Auxetic structures and footwear with soles having auxetic structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10455894-B2
Application number	US-201615389844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A method of customizing the sole structure of an article of footwear includes providing a sole structure with a sole component having an inner surface and an opposite-facing outer surface. The sole component includes a plurality of inner recesses extending from the inner surface and a plurality of outer recesses extending from the outer surface, the plurality of inner recesses include a blind-hole inner recess, the plurality of outer recesses include a blind-hole outer recess, and the blind-hole inner recess is generally aligned with the blind hole outer recess along a vertical direction. The plurality of inner recesses and the plurality of outer recesses provide the sole component with an auxetic structure. The method further includes adjusting the flexibility of the sole component by selectively cutting or removing material from one or both of the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of customizing a sole structure of an article of footwear, the method comprising:
adjusting the flexibility of a sole component of the sole structure, the sole component having an inner surface and an opposite-facing outer surface;
wherein the sole component includes a plurality of inner recesses extending from the inner surface and a plurality of outer recesses extending from the outer surface, the plurality of inner recesses including a blind-hole inner recess, the plurality of outer recesses including a blind-hole outer recess, and wherein the blind-hole inner recess is generally aligned with the blind hole outer recess along a vertical direction;
wherein the plurality of inner recesses and the plurality of outer recesses are arranged to provide the sole component with an auxetic property; and

wherein adjusting the flexibility of the sole component includes selectively cutting or removing material from one or both of the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively cutting or removing material from one or both of the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess includes increasing the depth of one or both of the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively cutting or removing material from one or both of the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess fluidly couples the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein fluidly coupling the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess forms a through-hole aperture that is open through both the inner surface and the outer surface of the sole component.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively cutting or removing material includes applying laser energy to the sole component.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively cutting or removing material includes contacting the sole component with a hot-knife.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blind-hole inner recess is spaced apart from the blind-hole outer recess by an interior region of the sole component, the interior region having a thickness that extends in the vertical direction between a first interior surface associated with the inner recess and a second interior surface associated with the outer recess; and
wherein selectively cutting or removing material includes decreasing the thickness of the interior region.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the sole structure includes forming the sole structure having the plurality of inner recesses and the plurality of outer recesses via molding the sole component.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein molding the sole component includes:
selecting a first mold, wherein the first mold includes one or more first projections for forming the plurality of inner recesses, each having a first depth;
selecting a second mold, wherein the second mold includes one or more second projections for forming the plurality of outer recesses, each having a second depth;
associating the first projections of the first mold with the inner side of the sole component;
wherein the heights of the first projections are less than a thickness of the portion of the sole component they are associated with;
forming a first pattern of the inner recesses on the inner side of the sole component;
associating the second projections of the second mold with the outer side of the sole component;
wherein the height of the second projections are less than the thickness of the portion of the sole component they are associated with;
forming a second pattern of the outer recesses on the outer side of the sole component;
removing the first mold from the sole component; and
removing the second mold from the sole component.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blind-hole inner recess is three-pointed star-shaped with at least three inner arms, and the blind-hole outer recess is three-pointed star-shaped with at least three outer arms; and
wherein selectively cutting or removing material from one or both of the blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess includes cutting or removing material from each of the three inner arms and/or each of the three outer arms.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blind-hole inner recess is a first blind-hole inner recess and the blind-hole outer recess is a first blind-hole outer recess;
wherein the plurality of inner recesses further includes a second blind-hole inner recess, the plurality of outer recesses further includes a second blind-hole outer recess, and wherein the second blind-hole inner recess is generally aligned with the second blind hole outer recess along a vertical direction; and
wherein adjusting the flexibility of the sole component further includes selectively cutting or removing material from one or both of the second blind-hole inner recess and the second blind-hole outer recess.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the flexibility of the sole component is adjusted differently proximate the first blind-hole inner recess than proximate the second blind-hole inner recess.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Cross Tory M
• Hoffer Kevin W
• Jones David P
• Kirschner Patrick B
• Langvin Elizabeth
• Meschter James C

Classifications

• B29D35/0063

  Moulds · CPC title

• B29C44/357

  Auxetic foams, i.e. material with negative Poisson ratio; anti rubber; dilatational; re-entrant · CPC title

• A43B13/14

  characterised by the constructive form · CPC title

• A43B13/188

  Differential cushioning regions · CPC title

• A43B1/0009

  made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material · CPC title