Method of making an article of footwear
AssigneeUnder Armour, Inc.
InventorsAlan Toronjo, Daniel Lee, Roger Fan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a panel for an article of apparel includes stretching a base layer from a resting configuration to a stretched configuration. The method further includes coupling a reinforcement layer to the base layer when the base layer is in the stretched configuration. The method also includes applying an auxetic structure to the reinforcement layer when the base layer is in the stretched configuration. The auxetic structure includes a plurality of interconnected members defining a repeating pattern of voids, and each void has a reentrant shape. The method further includes releasing the base layer to allow the base layer to return to the resting configuration.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing a panel for a footwear upper, the method comprising:
- stretching a base layer from a resting configuration to a stretched configuration;
- coupling a reinforcement layer to the base layer when the base layer is in the stretched configuration;
- applying an auxetic structure to the reinforcement layer when the base layer is in the stretched configuration, the auxetic structure including a plurality of interconnected members defining a repeating pattern of voids, wherein each void has a reentrant shape;
- and
- releasing the base layer to allow the base layer to return to the resting configuration.
A method of making an article of apparel comprising:
- providing a base layer comprising an elastic material, the base layer elastically deformable between a resting configuration and a stretched configuration, wherein the base layer is stretched a stretch amount when in the stretched configuration;
- stretching the base layer to the stretched configuration;
- coupling an inelastic reinforcement layer to the base layer while in the stretched configuration, the reinforcement layer configured to delimit the stretch amount of the base layer when the base layer is in the stretched configuration;
- and
- coupling an auxetic structure to the reinforcement layer and the base layer while the base layer is in the stretched configuration.
A method of making an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:
- providing a base layer comprising an elastic material, the base layer elastically deformable between a resting configuration and a stretched configuration, wherein the base layer is stretched a stretch amount when in the stretched configuration;
- stretching the base layer to the stretched configuration;
- coupling an inelastic reinforcement layer to the base layer when the base layer in in the stretched configuration, the reinforcement layer is configured to delimit an amount of stretch of the base layer when the base layer is in the stretched configuration, and
- applying a material forming a structure defining a repeating pattern of perimeter walls and interior recesses to the inelastic reinforcement layer while the base layer is in the stretched configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.