Patent Application
20200405003
The present invention relates to a shoe, an upper of a shoe, and a method of manufacturing the shoe and the upper.
An article of footwear usually includes two primary elements, an upper and a sole element. In recent years, the manufacture of uppers includes a double textile layer construction, namely a first inner layer and a second outer layer proved to provide a plurality of advantages like comfort, flexibility as well as a cheaper manufacture. However, creating an upper having a double textile layer often results in a lot of wrinkles, folds and creases due to the presence of the at least partially disconnected inner and outer layers. To avoid these disadvantages, costly additional manufacturing steps may be required, like fusion of low melt yarns by heat treatments or the manufacture of additional stabilizing parts to provide an upper with a sufficient amount of form and shape.
For instance, EP 3 338 585 A1 relates to footwear including an inner knitted fabric and an outer knitted fabric that are connected by a stitch row at a top line. US 2016/0143394 A1 relates to a method for producing a shoe upper including a tubular inner side knitted fabric portion to become an inner side portion of the shoe upper and a tubular outer side knitted fabric portion to become an outer side portion of the shoe upper, which are knitted with the inner side knitted fabric portion and the outer side knitted fabric portion lined on left and right on the needle beds and with foot insertion opening corresponding portions of the knitted fabric portions connected.
Further, CN208144577 U relates to one-piece multilayer socks shoes. The socks shoes including the face and sole are made of an elastic yarn to knit a socks shoes face. The face includes an inner layer fabric body and an outer layer fabric body of the socks shoes and a lining support body in between both layers with a fabric body.
Furthermore, CN106605997 A relates to a pair of sock shoes, wherein the shape of the vamp is identical to the curve shape of the foot of the human body. The vamp is a sock obtained using basic cotton or synthetic fiber yarns and adding heating fuse silks. The vamp is subjected to heat shaping after being sleeved on a shoe last. JP2016041510A relates to a shoe having a particularly seamless integrally moulded structure comprising two socks. The internal sock is braided with a low melting point yarn and nylon elastic yarns. A hollow mold is put into the interior of the surface socks and baking is used to fix the surface texture and form of the yarn.
It is therefore an object underlying the present invention to improve shoes and uppers of shoes so that the above outlined disadvantages are at least partly overcome. It is also an object underlying the present invention to provide a more efficient method of producing the same.
The above-mentioned problem is at least partly solved by the subject matter described herein.
In an embodiment, an upper for a shoe includes a first tubular textile layer and a second tubular textile layer, wherein the first tubular textile layer is at least partially surrounded by the second tubular textile layer thus forming an internal textile layer and an external textile layer. The first tubular textile layer includes a first zone, wherein the first zone includes a first yarn. The first tubular textile layer includes a second yarn, wherein the first yarn is more resilient than the second yarn and wherein the first zone has a polygonal shape.
The present invention therefore provides, by the introduction of at least one polygonal shaped first zone into the first tubular textile layer, an upper for a shoe with a nice and sportive performance silhouette without the need of adding a considerable amount of highly stiff reinforcing materials like low melting point yarns or chemi-sheets. This enables to attain a softer and more comfortable upper for a shoe which may be suitable for both narrow and wide feet. The term chemi-sheet may refer to a chemical sheet, for example in form of a tape, a film or similar, which may be used to provide reinforcement to various parts of the upper of the shoe.
The inventors have found that a polygonal shape of the first zone improves stability and decreases wrinkles in a two-layered tubular textile element as compared to a rounded shape. It may be noted that as used herein the term “first zone” may not be limited to one interconnected first zone but may also include multiple interconnected or separated smaller parts of the first zone. In some embodiments, the total area of the first textile layer including the first zone may be between 1 to 50%, between 5 to 30%, or between 10 to 20% of the area of the first textile layer.
The first yarn may include an elastic yarn, which may have an elastic thread as a core and a polyester yarn wrapped around this core as a sheath. The term resilient yarn as used herein may relate to a yarn with the ability to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed. Therefore, by bending, stretching, or compressing two identically sized textile elements including different yarns, the textile element with the smaller deviation when compared to the initial dimensions prior to the bending, stretching or compressing treatment may be referred to as including the more resilient yarn. It may be noted that the second yarn may be at least used within the first tubular textile layer outside of the first zone. Therefore, by using a more resilient yarn in the first zone than outside, this zone may be adapted and specially formed to support at least the silhouette of the first and second tubular textile layer.
In some embodiments, at least a part of the first tubular textile layer and/or the second tubular textile layer is knitted. Using parts of knitted tubular textile layers may provide an upper having a natural and soft knitted character, while the polygonal first zone of the first tubular textile layer may provide the needed support for the second tubular textile layer to still maintain the shape of the upper and for example prevent the throat from collapsing easily. The term tubular textile layer may include textile layers, which are directly knitted in a tubular manner, for example using a circular knitting machine. A tubular textile layer may also be produced by first manufacturing a flat textile layer and then combining the flat layer to a tubular shape by means of sewing, stitching, gluing or similar techniques.
The amount of knitted parts may be adjusted according to the intended use of the shoe including such an upper. In some embodiments at least 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% of the first tubular textile layer and/or the second tubular textile layer is knitted. It may be appreciated that the scope of the present invention is not limited to only knitted textiles. Similar embodiments with woven, non-woven, braided textiles or other textiles are also possible to be used within the scope of the present invention.
The incorporation of the first zone into the first tubular textile layer may be provided by using an intarsia knitting technique, which may enable a direct transition from the first yarn into the second yarn. In some embodiments, the polygonal shape of the first zone includes less than 20 corners, less than 16 corners, less than 12 corners, or less than 8 corners. Having the polygonal shape of the first zone with angular or sharp corners and/or edges may improve the reduction of creases in the second layer of the upper. In another embodiment, the polygonal shape of the first layer may include rounded off edges and/or rounded off corners in at least one first zone, which may allow an optimized polygonal shaped first zone according to its intended location.
In some embodiments, the first tubular textile layer and the second tubular textile layer are manufactured as a one-piece element. The term one-piece element may be understood as either manufacturing both layers within a single process and therefore being directly connected. This may reduce the costs for production and may increase the overall throughput by omitting an additional step of combining both layers. The term one-piece element may be also understood as manufacturing both layers separately and connecting the first and the second layer in an additional manufacturing step to form the one-piece element by sewing, gluing, by means of a melt yarn (and at least partially melting the melt yarn), a meltable sheet (and at least partially melting the meltable sheet), a chemical sheet, such as an adhesive sheet or tape, or any other suitable means. In doing so, the internal textile layer and the external textile layer may be attached to each other at a collar or ankle area of the upper and/or at least at an area of the upper different from the collar or ankle area, for example at a toe area.
In some embodiments including a one-piece element, the first tubular textile layer may be folded into the second tubular textile layer or the second tubular textile layer may be at least partially folded over the first tubular textile layer. An advantage of the folding is that it integrally provides a foot-receiving opening of the shoe upper and no additional steps of cutting may be required. Therefore, waste is reduced, and the method is simplified, compared to existing methods.
In some embodiments, the first zone is at least located at an instep area, a heel area, a collar area, or a throat area of the first tubular textile layer of the upper. By locating the first zone at areas of the first tubular textile layer that are prone to folding, collapsing, or wrinkling when the upper is finished, the present invention provides an upper in which the undesirable folding, collapsing, or wrinkling of the first and second tubular textile layers may be prevented without the necessity of supplementary reinforcement elements. Alternatively or additionally, the first zone may form at least a part of the collar region of the first tubular textile layer of the upper and/or may be at least connected to the collar region of the first tubular textile layer of the upper.
In another aspect, a shoe including an upper according to any of the above-mentioned embodiments is provided.
In another aspect, a method of manufacturing an upper for a shoe including the steps of manufacturing a first tubular textile layer including a first zone, wherein the first zone comprises a polygonal shape is provided. A further step includes manufacturing a second tubular textile layer and at least partially surrounding the first tubular textile layer with the second tubular textile layer. The first zone includes a first yarn and the first tubular textile layer includes a second yarn, wherein the first yarn is more resilient than the second yarn.
Therefore, a method of manufacturing an upper for a shoe is provided in which the at least one polygonal shaped first zone may be adapted to prevent a creasing of a collar area or a collapsing of a throat and/or instep area of the upper.
In some embodiments, the first yarn includes an elastic yarn. This may improve retaining the shape of the upper immensely compared to a first textile layer consisting only of polyester yarns. Manufacturing the first tubular textile layer and manufacturing the second tubular textile layer may further include knitting at least a part of the first tubular textile layer and/or the second tubular textile layer. Furthermore, at least 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% of the first tubular textile layer and/or the second tubular textile layer may be knitted.
Alternatively or additionally, manufacturing the first tubular textile layer including the first zone may include incorporating the first zone into the first tubular textile layer by an intarsia knitting technique. Therefore, more innovative shoe upper shapes may be possible with a smart placement of intarsia polygonal shapes of the first zone as the limitations coming from creasing of the upper may have been already prevented.
In some embodiments, the polygonal shape of the first zone includes less than 20 corners, less than 16 corners, less than 12 corners, or less than 8 corners. The polygonal shape may prevent a wrinkling of the first and second textile layers and may smoothen out the surface to provide an upper for a shoe with a better overall look. In another embodiment, the polygonal shape of the first layer may include rounded off edges and/or rounded off corners in at least one first zone, which may allow an optimized polygonal shaped first zone adapted to its intended location.
The manufacturing of an upper may further include manufacturing the first tubular textile layer and the second tubular textile layer as a one-piece element, and furthermore folding the first tubular textile layer into the second tubular textile layer or folding the second tubular textile layer at least partially over the first tubular textile layer. This may reduce the number of steps needed for production of a two-layered shoe upper and therefore provides a more efficient and cheaper method when compared to existing techniques.
In some embodiments the method may further include, locating the first zone at least at an instep area, a heel area, a collar area, or a throat area of the first tubular textile layer of the upper. Alternatively or additionally, the method may further include the steps of forming at least a part of the collar region of the first tubular textile layer of the upper with the first zone and/or connecting the first zone at least to the collar region of the first tubular textile layer of the upper.
In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a shoe is provided that includes manufacturing an upper according to any of the above-mentioned embodiments and attaching a sole to the upper.
Aspects of the present invention are described in more detail in the following by reference to the accompanying figures.
In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail, with reference to an upper of a shoe and the shoe. While specific feature combinations are described in the following with respect to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. In particular, not all features have to be present for realizing the invention, and the embodiments may be modified by combining certain features of one embodiment with one or more features of another embodiment.
The at least one first zone 130 includes a polygonal shape which may include sharp edges 133 and corners 131. The polygonal shape reduces creasing of the first 110 and second 120 tubular textile layer. A placement of the at least one polygonal first zone 130 at an instep area improves slipping of the foot of the wearer into the shoe including such an upper, due to a better instep area stretchability. The first yarn of the first zone 130 may include an elastic yarn, which may have an elastic thread as a core and a polyester yarn wrapped around this core as a sheath. Other embodiments may include different elastic yams.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method to stabilize a first tubular textile layer 110 and a second tubular textile layer 120 due to a clever arrangement of at least one first zone 130. Therefore, a stretchability of such an upper 100 may be unimpeded by the means of stabilizing the shape of the upper 100 according to the present invention. This improves existing shoes, in which a considerable amount of low melting yarns, reinforcement linings, or chemi-sheets, for example, are used to keep a textile upper of a shoe in shape which affects the overall stretchability of the shoe and may even add unnecessary bulk and weight to the shoe upper.
The first tubular textile layer 110 of the upper 100 is folded into the second tubular textile layer 120 depicted by the arrow 140 in
Some embodiments described herein relate to an upper for a shoe that includes a first tubular textile layer and a second tubular textile layer, wherein the first tubular textile layer is at least partially surrounded by the second tubular textile layer thus forming an internal textile layer and an external textile layer. The first tubular textile layer of the upper for a shoe includes a first zone, the first zone includes a first yarn, the first tubular textile layer includes a second yarn, wherein the first yarn is more resilient than the second yarn, and wherein the first zone comprises a polygonal shape.
In any of the various embodiments described herein, at least 40% of the first tubular textile layer or the second tubular textile layer may be knitted.
In any of the various embodiments described herein, the first zone may be incorporated into the first tubular textile layer using an intarsia knitting technique.
Some embodiments described herein relate to a method of manufacturing an upper for a shoe, wherein the method includes manufacturing a first tubular textile layer having a first zone, wherein the first zone has a polygonal shape, manufacturing a second tubular textile layer, and surrounding at least partially the first tubular textile layer with the second tubular textile layer, wherein the first zone includes a first yarn and the first tubular textile layer includes a second yarn, and wherein the first yarn is more resilient than the second yarn.
In any of the various embodiments described herein, the polygonal shape of the first zone may include less than 20 corners.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2019 209 275.6 | Jun 2019 | DE | national |
