WEATHERIZED UPPER FOR AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR

• US 20170245581A1
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: McFARLAND, II, William C., RESNECK, Leah
• Granted Patent: US 10,524,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/16 synthetic threads
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/24 wearing apparel
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/041 thermoplastic; thermosetting
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/0114 with one or more yarns appearing predominantly on one face, e.g. plated or paralleled yarns for pile fabrics D03D27/00, D04B1/02, D04B21/02; for intarsia fabrics D04B1/126
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/023 Fabric with at least two, predominantly unlinked, knitted or woven plies interlaced with each other at spaced locations or linked to a common internal co-extensive yarn system
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/032 Flat fabric of variable width, e.g. including one or more fashioned panels
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/061 Piped openings (pockets)

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to uppers for articles of footwear. The uppers may be formed by knitting one or more yarns together. After formation of the upper, the one or more yarns may be manipulated to change a property of the knitted upper. For example, one or more of the yarns may be at least partially melted and subsequently cooled to form a molded thermoplastic polymer element.

Claims

1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:

a plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements linked together by a knit element, each of the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements being substantially discrete;

wherein each of the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements comprises a border, the border being substantially surrounded by the knit element.

2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the upper comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side.

3. The upper of claim 2, wherein the first side comprises the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements.

4. The upper of claim 2, wherein the second side comprises a polyester yarn and optionally an elastomeric filament.

5. The upper of claim 4, wherein the elastomeric filament comprises spandex.

6. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane.

7. The upper of claim 2, wherein the first side comprises the knit element and the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements, the knit element comprising a polyester yarn, and the second side comprises a second knit element, the second knit element comprising a second polyester yarn and optionally an elastomeric filament.

8. The upper of claim 9, wherein the first layer comprises a first outer-edge and the second layer comprises a second outer-edge, at least a portion of the first outer-edge being secured to at least a portion of the second outer-edge.

9. The upper of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements independently comprises a shape selected from the group consisting of a triangle, a quadrilateral, a regular polygon, an irregular polygon, a circle, an ellipse, and a crescent.

10. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:

a plurality of knit elements linked together by a molded thermoplastic polymer element, each of the plurality of knit elements being substantially discrete;

wherein each of the plurality of knit elements comprises a border, the border being substantially surrounded by the molded thermoplastic polymer element.

13. The upper of claim 13, wherein the second side comprises an elastomeric filament.

11. The upper of claim 12, wherein the upper comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side.

12. The upper of claim 13, wherein the first side comprises the molded thermoplastic polymer element.

14. The upper of claim 12, wherein the molded thermoplastic polymer element comprises a thermoplastic polyurethane.

15. The upper of claim 11, wherein the first side comprises the plurality of knit elements and the molded thermoplastic polymer element, and the second side comprises a second knit element.

16. A method of forming an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:

knitting the upper with a first yarn comprising a thermoplastic polymer and a second yarn comprising polyester, wherein the upper comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side comprising the first yarn and the second side comprising the second yarn;

placing the upper in a heated mold for a period of time to melt at least a portion of the thermoplastic polymer in at least two discrete locations on the upper; and

cooling the upper to solidify the melted portions and thereby form a plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements.

17. The method of claim 22, further comprising knitting a third yarn on the first side of the upper.

18. The method of claim 23, wherein the third yarn comprises polyester.

19. The method of claim 23, wherein the first side of the upper comprises a knit element, the knit element comprising the third yarn.

20. The method of claim 25, wherein the knit element links each of the plurality of molded thermoplastic polymer elements.