Customized shoe textures and shoe portions

• US 10,575,584 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Inventors: McDowell, Sean M., Cioffi, Bryan Paul, Bruno, Stephen N
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US15/887,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20180263329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0036 characterised by a special shape or design
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A shoe with a three-dimensional (3-D) surface texture created using rapid manufacturing techniques is provided. A plurality of 3-D surface texture options is presented on a user interface; each of the options is associated with one of a plurality of 3-D surface textures to be applied to a portion of a shoe. A selection of a 3-D surface texture is received and is used in part to generate a design file. The design file is used to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture the portion of the shoe comprised of the 3-D surface texture using a rapid manufacturing technique.

Claims

1. A computerized method for creating a shoe configuration using solid deposition modeling, the computerized method carried out by a processor running on a computer and comprising:

presenting a plurality of shoe upper configuration options on a user interface, the plurality of shoe upper configuration options associated with a plurality of shoe upper configurations;

receiving a selection of a first shoe upper configuration option of the plurality of shoe upper configuration options, the first shoe upper configuration option associated with a first shoe upper configuration;

presenting a plurality of three-dimensional (3-D) functional portion options on the user interface, each of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options associated with one of a plurality of 3-D functional portions to be applied to an area of the first shoe upper configuration;

receiving a selection of at least one 3-D functional portion option of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options, the at least one 3-D functional portion option associated with a first 3-D functional portion, wherein the first 3-D functional portion comprises one or more of a forefoot flexibility functional portion, a breathability functional portion, and a heel lockdown functional portion;

subsequent to receiving the selection of the first shoe upper configuration option, presenting a plurality of 3 D surface texture options on the user interface, each of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options associated with one of a plurality of 3-D surface textures, wherein the plurality of 3-D surface texture options presented is customized based upon the selection of the first shoe upper configuration option;

receiving a selection of a first 3-D surface texture option of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options, the first 3-D surface texture option associated with a first 3-D surface texture;

generating an augmented design data file based at least on a 3-D shoe design data file, the received selection of the first shoe upper configuration, the received selection of the first 3-D functional portion, and the received selection of the first 3-D surface texture; and

using the augmented design data file to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture the first shoe upper configuration having the first 3-D functional portion and the first 3-D surface texture using solid deposition modeling.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a scan of a foot of a user; and

creating the 3-D shoe design data file based, at least in part, on the performed scan.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising combining the first shoe upper configuration having the first 3-D functional portion and the first 3-D surface texture with one or more additional shoe portions to form a shoe.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein the one or more additional shoe portions comprise at least one or more of a midsole and an outsole.

5. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein the one or more additional shoe portions comprise at least one or more additional portions of the first shoe upper configuration.

6. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options is associated with a 3-D surface texture customized by a user.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein subsequent to receiving the selection of the first 3-D surface texture option of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options, presenting a digital representation of the first shoe upper configuration with the first 3-D surface texture applied thereto on the user interface.

8. A computerized method for creating a shoe configuration using solid deposition modeling, the computerized method carried out by a processor running on a computer and comprising:

presenting a plurality of shoe upper configuration options on a user interface, the plurality of shoe upper configuration options associated with a plurality of shoe upper configurations;

receiving a selection of a first shoe upper configuration option of the plurality of shoe upper configuration options, the first shoe upper configuration option associated with a first shoe upper configuration;

presenting a plurality of three-dimensional (3-D) functional portion options on the user interface, each of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options associated with one of a plurality of 3-D functional portions to be applied to an area of the first shoe upper configuration;

receiving a selection of at least one 3-D functional portion option of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options, the at least one 3-D functional portion option associated with a first 3-D functional portion, wherein the first 3-D functional portion comprises one or more of a forefoot flexibility functional portion, a breathability functional portion, and a heel lockdown functional portion;

subsequent to receiving the selection of the first shoe upper configuration option, presenting a plurality of 3 D surface texture options on the user interface, each of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options associated with one of a plurality of 3-D surface textures, wherein the plurality of 3-D surface texture options presented is customized based upon the selection of the first shoe upper configuration option;

receiving a selection of a first 3-D surface texture option of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options to be applied to a first portion of the upper of the first shoe upper configuration, the first 3-D surface texture option associated with a first 3-D surface texture;

receiving a selection of a second 3-D surface texture option of the plurality of 3-D surface texture options to be applied to a second portion of the first shoe upper configuration, the second 3-D surface texture option associated with a second 3-D surface texture;

generating an augmented design data file based at least on a 3-D shoe design data file, the received selection of the first shoe upper configuration, the received selection of the first 3-D functional portion, the first 3-D surface texture, and the second 3-D surface texture; and

using the augmented design data file to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture the first shoe upper configuration comprised of the first 3-D functional portion, the first portion of the first shoe upper configuration and the first 3-D surface texture and the second portion of the first shoe upper configuration and the second 3-D surface texture using solid deposition modeling.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the first shoe upper configuration is at a same location as the second portion of the first shoe upper configuration.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the first 3-D surface texture is manufactured before the second 3-D surface texture.

11. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the first shoe upper configuration is at a different location from the second portion of the first shoe upper configuration.

12. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the first 3-D surface texture is a different texture from the second 3-D surface texture.

13. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the 3-D shoe design data file corresponds to a scan of a user'"'"'s foot.

14. A computerized method for creating a shoe configuration using solid deposition modeling, the computerized method carried out by a processor running on a computer and comprising:

presenting a first plurality of visual images on a user interface, each of the first plurality of visual images associated with one of a plurality of shoe upper configurations;

receiving a selection of a first visual image of the first plurality of visual images, the first visual image associated with a first shoe upper confirmation;

presenting a plurality of three-dimensional (3-D) functional portion options on the user interface, each of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options associated with one of a plurality of 3-D functional portions to be applied to an area of the first shoe upper configuration;

receiving a selection of at least one 3-D functional portion option of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options, the at least one 3-D functional portion option associated with a first 3-D functional portion, wherein the first 3-D functional portion comprises one or more of a forefoot flexibility functional portion, a breathability functional portion, and a heel lockdown functional portion;

subsequent to receiving the selection of the first visual image associated with the first shoe upper configuration, presenting a second plurality of visual images on the user interface, each of the second plurality of visual images associated with one of a plurality of 3-D surface textures, wherein the second plurality of visual images presented is customized based upon the selection of the first visual image associated with the first shoe upper configuration;

receiving a selection of a first visual image of the second plurality of visual images, the first visual image of the second plurality of visual images associated with a first 3-D surface texture;

generating an augmented design data file based at least on a 3-D shoe design data file, the received selection of the first shoe upper configuration, the received selection of the first 3-D functional portion, and the received selection of the first 3-D surface texture; and

using the augmented design data file to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture the first shoe upper configuration having the first 3-D functional portion and the first 3-D surface texture using solid deposition modeling.

15. The computerized method of claim 14, further comprising combining the first shoe upper configuration having the first 3-D functional portion and the first 3-D surface texture with one or more additional shoe portions to form a shoe.

16. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein the one or more additional shoe portions comprise at least one or more of a midsole and an outsole.

17. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein the one or more additional shoe portions comprise at least one or more additional portions of the first shoe upper configuration.

18. The computerized method of claim 14, wherein subsequent to receiving the selection of the first visual image of the second plurality of visual images, presenting a digital representation of the first shoe upper configuration with the first 3-D surface texture applied thereto on the user interface.

19. The computerized method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the second plurality of visual images is associated with a 3-D surface texture customized by a user.