Patent 11518139 was granted and assigned to W. L. Gore & Associates on December, 2022 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present invention provides stretchable laminates with a flat appearance on the visible surface. The laminates comprise a textile layer, a functional layer, and a plurality of elastic fibers. The plurality of elastic fibers are in a substantially parallel arrangement and the internal distance between adjacent fibers does not exceed the maximum fiber spacing, which depends on laminate thickness in a stretched state. Also provided are garments and footwear comprising the stretchable laminates and methods of producing the stretchable laminates.