Article of footwear having a worn appearance and method of making same
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsJoe Howley, Richard D. Clarke, Jesse Leyva, Steven E. J. C. Ploem
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of footwear made from new or substantially new materials is manufactured with vintage treatment processing to give the article of footwear a vintage or well-worn appearance. The article of footwear may be treated with discoloring substances, such as dyes or bleaching agents. The upper may be formed with wrinkles or a crushed heel portion, such as by using a thin or soft foam behind a polyester covering, eliminating the foam backing and/or heel cup. Further, a rubber outsole may be molded with uneven treads and/or discolored to give the rubber a degraded, worn appearance.
Claims26
A method of making an article of footwear comprising the steps of:
- (i) assembling an upper of the article of footwear using new or substantially new materials, wherein the upper is assembled in part by shaping the upper on a last to provide the upper with a desired size and shape;
- (ii) making a sole of the article of footwear using new or substantially new materials;
- (iii) assembling the article of footwear by attaching the upper to the sole;
- and
- (iv) after the steps of assembling the article of footwear, treating the upper with a substance to give the article of footwear a worn appearance, wherein the substance comprises an agent to lighten the material, and wherein the substance is applied to only a portion of the upper to create a lightened patch on the surface of the upper.
A method of making an article of footwear comprising the steps of:
- (i) making an upper of the article of footwear using new or substantially new materials;
- (ii) making a sole of the article of footwear using new or substantially new sole materials, wherein the new or substantially new sole materials comprise at least one of leather, vinyl, foam, natural rubber, and synthetic rubber;
- (iii) marring only a portion of the sole to give the article of footwear a degraded appearance with vintage characteristics;
- and
- (iv) assembling the article of footwear by attaching the upper to the sole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.