Apple Inc.

Yoji Hamada

Motohide Hatanaka

Ying-Liang Su

Benjamin Andrew Shaffer

Edward Siahaan

Eiryo Shiraishi

Whitney D Mattson

Hsiang-Hung Chen

Douglas Joseph Weber

Naoto Matsuyuki

John J Baker

Matthew Dean Rohrbach

Daniel A Podhajny

Teodor Dabov

Kathryn P Crews

Michael S Nashner

Michael B Howes

Hsiang Hung Chen

Osamu Yabe

Kirk M Mayer

Peter F Coxeter

Timothy S Lui

Rimple Bhatia

William Leith

Liming Wang

James C Whitley

Brett Evans Krasniewicz

Daniel W Labove

Characteristics of a watch band can change when placed in different configurations, and each of these characteristics can be correlated with each of the various configurations. The characteristics can be measured to detect in which of the various configurations the watch band is in. For example, the watch band can include an adjustable capacitor that changes it capacitance when the watch band changes its configuration. For example, the capacitance can change based on stretching of the watch band, bending of the watch band, and/or securement and release of an engagement element. The watch or another device can perform one or more operations based on the detected characteristic and configuration of the watch band.

Watch band with fit detection

A watchband can comfortably secure an electronic device to a wrist of a user. The watchband can include a base having a contact surface opposite an engagement surface, contact loops on the contact surface for contacting a user, and engagement loops on the engagement surface for engaging hooks. The hooks can be provided on the engagement surface, opposite some of the contact loops. The base can include base threads, and the contact loops and engagement loops can be formed by contact threads and engagement threads woven about some of the base threads between the contact surface and the engagement surface. Between adjacent engagement loops, the engagement thread can be more securely attached to the base than is the contact thread between adjacent contact loops.

Watchbands with hook and loop fasteners

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

Embodiments described herein may take the form of a textile product having one or more regions of reduced density. These reduced density volumes may form one or more features in the product. For example, the reduced density volumes may have better acoustic transmission properties, optical transmission properties, flexibility, and the like. Sound transmission may be enhanced not only in terms of clarity, but also overall range. That is, certain audio frequencies that the textile may normally block when in an unaltered state may pass through a textile having reduced density or reduced density regions.

Textile product having reduced density

A woven material including a four layer construction formed by distinct groups of warp threads, and a method of forming the woven material. The woven material may include a first group of warp threads, and an interior weft thread portion coupled to the first group of warp threads. The woven material may also include a second group of warp threads substantially surrounding the first group of warp threads and the interior weft thread portion, and an exterior weft thread portion coupled to the second group of warp threads.

Woven material including double layer construction

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

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

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 described herein may take the form of a textile fabric, including: a first region defined by a first plurality of textile fibers; a second region adjacent the first region and being formed from a second plurality of textile fibers and a hot melt material adjacent the second plurality of textile fibers; wherein the first region is free of hot melt material. Other embodiments may take the form of a method for fabricating a textile product, including the operations of: applying heat to a textile having associated hot melt fibers, thereby melting the hot melt fibers; modifying a mechanical property of a portion of the textile by introducing a solvent to the textile; and stopping an action of the solvent on the textile when the mechanical property reaches a target.

Textile product having thinned regions

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

This application relates to a method and apparatus for forming a textured stain resistant fabric. The stain resistant layer can be formed from a non-conventional anti-stain resistant resin that can conform to varying texturing geometries. In one embodiment, the stain resistant layer can be formed against a sheet of release paper having a texturing surface configured to form a textured surface on the stain resistant layer.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo-to, Japan

Yoji Hamada