Articles of apparel including auxetic materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538798-B2
Application number	US-201314137038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

An article of apparel includes at least one panel including a first edge and an opposing second edge. The at least one panel includes an auxetic structure defining a primary elongation direction and a secondary elongation direction. A plurality of lace coupling pairs are positioned along the first edge and the second edge of the at least one panel. Each lace coupling pair defines a lace pull direction that is perpendicular to a line extending through two adjacent lace couplings of the lace coupling pair. Each lace pull direction is defined by the plurality of lace couplings substantially in alignment with either the primary elongation direction or the secondary elongation direction of the auxetic structure between the two adjacent lace couplings of the lace coupling pair.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article of apparel comprising:
at least one panel including a first edge and an opposing second edge, the at least one panel including an auxetic structure defining a primary elongation direction and a secondary elongation direction; and
a plurality of lace couplings positioned along the first edge and the second edge of the at least one panel, the plurality of lace couplings including a plurality of lace coupling pairs, each lace coupling pair including two adjacent lace couplings both positioned along either the first edge or the second edge of the at least one panel, each lace coupling pair defining a lace pull direction that is perpendicular to a line extending through the two adjacent lace couplings of the lace coupling pair, each lace pull direction substantially in alignment with either the primary elongation direction or the secondary elongation direction of the auxetic structure between the two adjacent lace couplings of the lace coupling pair.

2. The article of apparel of claim 1 further comprising at least one lace engaging the plurality of lace couplings, the at least one lace including a lace end, the at least one lace configured such that a force pulling on the lace end in a direction away from the plurality of lace couplings draws the lace couplings positioned along the first edge closer to the lace couplings positioned along the second edge.

3. The article of apparel of claim 1 , the at least one panel including a base layer and an auxetic layer, the auxetic structure provided on the auxetic layer, and the auxetic layer coupled to the base layer.

4. The article of apparel of claim 3 wherein the base layer and the auxetic layer are integrally formed of a polymer material.

5. The article of apparel of claim 3 wherein the base layer is provided by a stretch fabric material.

6. The article of apparel of claim 5 wherein the stretch fabric material is a two-way stretch material.

7. The article of apparel of claim 6 wherein the two-way stretch material defines a direction of stretch, wherein the two-way stretch material is oriented with the direction of stretch substantially in alignment with the primary elongation direction of the auxetic structure in a first region of the article of apparel, and wherein the two-way stretch material is oriented with the direction of stretch substantially perpendicular to the primary elongation direction in a second region of the article of apparel.

8. The article of apparel of claim 1 , the auxetic structure including a plurality of segments defining a repeating pattern of shapes with a void at a center of each shape.

9. The article of apparel of claim 8 wherein the void has an hourglass shape.

10. The article of apparel of claim 1 wherein the article of apparel is footwear, the first edge is a medial edge of a tongue opening, and the second edge is a lateral edge of the tongue opening.

11. The article of apparel of claim 10 wherein the footwear is a high-top shoe and the primary elongation direction of the auxetic structure is substantially different at a midfoot region of the high-top shoe than at an ankle region of the shoe.

12. A footwear article comprising:
a sole;
an upper coupled to the sole, the upper including a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, the upper including a tongue opening defined between a medial edge and an opposing lateral edge in the midfoot region of the upper;
an integrally formed auxetic structure provided on a panel of the upper and extending from the forefoot region to the heel region, the integrally formed auxetic structure including a plurality of segments defining a repeating pattern of shapes with a void within each shape; and
a plurality of lace couplings provided on the panel of the upper and extending along the medial edge and the lateral edge of the tongue opening.

13. The footwear article of claim 12 , the auxetic structure defining a primary elongation direction and a secondary elongation direction, wherein the primary elongation direction of the auxetic structure is substantially different in the forefoot region than in the heel region.

14. The footwear article of claim 12 wherein the footwear article is a high-top shoe such that the upper includes an ankle region and the integrally formed auxetic structure further extends to the ankle region.

15. The footwear article of claim 12 wherein the void has an hourglass shape.

16. A footwear article comprising:
a sole; and
an upper connected to the sole, the upper including a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, the upper including at least one panel provided in the midfoot region, the at least one panel including a base layer connected to an auxetic layer, the base layer comprising a fabric stretch material and the auxetic layer comprising an auxetic structure defining a repeating pattern of voids.

17. The footwear article of claim 16 , wherein the fabric stretch material is a two-way stretch fabric.

18. The footwear article of claim 16 , the at least one panel defining a tongue opening between a first edge and an opposing second edge of the at least one panel, the footwear article further including a plurality of couplings positioned along the first edge and the second edge of the at least one panel, and the auxetic structure defining a primary elongation direction and a secondary elongation direction.

19. The footwear article of claim 18 , the plurality of couplings including a plurality of lace coupling pairs, each lace coupling pair including two adjacent lace couplings both positioned along either the first edge or the second edge of the at least one panel, each lace coupling pair defining a lace pull direction that is perpendicular to a line extending through the two adjacent lace couplings of the lace coupling pair, each lace pull direction substantially in alignment with either the primary elongation direction or the secondary elongation direction of the auxetic structure.

20. The footwear article of claim 16 wherein the base layer is exposed through a first plurality of the repeating pattern of voids.

21. The footwear article of claim 20 wherein a second plurality of the repeating plurality of voids are filled with material.

22. The footwear article of claim 21 wherein the material is an elastic material.

23. The article of apparel of claim 1 wherein the auxetic structure includes a plurality of segments defining an array of cells, the array of cells including filled cells and unfilled cells.

24. The footwear article of claim 12 wherein a first plurality of voids in the repeating pattern of shapes are filled with material and a second plurality of voids in the repeating pattern of shapes are unfilled.

Assignees

• Under Armour Inc

Inventors

• Toronjo Alan

Classifications

• A43B23/0215

  Plastics or artificial leather · CPC title

• A45F3/04

  Sacks or packs carried on the body by means of two straps passing over the two shoulders · CPC title

• A41D31/0011 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A45F2003/001

  Accessories · CPC title

• A41D2400/82

  with the body of the user · CPC title