Woven Informative Support for Apparel
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Textile product labels, particularly those on apparel, face issues such as fading and deformation due to washing and ironing, limiting their readability and comfort for the wearer, and are often cumbersome due to their placement inside garments.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing a woven informative support using a QR code interlaced with multicolored threads, stabilized through heat treatment, allowing for compact and durable fabric labels that remain legible after repeated washing and ironing, and can be integrated into garments without causing discomfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If printing is used on paper or fabric labels, then information can be conveyed on the product, but the printing deteriorates and fades over time due to repeated washing and ironing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical printing process with a mechanical weaving process. Instead of applying ink or dye to the fabric surface that can fade, the information is directly incorporated into the fabric structure through colored threads woven in specific patterns (including QR codes). This mechanical encoding of information is inherently resistant to washing and ironing, solving the contradiction between information retention and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The label combines multiple materials (different colored threads, fabric base) into a composite structure where the information is encoded through the arrangement and coloring of threads. This composite approach allows the label to maintain both readability (through color contrast and pattern recognition) and durability (through the integrated fabric construction that withstands washing and ironing).
2Loss of information
If labels are affixed inside garments to provide information, then consumer guidance is provided, but the label becomes cumbersome and irritating to the wearer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the label with the garment fabric itself, creating an integrated structure rather than a separate affixed component. The label is woven from the same or complementary fabric materials, making it part of the garment's construction. This eliminates the need for separate label attachment and reduces the cumulative bulk and irritation to the wearer while maintaining information delivery capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The label is constructed as a thin, flexible fabric piece that conforms to the garment and wearer's body without creating rigid or bulky protrusions. This flexibility allows the label to move with the garment and wearer, minimizing discomfort and irritation while still providing the necessary information surface area.
3Ease of operation
If label dimensions are reduced to minimize bulk and discomfort, then wearer comfort is improved, but the amount of information that can be contained is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional linear text-based information delivery to two-dimensional visual encoding (QR codes, data matrices) woven into the fabric. This dimensional change allows significantly more information to be compressed into a smaller area, enabling the label to maintain small dimensions for wearer comfort while containing substantial information capacity through the spatial arrangement of colored threads in code patterns.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method provides a stable, readable, and comfortable way to convey a large amount of information directly on the garment, eliminating the need for traditional labels and ensuring the information remains intact over time.
Implementation Method 1
The method comprises a stage of heat treatment in order to stabilise the piece of fabric and set the colours of the threads
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention concerns a method for manufacturing a woven informative support. The informative support (1) comprises a piece (2) of fabric, constituted by an interlacing of threads of at least two different colours. The interlacing of the threads of the piece (2) define the image (4) corresponding to an optically read code, on at least one face (3) thereof, through the contrast between at least two different colours.