Patents by Inventor Charles R. Edwards

Charles R. Edwards has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230284738
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include a cured coating that includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating can include a matrix of crosslinked polymers. The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition comprising uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers), wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers. The matrix of crosslinked polymers can be elastomeric. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including these bladders, methods of forming these bladders, and methods of making articles including these bladders, where the bladders include the cured coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventor: Charles R. Edwards
  • Publication number: 20230276898
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Patent number: 11723429
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: NIKE, INC.
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Patent number: 11690424
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: NIKE, INC.
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Patent number: 11647809
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include a cured coating that includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating can include a matrix of crosslinked polymers. The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition comprising uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers), wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers. The matrix of crosslinked polymers can be elastomeric. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including these bladders, methods of forming these bladders, and methods of making articles including these bladders, where the bladders include the cured coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: NIKE, INC.
    Inventor: Charles R. Edwards
  • Publication number: 20230003121
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Patent number: 11464281
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, INC.
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Publication number: 20220160076
    Abstract: A bladder includes a first polymeric film, a second polymeric film attached to the first polymeric film to form a chamber, and one or more grooves formed in an exterior surface of the chamber. In one configuration, the grooves are formed in the exterior surface of the chamber by subjecting the chamber to a laser-etching process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles R. Edwards, Jeremy Gantz, Dervin A. James, Honam Ho, Adam Kohn, Harry Lam Pham, Eric S. Schindler, Yuanmin Wang
  • Publication number: 20210186147
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include a cured coating that includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating can include a matrix of crosslinked polymers. The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition comprising uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers), wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers. The matrix of crosslinked polymers can be elastomeric. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including these bladders, methods of forming these bladders, and methods of making articles including these bladders, where the bladders include the cured coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventor: Charles R. Edwards
  • Patent number: 10980310
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Patent number: 10980311
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include a cured coating that includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating can include a matrix of crosslinked polymers. The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition comprising uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers), wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers. The matrix of crosslinked polymers can be elastomeric. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including these bladders, methods of forming these bladders, and methods of making articles including these bladders, where the bladders include the cured coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles R. Edwards
  • Publication number: 20210052035
    Abstract: One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide for composite elements that include a textile having a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers comprising a first thermoplastic material; and a second thermoplastic material surrounding the plurality of fibers of the textile and consolidating at least a portion of the textile, wherein the second thermoplastic material has a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the first thermoplastic material. The composite elements can be used as part of a fluid chamber or cushioning element, whereby the composite element imparts puncture resistant to the fluid chamber or cushioning element. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Charles R. Edwards, Joel L. Passke
  • Publication number: 20210022437
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to articles that include one or more coated fiber(s) (i.e., fiber(s) with a cured coating disposed thereon), where the coating includes a matrix of crosslinked polymers and optionally a colorant (e.g., pigment particles or dye or both). The cured coating is a product of crosslinking a coating composition including uncrosslinked polymers (e.g., a dispersion of uncrosslinked polymers in a carrier, wherein the uncrosslinked polymers are crosslinked to form the matrix of crosslinked polymers). The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the coated fibers, methods of forming the coated fibers and articles, and methods of making articles including the coated fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Aaron Bartel, Charles R. Edwards, Stefan E. Guest, Christian Alexander Steinbeck
  • Patent number: 10849386
    Abstract: One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide for composite elements that include a textile having a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers comprising a first thermoplastic material; and a second thermoplastic material surrounding the plurality of fibers of the textile and consolidating at least a portion of the textile, wherein the second thermoplastic material has a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the first thermoplastic material. The composite elements can be used as part of a fluid chamber or cushioning element, whereby the composite element imparts puncture resistant to the fluid chamber or cushioning element. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles R. Edwards, Joel L. Passke
  • Patent number: 10836082
    Abstract: A foamed article is made by infusing the article of thermoplastic elastomer with a supercritical fluid, then removing the article from the supercritical fluid and either (i) immersing the article in a heated fluid or (ii) irradiating the article with infrared or microwave radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Hossein A. Baghdadi, Yihua Chang, Charles R. Edwards, Richard L. Watkins
  • Publication number: 20200121022
    Abstract: One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide for composite elements that include a textile having a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers comprising a first thermoplastic material; and a second thermoplastic material surrounding the plurality of fibers of the textile and consolidating at least a portion of the textile, wherein the second thermoplastic material has a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the first thermoplastic material. The composite elements can be used as part of a cushioning structure, whereby the composite element imparts puncture resistant to the cushioning structure. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Charles R. Edwards, Joel L. Passke
  • Publication number: 20200121020
    Abstract: One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide for composite elements that include a textile having a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers comprising a first thermoplastic material; and a second thermoplastic material surrounding the plurality of fibers of the textile and consolidating at least a portion of the textile, wherein the second thermoplastic material has a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the first thermoplastic material. The composite elements can be used as part of a fluid chamber or cushioning element, whereby the composite element imparts puncture resistant to the fluid chamber or cushioning element. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Charles R. Edwards, Joel L. Passke
  • Publication number: 20200037704
    Abstract: An article of footwear has a sole assembly that includes a midsole. The midsole has a bottom with a bottom surface, and an outer wall with a side surface. At least one of a thermoplastic polyurethane outsole and a thermoplastic polyurethane toe bumper is secured to the midsole. Specifically, a thermoplastic polyurethane outsole can be secured to the bottom surface of the midsole and a thermoplastic polyurethane toe bumper can be secured to the side surface of the midsole. Moreover, at least one of a thermoplastic polyurethane outsole and a thermoplastic polyurethane toe bumper is at least partially transparent. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes securing such a thermoplastic polyurethane outsole and/or a thermoplastic polyurethane toe bumper to the midsole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Joseph Marshall, Douglas A. Beye, Charles R. Edwards
  • Publication number: 20190366600
    Abstract: A foamed article is made by infusing the article of thermoplastic elastomer with a supercritical fluid, then removing the article from the supercritical fluid and either (i) immersing the article in a heated fluid or (ii) irradiating the article with infrared or microwave radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Hossein A. Baghdadi, Yihua Chang, Charles R. Edwards, Richard L. Watkins
  • Patent number: 10421221
    Abstract: A foamed article is made by infusing the article of thermoplastic elastomer with a supercritical fluid, then removing the article from the supercritical fluid and either (i) immersing the article in a heated fluid or (ii) irradiating the article with infrared or microwave radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Nike, Inc.
    Inventors: Hossein A. Baghdadi, Yihua Chang, Charles R. Edwards, Richard L. Watkins