PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9016534-B2
Application Number: US-201213631269-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Laminate lanyards and methods for making the same

Abstract:
Laminate lanyards and methods for making the same are disclosed. The laminate lanyards may include a head formed from a reinforcing loop of yarn incorporated within a scrim. The head can be coupled to the head section of a body, which also includes a main section that forms the loop of the laminate lanyard. A gusset can be coupled to ends of the main section of the body to couple the two ends of the body together and facilitate opening and closing of the loop of the laminate lanyard. A slider may also be included in laminate lanyard for adjusting the size of the loop.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A laminate lanyard comprising:
 a head comprising a scrim and a loop of yarn, wherein the loop of yarn is incorporated within the scrim, and wherein an opening is formed in the scrim inside the loop of yarn; 
 a body for hanging the lanyard around a first object, comprising a main section and two head sections, wherein the head is coupled between the two head sections of the body; and the two head sections of the body overlap at least a portion of the scrim and loop of yarn, and have openings aligned with the opening in the yarn such that the lanyard has an opening for attaching the lanyard to one of the first object and a second object. 
 
     
     
       2. The laminate lanyard of  claim 1 , wherein the loop of yarn comprises untwisted melt spun liquid crystal polymer yarn. 
     
     
       3. The laminate lanyard of  claim 1 , wherein the loop of yarn comprises at least one of aram id fibers, xylow, nitinol, and steel. 
     
     
       4. The laminate lanyard of  claim 1 , wherein the scrim is a laminate member comprising:
 the loop of yarn; 
 at least two inner scrim adhesive layers, wherein an inner scrim adhesive layer is layered on each side of the loop of yarn; at least two reinforcement scrim layers, wherein a reinforcement scrim layer is layered on each of the at least two inner scrim adhesive layers; 
 at least two outer scrim adhesive layers, wherein an outer scrim adhesive layer is layered on each of the at least two reinforcement scrim layers. 
 
     
     
       5. The laminate lanyard of  claim 4 , wherein the two head sections of the body are coupled to the at least two outer scrim adhesive layers of the head. 
     
     
       6. The laminate lanyard of  claim 4 , wherein the body comprises melt spun liquid crystal polymer. 
     
     
       7. The laminate lanyard of  claim 6 , further comprising a cross-linking polyurethane coated on the two head sections of the body to promote adhesion to the at least two outer scrim adhesive layers of the head. 
     
     
       8. The laminate lanyard of  claim 4 , wherein the at least two outer scrim adhesive layers and the at least two inner scrim adhesive layers comprise at least one of a thermoplastic adhesive, an epoxy, and a glue. 
     
     
       9. The laminate lanyard of  claim 1 , further comprising a slider configured to alter dimensions of the loop of yarn. 
     
     
       10. The laminate lanyard of  claim 9 , wherein the slider is ring shaped. 
     
     
       11. The laminate lanyard of  claim 9 , wherein the slider alters the dimensions of the loop of yarn by applying a retaining friction to the loop of yarn. 
     
     
       12. The laminate lanyard of  claim 1 , further comprising a slider coupled to the main section of the body and configured to slide up and down the main section. 
     
     
       13. A lanyard comprising:
 a body member comprising a body section for hanging the lanyard around an oject, two head sections, and an inner surface; 
 a head member coupled to the inner surface of the two head sections of the body member, the head member comprising a fiber loop incorporated within a laminate scrim member; and 
 a V-shaped gusset coupled to the inner surface of the body section of the body member, wherein a point of the V-shaped gusset is disposed proximate to the head member. 
 
     
     
       14. The lanyard of  claim 13 , wherein the body member comprises an inner cover layer coupled to an outer cover layer with an adhesive layer, wherein an outer surface of the inner cover layer forms at least part of the inner surface of the body member. 
     
     
       15. The lanyard of  claim 14 , wherein the two head sections of the body member comprise one layer formed from the outer cover layer, and wherein the outer cover layer forms at least part of the inner surface of the body member. 
     
     
       16. The lanyard of  claim 13 , wherein the V-shaped gusset forms a hinge for opening and closing a loop of the lanyard formed by the body section of the body member. 
     
     
       17. The lanyard of  claim 16 , further comprising a slider configured to alter dimensions of the loop. 
     
     
       18. The laminate lanyard of  claim 17 , wherein the slider is ring shaped. 
     
     
       19. The laminate lanyard of  claim 17 , wherein the slider alters the dimensions of the loop of yarn by applying a retaining friction to the loop of yarn. 
     
     
       20. The lanyard of  claim 13 , further comprising a slider coupled to the body section of the body member configured to slide up and down the body section. 
     
     
       21. The laminate lanyard of  claim 13 , further comprising a slider comprising:
 an outer cover layer; 
 an inner cover layer; and 
 an adhesive layer disposed between the outer cover layer and the inner cover layer.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/665,108, filed Jun. 27, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Lanyards are commonly used for holding small personal effects such as keys, access badges, and small electronic devices. Lanyards may include a loop of material that is meant to be worn around a person&#39;s neck or wrist and a mechanism for connecting the lanyard to an object. 
     SUMMARY 
     Laminate lanyards and methods for making the same are disclosed. Laminate lanyards can include a body section, which can form a loop, and a head section with an opening for attaching the laminate lanyard to an object. The body and head of the laminate lanyard may include several layers of material coupled together along with one or more adhesive layers. Additionally, a fiber loop may be incorporated around the opening and within the head to provide reinforcement for the head and opening, as those portions of the laminate lanyard may be subject to various stresses during normal use. A gusset can be included to facilitate coupling of the body portion of the laminate lanyard to the head portion. In some embodiments, a slider may be provided for adjusting the dimensions of the loop created by the body section of the laminate lanyard. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects of the invention, its nature, and various features will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters may refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a laminate lanyard in accordance with various embodiments; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the junction between a head section and a body section of a laminate lanyard in accordance with various embodiments; 
         FIG. 3  shows a top view of a portion of a mechanism for forming a scrim sheet including loops of fiber in accordance with various embodiments; 
         FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of a scrim sheet in accordance with various embodiments; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of slider in accordance with various embodiments; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of an illustrative process for forming a laminate lanyard in accordance with various embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a laminate lanyard  100  in accordance with various embodiments. Laminate lanyard  100  can include body  120 , head  110 , and slider  140 . Head  110  may include opening  111  for attaching laminate lanyard  100  to an object, and body  120  may be coupled to head  110  at transition region  150 . 
     Body  120  can include a number of layers of material (e.g., polyurethanes, microfibers, and woven fabric), which can be pressed and held together with one or more layers of adhesive. In some embodiments, body  120  may be assembled as one long, flat strip and then folded over and coupled to head  110  at transition region  150  to form the loop of laminate lanyard  100 . Body  120  may include a head section at either end of a main section. According to some embodiments, the head sections can be integrally formed with body  120  and have the same dimensions as head  110 . The head sections of body  120  may only include a single layer of material (e.g., a woven fabric). 
     Head  110  may include a number of material layers, which may be different from the layers of material that are included in body  120 . Head  110  can also include a loop of high-strength fiber for reinforcing the thin areas surrounding opening  111 . In some embodiments, the fiber may be a liquid-crystal fiber such as Vectran®. In other embodiments, any suitable fiber, including Kevlar (or other aramid or para-aramid fibers), xylow, nitinol, steel, or other natural, synthetic, and/or metallic fibers may be used in addition to, or as an alternative to, Vectran®. According to some embodiments, head  110  may be stamped or cut out from a scrim sheet for incorporation into laminate lanyard  100 . Scrim sheets will be discussed in more detail below with respect to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
     Head  110  may be coupled to body  120  within transition region  150 . Transition region  150  can include one or more layers of body  120  overlapping at least a portion of head  110 . For example, head  110  may include a transition section that is pressed between end portions of the main section of body  120 . Additionally, a gusset can be incorporated into laminate lanyard  100  to reinforce transition region  150  and to provide a hinge that facilitates opening and closing of the loop of laminate lanyard  100 . The gusset may be incorporated into transition region  150  very close to, or abutting, the end of the transition section of head  110 . 
     Slider  140  may be any ring-shaped object configured to slide up and down body  120  while providing enough friction so as to be suitable for adjusting the size of the loop of laminated lanyard  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of a portion of laminate lanyard  200  in accordance with various embodiments. Laminate lanyard  200  may correspond to, for example, the portion of laminate lanyard  100  of  FIG. 1  including head  110 , transition region  150 , and the proximate portions of the main section of body  120 . Laminate lanyard  200  may include head  210 , body  220 , and gusset  230 . 
     Head  210  can be assembled by stacking and coupling together a number of individual material layers on either side of a loop of fiber  214 . In an exemplary embodiment, fiber  214  can be an untwisted Vectran® yarn, which exhibits high strength and low elasticity. However, any suitable fiber may be used to reinforce head  210 , including Kevlar (or other aramid or para-aramid fibers), xylow, nitinol, steel, or other natural, synthetic, and/or metallic fibers, or combinations of the above fibers. 
     The material layers of head  210  may include inner scrim adhesive layers  214   a  and  214   b,  scrim layers  216   a  and  216   b,  and outer scrim adhesive layers  218   a  and  218   b.  Inner scrim adhesive layers  214   a  and  214   b  can be any suitable material that promotes adhesion between fiber  212  and scrim layers  216   a.  According to some embodiments, inner scrim adhesive layers  214   a  and  214   b  can include a thermoplastic adhesive. In other embodiments, however, any suitable adhesive, such as an epoxy or glue may be used. 
     Scrim layers  216   a  and  216   b  may, along with fiber  212 , provide reinforcement for head  210  of laminate lanyard  200 . Thus, a relatively strong material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) may be incorporated into scrim layers  216   a  and  216   b.  According to some other embodiments, scrim layers  216   a  and  216   b  may include other strong materials, including woven fabrics (e.g., Vectran® fabrics), polymers, and/or metals (e.g., aluminum, titanium, or steel). 
     Outer scrim adhesive layers  218   a  and  218   b  can be any suitable material that promotes adhesion between scrim layers  216   a  and outer cover layer  228  of body  220 . According to some embodiments, outer scrim adhesive layers  218   a  and  218   b  can include a thermoplastic adhesive (e.g., the same or a different thermoplastic adhesive used in inner scrim adhesive layers  214   a  and  214   b ). In other embodiments, however, any suitable adhesive, such as an epoxy or glue may be used. 
     Body  220 , like head  210 , can also be assembled by stacking and coupling together a number of individual material layers. According to some embodiments, body  220  can include an inner cover layer  222 , inner adhesive layer  224 , outer adhesive layer  226 , and outer cover layer  228 . 
     Outer cover layer  228  can form one of the outer surfaces of laminate lanyard  200 , so it may be beneficial to choose a material that is visually and/or tactilely appealing. In some embodiments, outer cover layer  228  may be a woven fabric. For example, outer cover layer  228  may be woven from Vectran®, or any other suitable yarn. In embodiments employing Vectran®, the inner surface of outer cover layer  228  may further be pre-coated with an outer adhesive layer  226  (e.g., a cross-linking polyurethane) to promote adhesion between outer cover layer  228  and inner adhesive layer  224 . 
     Inner adhesive layer  224  can be any suitable material that promotes adhesion between outer cover layer  228  and inner cover layer  222 . According to some embodiments, inner adhesive layer  224  can include a thermoplastic adhesive. In other embodiments, however, any suitable adhesive, such as an epoxy or glue may be used. 
     Inner cover layer  222  can form an outer surface of laminate lanyard  200  opposing outer cover layer  228 . According to some embodiments, inner cover layer  222  can be a microfiber material. However, in other embodiments, inner cover layer  222  may include any visually and/or tactilely appealing material such as a woven fabric or felt. 
     According to some embodiments, a gusset  230  may be incorporated into laminate lanyard  200  between portions of the ends of the main section of body  220 . Because head  210  may be preassembled before being incorporated into laminate lanyard  200 , layers of head  210  may not overlap any portion of gusset  230 . Rather, gusset  230  may be placed between portions of body  220  close to or abutting head  210 . Gusset  230  may be a bent or hinged member that can hold the ends of body  220  together and provide a mechanism for opening and closing the loop of laminate lanyard  200 . 
     Gusset  230  may be formed from a base layer  234  and an adhesive layer  232 . Additionally, gusset  230  can be coupled to body  220  with adhesive members  236   a  and  236   b.  Base layer  244  may include a flexible, strong material that couples together the two ends of body  220  and facilitates opening and closing of the loop of laminate lanyard  200 . According to some embodiments, base layer  234  can be a woven fabric (e.g., a fabric woven from a material such as Vectran® yarn). In those embodiments, base layer  234  may be pre-coated with an adhesive layer  232  (e.g., a cross-linking polyurethane) to promote adhesion between base layer  234  and adhesive members  236   a  and  236   b.    
     Adhesive members  236   a  and  236   b  can be any suitable material that promotes adhesion between base layer  234  and/or adhesive layer  232  and inner cover layer  222  of body  220 . According to some embodiments, adhesive members  236   a  and  236   b  can include a thermoplastic adhesive. In other embodiments, however, any suitable adhesive, such as an epoxy or glue may be used. 
       FIG. 3  shows a top view of a portion of a mechanism  300  for forming a scrim sheet including loops of fiber  312  in accordance with various embodiments. Mechanism  300  may include a working surface  360 , alignment posts  362 , and head posts  364 . Alignment posts  362  and head posts  364  may be spring loaded, such that the posts can be compressed to the level of working surface  360  under applied pressure. 
     A length of fiber  312  (e.g., Vectran® fiber) may be threaded through alignment posts  362  and head posts  364  with sufficient tension to suspend fiber  312  above working surface  360 . Material layers can be laid under and over fiber  312  and pressed to form a scrim sheet. For example, a first set of material layers (e.g., layers  214   a,    216   a,  and  218   a  of  FIG. 2 ) can be placed on working surface  360  prior to fiber  312  being threaded through alignment posts  362  and head posts  364 . Similarly, a second set of material layers (e.g., layers  214   b,    216   b,  and  218   b  of  FIG. 2 ) can be placed upon the threaded fiber. Once the material layers are in place, pressure and/or heat may be applied to working surface  360  of mechanism  300  to couple together the material layers and fiber  312 . Accordingly, when the material layers are pressed together, fiber  312  can be fully encased within the material layers, thus forming the full scrim sheet. 
     Alignment holes can be precut in the material layers for properly aligning the material layers in mechanism  300 . Proper alignment of the material layers may be beneficial if, for example, any of the material layers have anisotropic strength and/or elasticity properties. In this manner, the scrim sheets produced by mechanism  300  in each run can be consistently strong in the critical directions. 
     In some embodiments, the material layers may be heated in order to promote adhesion between the layers. In some embodiments, heat may be applied by elements included within mechanism  300  (e.g., by heating elements that elevate the temperature of working surface  360 ). In other embodiments, heat can be introduced from an external source (e.g., a heat plate used to apply pressure to the material layers and working surface  360  or an oven in which mechanism  300  is placed). 
       FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of a scrim sheet  400  in accordance with various embodiments. Scrim sheet  400  can include scrim  408 , which may include several material layers coupled together with pressure and/or heat, and fiber  412 . Scrim sheet  400  can include alignment holes  462 , which can correspond to alignment posts  362  of mechanism  300  as depicted in  FIG. 3 . Alignment holes  462  can, along with alignment posts  362 , ensure that identical scrim sheets  400  are produced over any suitable number of runs. 
     Individual heads  410  can be separated from scrim sheet  400  using any suitable method (e.g., sawing, die cutting, or stamping). Additionally, openings  411  can be provided for each head  410 . In some embodiments, openings  411  may be formed at the same time as heads  410  are separated from scrim sheet  400  (e.g., in the same die-cutting process). In other embodiments, openings  411  may be formed before or after heads  410  are separated from scrim sheet  400 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of slider  540  in accordance with various embodiments. Slider  540  may include outer cover layer  548 , inner cover layer  542 , and adhesive layer  544 . In some embodiments, outer cover layer  548  may include the same material(s) as outer cover layer  228  of  FIG. 2 . Thus, in some embodiments, outer cover layer  548  may be a woven fabric (e.g., a fabric woven from Vectran® yarn). 
     In some embodiments, inner cover layer  542  may be formed from the same material(s) as inner cover layer  222  of  FIG. 2 . Thus, inner cover layer  542  may be, for example, a microfiber material. Adhesive layer  544  can be any suitable material that promotes adhesion between outer cover layer  548  and inner cover layer  542  of slider  540 . According to some embodiments, adhesive layer  544  can include a thermoplastic adhesive. In other embodiments, in which outer cover layer  548  is a woven fabric incorporating Vectran® yarn, outer cover layer  548  can be pre-coated with an additional adhesive layer (e.g., a cross-linking polyurethane). In some embodiments, slider  540  may be cut from a long roll of the outer cover layer/adhesive layer/inner cover layer stack. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart of an illustrative process  600  for forming a laminate lanyard in accordance with various embodiments. At step  601 , a laminate body member can be provided. The laminate body member can be a laminate structure formed from several layers. For example, the laminate body member may be body  220  of  FIG. 2 , which includes an inner cover layer  222 , inner adhesive layer  224 , and outer cover layer  228 . According to embodiments in which the outer cover layer is formed from Vectran®, the laminate body member may be further pre-coated with an outer adhesive layer (e.g., outer adhesive layer  226  of  FIG. 2 ). The various layers of the laminate body member may be coupled together using conventional adhesives, and/or the application of pressure and/or heat. 
     At step  603 , a head member can be provided. The head member may include a scrim that includes a loop of yarn. For example the head member may be similar to head  210  of  FIG. 2 , which includes fiber loop  212 , inner scrim adhesive layers  214   a  and  214   b,  scrim layers  216   a  and  216   b,  and outer scrim adhesive layers  218   a  and  218   b.  The adhesive layers may include a thermoplastic adhesive, epoxy, glue, and/or any other suitable adhesive. The various layers of the laminate body member may be coupled together using the adhesives, and/or the application of pressure and/or heat. A hole can be formed within the area defined by the fiber loop to facilitate coupling the laminate lanyard to an object. 
     According to some embodiments, the head member can be fabricated by placing a first material stack, including an inner scrim adhesive layer, a scrim layer, and an outer scrim adhesive layer, upon a mechanism that includes head posts and alignment posts (e.g., head posts  364  and alignment posts  362  of  FIG. 3 ). The layers of the material stack can include alignment holes (e.g., alignment holes  462  of  FIG. 4 ) corresponding to the alignment posts such that the material stack can be placed on a working surface of the mechanism (e.g., working surface  360  of  FIG. 3 ). The alignment posts can engage the alignment holes to restrict lateral movement of the material stack with respect to the working surface. 
     A length of fiber (e.g., length of fiber  312 ) can be threaded through the alignment posts and head posts with sufficient tension to suspend it above the working surface and the first material stack. The length of fiber may be threaded manually or automatically (e.g., with the aid of a threading machine). 
     A second material stack can be layered above the length of fiber. The second material stack may be substantially identical to the first material stack. Accordingly the second material stack can include an inner scrim adhesive layer, a scrim layer, an outer scrim adhesive layer, and alignment holes. The first and second material stacks and the length of fiber can then be coupled together by being pressed together and/or being exposed to heat. According to some embodiments, the alignment posts and the head posts can be spring loaded such that they can be compressed to the level of the working surface with applied pressure (e.g., the pressure applied to couple together the first and second material stacks and the length of fiber). 
     At step  605 , the head member can be coupled to head sections of the laminate body member. The head member may be coupled to the head sections of the laminate body member using adhesive layers (e.g., outer scrim adhesive layers  218   a  and  218   b ). The outer scrim adhesive layers may be formed from any suitable adhesive, including a thermoplastic adhesive, an epoxy, and/or a glue. In embodiments in which the head sections of the laminate body member are formed from Vectran®, a layer of a cross-linking polyurethane may be included between the laminate body member and the outer scrim adhesive layers. 
     At step  607 , a gusset can be coupled to a transition region of the laminate body proximate to the head member. The gusset may be similar to gusset  230  of  FIG. 2 , which includes a base layer  234  and an adhesive layer  232 . The gusset may be bent into a V-shape such that the point, or hinge, of the gusset is close to or abuts the head. The surfaces of the gusset that extend away from the hinge can be coupled to the laminate body with the adhesive layer or with additional adhesive members (e.g., adhesive members  236   a  and  236   b  of  FIG. 2 ). 
     At step  609 , a slider can be slid onto the laminate body member. The slider can be a ring-shaped object that can slide up and down the length of the laminate body member. For example, the slider may be similar to slider  540  of  FIG. 5 , which includes an outer cover layer  548 , an adhesive layer  544 , and an inner cover layer  542 . In some embodiments, the slider can be cut from a long roll of the outer cover layer, adhesive layer, inner cover layer stack. 
     It should be understood that the processes described above are merely illustrative. Any of the steps may be removed, modified, or combined, and any additional steps may be added or steps may be performed in different orders, without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20120928
Publication Date: 20150428
Grant Date: 20150428
Priority Date: 20120627
Inventors: WHITLEY CRENSHAW
STANLEY CRAIG
ROHRBACH MATTHEW
WEBER TRENT
MERRIT ROBERT
WANG ERIK L.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "A45F5/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/10", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/1043", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F2005/006", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/10", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T156/1043", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F5/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45F2005/006", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 49777068