Layered materials, methods of making, methods of use, and articles incorporation the layered materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11786007-B2
Application number	US-202117455087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2021
Priority date	May 3, 2018
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure, in general, provides for a layered material that can be incorporated in to textiles (e.g., footwear, apparel, sporting equipment, or components of each). In an aspect, the layered material includes an externally facing layer and a thermoplastic hot melt adhesive layer and optionally one or more inner layers between the externally facing layer and the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive layer. The present disclosure provides for articles including the layered material such as footwear, apparel, sporting equipment, a component of an article of sporting equipment, apparel or footwear, including a outsole structure for footwear.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of making an article of footwear, comprising:
affixing a backing plate and a layered material to one another, thereby forming an outsole component of the article of footwear, wherein the outsole component is configured to be a ground facing component of the article of footwear, wherein the outsole component comprises the backing plate and the layered material on the backing plate, wherein the layered material has an externally facing layer and a second layer opposite the externally facing layer, wherein the externally facing layer forms at least a portion of an outer surface of the outsole component, wherein the externally facing layer comprises a hydrogel material and the second layer comprises a thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material, and wherein the backing plate comprises one or more of the traction elements that are ground facing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of affixing includes affixing the backing plate and the layered material to each other such that the externally facing layer forms at least a portion of a side of the outsole component which is configured to be ground facing.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the externally facing layer is disposed on the backing plate in an area separating the one or more traction elements.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backing plate includes a toe region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, wherein the layered material is disposed in the midfoot region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more inner layers are disposed between the externally facing layer and the second layer, wherein the one or more inner layers are selected from a tie layer, a regrind layer, and an elastomer layer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backing plate includes a toe region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, wherein the layered material is disposed on the midfoot region wherein the one or more traction elements are not located in the midfoot region, and wherein the one or more traction elements are located in the toe region, the heel region, or both.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layered material is not disposed on a tip of the one or more traction elements that are configured to be ground contacting.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more traction elements are selected from the group consisting of: a cleat, a stud, a spike, and a lug.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more traction elements are integrally formed with the backing plate or the one or more traction elements are removably attached to the backing plate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more inner layers are disposed between the externally facing layer and the second layer, wherein the one or more inner layers are selected from a tie layer, a regrind layer, and an elastomer layer.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogel material is selected from the group consisting of: a polyurethane hydrogel, a polyamide hydrogel, a polyurea hydrogel, a polyester hydrogel, a polycarbonate hydrogel, a polyetheramide hydrogel, a hydrogel formed of addition polymers of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogel material comprises a hydrogel formed of a copolymer, wherein the copolymer is a combination of two or more types of polymers within each polymer chain.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the copolymer is selected from the group consisting of: a polyurethane/polyurea copolymer, a polyurethane/polyester copolymer, and a polyester/polycarbonate copolymer.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material comprises one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, polyurethanes and polyolefins.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material comprises a polymeric composition, wherein the polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature of from about 80 degree Celsius to about 135 degree Celsius.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the tie layer includes a tie material comprising a thermoplastic polymer, wherein the thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, polyurethanes, polyolefins, and a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the regrind layer includes a regrind material comprising two or more of the following: the hydrogel material, the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material, an elastomer material, and a tie material.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material comprises a polymeric composition, the polymeric composition exhibits a glass transition temperature Tg of about 50 degree Celsius or less.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material comprises a polymeric composition, the polymeric composition exhibits a melt flow index of about 0.1 g/10 min to about 60 g/10 min at 160 degree Celsius using a test weight of 2.16 kg.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic hot melt adhesive material comprises a polymeric composition, the polymeric composition exhibits an enthalpy of melting of at least about 5 J/g.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• CONSTANTINOU Jay
• Dyer Caleb W
• Walker Jeremy D
• Wright Zachary C

Classifications

• A43B13/122 Primary

  characterised by the outsole or external layer · CPC title

• A43B5/02

  Football boots {or shoes, i.e. for soccer, football or rugby} · CPC title

• A43B13/04 Primary

  Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre · CPC title

• A43B13/26

  projecting beyond the sole surface · CPC title

• A43C15/16

  Studs {or cleats} for football or like boots · CPC title