Foamed articles and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12286733-B2
Application number	US-202318456011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2023
Priority date	Sep 21, 2021
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

Foamed articles including a foamed thermoplastic elastomeric material, methods of making the articles, and methods for manufacturing articles of footwear, apparel, and athletic equipment incorporating the articles are provided. One exemplary method for making a foamed article comprises placing an article comprising a foamable fibrous element and carbon dioxide in a vessel, the foamable fibrous element comprising a plurality of filaments, fibers, and/or yarns, wherein each member of the plurality comprises a foamable material; maintaining the vessel at a first pressure and first temperature at which the carbon dioxide is a liquid and carbon dioxide is soluble in the foamable material; optionally exposing the infused article to a second temperature and second pressure; and subjecting the article to a third pressure and third temperature at which the infused carbon dioxide phase transitions to a gas, thereby expanding the foamable material into a foamed material and forming the foamed article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article of footwear comprising:
a textile element comprising a first yarn, wherein the first yarn comprises a first physically-expanded foamed material comprising one or more first thermoplastic elastomers, wherein the textile element further comprises a second yarn, wherein the second yarn is unfoamed.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the first physically-expanded foamed material is a product of placing an unfoamed yarn comprising a solid foamable material in liquid carbon dioxide, infusing the solid foamable material with the liquid carbon dioxide, and expanding the infused solid foamable material by phase transitioning the infused carbon dioxide into a gas under conditions which do not soften the solid foamable material, thereby forming the first physically-expanded foamed material of the textile element.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the first yarn comprises a core and the first physically-expanded foamed material surrounding the core.

4. The article of footwear of claim 3 , wherein the core comprises a second physically-expanded foamed material.

5. The article of footwear of claim 3 , wherein the core comprises a second unfoamed material.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the textile element is a knit textile, a woven textile, a crocheted textile, a braided textile, a tatted textile, a non-woven textile, or any combination thereof.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the textile element is a knit textile or a woven textile.

8. The article of footwear of claim 7 , wherein the first yarn is inlaid in the textile element.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the textile element is an upper for the article of footwear.

10. The article of footwear of claim 9 , wherein a first zone of the textile element comprises the first physically-expanded foamed material and is configured to form at least a portion of a forefoot opening area, an ankle collar area, of both a forefoot opening area and an ankle collar area of the article of footwear.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first thermoplastic elastomers comprise one or more thermoplastic elastomeric polyolefin homopolymers or copolymers, one or more thermoplastic elastomeric polyamide homopolymers or copolymers, one or more thermoplastic elastomeric polyester homopolymers or copolymers, one or more thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane homopolymers or copolymers, one or more thermoplastic elastomeric styrenic homopolymers or copolymers, or any combination thereof.

12. An article of footwear comprising:
a textile element comprising a first yarn, wherein the first yarn comprises a first physically-expanded foamed material comprising one or more first thermoplastic elastomers, wherein the textile element is an upper for the article of footwear.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the first physically-expanded foamed material is a product of placing an unfoamed yarn comprising a solid foamable material in liquid carbon dioxide, infusing the solid foamable material with the liquid carbon dioxide, and expanding the infused solid foamable material by phase transitioning the infused carbon dioxide into a gas under conditions which do not soften the solid foamable material, thereby forming the first physically-expanded foamed material of the textile element.

14. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the first yarn comprises a core and the first physically-expanded foamed material surrounding the core.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the core comprises a second physically-expanded foamed material.

16. The article of footwear of claim 14 , wherein the core comprises a second unfoamed material.

17. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the textile element is a knit textile, a woven textile, a crocheted textile, a braided textile, a tatted textile, a non-woven textile, or any combination thereof.

18. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the textile element is a knit textile or a woven textile.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18 , wherein the first yarn is inlaid in the textile element.

20. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein a first zone of the textile element comprises the first physically-expanded foamed material and is configured to form at least a portion of a forefoot opening area, an ankle collar area, of both a forefoot opening area and an ankle collar area of the article of footwear.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Chang Yihua
• Hanson Lyle R
• Khlyabich Petr
• Watkins Richard L

Classifications

• C08J2375/04

  Polyurethanes · CPC title

• C08J2329/04

  Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids · CPC title

• C08J2323/08

  Copolymers of ethene (C08J2323/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08J2203/06

  CO2, N2 or noble gases · CPC title

• C08J9/35

  Composite foams, i.e. continuous macromolecular foams containing discontinuous cellular particles or fragments · CPC title