This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/179,956, filed Feb. 13, 2014, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a sole assembly for an article of footwear having a textile shell for supporting a cushioning component, and a method of manufacturing same.
Footwear typically includes a sole configured to be located under a wearer's foot to space the foot away from the ground or floor surface. Soles can be designed to provide a desired level of cushioning. Athletic footwear in particular sometimes utilizes polyurethane foam or other resilient materials in the sole to provide cushioning. Fluid-filled bladders are sometimes included in the sole to provide desired impact force absorption, motion control, and resiliency. The incorporation of additional materials and components adds processing steps to the manufacturing of footwear.
An article of footwear is provided that has a sole assembly with a cushioning component and a shell composed at least partially of a textile layer. The shell forms a cavity with an opening. The cushioning component is positioned in the cavity so that the cushioning component is supported on a lower surface by the shell and the upper surface of the cushioning component is at least partially uncovered by the shell at the opening.
The shell may include many different materials, including a textile such as a ballistic nylon, and/or a fabric netting, which may be stretched in a predetermined direction to provide desired performance characteristics. The shell may include a thermoplastic urethane fused with the textile layer.
The shell is configured so that the shell and cushioning component are positioned relative to one another without adhesives or solvents. The cushioning component may be any resilient component, such as a bladder element, a foam layer, or mechanical cushioning elements. The shell may be configured to have greater compliance under vertical loading than under lateral loading. The cushioning component is configured to have desired performance characteristics with respect to the attenuation of vertical loads.
The article of footwear is manufacturable according to a relatively simple and efficient method. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes forming an at least partially textile shell so that the shell has a cavity with an opening. Under the method, a cushioning component is positioned in the cavity of the formed shell so that a lower surface of the cushioning component is supported on an inner surface of the shell and is at least partially uncovered by the shell at the opening. The lower surface of the cushioning component is then secured to the inner surface of the shell by radio frequency welding or adhesive.
“A,” “an,” “the,” “at least one,” and “one or more” are used interchangeably to indicate that at least one of the item is present; a plurality of such items may be present unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. All numerical values of parameters (e.g., of quantities or conditions) in this specification, including the appended claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” whether or not “about” actually appears before the numerical value. “About” indicates that the stated numerical value allows some slight imprecision (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring and using such parameters. In addition, a disclosure of a range is to be understood as specifically disclosing all values and further divided ranges within the range.
The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, or components. Orders of steps, processes, and operations may be altered when possible, and additional or alternative steps may be employed. As used in this specification, the term “or” includes any one and all combinations of the associated listed items.
Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “top,” “bottom,” etc., are used descriptively for the figures, and do not represent limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present disclosure are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the concepts of the disclosure when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like components throughout the several views,
In some embodiments, the footwear upper 18 can include an overlaying component, such as a strobel unit 19 (shown in
The shell 14 is configured to maintain the three-dimensional shape shown in
As further discussed herein, the cushioning component 16 can be secured to the shell 14 by RF welding at an interface 33, along the bottom surface 29 of the cushioning component 16, such as where a web portion 34 of the cushioning component 16 is seated on a raised ridge 36A of the shell 14.
In the embodiment shown, the cushioning component 16 is a fluid-filled bladder element formed from a first polymeric sheet 38 and a second polymeric sheet 40 joined at a peripheral flange 42 and at the web portion 34. The flange 42 and the web portion 34 define and bound a pattern of separate descending protrusions 44A, 44B, 44C, 44D, 44E of the cushioning component 16 that each form a separate internal cavity 46. The protrusions 44A-44E are fluid-filled with a gas such as air, and are impermeable to the escape of the gas. The protrusions 44A-44E are also referred to as pods. The web portion 34, flange 42, and protrusions 44A-44E are formed in a mold by thermoforming with vacuuming to separate the sheets 38, 40 at the protrusions 44A-44E. The mold is configured to compress the sheets 38, 40 at the flange 42 by a pinch seam, and to join the sheets 38, 40 by compression at the web portion 34. The pinch seam flange 42 allows the upper sheet 38 to remain relatively flat to provide a smooth foot-receiving surface, while the protrusions 44A-44E of the lower sheet 40 descend downward relative to the upper sheet 38 and the flange 42. Such a pinch seam is referred to as an upper pinch seam.
The shell 14 is configured to form ridges at the inner surface 30 that extend upward toward the opening 26 and at least partially separate the cavity 24 into compartments arranged in a predetermined pattern. For example, the ridge 36A extends longitudinally in the shell 14 and is contiguous with laterally extending ridges 36B, 36C, 36D, and 36E. Additional ridges 37A, 37B, 37C, and 37D are formed in the shell 14. Forming the shell 14 into ridges 36A-36E and 37A-37D creates corresponding flex grooves 39A-39C and 41A-41D in the shell 14 at the underside of the ridges 36A-36E and 37A-37D, on the outer surface 52 of the shell 14. The ridges 36A-36E extend further toward the opening 26 than do the ridges 37A-37D. Accordingly, flex grooves 39A, 39B, and 39C formed by the ridges 36A-36E are deeper than flex grooves 41A, 41B, 41C, 41D formed by the ridges 37A-37D. The flex grooves 39A-39C can be referred to as primary or full-depth flex grooves, as they are configured to correspond with ridges 36A-36E that extend sufficiently upward toward the opening 26 to be equal to the depth of the protrusions 44A-44E of the cushioning component. The flex grooves 41A-41D can be referred to as secondary or partial-depth flex grooves.
Accordingly, the ridges 36A-36E separate the shell 14 into individual compartments 43A, 43B, 43C, 43D, and 43E for each of the protrusions 44A, 44B, 44C, 44D, 44E, respectively, with only the web portion 34 extending over and resting on the upper surface 32 (i.e., the crest) of each corresponding ridge 36A-36E. The individual compartments 43A, 43B, 43C, 43D, and 43E are subcavities of the cavity 24. The ridges 37A, 37B, 37C, 37D interfit with the profile of a respective one of the protrusions 44A-44E of the cushioning component 16, but do not interfit with the web portion 34 between the pods.
As is apparent in
In an embodiment in which the cushioning component 16 is a bladder element, the cushioning component 16 can be formed from a variety of materials including various polymers that can resiliently retain a fluid such as air or another gas. Examples of polymer materials for the bladder element 16 include thermoplastic urethane, polyurethane, polyester, polyester polyurethane, and polyether polyurethane. Moreover, the bladder element 16 can be formed of layers of different materials. In one embodiment, the bladder element 16 is formed from thin films having one or more thermoplastic polyurethane layers with one or more barriers layers of a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl alcohol (EVOH) that is impermeable to the pressurized fluid contained therein as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,025 to Bonk et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Bladder element 16 may also be formed from a material that includes alternating layers of thermoplastic polyurethane and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,713,141 and 5,952,065 to Mitchell et al. which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Alternatively, the layers may include ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, thermoplastic polyurethane, and a regrind material of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and thermoplastic polyurethane. The bladder element 16 may also be a flexible microlayer membrane that includes alternating layers of a gas barrier material and an elastomeric material, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,082,025 and 6,127,026 to Bonk et al. which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Additional suitable materials for the bladder element 16 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,183,156 and 4,219,945 to Rudy, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Further suitable materials for the bladder element 16 include thermoplastic films containing a crystalline material, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,936,029 and 5,042,176 to Rudy, and polyurethane including a polyester polyol, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,013,340, 6,203,868, and 6,321,465 to Bonk et al. which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. In selecting materials for the bladder element 16, engineering properties such as tensile strength, stretch properties, fatigue characteristics, dynamic modulus, and loss tangent can be considered. The thicknesses of sheets of materials used to form the bladder element 16 can be selected to provide these characteristics.
When the cushioning component is a bladder element 16, it is resilient and provides cushioning and flexibility that can be tuned such as by selecting a level of pressurization. Tensile members and/or reinforcing structures can be integrated with the bladder element 16 to provide desired responsiveness, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,502 to Rudy et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,061,060 to Swigart et al., which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
In other embodiments, multiple cushioning components that are separate bladder elements can be placed into the shell 14 so that peripheral flanges of the bladder elements overlap. The separate cushioning components can then be joined by bonding at the overlapping flanges due to heat and pressure during thermoforming. For example, referring to
In other embodiments, as an alternative to one or more fluid-filled bladder elements, the cushioning component 16 can be formed from foam, polymeric beads, or resilient mechanical components that provide cushioning. When formed from foam or polymeric beads, the cushioning component 16 can have the same shape as shown in
Referring to
In the example embodiment of
The outer textile layer 50 is formed of the same at least partially textile material or of a different material, which may be at least partially textile, and may be arranged as a fabric netting 58. As shown, the netting 58 is stretched in the directions of the double-sided arrow A during forming of the shell 14. The stretched netting 58 will provide resistance to flexing of the shell 14 in response to forces applied against the netting 58. For example, if the layers are positioned so that the direction of stretching is vertically along the sidewalls 22 of the shell 14, then the stretched netting 58 will resist lateral motion of the shell 14 in comparison to un-stretched netting. The netting 58 also functions as a rip-stop when joined with the other materials of the shell 14.
The inner textile layer 48 interfaces with the cushioning component 16 in the assembled article of footwear 10. Accordingly, the inner textile layer 48 may be selected to reduce abrasion and minimize frictional squeak in interfacing with the cushioning component 16. The outer textile layer 50 may interface with a ground surface. Accordingly, the outer textile layer 50 may be selected to provide a predetermined level of abrasion resistance, flexibility, durability, water resistance, and other characteristics. Non-limiting examples of materials that may be used for the textile layers 48, 50 include a thermal plastic urethane such as Aeroply, made of recycled bladder elements, KEVLAR®, i.e., an aramid fiber, or a ballistic nylon. KEVLAR® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del. The textile layers 48, 50 may have selected knit formations, such as a circular knit or a warped knit, or may be configured as a netting.
The shell 14 can be formed so that different portions of the shell 14 have different desired strengths or stiffnesses. For example, the various layers and components of the shell 14 can be joined by heat, vacuum, and compression in a two-piece mold assembly 62 shown in
Another example mechanism to configure the shell 14 to be more compliant under vertical loading than under lateral loading is the inclusion of reinforcing members 84 secured to the outer surface 52 of the shell 14 along the laterally-extending flex grooves such as flex grooves 39B, 39C, 41B, and 41D as shown in
Additional support members 90 can be included with the multiple layers and formed therewith so that the support members 90 extend at the bottom surface 52 of the shell 14. The support members 90 can be of a high durability rubber or other high wear material, and can function as outsole elements on the shell 14. Like the reinforcing members 84, the support members 90 can be placed between the layers 48, 50 during forming of the shell 14, or can be placed outward of the textile layer 50. In either instance, materials such as the diffused TPU in the shell 14 can secure the members 84, 90 to the other shell components. Still further, the support members 90 could be secured to the shell 14 after molding of the other layers of the shell 14.
Support members 193 surround the heel area of the upper portion 192. The support members 193 can be plastic or another suitable material. Additional support members 190 can be included with the multiple layers and formed therewith so that the support members 190 extend at the bottom surface 152 of the shell 114. The support members 190 can be of a high durability rubber or other high wear material, and can function as outsole elements on the shell 114. The support members 190 can be placed between the layers 148, 150 during forming of the shell 114, or can be placed outward of the outer textile layer 150. In either instance, materials such as the diffused TPU in the shell 114 can secure the members 190 to the other shell components. Still further, the support members 190 could be secured to the shell 114 after molding of the other layers of the shell 114.
The shell 114 is pleated at a transition from a bottom surface 152 to the sides of the lower portion 191. Sample pleats 195 are shown in
The lower tool 214 has cavities 216 and an upper face 218 arranged in a pattern to receive the bottom of the shell 14 so that portions of the upper face 218 extending between the cavities 216 interfit in the flex grooves 39A-39C of the shell 14 (labeled in
Referring to
Optionally, forming the shell in method 302 may include pleating the textile layers in sub-step 310. For example, the layers 148 and 150 of the shell 114 are pleated at pleats 195 as described with respect to
Forming the shell 14 or 114 in method 302 may also include sub-step 312, in which netting 58 or 158 is stretched in a predetermined direction. The netting 58 or 158 must remain stretched during the compressing sub-step 316 in order to capture the stretch configuration of the netting 58 or 158 in the formed shell 14 or 114. The netting 58 or 158 may be integral with one of the textile layers 48, 148, 50, 150
In optional sub-step 314, any reinforcing members 84 and support members 90, 190, 193 are positioned at predetermined locations in the mold assembly 62 prior to the compressing sub-step 316 so that the formed shell 14 or 114 will have a desired compliance in vertical loading that is greater than a compliance in lateral loading, such as discussed with respect to
Finally, in sub-step 316, the arranged components of the shell 14 or 114 are compressed in the mold assembly 62 while heating and applying a vacuum to the mold assembly 62, to produce the formed shell 14 or 114. The compression under sub-step 316 is provided at different pressures in different regions of the mold assembly 62 so that the resulting shell 14 or 114 will have different strengths and stiffnesses at different portions. For example, the crests 80 of the ridges 36A-36E are a first region that is relatively stiff compared to the walls 82 (a second region) to enable greater compliance of the shell 14 or 114 under vertical loading than under lateral loading.
Once the shell 14 or 114 is formed, the method 300 of forming the article of footwear 10 or 110 proceeds to step 318 in
In step 320, the formed cushioning component 16 or 116 is positioned in the formed shell 14 or 114, as is shown and discussed with respect to
Next, in step 324, the RF tooling 210 is closed by compressing the upper tool 212 against the lower tool 214, with the components of the article of footwear 10 or 110 sandwiched therebetween. RF weld energy is applied, causing the shell 14 or 114, cushioning component 16, and strobel unit 19 to be secured to one another simultaneously at select weld areas as described. Alternatively, the shell 14 or 114, cushioning component 16, and strobel unit 19 can be secured to one another in step 324 by adhesive. Finally, in step 326, the footwear upper 18 is secured to the shell 14, such as by stitching, heat seaming, bonding, or otherwise, unless the upper is formed by the shell as is the case with shell 114.
Accordingly, under the method 300, a relatively lightweight article of footwear 10 or 110 with desirable performance characteristics is assembled in a minimal number of steps and, if RF welding is used, without the use of adhesives or solvents.
While the best modes for carrying out the disclosure have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this disclosure relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the disclosure within the scope of the appended claims. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not as limiting.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200015548 A1 | Jan 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14179956 | Feb 2014 | US |
Child | 16580594 | US |