads and at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads. The first portion may have a first thickness. The woven material may also comprise a locally thinned portion positioned adjacent the first portion. The locally thinned portion may comprise an altered weave pattern, which may comprise the plurality of warp threads positioned on a single side of the at least one weft thread, and/or the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads in the locally thinned portion is separated by a first distance. The first distance may be greater than a second distance positioned between the at least one weft thread woven between the plurality of warp threads in the first portion.

Woven materials and methods of forming woven materials

Embodiments are directed to a wearable device including first and second band straps attached to a device body. A buckle mechanism is configured to attach the first band strap to the second band strap and includes a spring bar attached to an end of the first band strap and a buckle loop engaged to the spring bar. A tang is configured to engage a hole formed in the second band strap to secure the first band strap to the second band strap. The tang defines an aperture that receives the spring bar and is configured to pivot about an offset axis that is offset with respect to an axis of the bar. As the tang is rotated, a restoring force biases the tang toward the buckle loop.

Self-closing buckle mechanism

A wearable band includes a woven material having two or more stretch regions. The different stretch regions can be formed by varying the tension on subsets of the warp threads, the weft threads, or both the warp and weft threads. A system for producing the woven material can include two or more tension control devices operably connected to a processing device. Each tension control device is configured to adjust the amount of tension in a respective subset of threads (e.g., warp threads) in the woven material during a weaving operation. The processing device is configured to select thread tension patterns for the subsets of threads used during the weaving operation. Each thread tension pattern includes tension settings for the subsets of threads, where at least one tension setting in one thread tension pattern differs from the tension settings in the other tension patterns.

Woven band with different stretch regions

Woven material having tapered portions and altering the weave pattern and/or material construction in the tapered portion. The woven material includes a first width portion comprising a first weave pattern formed in a plurality of layers of warp threads. The plurality of layers of warp threads include two distinct outer columns of warp threads, and inner columns of warp threads positioned between the two distinct outer columns. The woven material may also include a tapered width portion formed adjacent the uniform portion. The tapered portion includes the first weave pattern formed in the plurality of layers of warp threads of the inner columns of warp threads, and a second weave pattern formed in at least a portion of the plurality of layers of warp threads of the two distinct outer columns of warp threads. The second weave pattern may be distinct from the first weave pattern.

Woven materials having tapered portions

Growing community of inventors

Shenzhen, China

Ying-Liang Su