JP2014512911A - Footwear seamless upper and method for making the same - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention relates generally to footwear and methods for making it, and more particularly to footwear seamless uppers and methods for making seamless uppers. In one aspect of the invention, the upper is seamless and / or of a unitary structure that defines an internal cavity for comfortably receiving a foot.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to footwear uppers, and more particularly to footwear seamless uppers and methods for making the same.

  The upper part of the footwear varies in construction and design based on several design parameters including function / performance, weight, cost, aesthetics, comfort and ease of manufacture. For example, athletic shoes usually place importance on the performance required in sports. For example, running shoes are typically lighter than tennis shoes because running shoes generally do not require side support of the tennis shoes. Ease of manufacturing is also an important requirement given the specific cost competitive nature of footwear and the quantities involved. In addition, any footwear must be comfortable.

  In general, athletic footwear includes an upper portion and a sole portion. The upper provides a foot cover that securely receives and positions the foot relative to the sole structure. In addition, the upper may have a configuration that cools the foot and removes sweat by protecting the foot and providing ventilation. The sole structure is usually fixed to the lower surface of the upper and is generally disposed between the foot and the ground. The upper and sole structures work cooperatively to provide a comfortable structure suitable for various walking activities such as walking and running.

  The material forming the upper may be selected based on, for example, wear resistance, flexibility, stretchability and breathability characteristics. With respect to the outer layer, the toe region and heel region may be formed of leather, synthetic leather or rubber material to provide a relatively high degree of wear resistance. However, leather, synthetic leather and rubber stock may not exhibit the desired degree of flexibility and breathability. Accordingly, various other regions of the upper outer layer may be formed from synthetic or natural fabric materials. The outer layer of the upper may also be formed from a number of material elements that impart different properties to specific portions of the upper. Similarly, the inner layer of the upper may be formed of a hygroscopic fabric that removes sweat from the area directly surrounding the foot. In conventional athletic footwear articles, the various layers may be joined with an adhesive, and stitching may be used to join the elements in a single layer or to reinforce certain areas of the upper. Good.

  Fabrics or fabrics are frequently used as shoe uppers for athletic shoes. The unique elasticity inherent in shoe uppers made from fabric is said to be advantageous because it does not give a feeling of pressure and fatigue. Regarding shoe uppers made from such elastic fabrics, (Patent Literature 1) and (Patent Literature 2), both of which are incorporated herein by reference, each have a plastic foam layer such as a polyurethane layer on the outside. A shoe upper having a multi-layer sandwich structure provided by interposing between a fabric layer and an inner fabric layer and adhering them is proposed. However, the above shoe upper with an intervening plastic foam layer is not always satisfactory in breathability. Therefore, this creates a problem that causes the inside of the shoe to become hot and uncomfortable due to abnormal temperature rise due to sweating and heat generation from the foot during exercise. Furthermore, although the above-mentioned resin foam layer has elasticity, the resistance to movement between the outer fabric layer and the inner fabric layer is large. This is because the resin foam layer is bonded to each of the outer fabric layer and the inner fabric layer with an adhesive, so that a large resistance to bending of the shoe upper itself occurs. This hinders the effect of reducing foot pressure and fatigue. Fabrics used in footwear uppers generally provide a lightweight, breathable structure that is flexible and comfortably receives the foot. In general, knitted materials have increased movement and flexibility. A fabric can be defined as any product from fibers, filaments or yarns characterized by flexibility, fineness and a high length to thickness ratio. However, the use of fabrics and / or fabrics in footwear uppers in the prior art usually requires a seam. Seams create problems and limitations, including difficulties in manufacturing and design freedom, and scratches that are not intended by the user can cause blisters, for example, thereby compromising athletic performance.

  To impart other properties to the footwear, including durability and stretch resistance, additional materials including leather, synthetic leather or rubber are usually combined with the fabric. With regard to durability, a fabric material having a polymeric material that is injected into a specific area and applied to Zaino (Patent Document 3) to reinforce this area against wear or other forms of wear. An upper formed of is disclosed. With respect to stretch resistance, specific parts of the upper can be obtained by being fixed to the upper both in Brown (Patent Document 4) and in Bogia (Patent Document 5). A substantially non-stretchable material is disclosed that limits the degree of expansion and contraction. (Patent Document 3), (Patent Document 4) and (Patent Document 5) are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

  In footwear, particularly athletic footwear, it is desirable to minimize the number and type of materials. Given that shoe manufacturing is a labor intensive process, the fewer the material, the lower the cost and the higher the efficiency. A typical shoe manufacturing process includes cutting the upper material, reducing the thickness of the joining edges (“skiving”), and reducing the thickness of the upper part (“separation”). ), Joining the interlining to the upper part (“core placement”), forming the eyelet, stitching the upper part, and forming the upper on the shoe mold (“fishing”) And the step of joining, molding or sewing the shoe sole to the upper ("bottoming"). Modern footwear designs, particularly athletic shoe designs, require a large number of upper parts and complex manufacturing processes, which increases labor costs. In addition, incorporating separate materials into the upper may require multiple different manufacturing steps that require multiple people. If a plurality of materials are used in addition to the fabric, the breathability of the footwear may be impaired. In addition, new patterns are required and the manufacturing process must be reorganized for each new design and style and for each desired shoe size.

  In order to reduce labor costs (US Pat. No. 6,057,049) describes the use of hot embossing to minimize the number of manufacturing steps, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This document describes a process for manufacturing a shoe component that includes the entire integral upper. In this process, multi-layer upper materials are hot embossed in a compression mold to reduce material thickness, to close or seal edges, to incorporate functional designs or pattern lines, and for strain management Is done. After the embossing process, the back sides of the embossed upper material are sewn together by the back, the upper material is fished in and bottomed to form the finished shoe. By this process, the cutting step and the stitching step are greatly reduced, and the skiving step, the dividing step and the centering step of a general shoe manufacturing process can be omitted. However, this shoe manufacturing process does not significantly reduce the assembly time and costs associated with creating new patterns, new styles and new patterns for different shoe sizes and reorganizing the manufacturing process. Rather, a new pattern and a new embossing mold must be created for each design change, and a separate embossing mold must be used for each desired shoe size. Similarly, many upper materials of various colors and textures must be kept in stock to accommodate the desired style changes.

  From a manufacturing perspective, the use of multiple materials to impart different properties to an article of footwear can be an inefficient approach. For example, in general, the various materials used in conventional uppers are not available from one supplier. Thus, a manufacturing facility must coordinate the receipt of a particular amount of material with multiple suppliers that may have different business practices or may be located in different regions or countries. Various materials may also require additional machining or different assembly line techniques to cut or otherwise prepare the material for incorporation into footwear. In addition, incorporating separate materials into the upper may involve multiple different manufacturing steps that require multiple people. Using a plurality of materials in addition to the fabric may impair the breathability of the footwear. For example, leather, synthetic leather or rubber is generally not breathable. Therefore, placing leather, synthetic leather or rubber outside the upper can interfere with the flow of air through the upper, thereby reducing the amount of sweat, moisture and heat trapped in and around the upper To increase.

  Prior art footwear uppers typically use multiple components or materials and require multiple manufacturing steps. In addition, prior art uppers conventionally require one or more seams. Thus, existing uppers reduce footwear performance, increase manufacturing complexity, time and cost, and limit design freedom. Accordingly, there is a need for a seamless upper for footwear and a process for making it.

US Pat. No. 3,793,750 US Pat. No. 4,043,058 U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,967 US Pat. No. 4,813,158 US Pat. No. 4,756,098 International Publication No. 90/03744

  An object of the present invention is to provide a footwear upper and a method for producing the footwear upper that can solve the above-described problems.

  Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to footwear uppers and methods for making footwear uppers. The present invention relates to the application of a knitting process to the manufacture of footwear uppers and overall footwear. In a preferred embodiment, a knitting process for creating a completely seamless upper portion of a shoe is disclosed. In this process, the footwear upper can be formed in one step. In another embodiment, the entire seamless footwear article including the upper portion is formed. Some advantages of this process include ease of manufacturing and efficiency, reduced assembly time, maximum comfort with reduced seams, and design freedom. The method includes upper weaving and / or knitting. The knitting process typically involves forming the upper by interconnecting a series of stitches or loops.

  Many of the embodiments focus on athletic footwear, although other uses are possible. Such applications include acts that require one or more of increased footwear performance, manufacturing complexity, time and cost reduction and greater design freedom. In addition, the use of the disclosed seamless upper for footwear has a range of uses other than footwear, including medical and seamless covers such as clothing, protective wrapping or coverings, burn victims, geriatric care outerwear. Includes all required applications.

  Further, the concepts disclosed with respect to footwear and footwear uppers may apply to footwear styles specifically designed for various other athletic activities including, for example, basketball, baseball, football, soccer, walking and hiking, It may also be applied to various non-exercise footwear styles. Accordingly, those skilled in the art may apply the concepts disclosed herein to a wide range of footwear styles and are not limited to the specific embodiments described below and shown in the figures. Will understand.

  The concept may also be applied to footwear styles that are generally non-exercise, including dress shoes, loafers, sandals and work boots. Accordingly, the concepts disclosed herein apply to a variety of footwear styles. Aspects of the present invention also include other layers of footwear structures, such as layers in the upper member structure, inner linings (such as insole) of footwear products, and booty members (optionally for encapsulation within the footwear structure). May be used with parts.

  As used herein, the term “a” (“a” or “an”) entity means one or more of that entity. Accordingly, the terms “a” (“a” or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” are interchangeable herein. Can be used. Note that “comprising”, “including” and “having” can also be used interchangeably.

  As used herein, the terms “at least one”, “one or more” and “and / or” are used in conjunction with the terms conjunctive and An unrestricted expression that is both a disjunctive word. For example, “at least one of A, B and C” (at least one of A, B and C), “at least one of A, B or C” (at least one of A, B, or C), “ "One or more of A, B and C" (one or more of A, B, and C), "one or more of A, B or C" (one or more of A, B, and C) and " Each expression of “A, B, and / or C” (A, B, and / or C) is A only (A alone), B only (B alone), C only (C alone), both A and B ( A and B together), both A and C (A and C together), both B and C (B and C together), or all of A, B and C (A, and C together) means.

  As used herein, the term “insole” is inserted into an article of footwear through an opening in the upper and provides support to the wearer's foot depending on the wearer's anatomy and intended use of the article of footwear Means the removable part of the sole of an article of footwear, designed to

As used herein, the term “midsole” means the portion of the sole of the footwear article to which the outsole is attached, sandwiched between the insole and the outsole.
As used herein, the term “outsole” means the portion of the sole of the footwear article furthest from the upper.

  As used herein, “knitted structure” means a face and / or one or both of a yarn and / or a fine yarn comprising a face. As used herein, the terms “knitted element”, “knitted structure”, “fabric” and “fabric element” refer to the material used to assemble the upper.

As used herein, the term “bump” means the part of the shoe upper that covers any part of the tip of the foot between the toe and the leg connected to the foot.
As used herein, the term “upper” means any portion of the shoe above the sole.

As used herein, the terms “shoes” and “footwear” refer to articles worn on a user's foot.
The following references are incorporated by reference in their entirety to provide further background, context, and further fulfill the description and possible requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112, for the express purpose: The nature of the organization is described, and various tools and other devices generally associated with them are further described. US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0059288 entitled “Flannel Sheeting Fabric for Use in Home Textiles”, entitled “Knitting Machine” U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0067455, “War Knitted Fabric, Method of Manufacturing the Same, and Knitted Structure of Warp Knitted Fabric, Method of Manufacturing the Same, and Knit Structure of Wart Kart” US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0067455 entitled “Shoes and Manufacture thereof”, granted to Sato. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0056248, entitled "Garment" entitled "Shoe and Method of Manufacturing the Same" Published US 2009/0241374, US Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0064721 entitled “Warp Knitting Fabric And It Manufacturing Method”, “For Winding System” Methods and Devices for Manipulating Designed Creels and Corresponding Creels (Method And Device For Operating A Clear Designed For A Winding S United States Patent No. 7,770,271 entitled “System And Corresponding Creel”, “Device And Method For Spreading A Carbon Fiber Hank” No. 7,536,761, U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,236, entitled “Device for Feeding Fiber Bands To A Knitting Machine” , US Pat. No. 7,332,836 entitled “Guide Bar Drive In A Knitting Machine”, “Knitting Machine”. US Pat. No. 7,331,200 entitled “Knitting Machine”, US Pat. No. 7,299,660 entitled “Knitting Machine” US Pat. No. 7,120,976, entitled “Process And Apparatus For Laying Fiber Bands of Filaments”, “Method for Making Multilayer, Pre-Fixed Yarn or Fiber Arrangement” U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,939 entitled “Method And System For Producing A Multi-Layer, Pre-Fixed Thread Or Fiber Arrangement”; Obtained garment parts and garments produced thereby (Fabric For The Formation Of Garment Pieces, The Garment Pieces Obeded The From And The Garments Produced The 35th Patent) US Pat. No. 6,651,420 entitled “Method and Device for Treating Filament Yarn With Air”, “Method for Treating Filament Yarn with Air” And Device (Method And Device For Treating Filament Yarn With ir), US Pat. No. 6,354,069 entitled “Joint Bearing Between Two Structural Elements of Warp Knitting Machines” US Pat. No. 6,322,255, US Pat. No. 6,253,583 entitled “Warp Knitting Machine With Pattern”, “Width Maintenance in Warp Knitting Machines” US Pat. No. 6,247,337 entitled “Gripping Breadth Holders In A Warp Knitting Machine”, “Process for Manufacturing Warp Machine and Pattern Warp (War U.S. Patent No. 6,233,798 entitled "Inch Machine And Process For Producing Pattern Warps", "Warning Knitting Machine With Thread Shearing Turn" U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,915, “Devices for Fastening Active Components To The Bar Of, Devices for Fixing Active Components to Bars of Lapping Machines and Active Components A Wrap Knitting Machine And Accompaniing Tool For Removing And Inst U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,929 entitled “Theling The Active Components”, “Apparatus for Supposing A Multi-”. US Pat. No. 6,151,923 entitled “Layer, Multi-Axial Layer Of Yarn To The Knitting Site Of A Warp Knitting Machine”. US Patent entitled “Process For A Knitting Machine Employing Thread Processing Elements Embedded In Carrier” US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0146823 entitled “Sole and Method of Manufacturing Sole” granted to Yoshihiro, US Pat. No. 6,009,729. US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0011479, entitled “Sportswear”, granted to Onoda, “Sole Structure,” granted to Kita. United States Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0241377 entitled "For a Shoe", United States Patent Application entitled "Upper Structure for a Shoe", granted to Sato public No. 7,886, entitled "Midfoot Structure of a Sole Assembly for a Shoe", issued to Sato, 2008/0120871. No. 461, assigned to Orei et al., US Pat. No. 7,051,460 entitled “Light Weight Shoes”, granted to O'Connor US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0179030 entitled "Subsembly for Industrial Fabrics", "Kondou et al.," Elastic knitted fabric with multilayer structure ( Elastic Knittin US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0237599 entitled “G Fabric Having Multilayer Structure”, “Double Needle Bare Elastomeric Space Elastomer”. US Pat. No. 7,552,604 entitled “Method for Producing a Multidirectional Fabric Web” granted to Heinrich et al., US Pat. No. 7,552,604, entitled “Method for Producing a Multidirectional Fabric Web” U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0056857, “Fabrics and Fabric Products (Fa)” granted to Shimazaki. US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0224897 entitled “Ric and Textile Product”, Thomas et al., “Fluid-Filled Blade For Article Footwear”. U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,845 entitled "."

  In addition, the following references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to provide further background, context, and to further satisfy the provisions of 35 USC 112 and possible requirements, and for express purposes, The nature of the upper and knitting will be described, and various tools and other devices generally associated with them will be further described. US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0055044, US Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0193592, US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0325916, US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0005922, US Patent Published application 2008/0196181, United States patent application publication 2012/0079743, United States patent application publication 2012/0079741, United States patent application publication 2009/0084142, United States patent application publication. 2010/0107590, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0107383, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0107382, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0214313, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012. / 0005923 Specification, US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0011744, US Pat. No. 4,785,558, US Pat. No. 5,377,430, US Pat. No. 6,393,620 US Pat. No. 6,533,885, US Pat. No. 7,347,011, US Pat. No. 7,814,598, US Pat. No. 8,042,288, US Patent No. 8,128,457, US Pat. No. 8,133,824, US Pat. No. 8,132,340, US Pat. No. 8,104,197, US Pat. No. 8,100,532, US Pat. No. 8,099,797, US Pat. No. 8,099,796, US Pat. No. 8,095,996, US Pat. No. 042,289 U.S. Pat. No. 8,029,715, U.S. Pat. No. 8,028,440, U.S. Pat. No. 7,992,226, U.S. Pat. No. 7,945,343, U.S. Pat. Patent No. 7,941,945, U.S. Pat. No. 7,941,869, U.S. Pat. No. 7,870,682, U.S. Pat. No. 7,845,023, U.S. Pat. No. 7,845,022, U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,687, U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,574, U.S. Pat. No. 7,788,827, U.S. Pat. 784,111, U.S. Patent 7,774,956, U.S. Patent 7,752,772, U.S. Patent 7,637,032, U.S. Patent 7,636, No. 950, US Pat. No. 7,56 US Pat. No. 5,703, US Pat. No. 7,562,471, US Pat. No. 7,555,851, US Pat. No. 7,543,397, US Pat. No. 7,386 No. 946, US Pat. No. 7,278,173, US Pat. No. 7,131,296, US Pat. No. 7,076,891, US Pat. No. 7,070,845 Specification, US Pat. No. 6,986,269, US Pat. No. 6,931,762, US Pat. No. 6,910,288, US Pat. No. 6,654,964 US Pat. No. 6,484,419, US Pat. No. 7,331,363 and US Pat. No. 5,271,101.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the upper for an article of footwear includes a fabric element formed on a knitting machine. In one aspect of the invention, the upper is of a seamless and / or unitary structure. The knitting machine may have a configuration in which the fabric element is formed by either warp knitting or flat knitting.

  Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of manufacturing an article of footwear. The method includes, for example, mechanically manipulating the yarn on a circular knitting machine to form a cylindrical fabric structure. In addition, the method includes removing at least one fabric element from the fabric structure and incorporating the fabric element into the footwear article upper to form a seamless upper and / or an entire seamless footwear.

  In another aspect of the present invention, an article of footwear has a seamless upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper incorporates a fabric element formed with a knitting machine. The fabric element is removed from the fabric structure including the contour of the fabric element. The fabric elements are joined together and have edges that define at least a portion of a cavity for receiving a foot.

  In one embodiment, the upper is at least partially formed from a fabric element that defines an internal cavity for comfortably receiving the foot and secures the position of the foot relative to the sole structure. The various edges of the fabric elements are then secured together to form the upper shape. In some embodiments, the fabric element may form all of the upper or substantially all of the upper, and the fabric element may be only a portion of the upper.

  Various materials may be used in the manufacture of footwear uppers. The upper for athletic footwear articles may be formed from a plurality of material layers including, for example, an outer layer, an intermediate layer, and an inner layer. The material forming the outer layer of the upper may be selected based on, for example, wear resistance, flexibility, and breathability characteristics. For the outer layer, the toe region and heel region may be formed of leather, synthetic leather or rubber material to provide a relatively high degree of wear resistance. Leather, synthetic leather and rubber materials may not exhibit the desired degree of flexibility and breathability. Accordingly, various other regions of the upper outer layer may be formed from synthetic or natural fabrics. The outer layer of the upper may also be formed from a number of material elements that each impart different properties to a particular portion of the upper.

  The present disclosure provides a method for knitting a tubular upper of a shoe without a seam. Circular knitting and warp knitting are examples of processes for forming the upper part. Warp knitting is a knitting method in which the yarn proceeds in a zigzag manner along the length of the fabric, i.e., according to adjacent columns ("wale") of the knitting, rather than in one row ("course"). Belonging to. The circular knitting or flat knitting process includes knitting a single yarn along the outer periphery of the circular cylinder. Woven fabrics typically provide dimensional stability. On the other hand, flat knitted fabrics are usually more elastic. The warp knitted fabric has these two characteristics, and these can be produced as having dimensional stability, elasticity and high elasticity. Warp knitted fabrics are typically used for athletic garments, swimwear and underwear that require a more durable knitted fabric.

  The upper intermediate layer may be formed from a lightweight polymeric foam material that provides cushioning and protects the foot from objects that may contact the upper. Similarly, the inner layer of the upper may be formed of a hygroscopic fabric that removes sweat from the area directly surrounding the foot. In some athletic footwear articles, the various layers may be glued together and seams may be used to bond elements within a single layer or to reinforce certain areas of the upper .

  Although the materials selected for the upper are very diverse, the fabric material often forms at least a portion of the outer and inner layers. A fabric can be defined as any product from fibers, filaments or yarns characterized by flexibility, fineness and a high length to thickness ratio.

  Fabrics generally fall into two categories. The first category includes fabrics made directly from filaments or fiber webs by randomly intertwining them to construct nonwovens and felts. The second category includes fabrics that are formed by mechanical manipulation of yarns, for example, to create woven fabrics.

  Yarn is a raw material used to form a second category of fabric. In general, a yarn is defined as an assembly having a substantial length and a relatively small cross section formed of at least one filament or fibers. Since fibers have a relatively short length, a spinning or twisting process is required to create a yarn of a length suitable for use in fabrics. Common examples of fibers are cotton and wool. However, the filaments may have an indefinite length and may be simply combined with other filaments to make a yarn suitable for use in fabrics. Modern filaments include multiple synthetic materials such as rayon, nylon, polyester and polyacrylic, with silk being a major natural source exception. The yarn may be formed of a single filament, conventionally referred to as a monofilament yarn, or a plurality of individual filaments grouped together. The yarn may also include separate filaments formed of different materials, and the yarn may include filaments each formed of two or more different materials. A similar concept applies to yarns formed from fibers. Thus, the yarn may have a variety of configurations that generally conform to the definitions defined above.

  Various techniques for mechanically manipulating yarns into fabrics include interweaving, interwining and twisting and self-looping. Interweaving is the intersection of two yarns that intersect and interweave at right angles to each other. Yarns used for weaving are conventionally called warp and weft. Entangling and twisting includes techniques such as braiding and knotting where the yarns entangle with one another to form a fabric. Self yarn looping involves the formation of multiple rows of interlocking loops, and knitting is the most common method of self yarn looping.

  At least some of the advantages of warp knitting over circular knitting include durability, a wider range of design structures, the ability to form mesh types and sizes, the location and type of compression, stretch and thickness, and at least the material The ability to change the yarn along the warp, the ability to change the yarn between the front and back of the knitted cylinder, the creation of a substantially seamless structure, and the creation of a substantially seamless structure in the footwear structure / format It is a function. For example, the upper can be knitted to have areas of cushioning, compression, breathability, color, and yarn content.

  When flat knitting is used in the example structure according to the invention, various advantages can be provided. For example, flat knitting is desired so that the fabric cutting process can be avoided (which eliminates waste, avoids the need for edge finishing, saves time, saves costs, etc.) Can be used to provide a fabric structure for use in a final shape footwear upper. The flat knitting elements can also be formed directly into the desired three-dimensional shape, thereby avoiding the need to use additional support structures in the overall footwear structure (and also in terms of time, cost, Etc., a lighter and / or more flexible product is produced, and seams and at least some sewing etc. can be omitted). By selectively placing a plurality of different yarns and / or stitch patterns at a plurality of different locations of the overall structure during the knitting process, the flat knitted product can have a plurality of different locations within a single unitary structure or A region (eg, different properties in different regions or locations within a single footwear structure) may have a plurality of different physical properties (eg, different elasticity, different moisture management capabilities, etc.). Additionally, flat knitting can be used to form pockets, tunnels or other hierarchical structures in the final product.

  The fabric element may be formed by a flat knitting process. In general, flat knitting is a method of producing a knitted material in which the material is periodically redirected (ie, the material is knitted from alternating sides). The two sides (or “faces”) of the material have traditionally been “front side” (ie, the side facing outwards towards the viewer) and “back side” (ie, away from the viewer, the inside Side facing). Flat knitting can be contrasted with circular knitting where the fabric is always knitted from the same side. Various circular knitting techniques are known, for example, a narrow tube circular knitting and a wide tube circular knitting. A more specific example of the circular knitting technique is described in US Patent Publication No. 2005/0193592, which publication is incorporated herein by reference. In contrast to circular knitting, flat knitting, when knitted from the front and back sides, can be more complicated because the same stitch is created by two different movements (as viewed from the front side). Thus, the front (viewed from the front) may be created by the front side or by the back side. In flat knitting, the direction of the fabric is usually changed for each stage. Flat knitting provides a suitable technique for forming fabric elements, but other types of knitting may also be used, such as wide tube circular knitting, narrow tube circular knitted jacquard, single knit circular knitted jacquard. Includes cards, double knit circular jacquard and vertical jacquard. The advantage of flat knitting over various other types of knitting is that a substantially three-dimensional structure, or layers of material overlap each other (ie, at least partially coextensive), loops or other overlapping configurations. A flat knitting process may be used to form the structure to be formed. More specifically, the flat knitting process may create a structure in which the layers are joined together such that both sides of one layer are formed in a unitary structure with another layer. In addition, flat knitting may be used to form regions with different types of stitches and regions with different types of yarn. For example, the front portion of the upper may be configured to expand and contract to a different extent than the ribless configuration of the central portion and / or the rear portion. In addition, the fabric element may be formed from a type of stitch that is less elastic than the front portion, and the yarn selected for the selected fabric element is more abrasion resistant than the yarn selected for the front portion. It may be high. As another example, the knit / yarn combination used for the posterior portion may be selected to provide expansion and contraction to the ankle opening. Accordingly, the flat knitting process may be used to form a substantially three-dimensional structure or an overlaid structure having regions with different characteristics created from different types of stitches and combinations of different types of yarn. This feature also reduces waste in the manufacturing process, saving time and money.

  In one embodiment, the upper is formed from a fabric element and may include laces or other elements associated with the conventional upper of footwear. A fabric element is a single material element formed to exhibit a unitary (ie, one-piece) structure, and the fabric element is formed to extend around the foot or otherwise shaped. Is done. The fabric element may be formed as part of a larger fabric element. The fabric element is then removed from this larger fabric element to form the upper shape.

  As mentioned above, the fabric element is a single material element with a unitary structure. As defined for the purposes of the present invention, a monolithic structure and / or “seamless” is intended to represent a form in which parts of the fabric elements are not joined together by seams or other connections. It is. The fabric element is primarily formed from one or more yarns that are mechanically manipulated, for example, either by weaving, entanglement and twisting, or by a self-looping process. As described, weaving is the intersection of two yarns that intersect and interweave at right angles to each other. Yarns used for weaving are conventionally called warp and weft. Entangling and twisting includes techniques such as braiding and knotting where the yarns entangle with one another to form a fabric. Self yarn looping involves the formation of multiple rows of interlocking loops, and knitting is the most common method of self yarn looping. Thus, the fabric element may be formed from one of the processes for manufacturing these fabrics.

  Various mechanical processes have been developed for producing fabrics. In general, mechanical processes can be classified into either warp or flat knitting categories. For warp knitting, various specific subtypes that may be used to make fabrics include tricot, raschel and double needle bar raschel (further including jacquard double needle bar raschel). For flat knitting, various specific subtypes that may be used to make fabrics include circular and flat knitting. Various types of circular knitting include sock knitting (narrow tube), body garment (seamless or wide tube) and jacquard.

  The fabric element may be formed by any of the mechanical processes described above. Accordingly, the fabric element may be formed on either a warp knitting machine or a flat knitting machine. As one non-limiting example, one suitable knitting machine for forming fabric elements is a circular knitting jacquard machine. In one embodiment, a fabric element formed by a circular knit jacquard machine has various areas of cushioning, compression, breathability, color and yarn content.

  Another suitable knitting machine for forming fabric elements is made with the SM8 TOP1 model number by the Santoni SpA of the Lonati Group of Italy. It is a cylindrical circular knitting machine. The wide tube circular knitting machine produced by Santoni SpA can form a generally cylindrical fabric structure and form various types of stitches within a single fabric structure. Is possible. In general, the wide tube circular knitting machine may be programmed to change the design on the fabric structure by selecting the needle. That is, the type of stitch formed at each position of the fabric structure can be selected by programming the wide tube circular knitting machine so that a specific needle either receives or does not receive the yarn at each stitch position. Good. In this way, various patterns, textures or designs may be selectively and intentionally imparted to the fabric structure.

  As described above, the fabric structure may be formed by a wide tube circular knitting machine. In order to form the contour of one or more fabric elements on the fabric structure, the type of stitches forming the fabric structure may be varied. That is, the wide tube circular knitting machine may be programmed to form different types of stitches in the fabric structure to delineate one or more fabric elements. The yarn forming the fabric element may generally be defined as an assembly having a substantial length and a relatively small cross section formed of at least one filament or fibers.

  Another example that does not limit the disclosure of a suitable knitting machine for forming fabric elements is that described in US Pat. No. 8,132,431. The disclosure provides a knitting machine including a swing drive unit, a swing-through drive unit, and at least one guide bar. The guide bar is movable in the swing direction by the swing drive unit and in a direction orthogonal to the swing direction by the swing-through drive unit. The order of movement of the guide bar is controlled so that the guide bar moves once back and forth in the swing direction in the loop configuration. (The swing direction is a direction that coincides with the extension in the longitudinal direction of the guide bar, that is, the direction in which all of the guides of the guide bar are arranged in front and back.) Further, the sliding surface pair is orthogonal to the swing direction. It has two sliding surfaces oriented in the direction, and the swing drive unit acts on the guide bar via the sliding surface pair. According to the embodiment, the swing drive unit includes a transmission element guided in the swing direction and supporting one of the sliding surfaces of the sliding surface pair. The transmission element may be formed as an actuator rod. US Pat. No. 8,132,431 is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

  Without limiting the invention, yarns incorporating elastane fibers may be used to impart stretch and restoration properties to the upper and / or fabric elements. Such elastane fibers are available from the EI duPont de Nemours Company under the Lycra trademark. Such fibers may have the form of a coated Lycra, the fibers comprising a Lycra core surrounded by a nylon sheath. One suitable yarn includes, for example, a 70 denier elastane core coated with nylon having two twists, an 80 denier, 92 filament structure. Spandex, elaspan (elaspan®), cleora (creora®), roika (roica®), drastan (dorlastan®), lineel (R) and Other fibers or filaments that exhibit elastic properties including, but not limited to, Espa® may also be used.

  As described above, yarns incorporating elastane fibers are suitable for the fabric element. A plurality of other yarns are also suitable for the fabric element, whether elastic or inelastic. The yarn characteristics selected for the fabric element depend primarily on the materials from which the various filaments and fibers are formed. For example, cotton provides a soft hand, natural beauty and biodegradability. The elastane fibers described above provide significant stretch and resiliency. Rayon provides high gloss and hygroscopicity. Wool provides high hygroscopicity in addition to heat retention properties. The polytetrafluoroethylene coating can provide low friction contact between the fabric and the skin. Nylon is a durable wear resistant material with high strength. Finally, polyester is also a water repellent material that provides relatively high durability. Thus, the material contained in the yarn may be selected to impart various physical properties to the fabric element, such as strength, stretchability, supportability, stiffness, resilience, fit, etc. And may include shapes.

  In addition to changing the type of stitching to form the texture, the type of yarn used in the various regions of the fabric element may be changed to impart different characteristics. The yarn may be formed from, for example, cotton, wool, elastane, rayon, nylon and polyester. Each of these yarn types may impart different characteristics. For example, elastane may be used to impart stretchability, wool may be used for heat insulation, and nylon may be used for durability. Accordingly, different yarn types may be used to impart different properties. The types of knitting that may be used to form different regions with different characteristics (eg, yarn characteristics, texture, etc.) include, for example, tricot, raschel, double needle bar raschel, circular knitting and flat knitting It may be varied significantly to include the various warp and flat knitting processes described above.

  The fabric element is shown as having a substantially smooth, unchanging stitch configuration. That is, similar stitches are used throughout the fabric element to impart a common texture to the various portions of the fabric element. However, as mentioned above, wide tube circular knitting machines are generally capable of forming various types of stitches within a single fabric structure. Thus, a wide tube circular knitting machine may change stitches within a fabric element, for example, to form various patterns, designs or textures. Various types of stitches may also be formed on other types of knitting machines.

  Many conventional footwear articles incorporate uppers with various material elements, each exhibiting different properties. For example, the first material element may be smooth and the second material element may be textured. The first material element and the second material element are then stitched together to form part of a conventional upper. The fabric element also exhibits smooth and rough areas. However, in contrast to conventional uppers, the first texture and the second texture are incorporated into a single fabric element, rather than two separate elements that are stitched together or otherwise joined together. It is.

  Various warp knitting or weft knitting processes may be used to form the fabric element or the various other fabric elements described above. An advantage of this process is that various stitches may be incorporated at specific locations on the fabric element to change the physical properties or aesthetics of the fabric element. While a conventional upper includes various elements that are sewn or adhesively joined, the fabric element is a single, single material element. From a manufacturing perspective, the use of multiple materials to impart different properties to an article of footwear can be an inefficient approach. However, by forming the fabric element to be a single, single material element, the efficiency is increased because the upper may include a single fabric element rather than multiple joined elements.

  As described above, various knitting processes may be used to form the fabric element. As a specific example, a jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine may be used to form a plain fabric structure, and a jacquard double to form the fabric structure to have the form of a spacer mesh fabric. A needle bar raschel knitting machine may be used. Unlike the fabric structure showing a substantially cylindrical form, the fabric structure formed by the jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine has a flat configuration. However, as with the fabric structure, the contour of the fabric element may be imparted to the fabric structure formed with a jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine. That is, a contour having the shape and size of the target fabric element may be formed by the difference in stitches in the fabric structure. Accordingly, the fabric element may be removed from the fabric structure and incorporated into the footwear. In addition, a Jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine may be used to impart different textures, different properties or different yarn types to the fabric element. Similarly, other knitting methods such as flat knitting may be used within the scope of the present invention to impart different textures, different characteristics or different yarn types to the fabric element.

  Double needle bar raschel is an example of a warp knitting machine that can knit both sides of a fabric at once. This type of machine can be used to knit a warp knitting cylinder by sewing both sides of the fabric together during the knitting process. A warp knitting machine can be designed to knit a forming cylinder by using a jacquard double needle bar machine. An electronic jacquard double needle bar can produce a molded cylinder having a designed structure. There are several possibilities for the design and performance of the upper. The following can be adjusted to create a specific application upper. Thread type (elastic, inelastic, thread size, fiber type (denier, composition, polyester, nylon, etc.)), stitch structure (mesh, breathable and / or durable, and stretch and / or elastic properties) For more eye-opening or opening), rigidity (for support and fit), size (for shoe fit).

  In one embodiment, the shoe upper is knitted using a knitting machine such as a tricot knitting machine or a Raschel knitting machine. Knitting involves knitting one or more knitted layers or types (eg, outer knitted fabric layers and inner knitted fabric layers) and connecting one or more knitted layers or types with intersecting yarns. May also be implemented. Alternatively, the knitting may be configured using a double raschel knitting machine that can easily knit the shoe upper in one step. This is because the double raschel knitting machine can perform the two above-mentioned steps simultaneously.

  Any desired type of cutting operation may be used without departing from the invention, including, for example, die cutting, laser cutting, manual cutting, and the like. Also, any desired type of material may be used without departing from the present invention. The material may be compared to the elastic modulus of the fabric elements that make up the upper and / or other parts of the footwear structure (e.g., spandex, cotton, polyester, or other fabric elements that make up the stretch resistance or compressive force performance) It may be a material with a higher elastic modulus (compared to compressive force applicability) (eg, providing more resistance and / or higher compressive force due to tensile stretching forces). Further, as some specific examples, the material may be a material commonly used in tackle twill manufacture, such as a canvas type material, a polyester type material, a thermoplastic polyurethane adhesive material.

  In some embodiments, a seamless upper component formed by warp knitting and / or circular knitting is configured to be attached to a shoe mold and thermoformed. The seamless upper is then attached to the shoe sole to form, for example, a finished shoe. In some embodiments, when one or both of the upper and the component includes a support structure to form an exoskeleton, scintillation or closer system, the upper is knitted and / or joined to the component to form a shoe. be able to. Some embodiments include an insole insert.

In one embodiment, the upper knitted fabric is not of a substantially uniform thickness, but instead forms a curve, ridge or pattern.
In one embodiment, only the upper of the footwear is seamless knit. In another embodiment, the entire footwear including the upper is seamless knit.

  In one embodiment, the fabric element is a “dimensioned” structure as disclosed in US Pat. No. 8,133,824, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

In one embodiment, the upper includes one or more seamless braids and / or eyes and / or is assembled together and / or simultaneously with the assembly of the upper.
In one embodiment, the upper is composed of a single type of knit structure. In one embodiment, the upper is composed of a single layer and / or is composed of a single stitch configuration. In one embodiment, the upper is configured such that it does not have a longitudinal edge.

  In one embodiment, the upper is configured to incorporate a single type of fabric having a plurality of knitted structures. In one embodiment, the upper is configured to incorporate a single type of fabric having a single type of knit structure. In one embodiment, the upper is constructed with a circular knitting machine to form a cylindrical fabric structure that incorporates a single type of fabric having a plurality of knit structures.

  In one embodiment, the upper is constructed of flat knitted fabric elements that incorporate a single type of fabric having a single knit structure. In one embodiment, the upper is composed of a flat knitted fabric element incorporating a single layer and / or is composed of a single stitch configuration.

In one embodiment, the knitting elements are built during the knitting process.
In one embodiment, the upper does not feature knitted material and / or overlapping layers.

  In one embodiment, the upper is composed of knitting elements that are not woven elements. In one embodiment, the upper is not composed of woven elements and / or is not substantially composed of elements formed with a loom.

In one embodiment, an article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure attached to the upper.
In one embodiment, an article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure attached to the upper, the upper includes a string receiving element and / or eyelet, and the upper is adjacent to the string receiving element and the sole structure. Does not include strands that extend into nearby regions.

  In one embodiment, the upper includes a knitting element having a lateral side and an opposing central side, the knitting element being formed between two spaced knitted layers and located on the lateral side At least one lateral channel and at least one central channel formed between two spaced knitted layers and located on the central side, each of the lateral channel and the central channel Is formed in an integral structure.

  The foregoing is a simplified summary of the invention and provides an understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive or exhaustive overview of the invention and its various embodiments. It is not intended to present key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention, and the selected concepts of the invention are introduced as an introduction to the more detailed description that follows. It is intended to be shown in a simplified form. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention may be used alone or in combination with one or more of the features described above or in detail below.

  The present disclosure, in various embodiments, configurations or aspects, includes components, methods, processes, systems and / or devices substantially as shown and described herein, which various aspects, embodiments. , Configurations, subcombinations and subsets. Those skilled in the art will understand how to make and use various aspects, embodiments, configurations, subcombinations and subsets of the present disclosure after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be used in various aspects, embodiments, and configurations in conventional devices or processes, for example, to improve performance, achieve ease, and / or reduce implementation costs. Providing devices and processes in the absence of any articles not shown and / or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments or configurations of the present invention, including the absence of such articles.

  The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The above description is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. For example, in the above-described modes for carrying out the invention, various features of the present invention are summarized together in one or more aspects, embodiments, or configurations for the purpose of rationalizing the disclosure. Features of aspects, embodiments, or configurations of the present disclosure may be combined with alternative aspects, embodiments, or configurations other than those described above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, aspects of the invention are within the features of all, but not all of the single above disclosed aspects. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

  Further, the description of the invention includes a description of one or more aspects, embodiments or configurations, certain variations and modifications, but other variations, combinations and modifications are within the scope of the invention, eg And within the abilities and knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art after understanding the present disclosure. Obtaining the right to include alternative aspects, embodiments, or configurations to the extent permitted, including alternative, interchangeable and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to what is claimed. Is intended. In this case, regardless of whether such alternative, interchangeable and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, any patentable subject matter is publicly disclosed. There is no intention of offering.

  For the purpose of illustrating some examples, the accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. These drawings together with the description illustrate the principles of the invention. The drawings merely illustrate preferred and alternative examples of how to make and use the invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the invention to only the illustrated and described examples.

  Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following more detailed description of various embodiments of the invention, as illustrated by the drawings described below.

The perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The bottom view which shows embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear of FIG. 1A. 1B is a top view showing an embodiment of the footwear seamless upper of FIG. 1A. FIG. FIG. 1B is a lateral three-fourth view of the embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a median three-fourth view of the embodiment of the footwear seamless upper embodiment of FIG. 1A. Schematic of weaving, flat knitting and vertical knitting. FIG. 3 illustrates one method of forming a plurality of footwear uppers. The figure which shows another method of forming the some footwear upper. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the footwear seamless upper provided to the plastic dip process. The knitting is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the eye. The knitting is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the eye. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The top view which shows embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear of FIG. 8A. FIG. 8B is a top view illustrating one method of forming the footwear seamless upper embodiment of FIG. 8A. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. FIG. 10B is a top view of the embodiment of the footwear seamless upper embodiment of FIG. 10A in which the toe cap reinforcement is not assembled to the seamless upper. FIG. 10B is a top view of the embodiment of the footwear seamless upper embodiment of FIG. 10A in which the bump reinforcement is not assembled to the seamless upper. FIG. 10B is a top view of the embodiment of the footwear seamless upper embodiment of FIG. 10A in which the heel cap reinforcement is not assembled to the seamless upper. The side view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear provided with the inside part. The incision side view which further demonstrates embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear provided with the mid-section part of FIG. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The incision side view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The incision side view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear. The perspective view which shows another embodiment of the seamless upper for footwear.

  The present disclosure relates to footwear uppers and methods for making footwear uppers. The present invention relates to the application of a knitting process in the manufacture of footwear uppers. In a preferred embodiment, a knitting process for creating a completely seamless upper portion of a shoe is disclosed. In this process, the footwear upper can be formed in one step. Some advantages of this process include ease of manufacturing and efficiency, reduced assembly time, maximum comfort with reduced seams, and design freedom. The method includes upper weaving and / or knitting. The knitting process typically includes forming an upper by interconnecting a series of stitches or loops.

  In the following description and for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the invention. However, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown or described more generally in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. In many cases, particularly when the operations are implemented in software, the description of the operations is sufficient to allow implementation of various aspects of the invention. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices and techniques that may apply the disclosed invention. The full scope of the invention is not limited to the examples described below.

  The following description usually describes embodiments and methods of specific structures. It will be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments and methods, and that the invention may be practiced using other features, elements, methods and embodiments. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are described preferred embodiments without limiting its scope as defined in the claims. Furthermore, the described embodiments may be combined with any one or more other embodiments described explicitly or implicitly herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize various equivalent variations in the description that follows. Similar elements in various embodiments are typically referred to by similar reference signs.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the footwear article upper includes a fabric element formed on a knitting machine. In one aspect of the invention, the upper is seamless and / or of a unitary structure. The knitting machine may have a configuration in which the fabric element is formed by either warp knitting or flat knitting.

  Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of manufacturing an article of footwear. The method includes, for example, mechanically manipulating the yarn on a circular knitting machine to form a cylindrical fabric structure. In addition, the method includes removing at least one fabric element from the fabric structure and incorporating the fabric element into the footwear article upper to form the seamless upper and / or the entire seamless footwear.

  In another aspect of the present invention, an article of footwear has a seamless upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper incorporates a fabric element formed with a knitting machine. The fabric element is removed from the fabric structure including the contour of the fabric element, the fabric elements being joined together and having edges that define at least a portion of a cavity for receiving a foot.

  In one embodiment, the upper is at least partially formed from a fabric element that defines an internal cavity for comfortably receiving the foot and secures the position of the foot relative to the sole structure. The various edges of the fabric elements are then secured together to form the upper shape. In some embodiments, the fabric element may form all of the upper or nearly all of the upper, and the fabric element may be a fraction of the upper.

  Referring now to FIGS. 1-16, several figures and configurations of the present invention are shown. 1A-E, one embodiment of a footwear seamless upper is shown. Footwear 100 is shown with a bottom 130 and a top 120 (also referred to herein as an “upper” or “upper”) 120. The footwear 100 includes a heel portion 103, a toe portion 102, a bump portion 104, and an upper cover 108. In the embodiment of footwear 100 shown in FIGS. 1A-E, footwear 100 having three types of knits is shown. In particular, the remaining portions such as the heel portion 103 and toe portion 102 with a wear-resistant knit, the bump portion 104 with a supporting knit, and the breathable / openwork knit upper cover 108 and bottom 130 are shown. It is. The knit for supporting the bump portion 104 is generally a knit that is more clogged than the breathable / openwork knit of the upper cover 108 and the bottom 130. However, the various knits are configured to be substantially or completely seamless. FIG. 1A shows footwear 100 worn by a user (not shown). In the configuration of FIG. 1A, the upper forms a cavity inside the footwear 100 for receiving a user's foot. In contrast, FIG. 1C shows a top view of footwear 100 when it is not worn by the user and the aforementioned cavity is substantially or completely closed. In one embodiment, the upper portion of the upper cover 108 is another knit with elastic properties to fully expand to form the aforementioned cavity and allow the user's foot to be received within the footwear 100. Is attached. Other embodiments of footwear 100 and / or upper portion 120 include substantially the same knit material, while other embodiments of footwear 100 and / or upper portion 120 include a plurality of knits.

  The knitted upper has one or more supports and / or clamping areas. The knit structure of the one or more supports and / or clamping regions may include elastomer yarns and / or knits that are more contractible in the clamping region than in the non-clamping region. Further, the support and / or clamping area may include a knit structure that is more robust, stronger and / or capable of supporting more loads than the knit structure of the non-clamping area. One or more areas of the upper include openwork knitting. Preferably, the open knitted knit is a fairly “breathable” knit structure. As used herein, “breathable” means permeable to one or more of air, oxygen and moisture.

  One or more regions of the upper include a cushion knit. Preferably, the buffer knit is a knit structure having at least some shock absorbing properties. As used herein, “impact absorption” refers to smoothing, dampening, and / or releasing impact and / or impulse energy, such as, for example, impact energy when a person's foot hits the ground when running or walking. Means. The cushion knit is typically placed around one or more of the clamping area and insole.

  Preferably, one or more regions of the upper are substantially wear resistant. More preferably, the wear resistant region comprises a knit structure that is substantially resistant to wear. As used herein, “abrasion resistance” means resistance to abrasion and / or abrasion due to mechanical and / or frictional action. Even more preferably, the one or more wear resistant regions comprise a wear resistant knitted structure. Non-limiting examples of wear resistant knit structures include one or both of high density knit and wear resistant yarns and / or wear resistant fine yarns.

  The knitted upper is optionally one or more breathable regions, one or more tightening and / or support regions, one or more cushioning regions, and optionally one or more wear resistant. Has a region. Further, any one or more of the breathable regions, tightening and / or support regions, cushioning regions and wear resistant regions, in addition to its corresponding knitted structure, breathable, tightening and / or support. A knit structure corresponding to the cushioning and wear-resistant knit structure. Thus, for example, in addition to including a breathable knitted structure, the breathable region may also include a cushioned knitted structure in some embodiments.

  With respect to FIG. 2, schematic diagrams of weaving, weft knitting and warp knitting are provided. In particular, Nanako weave and weft and warp knitting are shown. In one embodiment, footwear 100 and / or upper portion 120 includes one or more of flat and warp knitted materials.

  Various warp knitting or weft knitting processes may be used to form the fabric element or the various other fabric elements described above. An advantage of this process is that various stitches may be incorporated at specific locations on the fabric element to change the physical properties or aesthetics of the fabric element. While the conventional upper includes various elements that are sewn or adhesively joined, the fabric element is a single, single material element. From a manufacturing perspective, using multiple materials to impart different properties to an article of footwear can be an inefficient approach. However, by forming the fabric element to be a single, single material element, the efficiency is increased because the upper may include a single fabric element rather than multiple joined elements.

  Various knitting processes as described above may be used to form the fabric element. As a specific example, a jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine may be used to form a plain fabric structure, and a jacquard double to form the fabric structure to have the form of a spacer mesh fabric. A needle bar raschel knitting machine may be used. Unlike the fabric structure showing a substantially cylindrical form, the fabric structure formed by the jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine has a flat configuration. However, as with the fabric structure, the contour of the fabric element may be imparted to the fabric structure formed with a jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine. That is, a contour having the shape and size of the target fabric element may be formed by the difference in stitches in the fabric structure. Accordingly, the fabric element may be removed from the fabric structure and incorporated into the footwear. In addition, a Jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine may be used to impart different textures, different properties or different yarn types to the fabric element. Similarly, other types of knitting such as flat knitting may be used to impart various textures, various characteristics or various yarn types to the fabric elements within the scope of the present invention.

  With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a diagram of a method of forming and / or cutting footwear and / or upper portion 302 is shown. In each of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the uppermost region shows a single knitted sheet 301 output from a knitting machine (not shown). FIG. 3 illustrates that in some embodiments, multiple knitted uppers 302 are formed in a single knitted sheet 301. A process of forming a plurality of knitted uppers in the knitting process is preferred over a process of forming individual knitted uppers and / or forming a woven upper. FIG. 4 illustrates that in some embodiments, the upper 302 can be knitted onto a single knitted sheet 301 in a configuration that significantly reduces the waste of the knitted sheet that does not form part of the knitted upper.

  With respect to FIG. 5, a perspective view of another embodiment of a footwear seamless upper 500 is shown. FIG. 5 illustrates that in some embodiments, the knitted element 501 can be wound in a central lateral direction around the wearer's foot. In other embodiments, the knitted element 501 can be wound in a forward (toe) / backward (heel) direction around the wearer's foot. Embodiments having a knitted element 501 in the central lateral direction further include one or more support and / or clamping regions that are wound in the central lateral direction around the wearer's foot. In some embodiments, the knitted element 501 can support stress around the wearer's foot, such as, but not limited to, a lace system stress to secure the shoe to the wearer's foot. it can.

  In some embodiments, the knitted upper 504 includes a knitted toe 502. The toe knit structure 502 can be a knit structure with one or more of breathability, tightening and / or support, cushioning and wear resistance. A knit structure with one or more of breathability, tightening and / or support, cushioning and abrasion resistance can be formed by a face or by one or more yarns forming the face.

  In other embodiments, the knitted upper 504 includes a knitted heel 503. The heel knit structure 504 may be a knit structure with one or more of breathability, tightening and / or support, cushioning and wear resistance. A knit structure with one or more of breathability, tightening and / or support, cushioning and abrasion resistance can be formed by a face or by one or more yarns forming the face.

  With reference to FIG. 6, a perspective view of another embodiment of a footwear seamless upper 600 is shown. In one embodiment, FIG. 6 illustrates that a shoe 600 including a knitted upper can be coated with a material such as, but not limited to, a plastic dip 610. The plastic dip may provide the shoe with aspects such as, but not limited to, abrasion resistance, water resistance, one or more team colors, decorative elements, and the like. FIG. 6 shows a toe 602 and heel 603 coated with a plastic dip. In some embodiments, the plastic dip may be applied by the shoe owner, and in other embodiments, the plastic dip may be applied by one of the shoes. “Plastic” dips have anti-wear properties for those skilled in the art and include, for example, resinous materials, synthetic materials, polymers and natural materials coated with natural rubber, latex, synthetic rubber and other fibers. Any known material may be used.

  With reference to FIG. 7, a perspective view of two embodiments of the knitting of the knitting upper 700 is shown. In the embodiment of FIG. 7A, an eye gap 701 is formed on the upper surface. In the embodiment of FIG. 7B, an eye loop 702 is formed in the upper 700. The eyelet may include any knitted structure formed by a face known in the art.

  8A-B and FIG. 9, another embodiment of a footwear seamless upper is shown. FIG. 8A is a perspective view and FIG. 8B is a top view of an embodiment of a seamless upper 801. FIG. 9 is a top view of one method of forming an embodiment of a seamless upper 801 showing a seamless upper 801 and knitted bumps (or sides) 802 manufactured by a knitting machine (its knitted output roll is (Shown as upper and lower parallel dashed lines). The knitting upper 801 can be knitted with one or more knitting sides 802, a toe 803 and a heel 804. The wings of knitted side 802, toe 803 and heel 804 include any knit structure. Furthermore, the knit structures of the side 802, toe 803 and heel 804 can be the same or different. In some embodiments, the wings of one or more knitted sides 802, tows 803, and heels 804 include one or both of different stitches and different yarns from the knitted upper 801. Although not wishing to be limited by example, the wings of one or more knitted sides 802, tows 803 and heels 804 are different from the stitches and / or yarns of the knitted upper 801, and the reinforcement and / or wear resistance table Includes eyes and / or threads. In some embodiments, the wings of the knitted side 802, the toe 803 and the heel 804 include a tubular knit structure 805. In a non-limiting example, the tubular knit structure 805 can form a spacer knit for wrapping around the wearer's foot.

  10A-D, another embodiment of a footwear seamless upper 801 is shown. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of this embodiment. FIGS. 10B to 10D are top views in which the toe cap reinforcing portion 803, the bump (side) reinforcing material 802, and the heel cap 804 are not assembled to the seamless upper 801. FIG. In this embodiment, the knitted side wings (bumps) 802 form a shoe quota. The knitted side wings / bumps 802 can be in the form of a space mesh that can be wrapped around a shoe quota to impart a more traditional shoe upper aesthetic.

  In one embodiment, the knitted upper has one or more central and / or side side wings 802. The side wings may be wound around one or both of the central and lateral sides of the knitted upper 801 around the knitted upper 801. Preferably, the side wings 802 further support feet located in the middle and side sides of the upper and / or within the knitted upper 801. Preferably, one or both of the wings of the knitted toe 802 and the wings of the heel 804 include an abrasion resistant knitted structure.

  With reference to FIG. 11, a side view of another embodiment of a seamless upper for footwear 1100 is shown. FIG. 11 shows a footwear 1100 that includes a knitted upper 1102 having a knitting underwear 1101. The knitting medium 1101 is disposed between the upper 1102 and the sole 1103. Preferably, the knitting material 1101 joins the upper 1102 to the sole 1103. The knitting medium 1101 includes a knitted structure different from the knitted structure of the knitted upper 1102. In one embodiment, the knitting mids 1101 is formed by molding and / or adhesively joining the sole 1103 to the knitting upper 1102. More specifically, when the sole 1103 is molded into the upper 1102, when resin is injected into the mold to form the sole 1103, the injected resin impregnates at least some of the knitted upper 1102, so that An object 1101 is formed. When the sole 1103 is adhesively bonded to the knitting upper 1102, the knitting upper is impregnated with the adhesive to form the knitting intermediate 1101.

  With respect to FIG. 12, a cutaway side view of another embodiment of a footwear seamless upper is shown. FIG. 12 shows footwear including a knitted upper joined to the sole 1201 by passing a knitted upper quarter or bump wing 1205 from the cavity 1204 of the sole 1201. The sole 1201 includes a midsole 1202 and an outsole 1203, and the cavity 1204 is preferably located around the midsole 1201.

  With reference to FIG. 13, a perspective view of another embodiment of a seamless upper for footwear 1300 is shown. FIG. 13 shows a knitted footwear 1300 including a knitted upper 1301 joined to a sole 1303 of the footwear. The knitted footwear upper 1300 includes a plurality of cavities 1302. The knitted footwear 1300 may be sandals, slippers, underwater shoes or one such footwear article. The sole 1303 can be one of adhesively bonded to the knitted upper 1301, molded, and formed by a knitted composition.

  With reference to FIG. 14, a perspective view of another embodiment of a seamless upper for footwear 1400 is shown. FIG. 14 shows a shoe / footwear 1400 that includes a knitted upper 1401 interconnected to a sole 1403 and a frame 1402. The frame 1402 may or may not be interconnected to the knitted upper 1401. Preferably, the frame 1402 is either interconnected or glued to the frame 1402. Frame 1402 may include any rigid or semi-rigid material. As used herein, “semi-rigid” means any material that has at least some flexibility when stress is applied, but does not break and / or permanently distort due to stress. The applied stress is generally within the range of stresses generated on the footwear. Non-limiting examples of the footwear field are street, casual, athletic, industrial, professional, work, dress and formal footwear. Preferably the frame comprises a polymeric material.

  With reference to FIGS. 15A-B, cut away side views of another embodiment of a seamless upper for footwear 1500 are shown. FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional plan view of a shoe / footwear 1500 including a sole 1501 and a knitted upper 1502. The knitting upper 1502 has one or more knitting upper cavities (not shown). The sole 1501 includes at least one arm 105 that interconnects the inner bottom 1503 element and the outer sole 1504 element. The knitted upper is interconnected to the sole 1501 by passing the inner bottom 1503 element through one or more knitted upper cavities (not shown). The one or more knitted upper cavities are preferably formed by knitting one or more cavities into the knitted upper 1502.

  With reference to FIG. 16, a perspective view of another embodiment of a seamless upper for footwear 1600 is shown. FIG. 16 shows a shoe 1600 having a plurality of channels 1602 knitted within the upper 1601. Preferably, each of the plurality of channels 1602 is configured to receive a member 1603. Each of the members 1603 can differ in one or both of shape and physical properties. For example, some members may be somewhat more flexible and / or rigid than other members 1603. Further, some members may have different contours, widths, lengths, thicknesses, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the wearer of the shoe 1600 selects a plurality of members 1603 and configures the shoe 1600 to suit their needs and / or feet. Member 1603 can comprise any material. Preferably, the member 1603 includes a polymer material.

  Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that improvements and modifications may be made to the embodiments. However, such improvements and modifications are clearly understood to be within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

  The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The above description is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. For example, in the above-described modes for carrying out the invention, various features of the present invention are combined in one or more embodiments for the purpose of rationalizing the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, aspects of the invention are within less than all of the single above disclosed aspects. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

  Furthermore, while the description of the invention includes a description of one or more embodiments, certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations and modifications are within the scope of the invention, eg It may be within the ability and knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art after understanding the disclosure. It is also contemplated to obtain the right to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternative, interchangeable and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed. In this case, regardless of whether such alternative, interchangeable and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, any patentable subject matter is publicly disclosed. There is no intention of offering.

Claims (20)

An article of footwear comprising an upper part, wherein the upper part comprises a seamless knitted material and comprises a foot receiving part defining a cavity for receiving a user's foot. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the seamless knitting material is selected from the group consisting of a self-loop knitting, a weaving knitting, a warp knitting, a weft knitting, a circular knitting and a flat knitting. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the seamless knitted material includes at least one of rayon, polyester, polyacryl, silk, cotton, wool, and elastane. The footwear article according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion includes at least one of an end cap portion, a bump portion, and a heel portion. The article of footwear according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the end cap portion, the bump portion, and the heel portion includes an elastomer material. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a sole of the footwear. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage one or more structural inserts in communication with a bump portion of the upper. The footwear article according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion forms a footwear article. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the upper further includes a plurality of stitches. The article of footwear according to claim 1, wherein the knitted material has a plurality of different knitted fabrics formed by changing at least one of a stitch type and a yarn type. A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, comprising: forming a seamless knitted material including a foot receiving portion; and forming an opening for receiving a user's foot in the foot receiving portion during the knitting process. A method for manufacturing an upper for footwear articles, comprising: forming an upper. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming comprises using a double needle knitting process to form a knitting element. The method of claim 11, wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of stitches. The method of claim 11, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the step of knitting with a fabric structure surrounding a fabric element, wherein the knitted fabric element is configured to form a seamless footwear upper; and the knitted fabric A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising: removing an element from the surrounding knitted fabric structure; and forming the knitted fabric element into an article of a footwear upper. The method of claim 15, wherein the knitted fabric element has a substantially flat configuration when removed from the surrounding knitted fabric structure. The method of claim 15, wherein the knitted fabric element has a plurality of different knitted fabrics formed by changing at least one of a stitch type and a yarn type. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of simultaneously knitting with the fabric structure surrounding the fabric element comprises using a jacquard double needle bar raschel knitting machine. The method of claim 15, wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of stitches. The method of claim 15, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole.