US 11,396,117 B2Granted

Method of manufacturing footwear

AssigneeSaucony, Inc.

InventorsLuca B. Ciccone, Andrea A. Paulson

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Abstract

A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component is provided including projecting elongated pins into a mold cavity in the shape of the footwear sole component and partially filled with an expandable material including multiple unexpanded beads, and introducing steam into the cavity through ports defined by one or more cavity walls and through the pins in an internal region of the expandable material, to expand both exterior beads and interior beads in the internal region a predetermined amount. With the elongated pins, the interior beads can be expanded more, less and/or the same amount as exterior beads to provide particular physical characteristics to the component. For example, the interior beads can be fully expanded to a similar density as exterior beads, or expanded less to provide more density and rigidity in the internal region, or expanded more to provide less density and rigidity in the internal region.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component comprising:

providing a first mold part defining a first cavity bounded by a first mold wall, the first mold wall defining a plurality of first ports in connection with a supply of fluid, the first mold wall including at least a lateral mold wall, a medial mold wall, a toe mold wall, a heel mold wall, and a bottom mold wall;
introducing an expandable material including a plurality of unexpanded beads into the first cavity such that a plurality of exterior unexpanded beads engage the first mold wall, with a plurality of interior unexpanded beads being distal from the first mold wall in an internal region of the first cavity;
placing a second mold part adjacent the first mold part to close the first cavity, the second mold part including a base, the base defining a plurality of pin ports,
projecting a plurality of elongated pins through the plurality of pin ports into the first cavity between the lateral mold wall and the medial mold wall, between the toe mold wall and the heel mold wall, and opposite the bottom mold wall, the plurality of elongated pins projecting into the internal region;
introducing a first fluid into the first cavity through the plurality of first ports defined by the first mold wall to expand the plurality of exterior unexpanded beads, the first fluid producing an inward force toward the internal region;
introducing a second fluid into the internal region via the plurality of elongated pins such that second fluid from the plurality of elongated pins expands the plurality of interior unexpanded beads in the internal region and exerts an outward force, away from the internal region, while the inward force produced by the first fluid counters the outward force;
forming with a plurality of expanded exterior beads a lateral sole wall, a medial sole wall, a toe sole wall, a heel sole wall, a bottom sole wall and an upper sole wall, configured to engage a Strobel board of an upper, of a sole component, the plurality of elongated pins extending through the upper sole wall;
removing the plurality of elongated pins out of the upper sole wall such that the plurality of elongated pins exit out of the sole component through the upper sole wall;
curing the sole component in the first cavity;
and
moving the second mold part away from the first mold part so that the sole component can be removed from the first cavity.

8 more elements

A method of manufacturing a footwear sole component comprising:

providing a first mold part defining a first cavity bounded by a first mold wall, the first mold wall defining a plurality of first ports, the first cavity including a lateral mold wall, a medial mold wall, a toe mold wall, a heel mold wall and a bottom mold wall, the first cavity having therein an expandable material including a plurality of unexpanded beads;
providing a second mold part that closes the first cavity;
projecting a plurality of elongated pins from the second mold part into the first cavity between the lateral mold wall and the medial mold wall, and between the toe mold wall and the heel mold wall;
introducing a first fluid into the first cavity through the plurality of first ports;
introducing a second fluid into the first cavity simultaneously with the first fluid via the plurality of elongated pins;
expanding the plurality of unexpanded beads with the first fluid and the second fluid to produce a plurality of expanded beads that form a lateral sole wall, a medial sole wall, a toe sole wall, a heel sole wall, a bottom sole wall and an upper sole wall of a sole component;
removing the plurality of elongated pins out of the first cavity;
curing the sole component in the first cavity to form a cured sole component;
and
removing the cured sole component from the first mold cavity.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/592,060Filed 3 Oct 2019
Published: US 2021/0101321 A18 Apr 2021
Granted: 26 Jul 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B29C 44/445
In solid form: in the form of expandable granules, particles or beads
B29C 35/049
Using liquids, gas or steam: using steam or damp
B29C 44/0407
Consisting of at least two parts of chemically or physically different materials, e.g. having different densities: by regulating the temperature…
B29C 44/18
Incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or reinforcements: filling preformed cavities