US-12617183-B2 - Article of apparel

Abstract

An article of apparel includes a composite material. The composite material includes a pliable first layer and a resilient second layer, where the first and second layers are secured to each other via a patterned strand network. In forming the composite material, the second layer is stretched and maintained under tension while the first layer is secured to the second layer via the patterned strand network. The tension on the second layer is then released, resulting in contraction of the second layer in relation to the first layer and an outward buckling or protrusion of the first layer in relation to the second layer to form protruding cells along the composite material that are bounded by portions of the patterned strand network. The patterned strand network can be formed using embroidery with one or more auxetic patterns in the stitching.

Inventors

• Alan Toronjo
• Daniel Lee
• Roger Fan
• Thomas White

Assignees

• UNDER ARMOUR, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20241205

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A composite material comprising: a first textile layer having a first elongation value; a second textile layer having a second elongation value that is greater than the first elongation value; a stitch network comprising stitching that secures the first textile layer with the second textile layer; and a plurality of cells defined at areas disposed within the stitch network and between the first textile layer and the second textile layer, wherein at least some of the cells are enclosed cells defined by stitching of the stitch network that forms a cell perimeter around each enclosed cell and a pocket between the first textile layer and the second textile layer and within the cell perimeter.
2. 2 . The composite material of claim 1 , wherein the cells are interconnected along the stitch network such that adjacent cells share at least one stitch line of the stitching.
3. 3 . The composite material of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have polygonal shapes.
4. 4 . The composite material of claim 3 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have auxetic shapes.
5. 5 . The composite material of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have an arrowhead shape.
6. 6 . The composite material of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have an hour glass shape.
7. 7 . The composite material of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells include stitch lines having a wavy shape.
8. 8 . The composite material of claim 1 , wherein the second textile layer has an elongation value of at least 100% and a recovery value of at least 50%.
9. 9 . The composite material of claim 8 , further comprising: a fourth layer secured with the second layer so as to define an exterior surface of the composite material.
10. 10 . The composite material of claim 1 , wherein the stitch network comprises embroidered stitching that secures the first textile layer with the second textile layer.
11. 11 . An article comprising the composite material of claim 1 , wherein the article comprises a brassiere, a shirt, pants, or an upper for a shoe.
12. 12 . A composite material comprising: a first textile layer having a first elongation value; a second textile layer having a second elongation value that is greater than the first elongation value; and a plurality of cells defined at areas along the composite material, wherein at least some of the cells are enclosed cells, each enclosed cell comprises a void located between the first textile layer and the second textile layer and bound by a perimeter in which the first textile layer is secured with second textile layer; wherein: in a relaxed state with no tension applied to the composite material, portions of the first textile layer located at the cells extend outward and away from the second textile layer; and in response to tension being applied by stretching the composite material along a first dimension, the portions of the first textile layer located at the cells collapse toward the second textile layer.
13. 13 . The composite material of claim 12 , wherein the cells are interconnected along composite material such that adjacent cells share at least one common perimeter line by which the first textile layer is secured with the second textile layer.
14. 14 . The composite material of claim 12 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have polygonal shapes.
15. 15 . The composite material of claim 3 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have auxetic shapes.
16. 16 . The composite material of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the enclosed cells have an arrowhead shape or an hour glass shape.
17. 17 . The composite material of claim 12 , wherein the second textile layer has an elongation value of at least 100% and a recovery value of at least 50%.
18. 18 . The composite material of claim 12 , further comprising: a third layer disposed between and secured with the first textile layer and the second textile layer.
19. 19 . An article of apparel comprising the composite material of claim 12 .
20. 20 . An article of footwear comprising an upper, wherein the upper comprises the composite material of claim 12 .

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/336,463, filed Jun. 16, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/563,939, filed Dec. 28, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/129,335, filed Dec. 21, 2020, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/951,003, filed Dec. 20, 2019, and further is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/717,605, filed Dec. 17, 2019, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/722,213, filed Dec. 20, 2019, both of which claim priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/782,423, filed Dec. 20, 2018, the disclosure of each of the aforementioned applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of forming an article of apparel. BACKGROUND Apparel such an article of footwear can be designed to provide a variety of features in the upper and sole structure depending upon a particular application. Some features that are desirable are comfort, breathability, durability, stretchability and sufficient support and protection for the user's foot when the shoe is worn for a particular application. For certain applications, it may also be desirable to control a degree of stretch in one or more directions along the upper during use. Controlling a degree of stretch and providing a comfortable fit is also important for other textile articles, including articles of apparel. It would be desirable to provide a textile article that is lightweight, breathable, and durable, and further provides enhanced levels of stretchability at different locations of the textile article depending upon a particular application of use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In example embodiments, an article of apparel comprising a composite material is formed by orienting a first layer with a second layer such that a second stretch value of the second layer is greater than a first stretch value of the first layer in a stretch direction. Tension is applied to stretch the second layer in the stretch direction from an original dimension to a stretched dimension, and the first layer is secured to the second layer via a stitch network while the second layer is under tension. The stitch network forms a plurality of enclosed cells located between the first and second layers, with each enclosed cell being defined by a perimeter of stitches of the stitch network. The applied tension is then released, allowing the second layer to retract from its stretched dimension so as to form a composite material. The composite material is incorporated into an article of apparel. In a further embodiment, the composite material is a multilayered textile comprising a non-resilient first layer (i.e., a fabric with limited stretch and recovery properties) and a resilient second layer (i.e., a fabric possessing stretch and recovery properties). The first layer is secured to second layer via stitching formed of a plurality of strand segments, each strand segment including a first thread positioned on the surface of the first layer and a second thread positioned on the surface of the second layer. The first and second threads extend through the multilayered textile at predetermined locations to interlock with each other. The stitches are organized in a predetermined pattern within the multilayer textile to form a plurality of cells, each cell being enclosed by stitching. The multilayered textile is dynamic, being configured to move from a normal, unstretched or unloaded position to an expanded, stretched or loaded position. In the normal position, the first layer is separated from the second layer within one or more of the cells. In the expanded position, the first layer contacts the second layer within one or more of the cells. In certain embodiments, the dynamic composite material comprises a pliable first layer (e.g., the first layer having a two-way stretch) and a resilient second layer (e.g., the second layer having a four way stretch), where the first and second layers are secured to each other via a patterned stitch or strand network to define a plurality of dynamic cells. In forming the composite material, the second layer is stretched and maintained under tension while the first layer is secured to the second layer via the stitch network. After securing the first and second layers together, the tension on the second layer is released, resulting in contraction of the second layer in relation to the first layer and an outward buckling or protrusion of the first layer in relation to the second layer. Specifically, each cell is driven upward (along the z-axis) from a first position, in which the first layer is in contact with the second layer within the confines of the stitched cell, to a second position, in which the first layer is separated from the second lay