Patents Examined by Danny Worrell
  • Patent number: 12729465
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an article. The article may include a first tubular rib structure and a second tubular rib structure. A webbed area may be located between the first tubular rib structure and the second tubular rib structure. The webbed area may have a first portion with a first width and a second portion with a second width, where the first width may be larger than the second width. The webbed area may be at least partially formed from a first yarn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Adrian Meir
  • Patent number: 12729466
    Abstract: A convolute protective textile sleeve having a flexible, tubular wall of knit yarn extending lengthwise along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends includes a plurality of courses extending circumferentially about the longitudinal axis and a plurality of wales extending lengthwise from one of the opposite ends to the other of the opposite ends in generally parallel relation with the longitudinal axis. The plurality of courses include first courses forming annular crests of the tubular wall having a first diameter and second courses forming annular valleys of the tubular wall having a second diameter less than the first diameter. The first courses and the second courses alternate with one another along the longitudinal axis to provide the tubular wall with a convolute contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2025
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: Systes Protection Group US LLC
    Inventors: Xiaodan Qiu, Axell Bailon
  • Patent number: 12729463
    Abstract: A clothing article is disclosed herein, comprising: at least one base knit region, each base knit region being formed of a base knit comprising an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber and at least one base stretch fiber being knit together in a plated configuration to form a jersey knit; and at least one reinforcing knit region, each reinforcing knit region being formed of a reinforcing knit comprising the UHMWPE fiber and the at least one base stretch fiber being knit together in a plated configuration to form a jersey knit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: SHEERTEX INC.
    Inventors: Anel Pinon, David Reagan
  • Patent number: 12729464
    Abstract: An elastic double-knit or interlock fabric of non-elastomeric-elastic yarn which exhibits improved breathability and case of recyclability as compared to conventional elastic double-knit or interlock spandex fabrics, while maintaining the fabric weight and length and width stretch of conventional elastic double-knit or interlock spandex fabrics is provided. Also provided are methods for production of the elastic double-knit or interlock fabric and garments produced from the fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2026
    Assignee: The LYCRA Company LLC
    Inventors: Geoffrey D Hietpas, Guan Wang, Qian Zhang
  • Patent number: 12723333
    Abstract: Aspects herein are directed to textile that includes a first layer formed from a first plurality of yarns or fibers. The first layer includes a first set of apertures, each aperture having a first opening size. The textile further includes a second layer formed from a second plurality of yarns or fibers. The second layer includes a second set of apertures. Each aperture in the second set of apertures is axially aligned with a corresponding aperture in the first set of apertures. Each aperture in the second set of apertures has a second opening size that is smaller than the first opening size of apertures in the first set of apertures. The first layer is relatively more hydrophilic than the second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2025
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Karen A. Hawkinson, Daniel P. Morgan
  • Patent number: 12723331
    Abstract: Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric. A component detector may be used to feed strands such as a conductive strand to the interlacing equipment. One or more electrical components may be mounted to the conductive strand. The component detector may have a sensor configured to detect the presence of the electrical component as the conductive strand is fed to the interlacing equipment through the component detector. In response to detecting the component with the sensor, the interlacing equipment may automatically adjust interlacing operations in preparation for receiving the electrical component. For example, needles may be lowered in a knitting system, select warp strands may be raised and lowered in a weaving system, or a carrier may follow a modified path in a braiding system in response to detecting the electrical component. The fabric may have a different construction in regions where the electrical component is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew L Rosenberg, Kathryn P Crews, Didio V Gomes, Weibing Gong, Benjamin J Grena, Francois R Jacob, Maurice P May, Daniel A Podhajny, Lia M Uesato
  • Patent number: 12723334
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular weft-knitted jersey-based article having a portion of the size of at least four consecutive courses and at least four consecutive wales, wherein all of the at least four courses are plated courses. Each plated course comprises a ground yarn that entirely forms plain stitches, two or three laid-in yarns, a plating yarn. The laid-in yarns are tucked and missed along the plated course in such a way 0 that at least one of the at least two or three laid-in yarns is tucked whilst at least one of the at least two or three laid-in yarns is missed along a same wale to form crossover points between at most two consecutive wales.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2026
    Assignee: SIGVARIS AG
    Inventors: Rafael Sérgio Pacheco Gonçalves, José Fabiano Caboclo
  • Patent number: 12716150
    Abstract: Provided is a knitted article which is excellent in abrasion resistance, is less prone to yarn breakage and weight loss due to abrasion, and is less liable to undergo discoloration or fading. The knitted article is a knitted article comprising a first filament and a second filament interknitted together. A fineness of the second filament is smaller than a fineness of the first filament. In top view, a proportion of the second filament per unit area on one surface is from 10% to 50%. In a cross section taken along a thickness direction, among all the filaments constituting a cutting line A parallel to the knitted article surface at a depth of 20 ?m in the thickness direction from the knitted article surface, the first filament is 90% or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignees: SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD, TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kosui, Yusuke Shimizu, Kazunori Shibata, Hirotaka Hananouchi
  • Patent number: 12709827
    Abstract: Aspects herein are directed to, among other things, a knitted component for an article of footwear. The knitted component includes a first knit layer having openings exposing portions of a second knit layer. The first and second knit layers may have different yarn with different properties, such as different colors. On at least one side of the opening, the first knit layer may overlay and be separable from the second knit layer such that a pocket is formed, which may extend continuously into the opening. Stretching the knitted component may expose additional portions of the second knit layer through the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2026
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Roberto Zavala
  • Patent number: 12709825
    Abstract: A knitted component may include a course of a first yarn type and a course of a second yarn type, a first surface at least partially formed by the course of the first yarn type, and a cavity formed within the knitted component that is recessed relative to the first surface. A first float formed by the course of the second yarn type may extend across the cavity and may be exposed, and the course of the second yarn type may include a stitch that is knitted into the knitted component adjacent the float.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2026
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Juan L Aceves Tinajero, William P. Halligan
  • Patent number: 12709826
    Abstract: An upper for an article of footwear may have a knitted component, where the knitted component has a first edge extending from a first side of a throat area of the upper, through a heel area of the upper, and to a second side of the throat area. At least a portion of the first edge may include a lattice structure, the lattice structuring having a first lattice band and a second lattice band, the first lattice band and the second lattice band having loops that are intermeshed in at least one location, where a plurality of first openings are located between the first lattice band and the second lattice band. At least one of the lattice bands may include a yarn having a tenacity of at least 5 g/d, and/or the first and second lattice bands may be formed from separate yarns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2026
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Monica M. Poulsen, Erin C. Stevens
  • Patent number: 12698580
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tufting unit for a tufting machine, wherein a yarn transport gripper positions yarn strands which after cutting thereof are used by insertion elements. Furthermore, the invention relates to a tufting unit having such a tufting machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2025
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2026
    Assignee: SMG Sportplatzmaschinenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Johann Baptist Owegeser
  • Patent number: 12692634
    Abstract: A grid accessory attachment platform with a knitted textile that has a number of spaced slits integrally knit into the textile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2024
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2026
    Assignee: Gehring-Tricot Corporation
    Inventors: George Gehring, William Brown
  • Patent number: 12686957
    Abstract: A non-seamed sheeting fabric, such as a bed sheet, including a cool portion and a warm portion that is integral with the cool portion. The warm portion is configured to provide greater thermal insulation than the cool portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2026
    Inventor: Thomas Danaher
  • Patent number: 12686959
    Abstract: A composite sewn part for use in a subsequent curing process, including: a first composite laminate; at least one stringer secured to the first composite laminate by stitches, the at least one stringer including a first stringer portion comprising a composite laminate and a second stringer portion comprising a composite laminate, which are sewn together to provide the at least one stringer, the first stringer portion having a flange portion that is sewn to the first composite laminate and a web that extends upwardly from the flange portion and the second stringer portion having a flange portion that is sewn to the first composite laminate and a web that extends upwardly from the flange portion of the second stringer portion; and a polymer reinforcement located between the first stringer portion and the second stringer portion or between the first composite laminate and the first stringer portion and the second stringer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2026
    Assignee: INTEVA PRODUCTS, LLC
    Inventor: Edward J. Wenzel
  • Patent number: 12680209
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and associated monitoring system for monitoring the tension of a pile yarn in a tufting machine which is provided with several tufting needles and assumes cyclically successive machine positions during various machine cycles, where this pile yarn (3) is incorporated in a fabric in the machine cycles by means of a tufting needle which is positioned in various needle positions at a respective distance from the fabric (7) by positioning the tufting machine in the machine positions during each machine cycle. The method includes generating measurement signals (Dv) by means of a motion sensor which are an indication of the pile yarn consumption of this pile yarn, determining machine position data (Dm) which are an indication of one or more machine positions per machine cycle and evaluating the measurement signals (Dv) on the basis of the machine position data (Dm).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2026
    Assignee: VANDEWIELE NV
    Inventors: Geert Debuf, Marco Arlone, Giacomo Dalle Nogare, Carlo Milanaccio
  • Patent number: 12674258
    Abstract: A machine (M) for sewing, embroidering or quilting, in which a flat section (T1) of a textile structure (T) in a stretched state can be pressed against a textile structure support area (TA) adjacent to a stitch plate (SP) and/or against the stitch plate (SP) and moved in a plane parallel to the stitch plate (SP) at a speed (v) relative to the stitch plate (SP) so that the flat section (T1) lies flat against the stitch plate (SP). The machine (M) contains a detector module (DM) with which a property and/or a state of the moved flat section (T1) of the textile structure (T) can be detected, and a control unit (SE) with which an operating mode of the machine (M) can be adjusted depending on the detected property or the detected state of the moved flat section (T1) of the textile structure (T).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2026
    Assignee: BERNINA International AG
    Inventors: Alain Capt, Daniel Rupp, Roland Beer
  • Patent number: 12672957
    Abstract: An assistance system that can be used for prosthetic heart valve manufacturing or suturing procedures includes an automated fixture that can comprise an articulation arm and a target device holder. The target device holder can be positioned and oriented to reduce operator strain during a manufacturing or inspection process. The assistance system includes a user input device enabling the operator to move between positions to assist in such processes. The assistance system can also be trained by capturing sequences of position data corresponding to a manufacturing or inspection process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2026
    Assignee: Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
    Inventors: Arthur I. Koral, James R. Cody, III, Ping-Yang Shih, Tiffany Diemtrinh Tran
  • Patent number: 12674255
    Abstract: An article of footwear may include a knit component that may include a tensile area, a first intersecting portion and a second intersecting portion that at least partially bound an opening of the tensile area, and a course of tensile material that is integrally knit within the knit component. The course of tensile material may comprise a float that extends from the first intersecting portion, across the opening, and to the second intersecting portion, and having a float that is at least three needles long across the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2026
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Juan L. Aceves Tinajero, Jessica Small
  • Patent number: 12674259
    Abstract: A sewing machine includes a bed including a bed surface extending horizontally. A first side plate extends downward from a part of an outer periphery of the bed surface. The first side plate crosses a longitudinal direction of the bed surface. A second side plate extends downward from another part of the outer periphery of the bed surface. The second side plate crosses a short direction of the bed surface. An auxiliary device is attachable to a first mount portion. The first mount portion is provided at the first side plate. The auxiliary device includes a first extension surface extending horizontally. A wide table is attachable to a second mount portion. The second mount portion is provided at the second side plate. The wide table includes a second extension surface extending horizontally. The wide table has a different shape from the auxiliary device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2026
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mori, Yuya Tatematsu