METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A WOOL PILE FABRIC PRODUCT
A method of manufacturing a component for an article of footwear including providing a two-part mold, inserting a first material layer in the mold, pouring a polyurethane layer on the first material layer, placing a piece of a wool pile fabric on the polyurethane layer and closing the mold for a designated period of time for forming a wool pile fabric component such as a footwear insole. After the designated period of time the mold is opened and the molded wool pile fabric component is removed from the mold.
Latest DECKERS OUTDOOR CORPORATION Patents:
The present non-provisional application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/618,470 filed on Mar. 30, 2012, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/651,922 filed on May 25, 2012, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/680,608 filed on Aug. 7, 2012 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/722,994 filed on Nov. 6, 2012, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUNDShearling is used in a variety of products including footwear, outwear, e.g., coats, gloves and hats, rugs, throws, pillows and car seat covers. It is an excellent insulator and yet breathes naturally. Natural wool fleece is soft, wicks moisture and provides for air circulation.
The cost associated with natural sheepskin products depends on the quality and the availability of sheepskin. Sheepskin quality varies considerably depending on many factors, including environmental factors. Accordingly, sheepskin is graded based on whether the sheepskin is a higher quality, i.e., little to no imperfections in the leather, or a lower quality, i.e., having many imperfections. Shearling quality and price is also impacted by the types of sheep that the shearling comes from. Certain types of sheep are more desirable because they produce better quality skins and/or softer fleece. Also, the number of the quality sheepskins available to manufacture the above products is limited by the number of sheep that are available. As demand for shearling and natural fleece products grows, the cost associated therewith also grows.
Accordingly, there is a need for products made from an alternative to shearling that replicates the desirable qualities of sheepskin while reducing the associated material costs.
BRIEF SUMMARYThe present invention provides a method or process of making a footwear component utilizing a sheared wool fabric. More specifically, sheared wool is knitted with a scrim material to form a natural wool, deep pile fabric that closely approximates sheepskin fleece and can be used in lieu of sheepskin in many applications including footwear components. The footwear component may be an insole, a liner or other component. The present method may also be used to manufacture liners and other components for apparel such as coats, gloves, hats, and other apparel products.
An embodiment of the present method of manufacturing a component part of an article of footwear includes providing a two-part mold, inserting a first material layer in the mold, pouring a polyurethane layer on the first material layer, placing a piece of a wool pile fabric on the polyurethane layer and closing the mold for a designated period of time for forming a wool pile fabric component such as a footwear insole. After the designated period of time the mold is opened and the molded wool pile fabric component is removed from the mold.
Another embodiment of the present method includes providing a two-part mold, inserting a wool pile fabric piece having a wool fiber side and a scrim side in the mold, pouring a liquid foam on the scrim side of the wool pile fabric piece and closing the mold for a designated period of time for forming a wool pile fabric component. After the designated period of time the mold is opened and the molded wool pile fabric component is removed from the mold.
Various embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings include schematic figures that may not be to scale, which will be fully understood by skilled artisans with reference to the accompanying description. Features may be exaggerated for purposes of illustration. From the preferred embodiments, artisans will recognize additional features and broader aspects of the invention.
The present disclosure is related to a method of manufacturing a wool pile fabric described in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/838,551, entitled “Natural Wool Pile Fabric and Method for Making Wool Pile Fabric,” filed on Mar. 15, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In
In the above embodiments, the footwear component is made using a two-part mold 10 or 10′. It should be appreciated that a three-part mold or other suitable molds, such as a press mold or an injection mold, may be used to manufacture the component.
While particular embodiments of the present method have been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing a component for an article of footwear comprising:
- providing a two-part mold;
- inserting a first layer of a cushioning material in the mold;
- pouring a polyurethane layer on the first material layer;
- placing a piece of a wool pile fabric on the polyurethane layer;
- closing the mold for a designated period of time for forming a wool pile fabric component; and
- opening the mold and removing the molded wool pile fabric component after the designated period of time.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material is a laminated foam.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the laminated foam is one of an open-cell polyurethane foam and a memory foam.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cushioning material layer is a piece of polyurethane laminated foam.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the polyurethane layer has a thickness of 2 mm.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wool pile fabric component is a footwear insole.
7. A method of manufacturing a component for an article of footwear comprising:
- providing a two-part mold;
- inserting a wool pile fabric piece having a wool fiber side and a scrim side in the mold;
- pouring a liquid foam on the scrim side of the wool pile fabric piece; and
- closing the mold for a designated period of time for forming a wool pile fabric component; and
- opening the mold and removing the molded wool pile fabric component after the designated period of time.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the liquid foam is one of an open-cell polyurethane foam and a memory foam.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising waiting a designated period of time after pouring the liquid foam on the scrim side of the wool pile fabric and prior to closing the mold to allow the liquid foam to penetrate through the scrim and engage at least a portion of the wool fibers.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the liquid foam bonds with 0.5 to 1.0 mm of a length of the wool fibers.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the wool pile fabric component is a footwear insole.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 15, 2013
Publication Date: Oct 3, 2013
Applicant: DECKERS OUTDOOR CORPORATION (Goleta, CA)
Inventors: Stuart Jenkins (Goleta, CA), Nathan Crary (Portland, OR)
Application Number: 13/840,724
International Classification: B29D 35/14 (20060101);