Adidas Ag

Quantum Group Inc.

Edward John Musho

Carl Arnese

Ian James Hennebery

Jacques Magloire Perrault

Robert Leimer

Matteo Edmond Padovani

Andrew Jacob Schneider

Charles Griffin Wilson, Iii

Nicholas Allen Groeneweg

Benjamin William Kleiman

Howard Hunter Barney

Keith Alexander Blume

Ronald Daniel Becker

Alistair Hather

Kelli Amelia George

John Acevedo

Andrea Nieto Perilla

Jeffrey William Bruner

Joseph Michael Davis

Leslie Allison Whittle

Methods for manufacturing at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear that include thermo-forming a pattern on the upper. The methods may include disposing a skin for forming an upper over and inflatable bladder and disposing a mold insert between the skin and a surface of a mold cavity. The mold insert may include a mold pattern including surface features formed in the mold insert. The inflatable bladder may be inflated such that the skin is pressed against the mold insert within a heated mold cavity to form a pattern on an exterior surface of the skin and cause the skin to take on the shape of at least a portion of an upper. In some embodiments, the surface features may be disposed in a gradient pattern configured to provide varying degrees of one or more characteristics to different areas of an upper.

Methods of bladder molding at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear

Articles of footwear including a thermo-molded upper having a skin composed of one or more low melting point thermoplastic polymers. The skin may include at least one of: a base layer composed of a low melting point thermoplastic polymer and a grid layer including a yarn composed of a low melting point thermoplastic polymer. The uppers may be formed by placing a skin and an inflatable bladder into a mold cavity and heating the mold to a predetermined temperature. The inflatable bladder may be inflated such that the skin is pressed against an interior surface of the heated mold cavity to cause the skin to take on the shape of the internal surface of the mold cavity, thereby forming an upper for an article of footwear.

Three-dimensionally thermo-molded footwear

Patterned three-dimensionally molded footwear and methods of making the same

Methods for manufacturing uppers for articles footwear that include thermo-forming an upper composed of one or more low melting point thermoplastic polymers. The methods may include disposing a skin for forming an upper over and inflatable bladder. The skin may include at least one of a base layer composed of a low melting point thermoplastic polymer and a grid layer including a yarn composed of a low melting point thermoplastic polymer. The skin and inflatable bladder may be placed into a mold cavity and the mold may be heated to a predetermined temperature. The inflatable bladder may be inflated such that the skin is pressed against an interior surface of the heated mold cavity to cause the skin to take on the shape of the internal surface of the mold cavity, thereby forming an upper for an article of footwear.

Three-dimensional thermo-molding of footwear

An article of footwear having an upper comprising leno woven fabric. The leno woven fabric may be a single layer leno woven fabric. The leno woven fabric may have a pattern to provide desired characteristics, such as but not limited to, ventilation, thermal conductivity, stretchability, strength, moisture wicking, and/or antimicrobial protection. The pattern may be non-uniform to provide varying degrees of one or more of these characteristics. Methods for manufacturing an article of footwear including an upper comprising leno woven fabric are also provided.

Articles of footwear comprising a leno woven upper and methods of making the same

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Edward John Musho