Patent Publication Number: US-2019174849-A1

Title: Materials and methods of producing materials for enhancing tactile perception

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/56,302, filed Dec. 8, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to materials adapted to directly or indirectly contact the skin of a user and are capable of enhancing tactile perception of the skin, for example, of the hand. The invention particularly relates to materials with unique textures derived from geometrically designed micro-structures that enhance tactile perception of the skin. Tactile perception can be further enhanced by aligning the micro-structures to unique reflexology markers of a user&#39;s skin. 
     Reflexology markers identify areas of the human body connected through the nervous system to other parts of human body. These areas also contain the greatest density of mechanoreceptors, which are sensory receptors that respond to mechanical pressure and distortion that, in turn, enable the skin to detect touch. 
     The human hand is critical for a variety of tasks and activities of daily living as well as activities related to occupational tasks, athletics, recreation, hobbies, etc. The primary purpose of gloves is to provide hand protection and gripping ability. The protective benefit of gloves in many instances inhibits the tactile perception necessary to achieve acceptable performance levels. 
     In view of the above, it can be appreciated that there is an ongoing desire to identify materials and/or methods of producing materials that are capable of providing a level of protection while also enhancing tactile perception, particular but not limited to the human hand. Further, there is a need for materials that can be, for example, made into articles or applied to articles, including apparel or equipment, as a more effective solution to further enhance tactile perception. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides materials and methods for producing materials that enhance tactile perception, and to articles produced from or incorporating such a material. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, a material is provided that includes a substrate having first and second surfaces, and first and second surface patterns of texture on the first and second surfaces, respectively. The first and second surface patterns comprise sensitivity pegs having first portions that project from the first surface and second portions that project from the second surface. The first and second portions of the sensitivity peg are axially aligned and extend in opposite directions from each other to enhance tactile perception at the second surface. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a method of producing a material includes providing a substrate having first and second surfaces, and using an additive or subtractive process on the first and second surfaces to produce first and second surface patterns of texture on the first and second surfaces, respectively. The first and second surface patterns comprise sensitivity pegs having first portions that project from the first surface and second portions that project from the second surface. The first and second portions of the sensitivity peg are axially aligned and extend in opposite directions from each other to enhance tactile perception at the second surface. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a method of producing a glove is provided that includes the use of a three-dimensional (3D) scanner to scan the hand of an individual, and then from the output of the scan create a precise personalized glove for the hand that incorporates surface patterns of texture on interior and exterior surfaces of the glove. The surface patterns comprise sensitivity pegs that correspond to mapping of reflexology markers on the hand. Each sensitivity peg has exterior and interior portions that project from the exterior and interior surfaces, respectively, of the glove. The exterior and interior portions of each sensitivity peg are axially aligned and extend in opposite directions from each other to enhance tactile perception at the interior surface. The precise personalized glove incorporating the sensitivity pegs significantly enhances tactile perception. 
     Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be appreciated from the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an image of a material that incorporates sensitivity pegs in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an image of a glove that includes a material of the type shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the glove incorporates sensitivity pegs at reflexology markers appropriate for a golfer in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  schematically represents a portion of a material in which a sensitivity peg has been incorporated into a single-layer substrate in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  schematically represents a portion of a material in which a sensitivity peg has been incorporated into a two-layer substrate in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  schematically represents a portion of a material in which a sensitivity peg has been incorporated into a three-layer substrate in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1 through 5  depict nonlimiting embodiments of materials  10  adapted to be directly or indirectly positioned in contact with the skin of a user for the purpose of enhancing tactile perception of the skin. The materials  10  described herein comprise a substrate  12  into which at least one and typically a plurality of sensitivity pegs  14  have been incorporated. 
     The materials  10  may be manufactured to produce entire articles or applied or otherwise incorporated into articles to define opposite surface regions of the articles. As nonlimiting examples, such articles include equipment and apparel that may be formed of a wide variety of materials, as nonlimiting examples, equipment and apparel fabricated from leather, cotton, polyesters, and various other natural and man-made materials.  FIG. 2  depicts a glove  16  that incorporates pieces or sections of the material  10  of  FIG. 1  located at fingertip regions of the glove  16 . The material  10  preferably defines at least opposite interior and exterior surface regions of the glove  16 , such as the glove fingertips as shown in  FIG. 2 . In this example, the fingertips of a wearer&#39;s hand contact interior surface regions of the glove  16  formed by inner surfaces of the material  10 , and opposite surfaces of the material  10  are exposed and define exterior surface regions at the fingertips of the glove  16 , such that only the thickness of the material  10  separates the user&#39;s fingertips from the environment at the exterior of the glove  16 . As such, tactile perception at the user&#39;s fingertips is transmitted through the thickness of the material  10 . The material  10  comprises sensitivity pegs (not labeled) that are located so that the particular embodiment of the glove  16  in  FIG. 2  is appropriate for use by a golfer. 
     As depicted by the nonlimiting examples represented in  FIGS. 3, 4 , and  5 , the substrate  12  may have a single or multiple-layer construction, such as a construction consisting of a single layer  18  ( FIG. 3 ) or a construction consisting of two layers  18  and  20  ( FIG. 4 ) or three layers  18 ,  20 , and  22  ( FIG. 5 ) that may be laminated together and formed of the same material or different materials. Suitable compositions for the substrate  12  include, without limitation, leather, any synthetic fiber including synthetic fibers of high tensile strength for protective gear, aramid fibers, silicone, resins including tough synthetic resin made by polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene, nylon, and conductive materials. In certain embodiments, the substrate  12  may be constructed as a touchscreen sensitive substrate to allow for use of electronic equipment, as nonlimiting examples, touchscreens of tablets and phones. The substrate  12  may be constructed to have a wide range of thicknesses that are capable of transmitting tactile perception to a user&#39;s skin. Preferred but nonlimiting examples of suitable thicknesses for the substrate  12  include up to about five millimeters, more typically up to about three millimeters in thickness, for example, from about one millimeter to about three millimeters. 
     The materials  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  have been subjected to one or more subtractive or additive processes to generate the sensitivity pegs  14  that define a surface pattern with texture on its exterior surface  24  visible in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and preferably also on its interior surface. In the particular embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the sensitivity pegs  14  have been created on the surface of the substrate  12  by an additive manufacturing process, in particular, a UV LED (ultraviolet light emitting diode) printing process using a UV LED printer commercially available from Direct Color Systems Inc., and the particular pattern and geometric shape of the pegs  14  was generated using graphical design software commercially available under the name CoreIDRAW from the Corel Corporation. It should be understood that graphical design software can be utilized to create pegs  14  having an unlimited number of different patterns and geometric shapes. 
     The sensitivity pegs  14  may be described as micro-structures and may have a variety of shapes and formed as a uniform or random pattern on the substrate  12  with any desired spacing between pegs  14 . For purposes of promoting tactile perception, the sensitivity pegs  14  preferably protrude at least about 0.25 millimeter from either and preferably both surfaces of the substrate  12  and have an aspect ratio greater than two. More generally, a particularly suitable height for the sensitivity pegs  14  is believed to be up to about 50% of the thickness of the substrate  12 . In the nonlimiting example of the substrate  12  of the glove  16  of  FIG. 2  formed from leather having a thickness of about 0.8 mm to 3.0 mm, the sensitivity pegs  14  preferably protrude a distance of about 0.25 to 1.5 millimeters. Also, for the purpose of promoting tactile perception, the sensitivity pegs  14  are preferably formed in a pattern in which the pegs  14  are spaced less than five millimeters from each other. 
     As schematically represented in  FIG. 3 , a nonlimiting example of a sensitivity peg  14  can be formed by a subtractive process, preferably laser engraving, performed on opposite surfaces  24  and  26  of a substrate  12  consisting of a single layer  18 . Alternatively, the sensitivity peg  14  may be formed by an additive process, preferably UV-LED printing by which jetted ink droplets are printed directly onto the surfaces  24  and  26  to form the pegs  14 . In either case, portions of the peg  14  protrude from both surfaces  24  and  26  of the substrate  12 . In  FIG. 3 , the top portion of the sensitivity peg  14  extending from the upper surface  24  has a cylindrical shape, which is believed to be a shape particularly effective for tasks requiring light gripping. The bottom portion of the sensitivity peg  14  extending from the lower surface  26  has a conical shape terminating with a point, which is believed to be a shape that promotes enhanced tactile perception. As such, the upper and lower surfaces  24  and  26  would ordinarily be intended as exterior and interior surfaces, respectively, of a garment, such as the glove  16  of  FIG. 2 , in which case the exterior upper surface  24  serves as a gripping surface and the interior lower surface  26  serves as a tactile surface that contacts the user&#39;s hand. Both portions of the sensitivity peg  14  act in concert to enhance tactile perception, whereby sensitivity is transferred through the peg  14  from its upper portion located at the surface  24  to its lower portion located at the surface  26 . 
       FIG. 4  schematically represents a nonlimiting example of a sensitivity peg  14  projecting from opposite surfaces  24  and  26  of a laminated substrate  12  consisting of two layers  18  and  20 . The upper and lower portions of the sensitivity peg  14  can be formed from the materials of the layers  18  and  20 , respectively, using a subtractive process. An article comprising the two-layer substrate  12  is intended to provide a greater level of protection to the user, yet yield an enhanced level of tactile perception as a result of sensitivity being transferred via the peg  14  from its upper portion to its lower portion through the thickness of the substrate  12 . 
       FIG. 5  schematically represents a nonlimiting example of a sensitivity peg  14  projecting from opposite surfaces  24  and  26  of a laminated substrate  12  consisting of three layers  18 ,  20 , and  22 . In this embodiment, the sensitivity peg  14  has been formed on the interior layer  22  of the substrate  12  and its upper and lower portions protrude through perforations formed in the outer layers  18  and  20 , respectively. As a nonlimiting example, the portions of the peg  14  may be formed by an additive process that deposits the portions on opposite surfaces of the interior layer  22  through preexisting perforations formed in the outer layers  18  and  20 , for example, by a laser engraver. To promote the gripping function of the upper surface  24 , the upper portion of the peg  14  is in the form of a jagged “claw” that projects much farther from the upper surface  24  than the distance that the lower portion of the peg  14  projects from the lower surface  26 . The integrity of the interior layer  22  maintains desired protection characteristics of the substrate  12 . Sensitivity is transmitted via the peg  14  from its upper portion to its lower portion through the thickness of the interior layer  22 . 
     In each case of  FIGS. 3 through 5 , the upper and lower portions of the sensitivity peg  14  are axially aligned and extend in opposite directions from each other, the conical-shaped lower portion of the peg  14  projecting from the interior surface  26  of the substrate  12  provides tactile perception, for example, as a result of a user&#39;s skin contacting the peg  14 , and the upper portion of the peg  14  projecting from the outer layer  18  provides or promotes a gripping capability, for example, if the material  10  forms part of a glove  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Though discrete and separated by the substrate  12  or one or more layers thereof, the sensitivity pegs  14  are aligned so as to be able to transmit feel and sensitivity from an object being handled with or otherwise contacted by the upper portion of the peg  14  at the outer surface  24  of the substrate  12  to mechanoreceptors of the skin contacting the lower portion of the peg  14  at the inner surface  26  of the substrate  12 . 
     By forming a plurality of sensitivity pegs  14  on an article, for example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the resulting textured surface pattern on a surface contacted by a user&#39;s skin (e.g., the lower surfaces  26  of  FIGS. 3-5 ) enhances tactile perception (feel and sensitivity), and the resulting textured surface pattern on a surface opposite the surface contacted by a user&#39;s skin (e.g., the upper surfaces  24  of  FIGS. 3-5 ) enhances grip. In the nonlimiting example of the glove  16  of  FIG. 2 , the material  10  can be selectively located on the glove  16  to allow the sensitivity pegs  14  to align with reflexology markers on the hand to enhance feel and sensitivity. The principles of reflexology may be utilized to identify reflexology markers of the hand and align of the material  10  with the reflexology marker to promote feel and sensitivity and enhance tactile perception of the hand. 
     Articles incorporating the material  10  can be customized for an individual user. For example, the surface pattern, substrate thickness, and location of the material  10  on an article may be customized based on physiological characteristics of the user and the intended application. As a nonlimiting example, for incorporation into a glove an image of the intended user&#39;s hand may be taken to provide a custom fit glove and to align the surface pattern formed by the sensitivity pegs  14  with reflexology markers of the user&#39;s hand to enhance tactile perception. As a particular but nonlimiting example, a Go!Scan 50™ scanner commercially available from Creaform Inc., can be used to scan a hand of an intended user to generate a 3D model of the hand. The scan data from the 3D model is then converted to a DXF file that represents a 2D glove pattern. An appropriate substrate material and substrate thickness is selected with design characteristics based on the requirements of the task(s) to be performed by the user with the glove. Additional design specifications include, but are not limited to, the composition, geometric design/shape, and surface pattern of the sensitivity pegs  14 . A laser engraver, for example, a 30-Watt model commercially available from Epilog Laser, is then used to generate the desired pattern(s) of pegs  14  in the substrate based on the DXF file representing the 2D glove pattern. The particular size and location of each pattern of pegs  14  formed on the substrate can correspond to the locations of the reflexology markers of the intended user&#39;s hand A robotic sewing machine may then be utilized to assemble the substrate and various other components of the glove. 
     Variations in material properties, for example, without limitation, properties of the substrate  12  and sensitivity pegs  14 , may be made to provide better gripping offered by the outer portions of the pegs  14  projecting from the outer surface  24  of the substrate  12 , while enhancing feel and sensitivity transmitted from the outer portions of the pegs  14  and through the pegs  14  to the inner portions of the pegs  14  projecting from the inner surface  26  of the substrate  12 . 
     In view of the above, the material  10  can be advantageously utilized in a variety of articles, including but not limited to gloves and equipment used in sports and leisure activities such as golf, football, baseball, soccer, driving, and skiing. Still other nonlimiting applications for the material  10  include articles for occupational safety, hobby and craft, household activities, and therapeutic uses. 
     Methods of fabricating the material  10  include the above-noted laser engraving, laser cutting, and 3D printing techniques performed on at least one surface of a substrate to generate sensitivity pegs  14  that project from the surface to define a surface pattern on the surface, and preferably are continuous through the substrate to define a complementary surface pattern on the opposite surface of the substrate. Laser engraving is a technique known to be capable of producing micro-structures over a wide range of specifications in a wide variety of materials. Sensitivity peg shapes and surface patterns can be created with appropriate software, saved in a computer file, and sent to the laser used to produce the pegs, offering a knowledge management capability that enables the pegs to be safely and efficiently mass-produced. 
     The above-noted UV-LED printing technique is a type of 3D printing process also suitable for forming sensitivity pegs  14  that project from at least one and preferably opposite surfaces of a substrate to define surface patterns on the surfaces. UV-LED printing allows for 3D structures to be deposited on a variety of substrate materials. Similar to laser engraving, sensitivity peg shapes and surface patterns can be created with appropriate software, saved in a computer file, and sent to the UV-LED printer as needed. 
     Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be further appreciated from the nonlimiting embodiments represented in the drawings. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of specific or particular embodiments, it should be apparent that alternatives could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the material  10  and its components could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings, functions of certain components of the material  10  could be performed by components of different construction but capable of a similar (though not necessarily equivalent) function, processes could be modified, and appropriate materials could be substituted for those noted. In addition, the invention encompasses additional or alternative embodiments in which one or more features or aspects of a particular embodiment could be eliminated or two or more features or aspects of different disclosed embodiments may be combined. Accordingly, it should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to any embodiment described herein. It should also be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed above are for the purpose of describing the illustrated embodiments, and do not necessarily serve as limitations to the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.