Knit textiles and uppers, and processes for making the same

• US 10,458,052 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Adami, Giovanni, Amis, Sam, Cavaliere, Sergio, Green, Jessica, Hipp, Stephen, Hurd, John, Molyneux, James, Rushbrook, Thomas J., Smith, Timothy J., Wincek, Christianna
• Primary Examiner(s): Mohandesi, Jila M
• Application Number:
  US15/808,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20180125159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 36 87, 36 3 A, 36 45
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/10 Knitted
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/00 Materials specially adapted for outerwear
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0018 made at least partially of flexible, bellow-like shaped material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/04 Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/12 Soles with several layers of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/024 Different layers of the same material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0255 assembled by gluing or thermo bonding
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 9/02 Footwear stitched or nailed through
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 11/003 Applying or removing protective coverings
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 111/00 Shoe machines with conveyors for jacked shoes or for shoes or shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 95/10 Drying or heating devices for shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 95/12 Devices for conditioning, tempering, or moistening preparatory to pulling-over or lasting A43D11/14
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 95/14 incorporating marking, printing, or embossing apparatus ornamentation of shoe part blanks A43D8/16; printing per se , stamping per se B41
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/004 Textile or other fibrous material made from plastics fibres combined with plastic layers B29C51/145; compression moulding of reinforced plastic articles in matched moulds B29C70/46; using pressure difference B29C70/44
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/02 Combined thermoforming and manufacture of the preform
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/26 : Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/44 : using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/0054 : by compression moulding, vulcanising or the like; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/06 : having soles or heels formed and joined on to preformed uppers using a moulding technique, e.g. by injection moulding, pressing and vulcanising
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/068 : using particular materials for the preformed uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/126 : Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/142 : Soles
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/146 : Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2667/00 : Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2821/003 : Thermoplastic elastomers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2823/00 : Use of polyalkenes or derivatives thereof as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2871/00 : Use of polyethers, e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone or PEK, i.e. polyetherketone or derivatives thereof, as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2875/00 : Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2877/00 : Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2913/00 : Use of textile products or fabrics as mould materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/50 : Footwear, e.g. shoes or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 1/12 : Stencil printing; Silk-screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/001 : using chemical colour-formers or chemical reactions, e.g. leuco dyes or acids
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 6/62 : from polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 6/82 : from polyester amides or polyether amides
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/12 : characterised by thread material
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/16 : synthetic threads
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/24 : wearing apparel
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/041 : thermoplastic; thermosetting
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/0114 : with one or more yarns appearing predominantly on one face, e.g. plated or paralleled yarns for pile fabrics D03D27/00, D04B1/02, D04B21/02; for intarsia fabrics D04B1/126
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 : Footwear

Abstract

Articles of wear having one or more textiles that include a low processing temperature polymeric composition and a high processing temperature polymeric composition, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The low processing temperature polymeric composition and the high processing temperature polymeric composition can be selectively incorporated into a textile to provide one or more structural properties and/or other advantageous properties to the article. The textile can be thermoformed to impart such structural and/or other advantageous properties to the article of wear. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A combination upper and outsole for an article of footwear, comprising:

a textile including a first textile zone and a second textile zone, wherein the textile forms at least a medial midfoot area, a lateral midfoot area, and a ground-facing outsole area of the combination upper and outsole,

wherein the first textile zone is rigid or semi-rigid and forms at least a portion of the ground-facing outsole area of the combination upper and outsole, and forms at least a portion of the ground-facing outsole area of an article of footwear when the combination upper and outsole is present in an article of footwear;

wherein the first textile zone includes a first re-flowed material, wherein the first re-flowed material is a melted and re-solidified product of a first yarn, and wherein the first re-flowed material comprises a low processing temperature polymeric composition, the low processing temperature polymeric composition comprising one or more first thermoplastic polymers; and

wherein the low processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature T_m that is 135°

C. or less;

wherein the second textile zone is flexible and/or pliable and forms at least a portion of the upper of the combination upper and outsole, and forms at least a portion of the upper of the article of footwear when the combination upper and outsole is present in an article of footwear; and

wherein the second textile zone includes a second yarn, the second yarn comprising a high processing temperature polymeric composition, the high processing temperature polymeric composition comprising one or more second thermoplastic polymers, wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits at least one of;

     1) a creep relaxation temperature T_cr;

     2) a heat deflection temperature T_hd;

or

     3) a Vicat softening temperature T_vs that is greater than the melting temperature T_m of the low processing temperature polymeric composition,

wherein the combination upper and outsole includes at least a portion of the second yarn in at least a first course of loops and a second course of loops, and at least a portion of the first re-flowed material connects at least a portion of the first course of loops with at least a portion of the second course of loops.

2. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the first re-flowed material is on at least about 90% of the ground-facing outsole area.

3. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the combination upper and outsole further comprises a third textile zone positioned between the first textile zone and the second textile zone, the third textile zone forms at least a portion of the medial midfoot area and/or the lateral midfoot area of the combination upper and outsole and forms at least a portion of the medial midfoot area and/or the lateral midfoot area of the article of footwear when the combination upper and outsole is present in an article of footwear, the third textile zone includes the first course of loops and the second course of loops, and the third textile zone is less rigid than the first textile zone.

4. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 3, wherein the third textile zone is in the ground-facing outsole area.

5. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 3, wherein the first textile zone is in the medial midfoot area or a lateral midfoot area or both.

6. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the second yarn is a package dyed yarn.

7. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the one or more first thermoplastic polymers include one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyethers, polyamides, polyurethanes and polyolefins.

8. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 7, wherein the one or more first thermoplastic polymers comprise one or more thermoplastic co-polyamides.

9. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 8, wherein the one or more first thermoplastic polymers comprise one or more thermoplastic polyether block amide (PEBA) copolymers.

10. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the low processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature of about 80°

C. to about 135°

C.

11. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the first low processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a glass transition temperature T_g of about 50°

C. or less, exhibits a melt flow index of about 0.1 g/10 min to about 60 g/10 min at 160°

C. using a test weight of 2.16 kg, exhibits an enthalpy of melting of at least 5 J/g, exhibits a modulus of about 1 MPa to about 500 MPa, or any combination thereof.

12. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the one or more first thermoplastic polymers comprises a thermoplastic polyamide, a thermoplastic poly(ether-block-amide) or a thermoplastic polyurethane, and the first low processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature of about 80°

C. to about 135°

C., exhibits a glass transition temperature T_g of about 50°

C. or less, exhibits a melt flow index of about 0.1 g/10 min to about 60 g/10 min at 160°

C. using a test weight of 2.16 kg, exhibits an enthalpy of melting of at least 5 J/g, and exhibits a modulus of about 1 MPa to about 500 MPa.

13. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 12, wherein the low processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature of less than 125°

C., exhibits a glass transition temperature T_g of about 0°

C. or less, exhibits a melt flow index of about 5 g/10 min to about 40 g/10 min at 160°

C. using a test weight of 2.16 kg, exhibits an enthalpy of melting of from about 10 J/g to about 30 J/g, and exhibits a modulus of about 30 MPa to about 120 MPa.

14. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature T_m of greater than 140°

C.

15. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the high processing temperature polymeric composition exhibits a melting temperature T_m that is at least 10°

C. greater than a melting temperature T_m of the low processing temperature polymeric composition.

16. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the one or more second thermoplastic polymers comprise one or more thermoplastic polymers selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic polyamides, and combinations thereof.

17. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 16, wherein the one or more second thermoplastic polymers includes one or more thermoplastic polyesters.

18. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 17, wherein the one or more second thermoplastic polyesters includes thermoplastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

19. The combination upper and outsole according to claim 1, wherein the first re-flowed material is a melted and re-solidified product of a first yarn that formed a third course of loops interconnected with the first course of loops and the second course of loops, and the first yarn exhibits a tenacity of about 1 gram/denier to about 5 grams/denier, exhibits an elongation of less than about 130%, and exhibits a shrinkage of less than about 60%.