THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANE INFUSED MESH

• US 20170119102A1
• Filed: 01/13/2017
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Inventors: McDowell, Sean M.
• Granted Patent: US 11,266,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0009 made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material
• 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 23/025 assembled by stitching
• 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 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/02 Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mouldcold vulcanisation B29C35/18 ; vulcanising tyres, presses therefor B29D30/0601
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/002 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/42 for producing articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/126 Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 35/146 Uppers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/206 Meshes, lattices or nets
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/50 Footwear, e.g. shoes or parts thereof

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a thermoplastic polyurethane (“TPU”) infused mesh material that is molded to form at least a portion of a shoe. The TPU infused mesh may be formed as an upper, a portion of sole or other components of a shoe. The TPU infused mesh is formed, in an exemplary embodiment, through the application of liquid TPU to a surface of a spacer mesh. The liquid TPU infused spacer mesh is then cured, cut to a pattern, and heat molded to form a desired portion of the shoe. The heat molded TPU mesh is coupled to other portions of the shoe (e.g., sole) to form an article footwear in an exemplary embodiment.

Claims

1. An article of footwear constructed with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) infused material, comprising:

a sole having a toe end, a heel end, a lateral side, and a medial side; and

an upper extending upwardly from the sole, the upper having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the exterior surface is at least a portion of an exterior surface of the article of footwear, wherein at least a portion of the upper is a TPU infused spacer mesh material having TPU infused through an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a variable lattice structure extending between the exterior surface and the interior surface of the TPU infused spacer mesh.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the portion of the upper that is the TPU infused spacer mesh extends along both the medial side of the sole and the lateral side of the sole.

3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the portion of the upper that is the TPU infused spacer mesh extends around the heel end of the sole in a first direction to at least a medial midpoint along the medial side of the sole and the portion of the upper extends around the heel end of the sole in a second direction to at least a lateral midpoint along the lateral side of the sole.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the portion of the upper that is the TPU infused spacer mesh includes a heel portion proximate the heel end of the sole.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU infused spacer mesh is comprised of a knit material infused with a liquid TPU, the knit material is formed from polyester, nylon, or a combination of polyester and nylon.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU infused spacer mesh is a heat molded portion sized for the sole.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU infused spacer mesh interior surface has a texture similar texture of the TPU infused spacer mesh exterior surface.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU infused spacer mesh interior surface has a different texture of the TPU infused spacer mesh exterior surface.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein at least one of the TPU infused spacer mesh interior surface or the TPU infused spacer mesh exterior surface have a diamond pattern.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU infused spacer mesh interior surface forms a pattern that is smaller than a pattern of the TPU infused spacer mesh exterior surface.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU infused spacer mesh interior surface forms a pattern that is larger than a pattern of the TPU infused spacer mesh exterior surface.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU spacer mesh has a thickness between the TPU spacer mesh interior surface and the TPU spacer mesh exterior surface that is greater in a first portion of the article of footwear than in a second portion of the article of footwear.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12, wherein the first portion is a heel portion of the article of footwear.

14. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the upper further comprises a second material forming a portion of the upper interior surface and the upper exterior surface.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the second material is at least one of a knit material, a leather, a polymer-based material, and a natural fibrous material.

16. The article of footwear of claim 14 further comprising reinforcement at a joining of the TPU spacer mesh and the second material.

17. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the reinforcement is affixed with an adhesive or welded to the TPU spacer mesh.

18. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the TPU spacer mesh is coupled to the sole with at least one of stitching and bonding

19. The article of footwear of claim 1 further comprising a supplemental material coupled to the upper at the TPU spacer mesh and the sole.

20. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein the TPU spacer mesh has a thickness between the TPU spacer mesh interior surface and the TPU spacer mesh exterior surface that is less in a portion coupled with the supplemental material than in a second portion of the article of footwear.