Method of manufacturing article of footwear with graduated projections
First Claim
1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising:
- providing a textile;
applying at least one of heat and pressure to the textile using a texturing device to form a textured area of the textile that is spaced apart from a substantially smooth area of the textile; and
forming at least part of an upper from the textile after applying the at least one of heat and pressure to the textile, the upper having a cavity configured to receive a foot and having the textured area extend continuously from a medial side of the upper to a lateral side of the upper across a forefoot region of the upper;
wherein forming at least part of the upper from the textile includes providing the substantially smooth area of the textile with a smooth surface that defines a reference boundary of the upper; and
wherein forming the textured area includes forming a plurality of projection structures that form a gradient pattern and project outwardly from the reference boundary and a plurality of recess structures that recess inwardly from the reference boundary, the plurality of recess structures including a first recess structure recessed inwardly from the reference boundary by a first height and a second recess structure recessed inwardly from the reference boundary by a second height, the plurality of projection structures including a first projection structure disposed between the first recess structure and the second recess structure and projecting outwardly from the reference boundary by a third height that is greater than the first height and the second height.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes providing a textile and applying heat and/or pressure to the textile using a texturing device to form a textured area of the textile. The textured area is spaced apart from a substantially smooth area of the textile. The method further includes forming at least part of an upper from the textile after applying the heat and/or pressure to the textile. The upper includes a cavity configured to receive a foot. The substantially smooth area is configured to define a reference boundary of the upper. The substantially smooth area and the textured area are each configured to be disposed at predetermined regions of the upper. Furthermore, forming the textured area includes forming a plurality of projection structures that project outward from the reference boundary at varying distances.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising:
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providing a textile; applying at least one of heat and pressure to the textile using a texturing device to form a textured area of the textile that is spaced apart from a substantially smooth area of the textile; and forming at least part of an upper from the textile after applying the at least one of heat and pressure to the textile, the upper having a cavity configured to receive a foot and having the textured area extend continuously from a medial side of the upper to a lateral side of the upper across a forefoot region of the upper; wherein forming at least part of the upper from the textile includes providing the substantially smooth area of the textile with a smooth surface that defines a reference boundary of the upper; and wherein forming the textured area includes forming a plurality of projection structures that form a gradient pattern and project outwardly from the reference boundary and a plurality of recess structures that recess inwardly from the reference boundary, the plurality of recess structures including a first recess structure recessed inwardly from the reference boundary by a first height and a second recess structure recessed inwardly from the reference boundary by a second height, the plurality of projection structures including a first projection structure disposed between the first recess structure and the second recess structure and projecting outwardly from the reference boundary by a third height that is greater than the first height and the second height. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23)
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20. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising:
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knitting a knitted component of unitary knit construction, the knitted component including a knit element and a tensile element; inlaying a first segment of the tensile element in a first area of the knit element, inlaying a second segment of the tensile element in a second area of the knit element, and disposing a third segment of the tensile element outside the knit element, the third segment extending between the first segment and the second segment; inserting the knit element into a cavity of a texturing device; applying at least one of heat and pressure to the knit element while in the cavity to form a textured area adjacent to a substantially smooth area having a smooth surface that defines a reference plane of the knitted component, the textured area including a plurality of first projection structures that project from the reference plane in a first direction and a plurality of second projection structures that form a gradient pattern and project from the reference plane in a second direction opposite the first direction, the plurality of first projection structures including a first projection structure projecting from the reference plane in the first direction by a first height and a second projection structure projecting from the reference plane in the first direction by a second height, the plurality of second projection structures including a third projection structure disposed between the first projection structure and the second projection structure and projecting from the reference plane in the second direction by a third height that is greater than the first height and the second height; forming at least a portion of an upper from the knitted component, the textured area of the knitted component extending continuously from a medial side of the upper to a lateral side of the upper across a forefoot region of the upper, wherein the first area and the first segment are disposed proximate a throat of the upper, wherein the second area and the second segment are disposed proximate a sole attachment area of the upper, and wherein the second projection structures extend into an inner void defined by the upper; and attaching the sole attachment area to a sole structure. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 24)
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Specification