Apple Inc.
Fabric items with locally thinned fabric

Abstract:

An item such as a fabric-based item may have a layer of fabric such as a layer of woven fabric. The fabric layer may include insulating warp and weft strands. Conductive strands may be woven into the fabric layer and may form electrodes for a touch sensor. Chemical etching or other processing techniques may be used to form an array of openings. In each opening, some or all of the insulating warp and weft strands may be removed so that each opening passes partly or fully through the fabric layer and locally thins the fabric layer. Keys may be formed from key members and switches. The key members may overlap respective locally thinned areas of the fabric layer formed from the openings. The conductive strands may extend across the openings and may be overlapped by the key members and switches.