Apparel comprising a wound component and methods of making the same

Abstract

Articles of apparel and methods of making articles of apparel that include one or more thread layers made by winding a continuous thread around anchor points. In some embodiments, the articles of apparel can include multiple pieces of material, with each piece including a thread layer. In some embodiments, the article of apparel can be steamed to shape the one or more thread layers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of apparel, comprising:
 a first piece of material comprising:
 a first perimeter edge, 
 a first thread layer comprising a first thread defining a plurality of first thread lines each extending from a first side of the perimeter edge to a second side of the first perimeter edge and crossing over each other at points of overlap between two or more of the first thread lines, and 
 a second thread layer disposed over the first thread layer and comprising a second thread defining a plurality of second thread lines each extending from the first side of the first perimeter edge to the second side of the perimeter edge and crossing over each other at points of overlap between two or more of the second thread lines; 
   a second piece of material comprising a second perimeter edge; and   a seam along at least a portion of the first perimeter edge and the second perimeter edge that joins the first piece of material to the second piece of material.   
     
     
         2 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the second piece of material is a fabric material. 
     
     
         3 . The article of apparel of  claim 2 , wherein the fabric material comprises a woven or knitted fabric. 
     
     
         4 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the first thread lines are not woven or knitted together and the second thread lines are not woven or knitted together; and
 wherein the first thread lines and the second thread lines are not embroidered threads stitched to a base layer.   
     
     
         5 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the second piece of material comprises:
 a third thread layer comprising a third thread defining a plurality of third thread lines each extending from a first side of the second perimeter edge to a second side of the second perimeter edge and crossing over each other at points of overlap between two or more of the third thread lines, and   a fourth thread layer disposed over the third layer and comprising a fourth thread defining a plurality of fourth thread lines extending from the first side of the second perimeter edge to the second side of the second perimeter edge and crossing over each other at points of overlap between two or more of the second thread lines.   
     
     
         6 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first thread lines are directly bonded to each other at the points of overlap between two or more of the first thread lines. 
     
     
         7 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second thread lines are directly bonded to each other at the points of overlap between two or more of the second thread lines. 
     
     
         8 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the first thread comprises a composite elastomeric thread comprising an elastomeric material and one or more textile materials. 
     
     
         9 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the second thread comprises a polymeric thread comprising a polymeric material having melting temperature in a range of greater than or equal to 110° C. to less than or equal to 150° C. 
     
     
         10 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the first thread layer comprises a first composite elastomeric thread comprising an elastomeric material and one or more textile materials,
 wherein the second thread layer comprises a second composite elastomeric thread comprising an elastomeric material and one or more textile materials, and   wherein a percentage of elastomeric material in the first composite elastomeric thread is greater than a percentage of elastomeric material in the second composite elastomeric thread.   
     
     
         11 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein the article of apparel comprises a bra. 
     
     
         12 . The article of apparel of  claim 11 , wherein the first piece of material comprises a bra strap and the second piece of material comprises a cup portion. 
     
     
         13 . The article of appeal of  claim 11 , wherein the first piece of material comprises an underband and the second piece of material comprises a cup portion. 
     
     
         14 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the article of apparel comprises a bra,   the first piece of material comprises a cup portion comprising a first zone having a first stiffness and a second zone having a second stiffness,   the first zone comprises a perimeter boundary,   the second zone is disposed around at least a portion of the perimeter boundary of the first zone,   the plurality of first thread lines extend through the first zone, and   the plurality of second thread lines extend tangential to the perimeter boundary of the first zone.   
     
     
         15 . The article of apparel of  claim 1 , further comprising a third piece of material comprising a third perimeter edge, and a second seam along at least a portion of the first perimeter edge and the third perimeter edge that joins the first piece of material to the third piece of material. 
     
     
         16 . The article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the article of apparel comprises a pair of pants, and wherein the first piece of material is configured to wrap around a knee of a wearer. 
     
     
         17 . The article of apparel of  claim 15 , wherein the article of apparel comprises a shirt, and wherein the first piece of material is configured to wrap around an elbow of a wearer. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making an article of apparel, the method comprising:
 forming a first piece of material by a method comprising:
 winding a continuous thread around a plurality of anchor points on a support plate to form a thread layer, the continuous thread comprising a plurality of thread lines with each thread line extending between two respective anchor points; 
 bonding the continuous thread at points of intersection between two or more of the thread lines; and 
 after bonding the continuous thread, cutting the thread layer to remove the first piece of material comprising a thread pattern comprising the thread layer from the support plate; and 
   attaching the first piece of material to one or more additional pieces of material to form the article of apparel.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein attaching the first piece of material to the one or more additional pieces of material comprises seaming the first piece of material to the one or more of the additional pieces of material. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more additional pieces of material comprises a second piece of material made by a method comprising:
 winding a second continuous thread around a plurality of anchor points on a second support plate to form a second thread layer, the second continuous thread comprising a plurality of second thread lines with each thread line extending between two respective anchor points;   bonding the second continuous thread at points of intersection between two or more of the thread lines; and   after bonding the second continuous thread, cutting the second thread layer to remove a second piece of material comprising a second thread pattern comprising the second thread layer from the second support plate.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 placing the article of apparel over a mannequin; and   heating the article of apparel on the mannequin.