Method of manufacturing an article of footwear having a textile upper
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
- flat knitting a textile element having a shape of an upper in a planar configuration for the article of footwear, the knitted textile element comprising a plurality of flat knit edges defining the shape of the upper in the planar configuration, the flat knit edges being free of surrounding material from which the knitted textile element must be removed;
wherein the flat knitting comprises forming a plurality of apertures in the textile element that are formed by omitting stitches in the textile element; and
incorporating the knitted textile element into the article of footwear.
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear is disclosed. The footwear may include an upper and a sole structure. The upper incorporates a textile element with flat-knit edges that are joined together to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot. The textile element may also have a first area and a second area with a unitary construction. The first area is formed of a first stitch configuration, and the second area is formed of a second stitch configuration that is different from the first stitch configuration to impart varying textures to a surface of the textile element. Various warp knitting or weft knitting processes may be utilized to form the textile element.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
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flat knitting a textile element having a shape of an upper in a planar configuration for the article of footwear, the knitted textile element comprising a plurality of flat knit edges defining the shape of the upper in the planar configuration, the flat knit edges being free of surrounding material from which the knitted textile element must be removed; wherein the flat knitting comprises forming a plurality of apertures in the textile element that are formed by omitting stitches in the textile element; and incorporating the knitted textile element into the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
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flat knitting a textile element having a shape of an upper in a planar configuration for the article of footwear, the knitted textile element comprising a plurality of flat knit edges defining the shape of the upper in the planar configuration, the flat knit edges being free of surrounding material from which the knitted textile element must be removed; wherein the flat knitting of the textile element comprises knitting at least a lateral region, an opposite medial region, an instep region, a lower region, and a heel region; and wherein the flat knitting also comprises forming a plurality of apertures in the textile element that are formed by omitting stitches in the textile element; joining at least two of the plurality of flat knit edges together to form the upper having an interior void for receiving a foot; and incorporating the knitted textile element having the shape of the upper into the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification