Customized shoe textures and shoe portions

• US 9,883,711 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Inventors: McDowell, Sean M., Cioffi, Bryan Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US14/806,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20150320138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 700119
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0036 characterised by a special shape or design
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A shoe with a three-dimensional (3-D) surface texture created using rapid manufacturing techniques is provided. A plurality of 3-D surface texture options is presented on a user interface; each of the options is associated with one of a plurality of 3-D surface textures to be applied to a portion of a shoe. A selection of a 3-D surface texture is received and is used in part to generate a design file. The design file is used to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture the portion of the shoe comprised of the 3-D surface texture using a rapid manufacturing technique.

Claims

1. A computerized method for creating a three-dimensional (3-D) portion of an upper portion of a shoe using rapid manufacturing techniques, the computerized method carried out by a processor running on a computer, and comprising:

presenting a plurality of 3-D functional portion options on a user interface device, each of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options representing one of a plurality of 3-D functional portions to be applied to the upper portion of the shoe;

receiving from an input device a user selection of at least one 3-D functional portion option of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options, the at least one 3-D functional portion option representing a first 3-D functional portion comprising a forefoot flexibility portion configured to provide flexibility in a forefoot area of the upper portion of the shoe;

creating, using the processor, a data file corresponding to the upper portion of the shoe and the forefoot flexibility portion;

storing the data file as computer-readable instructions at a non-transitory data storage medium of the computer; and

using the data file to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture at least the forefoot flexibility portion of the upper portion of the shoe, wherein manufacturing the forefoot flexibility portion comprises forming a shoe wall in the forefoot area of the upper portion of the shoe having a first thickness that is less than a second thickness of the forefoot area of the upper portion of the shoe without the forefoot flexibility portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein manufacturing the forefoot flexibility portion further comprises:

forming a grid-like texture in the forefoot area comprising a framework of crisscrossing members and open areas, the open area having predetermined dimensions.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the rapid manufacturing device includes at least one of a laser sintering device, a solid deposition modeling device, or a stereolithography device.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of 3-D surface texture options are further presented on the user interface device.

5. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of 3-D surface texture options presented is predetermined based upon the plurality of 3-D functional portion options presented.

6. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of 3-D functional portion options presented is predetermined based upon the plurality of 3-D surface texture options presented.

7. A computerized method for creating a three-dimensional (3-D) portion of an upper portion of a shoe using rapid manufacturing techniques, the computerized method carried out by a processor running on a computer, and comprising:

presenting a plurality of 3-D functional portion options on a user interface device, each of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options representing one of a plurality of 3-D functional portions to be applied to the upper portion of the shoe;

receiving from an input device a user selection of at least one 3-D functional portion option of the plurality of 3-D functional portion options, the at least one 3-D functional portion option representing a first 3-D functional portion comprising a heel lockdown portion configured to provide support and rigidity in a heel area of the upper portion of the shoe;

creating, using the processor, a data file corresponding to the upper portion of the shoe and the heel lockdown portion;

storing the data file as computer-readable instructions at a non-transitory data storage medium of the computer; and

using the data file to instruct a rapid manufacturing device to manufacture at least the heel lockdown portion of the upper portion of the shoe, wherein manufacturing the heel lockdown portion comprises forming a grid-like texture in the heel area of the upper portion of the shoe, the grid-like texture having a predetermined thickness that is greater than a second thickness of the heel area of the upper portion of the shoe without the heel lockdown portion.

8. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the rapid manufacturing device includes at least one of a laser sintering device, a solid deposition modeling device, or a stereolithography device.

9. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein a plurality of 3-D surface texture options are further presented on the user interface device.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of 3-D surface texture options presented is predetermined based upon the plurality of 3-D functional portion options presented.

11. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of 3-D functional portion options presented is predetermined based upon the plurality of 3-D surface texture options presented.

12. The computerized method of claim 7, wherein the data file further corresponds to a scan of a user'"'"'s foot.