Article of Footwear with Upper Having Stitched Polymer Thread Pattern and Methods of Making the Same
First Claim
1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
- a base layer defining at least a portion of the upper; and
one or more polymer threads stitched to the base layer, the one or more polymer threads comprising a core comprising a first material having a first melting point and a coating comprising a second material coated around the core and having a second melting point, wherein the first melting point is higher than the second melting point,wherein the one or more polymer threads comprise;
a first polymer thread set stitched in a first pattern on an outer surface of the base layer, the first pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a first direction, anda second polymer thread set stitched in a second pattern on the outer surface of the base layer, the second pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a second direction different from the first direction,wherein at least a portion of the first polymer thread set overlaps at least a portion of the second polymer thread set in an overlap area,wherein at least a portion of the coating of the polymer thread in the first polymer thread set is directly bonded to the base layer in the overlap area,wherein the first polymer thread set is secured to the base layer at a plurality of stitch points with backing thread disposed on a back surface of the base layer opposite the outer surface, and wherein the distance between adjacent stitch points in thread lines for the first polymer thread set varies such that the distance between a first stitch point and a second stitch point directly adjacent to the first stitch point is different from the distance between the second stitch point and a third stitch point directly adjacent to the second stitch point, andwherein the coating of the first polymer thread set and the coating of the second polymer thread set comprise a matte coating finish.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An upper for an article of footwear, the upper including a base layer defining a least a portion of the upper and polymer threads stitched to the base layer. The polymer threads may include a core composed of a first material and a coating composed of a second material, where the melting point of the first material is higher than the melting point of the second material. The polymer threads may be bonded to the base layer by the coating of the polymer threads. The polymer threads may include one or more polymer thread sets stitched in pattern(s) on area(s) of an outer surface of the base layer to provide targeted characteristics to area(s) on the upper. In some embodiments, the polymer threads may be bonded to the base layer with heat and/or pressure.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
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a base layer defining at least a portion of the upper; and one or more polymer threads stitched to the base layer, the one or more polymer threads comprising a core comprising a first material having a first melting point and a coating comprising a second material coated around the core and having a second melting point, wherein the first melting point is higher than the second melting point, wherein the one or more polymer threads comprise; a first polymer thread set stitched in a first pattern on an outer surface of the base layer, the first pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a first direction, and a second polymer thread set stitched in a second pattern on the outer surface of the base layer, the second pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein at least a portion of the first polymer thread set overlaps at least a portion of the second polymer thread set in an overlap area, wherein at least a portion of the coating of the polymer thread in the first polymer thread set is directly bonded to the base layer in the overlap area, wherein the first polymer thread set is secured to the base layer at a plurality of stitch points with backing thread disposed on a back surface of the base layer opposite the outer surface, and wherein the distance between adjacent stitch points in thread lines for the first polymer thread set varies such that the distance between a first stitch point and a second stitch point directly adjacent to the first stitch point is different from the distance between the second stitch point and a third stitch point directly adjacent to the second stitch point, and wherein the coating of the first polymer thread set and the coating of the second polymer thread set comprise a matte coating finish. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 31)
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17. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
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a base layer defining at least a portion of the upper; a first polymer thread set comprising polymer thread stitched in a first pattern on an outer surface of the base layer, the first pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a first direction relative to a mid-line of the upper, and the polymer thread of the first polymer thread set comprising a polymeric material; and a second polymer thread set comprising polymer thread stitched in a second pattern on the outer surface of the base layer, the second pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a second direction relative to the mid-line of the upper, the second direction being different from the first direction, and the polymer thread of the second polymer thread set comprising a polymeric material, wherein the polymeric material of the first polymer thread set directly bonds at least a portion of the first polymer thread set to the base layer and wherein the polymeric material of the second polymer thread set directly bonds at least a portion of the second polymer thread set to the base layer, wherein the upper is devoid of a lamination layer configured to secure at least one of the first polymer thread set and the second polymer thread set to the base layer, and wherein the first polymer thread set is secured to the base layer at a plurality of stitch points with backing thread disposed on a back surface of the base layer opposite the outer surface, and wherein the distance between adjacent stitch points in thread lines for the first polymer thread set varies such that the distance between a first stitch point and a second stitch point directly adjacent to the first stitch point is different from the distance between the second stitch point and a third stitch point directly adjacent to the second stitch point. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27-30. -30. (canceled)
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32. (canceled)
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33. (canceled)
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34. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
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a base layer defining at least a portion of the upper; and one or more polymer threads stitched to the base layer, the one or more polymer threads comprising a core comprising a first material and a coating comprising a second material coated around the core, wherein the second material comprises a matte coating finish, wherein the one or more polymer threads comprise; a first polymer thread set stitched in a first pattern on an outer surface of the base layer, the first pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a first direction, and a second polymer thread set stitched in a second pattern on the outer surface of the base layer, the second pattern comprising polymer thread lines oriented in a second direction different from the first direction, wherein at least a portion of the first polymer thread set overlaps at least a portion of the second polymer thread set in an overlap area, and wherein at least a portion of the coating of the polymer thread in the first polymer thread set is directly bonded to the base layer in the overlap area.
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Specification