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US 10,703,060 B2Granted
Articles of footwear and apparel having a partially fused fabric portion and methods of making the same
Assigneeadidas AG
InventorsRobert Leimer, Warren Freeman, Angus Wardlaw, Nicholas Groeneweg, Henry Ling
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article of footwear can include an upper. The upper includes a knitted portion having yarns partially fused to adjacent yarns and filaments of the partially fused yarns that are partially fused to adjacent filaments. Methods for manufacturing an article of footwear including an upper having a partially fused knitted portions include applying heat with or without pressure to form the partially fused knitted portions.
Claims17
A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:
- applying heat at a temperature between 180 to 190 degrees Celsius to a fabric for a duration of between 25 to 60 seconds to form a fused portion, the application of heat resulting in the fused portion having a tensile strength such that the fused portion displaces less than 10% of an unstressed dimension of the fused portion when a 100 N tensile force is applied to the fused portion, and a tear strength such that the fused portion does not tear when a 40 N tearing force is applied to the fused portion;
- and
- forming the upper of for the article of footwear from the fabric comprising the fused portion.
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
- applying heat at a temperature between 165 to 185 degrees Celsius to a fabric and a pressure of 5 kgf/cm2 to the fabric for a time period of between 25 to 35 seconds to form a partially fused portion, such that, after the applying heat and pressure to the fabric, a portion of the fabric comprises yarns that are partially fused to adjacent yarns and filaments of the partially fused yarns that are partially fused to adjacent filaments, wherein the partially fused portion displaces less than 10% of an unstressed dimension of the partially fused portion when a 100 N tensile force is applied to the partially fused portion;
- forming an upper of the article of footwear from the fabric comprising the partially fused portion;
- and
- coupling the upper to a sole.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.