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US 12,404,615 B2Granted
Thermoplastic non-woven textile elements
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsBhupesh Dua, Karen A. Hawkinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A non-woven textile may be formed from a plurality of thermoplastic polymer filaments. The non-woven textile may have a first region and a second region, with the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. A variety of products, including apparel (e.g., shirts, pants, footwear), may incorporate the non-woven textile. In some of these products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another textile element to form a seam. More particularly, an edge area of the non-woven textile may be heatbonded with an edge area of the other textile element at the seam. In other products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another component, whether a textile or a non-textile.
Claims20
An article of footwear, comprising:
- an upper comprising a textile that defines at least a top area, a rear area, and a lateral area of the upper, wherein the textile includes a plurality of filaments, wherein the textile comprises:
- (i) a first fused region forming a heel counter at the rear area;
- (ii) a second fused region at the lateral area;
- (iii) a plurality of lace apertures formed adjacent to the lateral area;
- and
- (iv) a tongue positioned adjacent to the top area;
- a sole structure extending between an upper surface and a lower surface, the sole structure comprising a foam, the upper surface of the sole structure being thermally coupled to the upper;
- an outsole coupled to the lower surface of the sole structure on an opposite side of the sole structure relative to the upper;
- a plurality of apertures at least partially formed in the sole structure;
- and a lace coupled to the upper at the textile and received through the plurality of lace apertures;
- wherein each of the plurality of filaments of the textile, the foam of the sole structure, the outsole, and the lace comprises a thermoplastic polymer material such that substantially all of the article of footwear comprises the thermoplastic polymer material, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material comprises a thermoplastic polyamide, and at least a portion of the thermoplastic polyamide comprises a material extracted or recycled from another article of footwear;
- and wherein the plurality of filaments positioned at the first fused region and the second fused region are fused together to form non-filamentous portions along the upper, and the textile has a smaller thickness at the first fused region and/or the second fused region relative to remaining regions of the textile.
9 more elements
An article of footwear, comprising:
- an upper comprising a textile including a plurality of filaments that compositionally comprise a thermoplastic polymer material;
- wherein the textile comprises:
- a first set of fused regions positioned along a rear area of the upper, the first set of fused regions forms a heel counter at the rear area that enhances a stretch-resistance of the upper at the rear area;
- and
- a second set of fused regions positioned along a side area of the upper, the upper at the second set of fused regions has a smaller thickness than adjacent regions at the side area;
- a sole structure comprising a foam element that comprises the thermoplastic polymer material, the sole structure is thermally coupled to the upper;
- and
- an outsole coupled to the sole structure on an opposing side from the upper, the outsole comprises the thermoplastic polymer material;
- wherein the thermoplastic polymer material comprises a thermoplastic polyamide such that at least ninety percent of the article of footwear by weight comprises the thermoplastic polyamide.
6 more elements
An article of footwear, comprising:
- an upper defined by a textile that comprises a plurality of filaments formed of a first thermoplastic polymer material, wherein the textile comprises a first set of fused regions positioned at a rear of the upper and a second set of fused regions positioned at a side of the upper, the textile has a smaller thickness at the first set of fused regions and/or the second set of fused regions relative to remaining regions of the textile;
- a sole structure defined by a foam layer that is formed of a second thermoplastic polymer material, the sole structure is coupled to the upper without an adhesive or stitching positioned between the sole structure and the upper;
- an outsole coupled to the sole structure opposite from the upper, wherein the outsole is formed of a third thermoplastic polymer material;
- and
- a lace formed of a fourth thermoplastic polymer material, wherein the lace is coupled to the upper and extends at least partially through the textile;
- wherein the first thermoplastic polymer material, the second thermoplastic polymer material, the third thermoplastic polymer material, and the fourth thermoplastic polymer material comprise a single material, and a percentage of a combined mass of the upper, the sole structure, the outsole, and the lace that are formed of the single material equals at least ninety percent.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.