UV curable lattice microstructure for footwear

• US 10,034,519 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adidas AG
• Original Assignee: Adidas AG
• Inventors: Lussier, Michel Reginald
• Primary Examiner(s): Kavanaugh, Ted
• Application Number:
  US15/184,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20170360156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0205 characterised by the material material of the lining A43B23/07, material of toe stiffeners or heel stiffeners A43B23/08
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/028 Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/042 Uppers made of one piece one piece slippers A43B3/106; one piece sandals A43B3/124
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/085 in the upper
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 5/00 Eyelets machines for setting eyelets A43D100/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0805 using electromagnetic radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0894 provided with masks or diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/124 using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/129 characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/12 Producing parts thereof, e.g. soles, heels, uppers, by a moulding technique
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/126 Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0002 monomers or prepolymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2437/02 Gloves, shoes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/12 characterised by a layer of regularly- arranged cells, e.g. a honeycomb structure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/266 characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/024 Woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/026 : Knitted fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/028 : Net structure, e.g. spaced apart filaments bonded at the crossing points
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 : another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 : Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 : Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

An upper for a sports shoe may include a component such as a vamp or a rear portion. The shoe component may include a UV curable microlattice structure with a plurality of regions such that each region has a different density. In some cases, the microlattice structure may include a high density microlattice structure, a mid-level density microlattice structure, and a non-structural region with a low density microlattice structure.

Claims

1. An upper for a sports shoe, the upper comprising:

a vamp comprising an ultra-violet curable microlattice structure comprising a plurality of regions such that the plurality of regions comprise at least two different densities; and

at least one transition between the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and a second material, wherein;

at the at least one transition, the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the second material are arranged end to end; and

the at least one transition comprises (i) a bottom layer covering a bottom side and overlapping at least a portion of both the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the second material and (ii) a top layer covering a top side and overlapping at least a portion of both the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the second material.

2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions comprises at least two of an eye stay region, a first region, and a second region.

3. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions comprises an eye stay region, a first region, and a second region.

4. The upper of claim 3, wherein the eye stay region comprises a high density microlattice structure, the first region comprises a mid-level density microlattice structure, and the second region comprises a low density microlattice structure.

5. The upper of claim 3, wherein:

the first region is disposed between the eye stay region and a bottom of the vamp; and

the second region is disposed adjacent to the first region.

6. The upper of claim 1, wherein the at least one transition comprises (i) at least one first stitch that passes through at least one of the top layer, the bottom layer, and the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and (ii) at least one second stitch that passes through at least one of the top layer, the bottom layer, and the second material.

7. The upper of claim 6, wherein the at least one first stitch passes through the top layer, the bottom layer, and the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the at least one second stitch passes through the top layer, the bottom layer, and the second material.

8. The upper of claim 1, wherein the second material is selected from the group consisting of knits, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, leather, and synthetic leather.

9. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions of the vamp each comprise a different color or pattern created by additives impregnated into each region.

19. The upper of claim 1, wherein:

the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure comprises an array of beams arranged three-dimensionally; and

each intersection of at least two beams comprises a node, wherein each node is larger than a diameter of the beams.

20. The upper of claim 19, wherein each of the nodes comprises a spherical shape.

10. An upper for a sports shoe, the upper comprising:

a rear portion comprising an ultra-violet curable microlattice structure comprising a plurality of regions such that the plurality of regions comprise at least two different densities, wherein;

the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure comprises an array of beams arranged three-dimensionally; and

each intersection of at least two beams comprises a node, wherein each node is larger than a diameter of the beams.

11. The upper of claim 10, wherein each of the nodes comprises a spherical shape.

12. The upper of claim 10, wherein the plurality of regions comprises at least two of a collar, a heel counter, and a padding region.

13. The upper of claim 10, wherein the plurality of regions comprises a collar, a heel counter, and a padding region.

14. The upper of claim 13, wherein the heel counter comprises a high density microlattice structure, the collar comprises a mid-level density microlattice structure, and the padding region comprises a low density microlattice structure.

15. The upper of claim 10, wherein the rear portion comprises at least one transition between the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and a second material, wherein:

at the at least one transition, the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the second material are arranged end to end; and

the at least one transition comprises (i) a bottom layer covering a bottom side and overlapping at least a portion of both the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the second material and (ii) a top layer covering a top side and overlapping at least a portion of both the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and the second material.

16. The upper of claim 15, wherein the at least one transition comprises (i) at least one stitch that passes through the top layer, the bottom layer, and the ultra-violet curable microlattice structure and (ii) at least one stitch that passes through the top layer, the bottom layer, and the second material.

17. The upper of claim 15, wherein the second material is selected from the group consisting of knits, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, leather, and synthetic leather.

18. The upper of claim 10, wherein the plurality of regions of the rear portion each comprise a different color or pattern created by additives impregnated into each region.