Patterned three-dimensionally molded footwear and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10960630-B2
Application number	US-201715588433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2017
Priority date	May 5, 2017
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

Methods for manufacturing at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear that include thermo-forming a pattern on the upper. The methods may include disposing a skin for forming an upper over and inflatable bladder and disposing a mold insert between the skin and a surface of a mold cavity. The mold insert may include a mold pattern including surface features formed in the mold insert. The inflatable bladder may be inflated such that the skin is pressed against the mold insert within a heated mold cavity to form a pattern on an exterior surface of the skin and cause the skin to take on the shape of at least a portion of an upper. In some embodiments, the surface features may be disposed in a gradient pattern configured to provide varying degrees of one or more characteristics to different areas of an upper.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:
disposing an inflatable bladder around a last;
disposing a skin over the inflatable bladder;
placing the last, the inflatable bladder, and the skin within a cavity of a mold such that a mold insert is disposed between the skin and a surface of the mold cavity, the mold insert comprising:
a mold-cavity-facing surface, a skin-facing surface opposite the mold-cavity-facing surface, a hollow shape defined by lateral and medial sides of the skin-facing surface, an open bottom end, an open top end, and a mold pattern comprising a plurality of surface features formed in the mold insert;
heating the mold to a predetermined temperature; and
inflating the inflatable bladder such that the skin is pressed against the mold insert within the heated mold cavity, thereby forming a pattern on an exterior surface of the skin and causing the skin to take on the shape of at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface features comprise a plurality of openings extending through the mold insert from the skin-facing surface to the mold-cavity-facing surface.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface features comprise a plurality of cavities formed in the skin-facing surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the skin comprises a low melting point thermoplastic polymer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the low melting point thermoplastic polymer softens when the skin is pressed against the mold insert,
wherein the mold pattern of the mold insert causes a first degree of softening in the low melting point thermoplastic polymer of the skin at a first portion of the skin, and
wherein the mold pattern of the mold insert causes a second degree of softening in the low melting point thermoplastic polymer of the skin at a second portion of the skin.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the skin defining the exterior surface of the skin comprises a low melting point thermoplastic polymer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold insert comprises an insulative material having a thermal conductivity of equal to or less than 1 W/m-K at 294.15 degrees K.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold insert is releasably attached to the mold cavity.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold pattern comprises surface features disposed in a gradient pattern that extends from a forefoot portion of the mold insert to a heel portion of the mold insert, and wherein the gradient pattern comprises surface features having one or more dimensional characteristics that vary within the gradient pattern.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the surface features in the gradient pattern have varying volumetric sizes.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the surface features in the gradient pattern have varying depths.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the number of surface features per unit area varies in the gradient pattern.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the pattern on the exterior surface of the skin formed by the gradient pattern provides varying degrees of one or more characteristics to different areas of the at least a portion of the upper.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disposing a sole plate in the mold cavity, wherein inflating the inflatable bladder presses the sole plate against a sole pattern formed on the interior surface of the mold cavity, thereby forming structural features on the sole plate.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein inflating the inflatable bladder within the heated mold cavity bonds the sole plate to the skin.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the structural features comprise traction elements.

17. A method of providing a pattern on at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:
disposing an inflatable bladder around a last;
disposing an upper material over the inflatable bladder, the upper material comprising a low melting point thermoplastic polymer;
providing a mold insert comprising a mold-cavity-facing surface, an upper-facing surface opposite the mold-cavity-facing surface, a hollow shape defined by lateral and medial sides of the upper-facing surface, an open bottom end, an open top end, and a mold pattern comprising a plurality of surface features formed in the mold insert;
placing the last, the inflatable bladder, and the upper material within a cavity of a mold such that the mold insert is disposed between the upper material and a surface the mold cavity;
heating the mold to a predetermined temperature; and
inflating the inflatable bladder such that the upper material is pressed against the mold insert within the heated mold cavity, thereby forming a pattern on an exterior surface of the upper material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the mold insert comprises a stencil comprising surfaces features disposed between struts of the stencil, wherein the surface features are openings extending through the mold insert from the upper-facing surface to the mold-cavity-facing surface.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the openings are disposed in a gradient pattern that extends from a forefoot portion of the mold insert to a heel portion of the mold insert, and wherein the gradient pattern comprises openings with varying depths.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the exterior surface of the skin is pressed directly against the skin-facing surface of the mold insert and wherein a second portion of the exterior surface of the skin is not pressed directly against the skin-facing surface of the mold insert.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the exterior surface of the skin is pressed directly against the skin-facing surface of the mold insert and wherein a second portion of the exterior surface of the skin is pressed directly against the surface of the mold cavity.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the exterior surface of the skin is pressed directly against the skin-facing surface of the mold insert and wherein a second portion of the exterior surface of the skin is separated from the surface of the mold cavity by air.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold pattern on the mold insert heats a first portion of the skin to a first temperature and a second portion of the skin to a second temperature different from the first temperature, and
wherein the heating the first and second portions of the skin to the first and second temperature results in the formation of the pattern on the exterior surface of the skin.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold pattern on the mold insert causes a first degree of softening for a first portion of the skin and a second degree of softening for a second portion of the skin,
wherein the first degree of softening is different from the second degree of softening, and
wherein the first and second degrees of softening for the first and second portions of the skin result in the formation of the pattern on the exterior surface of the skin.

Assignees

• Adidas Ag

Inventors

• Schneider Andrew Jacob
• Blume Keith Alexander
• Hennebery Ian James
• Kleiman Benjamin William
• Padovani Matteo Edmond
• Musho Edward John
• Arnese Carl

Classifications

• A43B9/20

  welded · CPC title

• A43B13/226

  the profile being made in the foot facing surface · CPC title

• B29C37/0053

  Moulding articles characterised by the shape of the surface, e.g. ribs, high polish (mould construction therefor B29C33/42; surface shaping of articles B29C59/00; by incorporating filler in or near the surface B29C70/64) · CPC title

• B29C43/10

  Isostatic pressing, i.e. using non-rigid pressure-exerting members against rigid parts or dies · CPC title

• A43B23/0245

  characterised by the constructive form · CPC title