PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11812831-B1
Application Number: US-202117368664-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Fabric covers for electronic devices

Abstract:
A cover for an electronic device may be formed from fabric. The cover may include a front cover portion and a rear cover portion that rotate relative to one another about a first bend axis. The front cover portion may have first and second panels that rotate relative to one another about a second bend axis. The cover may have flexible hinge regions along the first and second bend axes. The flexible hinge regions may include spacer fabric having first and second warp knit fabric layers and spacer strands coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers. Stiffeners may be used to stiffen portions of the cover between the flexible hinge regions. An inlay strand may be located in the flexible hinge region in the front cover portion to restrict the range of motion of the first panel relative to the second panel.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A cover for an electronic device, comprising:
 a front cover portion, a rear cover portion, and a spine region between the front and rear cover portions, wherein the front cover portion is configured to rotate relative to the rear cover portion about an axis that extends along the spine region; 
 first and second warp knit fabric layers that span across the front cover portion, the rear cover portion, and the spine region; and 
 a spacer strand coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers in the spine region. 
 
     
     
       2. The cover defined in  claim 1  wherein the front cover portion comprises first and second panels that rotate relative to one another about an additional axis that is parallel to the axis. 
     
     
       3. The cover defined in  claim 2  wherein the front cover portion has a flexible hinge region between the first and second panels and wherein the additional axis extends along the flexible hinge region. 
     
     
       4. The cover defined in  claim 3  wherein the flexible hinge region comprises an additional spacer strand coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers. 
     
     
       5. The cover defined in  claim 4  further comprising a stiffener in the front cover portion. 
     
     
       6. The cover defined in  claim 5  wherein the stiffener is located in the second panel between the spacer strand and the additional spacer strand. 
     
     
       7. The cover defined in  claim 5  wherein the stiffener is interposed between the first and second warp knit fabric layers. 
     
     
       8. The cover defined in  claim 7  further comprising an additional stiffener located in the first panel. 
     
     
       9. The cover defined in  claim 3  further comprising an inlay strand in the first warp knit fabric layer in the flexible hinge region that restricts a range of motion of the first panel relative to the second panel. 
     
     
       10. The cover defined in  claim 1  further comprising an additional spacer strand in the front cover portion, wherein the additional spacer strand is coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers and has a different melting temperature than the spacer strand. 
     
     
       11. A cover for an electronic device, comprising:
 first and second cover portions, wherein the first cover portion is configured to rotate relative to the second cover portion; 
 a hinge region coupled between the first and second cover portions, wherein the hinge region comprises spacer fabric; and 
 an inlay strand that extends along the hinge region and that restricts motion of the first cover portion relative to the second cover portion. 
 
     
     
       12. The cover defined in  claim 11  wherein the spacer fabric comprises first and second warp knit fabric layers and a spacer strand coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers. 
     
     
       13. The cover defined in  claim 11  further comprising a rear cover portion and an additional hinge region, wherein the additional hinge region is coupled between the second cover portion and the rear cover portion. 
     
     
       14. The cover defined in  claim 13  wherein the additional hinge region comprises additional spacer fabric. 
     
     
       15. The cover defined in  claim 14  further comprising a stiffener in the second cover portion between the spacer fabric and the additional spacer fabric. 
     
     
       16. A fabric cover for an electronic device, comprising:
 a front cover portion having first and second panels; 
 a rear cover portion; 
 a first hinge between the front cover portion and the rear cover portion; and 
 a second hinge between the first and second panels, wherein the first and second hinges comprise spacer fabric. 
 
     
     
       17. The fabric cover defined in  claim 16  further comprising an inlay strand in the second hinge that restricts motion of the first panel relative to the second panel. 
     
     
       18. The fabric cover defined in  claim 16  wherein the spacer fabric comprises first and second warp knit fabric layers and a spacer strand coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers. 
     
     
       19. The fabric cover defined in  claim 18  wherein the first and second warp knit fabric layers span across the front cover portion and the rear cover portion. 
     
     
       20. The fabric cover defined in  claim 16  further comprising a first stiffener in the first panel, a second stiffener in the second panel, and a third stiffener in the rear cover portion.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/054,562, filed Jul. 21, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to fabric covers for electronic devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices such as tablet computers include displays. A cover may be used to help protect a display in a tablet computer from damage. 
     Plastic covers may be satisfactory in certain situations, but some users may desire a cover with different aesthetics. As a result, fabric covers have been developed. 
     There are challenges associated with forming fabric covers for electronic devices. If care is not taken, fabric covers may not wear well, may be bulky, or may have an undesirable appearance. 
     SUMMARY 
     A cover for a portable electronic device may be formed from fabric. The cover may include a front cover portion and a rear cover portion. First and second warp knit fabric layers may span across the front and rear cover portions. 
     The cover may be configured to fold along one or more bend axes. For example, the front cover portion may be configured to rotate relative to the rear cover portion about a first bend axis. The front cover portion may have first and second panels configured to rotate relative to one another about a second bend axis. 
     The cover may have flexible hinge regions along the first and second bend axes. The flexible hinge regions may include spacer fabric having spacer strands coupled between the first and second warp knit fabric layers. 
     The cover may include panel regions on either side of the flexible hinge regions. To provide the panel regions with more rigidity, stiffeners may be incorporated into the panel regions in place of the spacer strands. For example, stiffeners may be located between the first and second warp knit fabric layers to stiffen the panels between the flexible hinge regions. In other arrangements, spacer strands with a lower melting temperature may be used in the panel regions and may be melted by applying heat to increase the rigidity of the panel regions. 
     An inlay strand may be located in the flexible hinge region in the front cover portion to restrict the range of motion of the first panel relative to the second panel. Inlay strands may be inserted across (e.g., laid in) a warp knit fabric layer in hinge region. The restricted motion of the first panel relative to the second panel may allow the cover to serve as a stand for the electronic device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device and associated cover in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device and associated cover in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of an illustrative knitting system in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a diagram of a portion of an illustrative layer of warp knit fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of an illustrative spacer fabric in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative cover having warp knit outer layers, hinge regions with spacer strands, and stiffeners between hinge regions in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative cover having warp knit outer layers, hinge regions with spacer strands, and stiffened spacer strands between hinge regions in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative cover having a hinge region with a restricted range of motion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of an illustrative cover having an inlay strand that restricts a range of motion of at least part of the cover in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a diagram of a portion of an illustrative cover having a hinge region in a flat state in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a diagram of a portion of an illustrative cover having a hinge region in a bent state in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices may be provided with protective covers (sometimes referred to as cases or enclosures). A schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device  10  and associated cover  16  is shown in  FIG.  1   . Electronic device  10  may be a computing device such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, a pendant device, a headphone or earpiece device, a device embedded in eyeglasses or other equipment worn on a user&#39;s head, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a navigation device, an embedded system such as a system in which electronic equipment with a display is mounted in a kiosk or automobile, a case, bag, watch band, or other accessory that operates in conjunction with one of these devices or other equipment, equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices, or other electronic equipment. As an example, device  10  may be a portable electronic device such as a tablet computer, cellular telephone, or media player, and cover  16  may be an accessory such as a removable cover (sometimes referred to as a folio, case, or enclosure). Other configurations may be used for device  10  and cover  16  if desired. The example of  FIG.  1    is merely illustrative. 
     Electronic device  10  may have control circuitry  12 . Control circuitry  12  may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device  10 . The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in control circuitry  12  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, etc. 
     Input-output circuitry in device  10  such as input-output devices  14  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Input-output devices  14  may include a display, buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, audio components such as microphones and speakers, tone generators, vibrators, cameras, sensors, light-emitting diodes and other status indicators, data ports, etc. Wireless circuitry in devices  14  may be used to transmit and receive radio-frequency wireless signals. Wireless circuitry may include antennas and radio-frequency transmitters and receivers operating in wireless local area network bands, cellular telephone bands, and other wireless communications bands. 
     A user can control the operation of device  10  by supplying commands through input-output devices  14  and may receive status information and other output from device  10  using the output resources of input-output devices  14 . Control circuitry  12  may be used to run software on device  10  such as operating system code and applications. During operation of device  10 , the software running on control circuitry  12  may use input-output devices  14  to gather user input and other input and can provide the user with visual output, audio output, and other output. 
     Cover  16  may not include any circuitry, may include the same circuitry as device  10 , or may include additional and/or different circuitry than device  10 . For example, cover  16  may include a keyboard for gathering user keystroke input that is communicated to device  10  over a wired or wireless communications path. In arrangements where cover  16  includes circuitry, cover  16  and device  10  may communicate via path  18  (e.g., a wired or wireless communications path). Path  18  may be used to share input and output information between device  10  and cover  16 . If desired, portions of path  18  may be included in device  10  and/or cover  16 . Arrangements in which cover  16  does not include circuitry are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. 
     When it is desired to protect device  10  with cover  16 , device  10  may be press fit into cover  16 , may be coupled to cover  16  using magnets, clips, or straps, or other structures, and/or may otherwise be inserted into or covered with cover  16 . Cover  16  may, if desired, have a credit card pocket or other pocket. Cover  16  may be formed from fabric, leather, polymer, other materials, and/or combinations of these materials. 
     Cover  16  may, for example, include one or more flexible fabric layers. These fabric layers may accommodate bends (e.g., tight bends) in cover  16 , which may in turn enhance cover aesthetics by allowing cover  16  to be a thin and flexible outer layer on device  10 . 
     A perspective view of an illustrative electronic device and associated protective cover is shown in  FIG.  2   . Cover  16  may have any suitable shape that allows cover  16  to mate with electronic device  10 . In the example of  FIG.  1   , cover  16  has a folio shape (sometimes referred to as a folio cover) with a rear portion  16 R and front portion  16 F. Rear portion  16 R may be planar (as shown in the example of  FIG.  2   ) or may have a rectangular recess surrounded by peripheral sidewalls or other suitable structures (straps, clips, a sleeve, corner pockets, etc.) that allow cover  16  to receive and couple to device  10 . 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  2   , device  10  is a portable device such as a cellular telephone or tablet computer having a display such as display  40  mounted in a housing such as housing  48 . 
     Housing  48 , which may sometimes be referred to as an enclosure or case, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, fabric, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of any two or more of these materials. Housing  48  may be formed using a unibody configuration in which some or all of housing  48  is machined or molded as a single structure or may be formed using multiple structures (e.g., an internal frame structure, one or more structures that form exterior housing surfaces, etc.). 
     Display  40  may be a touch screen display that incorporates a layer of conductive capacitive touch sensor electrodes. Capacitive touch screen electrodes may extend across the surface of display  40  to gather touch input from a user&#39;s fingers or other external objects. Capacitive touch screen electrodes may be formed from an array of indium tin oxide pads, overlapping horizontal and vertical strips of indium tin oxide, indium tin oxide or other conductive material patterned in diamond shapes, or other transparent conductive structures (as examples). In some arrangements, thin-film metal traces on a display substrate may be used in forming touch sensor electrodes. 
     Display  40  may include an array of pixels. The array of pixels in display  40  may form an active area such as a rectangular active area. Device  10  may have opposing front and rear faces. Display  40  may be formed on the front face of device  10  and may be used in displaying images for a user. Display  40  may be a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, or other suitable display. Display  40  may be protected using a display cover layer such as a layer of transparent glass or clear plastic. Openings may be formed in the display cover layer. For example, an opening may be formed in the display cover layer to accommodate a button, a speaker port, or other component. If desired, openings may be formed in housing  48  to form communications ports (e.g., an audio jack port, a digital data port, etc.), to form openings for buttons, etc. 
     Cover  16  may include fabric such as fabric  28 . Fabric  28  may form all or part of cover  16 . Fabric  28  may be soft (e.g., cover  16  may have a fabric surface that yields to a light touch), may have a rigid feel (e.g., the surface of cover  16  may be formed from a stiff fabric), may be coarse, may be smooth, may have ribs or other patterned textures, and/or may be formed as part of a cover that has portions formed from non-fabric structures of plastic, leather, metal, glass, crystalline materials, ceramics, or other materials. 
     Fabric  28  may include intertwined strands of material. Fabric  28  may, for example, include one or more warp knit fabric layers that are formed by warp knitting strands of material. Strands in fabric  28  may be single-filament strands (sometimes referred to as fibers or monofilaments) or may be strands of material formed by intertwining multiple monofilaments of material together (sometimes referred to as yarns). 
     Strands in fabric  28  may be formed from polymer, metal, glass, graphite, ceramic, natural materials such as cotton or bamboo, or other organic and/or inorganic materials and combinations of these materials. Conductive coatings such as metal coatings may be formed on non-conductive material. For example, plastic strands in fabric  28  may be coated with metal to make them conductive. Reflective coatings such as metal coatings may be applied to make strands reflective. Strands may be formed from bare metal wires or metal wire intertwined with insulating monofilaments (as examples). Bare metal strands and strands of polymer covered with conductive coatings may be provided with insulating polymer jackets. 
     Cover  16  may contain foldable sections (horizontal strips) such as sections  22 . Sections  22  (sometimes referred to as panels) may bend about one or more bend axes such as bend axes  20 A and  20 B. To accommodate bending of cover  16  about bend axes such as bend axes  24 A and  24 B, cover  16  may be provided with flexible hinge portions along the boundaries between sections  22 . For example, cover  16  may have a first flexible hinge portion  20 A along fold axis  24 A and may have a second flexible hinge portion  20 B along fold axis  24 B. Flexible hinge portion  20 A may be located along a spine of cover  16  and may allow front portion  16 F to rotate with respect to rear portion  16 R (e.g., so that front portion  16 F can fold on top of rear portion  16 R, can fold behind rear portion  16 R, and/or can lay flat and coplanar with rear portion  16 R). Flexible hinge portion  20 B may be interposed between first and second sections  22  of front cover portion  16 F. Flexible hinge portion  20 B may allow front cover portion  16 F to serve as a stand for propping up device  10  (e.g., so that a user can view content on display  40  without having to hold device  10  in an upright configuration). 
     If desired, cover  16  may be configured to bend along more than two axes. For example, front cover portion  16 F may have an additional hinge region that allows front cover portion  16 F to fold along an additional bend axis parallel to axis  24 B. The use of two bend axes in front cover portion  16 F may allow for two different stand configurations (e.g., so that device  10  can be propped up at two different angles relative to the surface on which device  10  is resting). Arrangements in which cover  16  has a spine hinge  20 A and a front cover hinge  20 B are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. 
     Flexible hinges in cover  16  such as flexible hinges  20 A and  20 B may include spacer fabric. For example, fabric  28  may be a multi-layer fabric having inner and outer warp knit layers that are joined by a spacer layer (e.g., one or more monofilaments or other spacer strands that are coupled between the inner and outer warp knit layers of fabric  28 ). Incorporating spacer fabric into hinge regions such as hinges  20 A and  20 B allows cover  16  to be sufficiently flexible at the hinge regions while also providing fabric  28  with a soft cushioning feel. If desired, the spacer layer (e.g., the spacer strands) may be located only in flexible hinge regions such as regions  20 A and regions  20 B, while panel regions  22  between hinges  20 A and  20 B may be free of a spacer layer and may instead include stiffening structures between inner and outer layers of fabric  28 . This is merely illustrative, however. If desired, a spacer layer may be incorporated throughout cover  16 . 
     A warp knitting machine or other equipment may be used in forming fabric  28  of cover  16 .  FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of an illustrative warp knitting system. As shown in  FIG.  3   , strand source  32  in warp knitting system  30  may be used in supplying strands  26  to guide and needle structures  34 . Structures  34  may include strand guide structures (e.g., a system of movable guide bars with eyelets that guide strands  26 ) and needle systems (e.g., needles and needle guide systems that guide sets of individually adjustable needles so that the needles may interact with the strands dispensed by the guide bars). During operations, a controller may control electrically adjustable positioners in system  30  to manipulate the positions of guide bars and needles in system  30  and thereby knit strands  26  into fabric  28 . Take down  36  (e.g., a pair of mating rollers or other equipment forming a take down system) may be used to gather fabric  28  that is produced during knitting. 
     A layer of illustrative warp knit fabric  28  is shown in  FIG.  4   . An illustrative strand  26 ′ among strands  26  has been highlighted to show the zig-zag path taken by strands  26  in fabric  28 . Knit fabrics may be made up of courses and wales. A course such as course  44  is a row of loops produced by adjacent needles during the same knitting cycle. A wale such as wale  46  is a column of loops produced by the same needle during successive knitting cycles. 
     During knitting, control circuitry in system  30  may direct electrically adjustable positioners in system  30  to knit fabric  28  with any suitable warp knit pattern. As an example, control circuitry in system  30  may use the electrically adjustable positioners to knit fabric  28  that includes diamond-shaped openings or openings of other suitable shapes. System  30  may also be used to knit fabric  28  that a first set of characteristics in stiffer portions of cover  16  (e.g., panels  22 ) and a second set of characteristics in the more flexible portions of cover  16  (e.g., hinge regions  20 A and  20 B). For example, hinge regions  20 A and  20 B may have a spacer layer to provide a flexible cushion between inner and outer fabric layers, whereas panels  22  may be free of a spacer layer and may instead include a stiffening structure between inner and outer fabric layers. 
       FIG.  5    is a perspective view of a portion of fabric  28  that includes spacer fabric. As shown in  FIG.  5   , fabric  28  may include first and second fabric layers such as first fabric layer  28 - 1  and second fabric layer  28 - 2 . First fabric layer  28 - 1  may be formed using a first set of needles  34  (sometimes referred to as a needle bed) in system  30  of  FIG.  3   , and second fabric layer  28 - 2  may be formed using a second set of needles  34  in system  30  of  FIG.  3   . 
     Fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  may be joined by spacer layer formed from spacer strands  26 Y. Spacer strands  26 Y may be formed from monofilaments (e.g., polymer monofilament fibers) and/or other strands of material. Each spacer strand  26 Y of the spacer layer between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  may be coupled alternately to inner fabric layer  28 - 1  and outer fabric layer  28 - 2 . If desired, spacer strands  26 Y may also form some of the loops in one or both of warp knit fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . 
       FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative cover that incorporates spacer fabric of the type shown in  FIG.  5   . As shown in  FIG.  6   , cover  16  may include panel regions  22  that can rotate relative to one another about one or more axes. For example, panels  22  on opposing sides of hinge region  20 A (e.g., a spine hinge) may be configured to rotate relative to one another about hinge axis  24 A. Panels  22  on opposing sides of hinge region  20 B (e.g., a front cover hinge) may be configured to rotate relative to one another about hinge axis  24 B. Hinge axes  24 A and  24 B may both be parallel to the y-axis of  FIG.  6   . 
     Cover  16  may be formed partially or entirely from fabric  28 . In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  6   , cover  16  includes first fabric layer  28 - 1  and second fabric layer  28 - 2 . Fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  may be warp knit fabric layers of the type shown in  FIGS.  4  and  5   , for example. This is merely illustrative, however. If desired, fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  may be woven fabric layers, knit fabric layers, braided fabric layers, and/or fabric layers with any other suitable type of fabric construction. Arrangements in which fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  are warp knit fabric layers are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. The wales of each fabric layer  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  (e.g., wales  46  of  FIG.  4   ) may extend along the y-axis of  FIG.  6   , while the courses of each fabric layer  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  (e.g., courses  44  of  FIG.  4   ) may extend along the x-axis of  FIG.  6   . This is merely illustrative, however. If desired, the wales of each fabric layer  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  (e.g., wales  46  of  FIG.  4   ) may extend along the x-axis of  FIG.  6   , while the courses of each fabric layer  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  (e.g., courses  44  of  FIG.  4   ) may extend along the y-axis of  FIG.  6   . 
     The example of  FIG.  6    in which fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  span across panel regions  22  and hinge regions  20 A and  20 B is merely illustrative. If desired, fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  may be present in flexible hinge regions  20 A and  20 B, while panel regions  22  may be formed using non-fabric materials (e.g., polyurethane, leather, and/or any other suitable material may span across panels  22 ). For example, layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  in regions  22  may be replaced by leather, polyurethane, or other suitable material that is glued, stitched, or otherwise attached to layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  in hinge regions  20 A and  20 B. Arrangements in which fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  span across the entirety of cover  16  are sometimes described herein as an illustrative example. 
     To provide cover  16  with flexibility in hinge regions  20 A and  20 B and stiffness in panel regions  22 , cover  16  may incorporate different materials and/or different structures between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . In hinge regions such as regions  20 A and  20 B, cover  16  may include a spacer layer such as spacer strands  26 Y in hinge regions  20 A and  20 B. As shown in  FIG.  6    (and  FIG.  5   ), spacer strands  26 Y may be coupled to fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  and may form a soft, flexible cushion layer in hinge regions  20 A and  20 B that allows panels  22  to rotate relative to one another about axes  24 A and  24 B. 
     To make panels  22  more rigid than hinge regions  20 A and  20 B, panels  22  may include a stiffening material between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . In the example of  FIG.  6   , panels  22  of cover  16  may include stiffeners such as stiffeners  38  between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . Stiffeners  38  may be stiff rectangular panels of material such as fiberglass, polymer (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate or other thermoplastic polymer), or other suitable material. Stiffeners  38  may be fixed to one or both of fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  (e.g., using adhesive, thermoplastic material, stitching, and/or other suitable attachment structure), or stiffeners  38  may be free to move relative to fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . The absence of a spacer layer between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  may allow a stiffer material to be placed between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  to thereby create rigid panel regions  22 . 
     The example of  FIG.  6    in which rigid panel regions  22  are free of a spacer layer is merely illustrative. If desired, rigid panel regions  22  may include a spacer layer that is more rigid than the spacer layer in hinge regions  20 A and  20 B. This type of arrangement is illustrated in  FIG.  7   . As shown in  FIG.  7   , both rigid panel regions  22  and flexible hinge regions  20 A and  20 B include a spacer layer between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . In hinge regions  20 A and  20 B, cover  16  may include spacer strands  26 Y coupled between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . In panel regions  22 , cover  16  may include spacer strands  26 Y′ coupled between fabric layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 . To provide panel regions  22  with more rigidity, spacer strands  26 Y′ in panel regions  22  may have a different melting temperature than spacer strands  26 Y in hinge regions  20 A and  20 B. For example, spacer strands  26 Y′ may be formed from fusible material (e.g., polyester, polypropylene, etc.) having a lower melting temperature than spacer strands  26 Y. If desired, heat may be applied to panel regions  22  to melt strands  26 Y′ and thereby create regions with a higher modulus of elasticity than hinge regions  20 A and  20 B. 
     In some arrangements, it may be desirable to restrict the range of motion of one or more portions of cover  16 . As shown in  FIG.  8   , for example, it may be desirable to restrict the range of motion of panel region  22 ′ so that it locks out (e.g., transitions from elastic behavior to inelastic behavior) at a desired angle so that cover  16  can act as a stand for device  10 . Panel  22 ′ may be configured to rotate in direction  50  about axis  24 B and/or panel  22 ′ may be configured to rotate in direction  52  about axis  24 B. One or both directions of rotation of panel  22 ′ may be restricted. For example, panel  22 ′ may be prevented from moving beyond angle θ 1  when rotated in direction  50  and/or may be prevented from moving beyond angle θ 2  when rotated in direction  52 . Angles θ 1  and θ 2  may be the same or different. For example, angles θ 1  and  02  (e.g., measured relative to the position of panel  22 ′ in a flat state where panel  22 ′ is coplanar with adjacent panel  22 , as shown in  FIG.  8   ) may be 60 degrees, 45 degrees, 30 degrees, 90 degrees, more than 60 degrees, less than 60 degrees, or any other suitable angle. 
     To restrict rotation of panel  22 ′ along one or both of directions  50  and  52 , fabric  28  may incorporate one or more inlay strands, as shown in  FIG.  9   . Inlay strands such as inlay strand  26 X may be inserted into fabric  28  along hinge region  20 B. Inlay strands  26 X that are laid in parallel to the courses of fabric  28  (e.g., courses  44  of  FIG.  4   ) may sometimes be referred to as weft insertion strands. Inlay strands  26 X that are laid in parallel to the wales of fabric  28  (e.g., wales  46  of  FIG.  4   ) may sometimes be referred to as warp insertion strands. Inlay strand  26 X of  FIG.  9    may be a warp insertion strand or weft insertion strand depending on the direction of the courses and wales of fabric  28 . Inlay strands  26 X may be formed from the same or different material as the other strands in fabric  28  (e.g., strands  26  in layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2 , spacer strand  26 Y, etc.). Inlay strand may be incorporated into one or both of warp knit layers  28 - 1  and  28 - 2  of fabric  28  in hinge region  20 B. 
     In contrast to woven fabrics in which weft strands have a wave-like shape due to the over-under weaving pattern, inlay strands such as strands  26 X are able to lie flat in fabric  28  because the strands are inserted into fabric  28  between rows (or columns) of stitching. This allows strands  26 X to control the range of motion of panel  22 ′ about axis  24 B by limiting how much fabric  28  can stretch in hinge region  20 B. 
     The amount by which inlay strand  26 X limits the range of motion of panel  22 ′ about axis  24 B can be adjusted by adjusting the tension in inlay strand  26 X. The tension of inlay strand  26 X may be adjusted by adjusting the width W that inlay yarn  26 X spans across in hinge region  20 B, by adjusting the path of inlay yarn  26 X (e.g., whether inlay yarn  26 X snakes back and forth every row or column of loops, every other row or column of loops, etc.), and/or by modifying edges  42  of inlay yarn  26 X (e.g., by cutting edges  42 , fusing edges  42  to another part of fabric  28 , and/or by attaching edges  42  to another part of fabric  28  using adhesive, stitching, thermoplastic material, etc.). 
     When front cover  16 F is in a flat state where panel  22 ′ is coplanar with adjacent panel  22 , inlay yarn  26 X may have a slightly wavy shape, as shown in  FIG.  10   . When panel  22 ′ is bent (e.g., in direction  50  and/or  52  of  FIG.  8   ), inlay yarn  26 X may come under tension and may transition to a straight shape, as shown in  FIG.  11   . One of the ways to adjust the angle at which the movement of panel  22 ′ becomes restricted (e.g., angle θ 1  and/or angle θ 2  of  FIG.  8   ) is to change the path of strand  26 X in fabric  28 . For example, inlay strand  26 X may span across every course  44 , every other course  44 , every two courses  44 , etc., depending on the desired range of motion of panel  22 ′ about axis  24 B. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210706
Publication Date: 20231114
Grant Date: 20231114
Priority Date: 20200721
Inventors: LEITH, WILLIAM
PEDLEY, Travis C.
TOWNSEND, MARK W.
HENROT, CAMILLE I.
GLOVER, AUSTIN S.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "A45C11/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/001", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/003", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/002", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/001", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/024", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/2795", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B7/09", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C2011/001", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C2011/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C2011/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/2795", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/024", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B7/09", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A45C11/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/026", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B5/26", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B2571/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B32B7/09", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 88700713