Reversible Printed Textile Structure for Distinct Team Colors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Athletic teams face increased costs and confusion due to the need for two sets of colored apparel, which can be alleviated by using reversible apparel with a two-layered structure, but existing solutions lack efficient methods for creating visually distinct color schemes without doubling the textile material.

Innovation Solution

A reversible athletic shirt with a single-layered structure featuring opposite surfaces with distinct color schemes, achieved through the use of transfer sheets with reversed color configurations and a hybrid printing process combining screen and digital printing to align and transfer colors efficiently onto a single textile element.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a two-layered reversible structure is used to provide distinct color schemes, then visual distinguishability is improved, but textile material consumption and manufacturing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidtextile material consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The textile element is divided into multiple regions (first region, second region, third region, fourth region) that are printed with different colors and patterns. This segmentation allows each region to contribute to the overall reversible color scheme without requiring separate textile layers, thereby reducing material consumption while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of adding a second textile layer to achieve color reversal, the patent utilizes the dimensional space within a single layer by creating distinct printed regions. The color differentiation is achieved through spatial arrangement of printed areas rather than through layering, thus avoiding increased material consumption and manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Manufacturing precision

If transfer sheets are used to apply colors to textile regions, then color precision and alignment are improved, but manufacturing process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor alignment precisionVSAvoidprinting process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Transfer sheets are prepared in advance with specific color patterns and alignments before being applied to the textile element. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the transfer process occurs, the colors are already positioned correctly, achieving high alignment precision without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms during manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Transfer sheets serve as an intermediary medium between the printing system and the textile element. The transfer sheets carry the color patterns and facilitate precise transfer to the textile regions, simplifying the overall printing process while maintaining high color alignment precision through the mediating function of the transfer sheets.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2484236B1Printed textile element
Publication Date: 2014.08.20 NIKE INNOVATE CV
  • EP2484236B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2484236B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2484236B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A printed textile element is disclosed as having a first surface (20) and an opposite second surface (20'). Each of the first surface and the second surface have at least a first color (21,21') and a second color (22,22'). The first color of the first surface is substantially aligned with and opposite the second color of the second surface, and the second color of the first surface is substantially aligned with and opposite the first color of the second surface. The textile element may be incorporated into an article of apparel, such as a shirt, or a variety of other products.