Composite Shoe Upper and Method of Making Same
First Claim
1. A method of fabricating a portion of an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:
- positioning a plurality of panels into an assembly in which the locations of the panels correspond to locations to be occupied by the panels in a completed upper, wherein the assembly includesa substrate material panel having a first side and a second side,a mesh material panel having a first side facing away from the substrate material panel and a second side facing the substrate material panel, at least a portion of the mesh material panel overlapping the substrate material panel in a mesh/substrate overlap area, anda skin material panel having a first side facing away from the substrate material panel and a second side facing the substrate material panel, at least a portion of the skin material panel overlapping both the substrate material panel and the mesh material panel in a skin/mesh/substrate overlap area;
compressing the assembly at a first temperature in a first pressing operation during which the first sides of the substrate material, mesh material and skin material panels face a compressible surface conforming to the assembly; and
compressing the assembly at a second temperature in a second pressing operation during which the first sides of the substrate material, mesh material and skin material panels face a compressible surface conforming to the assembly, and whereinthe second pressing operation is performed after the first pressing operation, andthe second temperature is lower than the first temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bonded mesh composite panel of an upper includes a substrate layer formed from a substrate material, a mesh material layer and one or more skin material layers. The mesh composite can be fabricated by first arranging panels of substrate, mesh and skin layer material into an assembly corresponding to the locations of those panels in a completed upper. The assembly may include separate layers of hot melt bonding material interposed between the substrate, mesh and skin layers. The assembly is pressed at an elevated temperature so as to melt the bonding material and the skin layers and bond the elements together. Before the pressed assembly completely cools, it is then pressed a second time in an unheated press. A heat-conductive compressible pad can be used in the pressing process to create a surface effect in the skin layers that reveals a patterns of an underlying mesh layer.
160 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating a portion of an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:
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positioning a plurality of panels into an assembly in which the locations of the panels correspond to locations to be occupied by the panels in a completed upper, wherein the assembly includes a substrate material panel having a first side and a second side, a mesh material panel having a first side facing away from the substrate material panel and a second side facing the substrate material panel, at least a portion of the mesh material panel overlapping the substrate material panel in a mesh/substrate overlap area, and a skin material panel having a first side facing away from the substrate material panel and a second side facing the substrate material panel, at least a portion of the skin material panel overlapping both the substrate material panel and the mesh material panel in a skin/mesh/substrate overlap area; compressing the assembly at a first temperature in a first pressing operation during which the first sides of the substrate material, mesh material and skin material panels face a compressible surface conforming to the assembly; and compressing the assembly at a second temperature in a second pressing operation during which the first sides of the substrate material, mesh material and skin material panels face a compressible surface conforming to the assembly, and wherein the second pressing operation is performed after the first pressing operation, and the second temperature is lower than the first temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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positioning an upper pan of an assembly jig over a lower pan of the assembly jig, the lower pan having a plurality of locating pins extending away from the lower pan and the upper pan having a surface with a plurality of holes formed therein, the holes having locations corresponding to locations of the locating pins, each locating pin protruding through its corresponding hole after completion of positioning the upper pan; positioning a plurality of panels into an assembly in which the locations of the panels in the assembly correspond to locations to be occupied by the panels in a completed article, wherein each of said panel locations in the assembly is identified by at least a portion of the locating pins; placing a compressible pad over the panel assembly; removing the upper pan from the lower pan while the compressible pad is in place over the panel assembly; and compressing the upper pan, the panel assembly and the compressible pad at a first temperature in a first pressing operation. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification