SEAMLESS UPPER FOR FOOTWEAR AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME

• US 20130269212A1
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dashamerica Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Dashamerica Incorporated
• Inventors: Little, Carol
• Application Number:
  US13/916,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20130269212A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/84
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/028 Synthetic or artificial fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• 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 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• 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 7/08 with air-holes, with or without closures
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 111/00 Shoe machines with conveyors for jacked shoes or for shoes or shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 999/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/20 specially adapted for knitting articles of particular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/207 Wearing apparel or garment blanks
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear

Abstract

This invention relates generally to footwear and methods for making the same, more particularly to a seamless upper for footwear and methods for making a seamless upper. In one aspect of the invention, the upper is seamless and/or is of unitary construction that defines an interior void for comfortably receiving a foot.

Claims

1. An article of footwear comprising an upper portion, the upper portion comprising a seamless knitted material and configured with a foot-receiving portion, the foot-receiving portion defining a void for receiving a foot of a user.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the seamless knitted material is selected from the group consisting of interloop knit, interweave knit, warp knit, weft knit, circular knit and flat knit.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the seamless knitted material comprises at least one of rayon, polyester, polyacrylic, silk, cotton, wool and elastane.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the upper portion comprises at least one of an end cap portion, a vamp portion and a heel portion.

5. The article of footwear of claim 4, wherein at least one of an end cap portion, a vamp portion and a heel portion comprises an elastomeric material.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage with one or more structural inserts in communication with a vamp portion of the upper.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the upper portion forms an article of footwear.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of knitted eyelets.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the knitted material has a plurality of different knitted textures formed by varying at least one of a stitch type and a yarn type.

11. A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:

forming a seamless knitted material that includes a foot-receiving portion;

forming an opening for receiving a foot of a user in the foot-receiving portion during the knitting process; and

forming the upper.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the forming includes utilizing a double needle knitting process to form the knitted element.

13. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of knitted eyelets.

14. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole.

15. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:

knitting a textile element with a surrounding textile structure, the knitted textile element configured to form a seamless footwear upper;

removing the knitted textile element from the surrounding knitted textile structure;

forming the knitted textile element into an article of footwear upper.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the knitted textile element has a substantially planar configuration upon removal from the surrounding knitted textile structure.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the knitted textile element has a plurality of different knitted textures formed by varying at least one of a stitch type and a yarn type.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein simultaneously knitting a textile element with a surrounding textile structure includes utilizing a jacquard double needle-bar raschel knitting machine.

19. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of knitted eyelets.

20. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole.