Patents by Inventor Jeffery E. Darland

Jeffery E. Darland 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).

  • Patent number: 9707727
    Abstract: The manufacturing of articles relies on the bonding of two or more components to form some forms of the articles, such as a shoe sole bonded with a shoe upper. The bonding may be achieved with an adhesive particulate that is applied to a surface of a substrate. The adhesive particulate is selectively fused to the substrate with a controlled energy source having multiple energy emitters individually controllable, such as a laser array. The selective application of laser energy allows for specific geometric structures of adhesive particulate to be formed on the substrate. The substrate having the fused adhesive particulate is mated with another component allowing the fused adhesive particulate to bond the first substrate and the second component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffery E. Darland