Footwear component for an article of footwear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9565897-B2
Application number	US-201514745909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2015
Priority date	Feb 9, 2010
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A footwear component and a method of making the footwear component are disclosed. The footwear component includes a first portion and a second portion that are joined at a transition zone. The first portion and the second portion have different flexibility characteristics. The footwear component can bend at the transition zone to accommodate the natural bending of a foot. The method can include removing material from a preformed member and applying layers of different materials to form a component with different properties in different regions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a lasting board for an article of footwear, the lasting board having a member, an upper layer and a lower layer, comprising the steps of:
forming the member of a first material, the member having a sole shape with a forward member portion and a rearward member portion disposed rearwardly of the forward member portion;
the member having a first thickness in the forward member portion and the member having the same first thickness in the rearward member portion;
reducing the first thickness of the rearward member portion to form an intermediate layer having a second thickness that is less than the first thickness;
forming the upper layer on an upper surface of the intermediate layer and forming the lower layer on a lower surface of the intermediate layer;
the forward member portion of the member comprising a forward portion of the lasting board having the first thickness;
the upper layer, the intermediate layer and the lower layer together comprising a rearward portion of the lasting board having the first thickness;
both the upper layer and the lower layer being formed of a second material that is different from the first material;
the forward portion and the rearward portion meeting at a transition zone, wherein the transition zone has the first thickness; and
wherein the forward portion is more flexible than the rearward portion.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of reducing the thickness of the rearward member portion comprises a step of removing material from the rearward member portion.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of reducing the thickness of the rearward member portion comprises a step of compressing the rearward member portion.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the upper layer and the lower layer comprises a step of molding the second material above and below the intermediate layer.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lasting board flexes at the transition zone.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first material is more flexible than the second material.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the upper layer and the lower layer have equal thicknesses.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transition zone is linear along a direction extending between a medial side and a lateral side of the lasting board.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rearward portion comprises a central cavity that extends through the upper layer, the intermediate layer, and the lower layer; and
forming an insert configured for insertion into the central cavity;
and wherein the insert comprises a third material that is substantially different from the first material and substantially the same as the second material.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the third material is substantially more rigid than the first material.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first material is a non-woven fabric.

12. A method of making a customized lasting board with a forward portion and a rearward portion for an article of footwear, comprising the steps of:
receiving information related to a user-selected lasting board design;
the user-selected lasting board design having a customized transition zone location;
forming the customized lasting board from at least a first material and a second material that is different from the first material so that the customized lasting board has a transition zone at a portion of the customized lasting board corresponding to the customized transition zone location;
the transition zone separating the forward portion of the customized lasting board from the rearward portion of the customized lasting board, the rearward portion being disposed rearwardly of the forward portion;
the forward portion comprising a single layer of the first material extending from an upper surface to a lower surface of the customized lasting board;
the rearward portion comprising at least one layer of the first material and at least one layer of the second material; and
wherein the forward portion is more flexible than the rearward portion.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the transition zone has a location and orientation configured to be aligned with a natural bending region of a foot when an article of footwear with the customized lasting board is worn.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the step of forming the customized lasting board comprises steps of:
forming a member comprised of the first material and having a first thickness;
reducing the first thickness of a portion of the member to a second thickness to form an intermediate layer of the member and leaving an adjacent portion of the member corresponding to the forward portion of the customized lasting board with the first thickness; and
forming at least one layer of the second material on a surface of the intermediate layer so that the rearward portion of the customized lasting board is comprised of the intermediate layer and the at least one layer of the second material.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the first material is more flexible than the second material.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the forward portion and the transition zone are located within a forefoot section of the customized lasting board.

17. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the transition zone is linear along a widthwise direction of the customized lasting board.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein:
the transition zone extends from a lateral side to a medial side of the customized lasting board; and
wherein a first end of the transition zone is disposed forwardly relative to a second end of the transition zone with respect to a longitudinal axis of the customized lasting board.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the rearward portion comprises a central cavity that extends through the at least one layer of the first material and the at least one layer of the second material; and
forming an insert configured for insertion into the central cavity;
and wherein the insert comprises a third material that is substantially different from the first material and substantially the same as the second material.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the third material is substantially more rigid than the first material.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Auger Perry W
• Crumbleholme Neil
• Gu Deilang

Classifications

• A43B7/1425

  situated under the ball of the foot, i.e. the joint between the first metatarsal and first phalange · CPC title

• A43B13/04

  Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre · CPC title

• A43B13/41

  combined with heel stiffener, toe stiffener, or shank stiffener · CPC title

• A43B7/1445 Primary

  situated under the midfoot, i.e. the second, third or fourth metatarsal · CPC title

• A43B17/006 Primary

  multilayered · CPC title