Knit textiles and uppers, and processes for making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11939709-B2
Application number	US-201715808862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2017
Priority date	Nov 9, 2016
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

Articles of wear having one or more textiles that include a low processing temperature polymeric composition and a high processing temperature polymeric composition, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The low processing temperature polymeric composition and the high processing temperature polymeric composition can be selectively incorporated into a textile to provide one or more structural properties and/or other advantageous properties to the article. The textile can be thermoformed to impart such structural and/or other advantageous properties to the article of wear. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A knit textile comprising:
an integrally connected upper and outsole of an article of footwear, comprising:
a first yarn comprising a low processing temperature polymeric composition, the low processing temperature polymeric composition comprising one or more first thermoplastic polymers; and
a second yarn comprising a high processing temperature polymeric composition, the high processing temperature polymeric composition comprising one or more second thermoplastic polymers, wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits at least one of: (1) a creep relaxation temperature T cr ; (2) a heat deflection temperature T hd ; or (3) a Vicat softening temperature T vs that is greater than the melting temperature T m of the low processing temperature polymeric composition;
wherein the first and second yarns at least partly form a plurality of interconnected courses on an outer surface of the knit textile, and the outer surface incudes a) a textile zone comprising the first yarn, b) a textile zone comprising the second yarn, and c) each of the two or more subzones individually comprises the first yarn and the second yarn;
wherein, on the outer surface of the textile, the textile zones are positioned with a first side of c) on a side of a) and an opposing second side of c) positioned on a side of b), such that c) is positioned between a) and b);
wherein a) includes an increased concentration of the first yarn as compared to b) and as compared to c), wherein each of the two or more transition subzones individually include increased concentrations of the first yarn as compared to b), and b) includes an increased concentration of the second yarn as compared to a) and as compared to the each of the two or more transition subzones; and wherein there is a different concentration of first yarn and second yarn in each of the zones and subzones and before the phase on line 33 wherein a)
wherein a) is configured to be ground facing in the integrally connected upper and outsole.

2. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein a) further comprises an area configured to be a sole perimeter area, an area configured to be a heel area, an area configured to be a toe-box area, and combinations thereof.

3. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein c) comprises an area configured to be a sole perimeter area, an area configured to be a heel area, an area configured to be a toe-box area, an area configured to be a medial midfoot area, an area configured to be a lateral midfoot area, and combinations thereof.

4. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein b) comprises an area configured to be a forefoot opening area, an area configured to be an ankle collar area, or both.

5. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the low processing temperature polymeric composition of the first yarn include one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, polyurethanes and polyolefins.

6. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature T m of greater than 140 degrees Celsius.

7. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the second yarn is a package dyed polyester yarn.

8. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature T m that is at least 10 degrees Celsius greater than a melting temperature T m of the low processing temperature polymeric composition.

9. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the low processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits at least one of a melting temperature of less than 125 degrees Celsius, a glass transition temperature T g of about 0 degrees Celsius or less, a melt flow index of about 5 grams per 10 minutes to about 40 grams per 10 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius using a test weight of 2.16 kg, an enthalpy of melting of from about 10 joules per gram to about 30 joules per gram, a modulus of about 30 megapascal to about 120 megapascal, or any combination thereof.

10. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the low processing temperature polymeric composition comprises a thermoplastic poly(ether-block-amide).

11. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition comprises one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic polyamides, and combinations thereof.

12. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition includes one or more thermoplastic polyesters.

13. The knit textile according to claim 1 , wherein b) is substantially free of the first yarn.

14. A article of footwear comprising:
an integrally connected upper and outsole, comprising a knit textile including;
a first re-flowed material, wherein the first re-flowed material is a melted and re-solidified product of a first yarn, and wherein the first re-flowed material comprises a low processing temperature polymeric composition, the low processing temperature polymeric composition comprising one or more first thermoplastic polymers; and
a second yarn comprising a high processing temperature polymeric composition, the high processing temperature polymeric composition comprising one or more second thermoplastic polymers, wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits at least one of: (1) a creep relaxation temperature T cr ; (2) a heat deflection temperature T hd ; or (3) a Vicat softening temperature T vs that is greater than the melting temperature T m of the low processing temperature polymeric composition;
wherein, on an outer surface of the knit textile, at least a portion of the second yarn is present in at least a first course of loops and a second course of loops, wherein at least a portion of the first course of loops of the second yarn and at least a portion of the second course of loops of the second yarn are connected by at least a portion of the first re-flowed material, and the knit article includes a) a textile zone comprises the first reflowed material, b) the flexible a textile zone comprises the second yarn, and c) each of the two or more transition subzones individually comprises the first reflowed material and the second yarn;
wherein, on the outer surface of the textile, the textile zones are positioned with a first side of c) on a side of the a) and an opposing second side of c) positioned on a side of b), such that c) is positioned between a) and b);
wherein a) includes an increased concentration of the first re-flowed material as compared to b) and as compared to the each of the two or more transition subzones, the each of the two or more transition subzones individually include increased concentrations of the first re-flowed material as compared to b), and b) includes an increased concentration of the second yarn as compared to a) and as compared to the each of the two or more transition subzones; and
wherein there is a different concentration of first yarn and second yarn in each of the zones and subzones and before the phrase on line 37 wherein a)
wherein a) is ground facing.

15. The article of footwear according to claim 14 , wherein b) is substantially free of the first re-flowed material.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Adami Giovanni
• Amis Sam
• Cavaliere Sergio
• Green Jessica
• Hipp Stephen
• Hurd John
• Molyneux James
• Rushbrook Thomas J
• Smith Timothy J
• Wincek Christianna

Classifications

• A43B23/0215 Primary

  Plastics or artificial leather · CPC title

• D04B1/24 Primary

  wearing apparel · CPC title

• A41D31/00

  Materials specially adapted for outerwear · CPC title

• A43B1/0018 Primary

  made at least partially of flexible, bellow-like shaped material · CPC title

• A43B13/04

  Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre · CPC title