SHOE
The present invention relates to methods and devices for forming an upper of a piece of footwear, wherein the method comprises the steps of forming a first shaped piece and a second shaped piece of the footwear upper and laminating the two shaped pieces together. The present invention further relates to a method of printing on the surface of a piece of a shoe while the piece is in a substantially planar configuration, and then shaping the piece. The piece may then subsequently be used in the method of forming a piece of footwear.
The present invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to a method for forming a piece of a footwear upper.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSports and casual footwear is typically constructed from a number of pieces, each of the pieces typically comprising a number of layers. The pieces forming the footwear upper are typically stitched at their edges to bond the layers together. Whilst this method leads to a sturdy construction, the presence of seams within an article of footwear is undesirable and can lead to irritation and discomfort for the wearer, particularly at or near edges which may rub against the wearer during use. Further, seams may degrade the aesthetic appearance of the footwear.
Accordingly, there is a continued effort by footwear manufacturers to develop methods of providing footwear rapidly and at a reduced cost, whilst maintaining rigidity and structural integrity. There is also a further need for the manufacturers to improve their ability to position identifying features, marks, brands and patterns onto the surface of the footwear, and in particular the upper of the footwear, without interfering with the speed and efficiency of construction. The present invention aims to address these and other issues.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method of forming an upper of a shoe, the method comprising the steps of forming a first shaped piece of the shoe upper; forming a second shaped piece of the shoe upper and laminating the first shaped piece of the shoe upper to the second shaped piece of the shoe upper. In alternative embodiments, an upper may be formed of further shaped pieces which are laminated to one of more of the other constituent shaped pieces. The lamination may improve the structural rigidity and durability of one or more of the pieces.
By “shaped piece” is meant a piece which is in a substantially non-planar configuration.
In an embodiment of the method, the laminating of at least one of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece may occur during one or more steps of molding. If further shaped pieces are used, these may also be laminated to at least one other of the pieces during one or more steps of molding. The molding may comprise the application of pressure and heat to expedite molding, and may comprise the application of fluid (such as lubricating fluid) to facilitate easier molding.
The method of forming of at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may comprise one or more steps of molding, or one or more steps of laminating or any combination thereof. If further shaped pieces are used, these may also be formed via steps which comprise one or more molding steps, one or more laminating steps, or a combination thereof.
The method of forming at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may comprise the step of trimming one or more of the shaped pieces from one or more larger pieces. If further shaped pieces are used, these may also undergo a step where one or more are trimmed from a larger piece. Two or more shaped pieces may further be trimmed from the same larger piece. If two or more shaped pieces are trimmed from the same larger piece, it may be that there is no wastage of material. For example the second shaped piece may comprise the remainder resulting from trimming the first shaped piece.
In a further embodiment, at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may comprise two or more components. The method may comprise the step of joining at least one component to at least one other component by one or more of stitching, ultrasonic welding, adhesive means or heat treatment, but alternative joining mechanisms will be suitable.
One or more of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may comprise two or more components which have undergone a step of laminating. This laminating may occur during one or more molding steps.
One or more of the components may comprise a portion which has been previously shaped, for example mechanically or by molding. One or more of the components may itself comprise a laminated component. The components (which may or may not be laminated) may comprise one or more of fabric or foam.
By the term “laminated component” is meant a component comprising one or more layers which are joined together. The join may be temporary or permanent, and may be frangible. The join may comprise any suitable joining mechanism, for example one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment. The term does not relate to the extent of the one or more layers, which may partially overlap, fully overlap or in the case of more than two layers, may not overlap at all. A laminated component may or may not be at least partially covered by a layer of adhesive.
In a further embodiment, one or more of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may comprise one or more cushioning components. The cushioning components may or may not be placed at certain anatomical locations to increase cushioning, for example at the heel. The cushioning components may comprise foam, but alternative materials would be suitable. Furthermore if multiple cushioning components are provided, they need not comprise the same material, shape or be directed to the same purpose. The cushioning components may alternatively comprise a sealed region of fluid, or an alternative resilient means to cushion the user's foot. The method may comprise the step of positioning the cushioning components between one or more overlaying portions of one or more other components. Alternatively, the cushioning components may be positioned such that, after one shaped piece and a further shaped piece are laminated together, the cushioning component sits between two or more overlapping portions of the shaped pieces, or components thereof.
In another embodiment, at least one of the overlaying components further comprises a portion which does not overlay at least one other component. The method may comprise a step of ‘hemming’ the portion that does not overlay at least one other component.
In a further embodiment of the method, at least a portion of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may be adapted to overlay the other of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece. If further pieces are being used, these may comprise portions which are partially adapted to overlay one or more other pieces. One or more pieces may further comprise a portion which does not overlay at least one other piece. The method may comprise a step of ‘hemming’ the portion that does not overlay at least one other piece.
By “hemming” is meant the process of folding the one or more non-overlapping portions of a component/piece over the edge of one or more components/one or more pieces (which may be the same component/piece) and attaching, for example by stitching, the folded part to the remainder of the one or more components/one or more pieces.
The method may include the step of joining the first shaped piece to the second shaped piece. The first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may be joined, before, after or during the laminating step. The joining may be performed by one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment. However, other methods of joining will be suitable, and may depend on the materials to be joined and the speed with which the join must be formed. The join may comprise an additional piece or pieces, for example the join could be a hook and loop fastener (for example, Velcro) or a shoelace.
In a further embodiment, the method comprises the step of inverting the configuration of the pieces such that the outermost piece of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece becomes the innermost piece of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece. If more than two pieces are used in the upper, the configuration of at least two of the pieces may be inverted this way. For example, if the upper comprises three pieces, the original innermost piece may become the outermost piece; the original outermost piece may become the innermost piece while the middle piece may remain the middle piece. Alternative inversions of the configuration of two or more of the pieces are also possible. This inversion may improve the ease with which the upper can be assembled as, for example, joins may be more easily accessed. Inversion may also move seams inwards, for example, improving the aesthetic appearance of the outer of the upper, or may alternatively or additionally move seams outwards to reduce, for example, rubbing against a user's foot.
In still a further embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of one or more of the pieces forms an aperture having a rim in the upper. The aperture may be formed in only a single piece, or may be collectively formed by two or more pieces. The rim of the aperture may further comprise a strip which at least partially covers the rim of the aperture. The strip may be attached by one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment; however other methods of attachment will be suitable.
The method of making the upper of the shoe may further comprise the step of attaching one or more sole components to the shoe upper. The sole components may be one or more midsoles or one or more outersoles. The sole components may be attached by one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment; however other methods of attachment will be suitable. The sole components may comprise one or more of foam, fabric, plastic or leather. The sole components may have a non-uniform thickness and may comprise their own cushioning components in addition or instead of the cushioning components of the upper. One or more sole components may partially or wholly overlap the upper of the shoe.
There is further provided a method for making a shoe, comprising the steps of forming the upper according to any of the above methods.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides an upper of a shoe made according to one or more of the previous methods. The upper of the shoe comprises a first shaped piece; a second shaped piece; wherein at least a portion of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece are laminated together. Additional shaped pieces may further be used and may be laminated to one or more of the other shaped pieces.
At least one of the shaped pieces may comprise a molded piece, a laminated piece or a piece trimmed from a larger piece. Two or more the shaped pieces may further be trimmed from the same larger piece. If two or more shaped pieces are trimmed from the same larger piece, it may be that there is no wastage of material. For example the second shaped piece may comprise the remainder resulting from trimming the first shaped piece.
One or more of the shaped pieces may comprise a plurality of components. These components may be joined together by one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment; however other methods of attachment will be suitable.
One or more of the shaped pieces may alternatively or additionally comprise a plurality of laminated components.
The plurality of components (which may or may not be laminated) may have been shaped previously, for example by molding. Further, one of more of the components themselves may be laminated, and may comprise one or more of fabric, foam, leather or plastic. One or more of the components may comprise a portion at least partially adapted to overlay one or more other of the components.
In a further embodiment, one or more of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may comprise one or more cushioning components. The cushioning components may or may not be placed at certain anatomical locations to increase cushioning, for example at the heel. The cushioning components may comprise foam, but alternative materials would be suitable. Furthermore, if multiple cushioning components are provided, they need not comprise the same material, shape or be directed to the same purpose. The cushioning components may alternatively comprise a sealed region of fluid, or an alternative resilient means to cushion the user's foot. The cushioning components may be positioned between one or more overlaying portions of one or more other components. Alternatively, the cushioning components may be positioned such that, after first shaped piece and second shaped piece are laminated together, the cushioning component sits between two or more overlapping portions of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece, or components thereof.
In another embodiment, at least one of the overlaying components further comprises a portion which does not overlay at least one other component. This portion may be ‘hemmed’ to a further portion of the component or to another component.
In yet a further embodiment of the upper, at least a portion of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece may be adapted to overlay the other of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece. If further pieces are being used, these pieces may comprise portions which are partially adapted to overlay one or more other pieces. One or more pieces may further comprise a portion which does not overlay at least one other piece. One or more pieces may be ‘hemmed’ to themselves or to one or more other pieces.
One or more pieces of the upper may be joined before, during or after lamination. The join may comprise one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment; however other means of joining will be suitable.
In still a further embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of one or more of the pieces forms an aperture having a rim in the upper. The aperture may be formed in only a single piece, or may be collectively formed by two or more pieces. The rim of the aperture may further comprise a strip which at least partially covers the rim of the aperture. The strip may be attached by one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment; however other methods of attachment will be suitable.
The upper of the shoe may further comprise one or more sole components. The sole components may be one or more midsoles or one or more outersoles. The sole components may be attached by one or more of stitching, adhesive means, welding (including ultrasonic welding) or heat treatment; however other methods of attachment will be suitable. The sole components may comprise one or more of foam, fabric, plastic or leather. The sole components may have a non-uniform thickness and may comprise their own cushioning components in addition or instead of the cushioning components of the upper.
There is further provided a shoe which may comprise the upper of any of the above embodiments.
In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a decorative pattern on a portion of an upper of a shoe, the method comprising the steps of printing a decorative pattern on at least a portion of a shoe upper, the portion of the shoe upper having a substantially planar configuration and shaping the portion of the shoe upper to form a predetermined shape. One advantage of this method is that printing onto a 2D surface is less complex than printing onto a 3D surface, thus according to the method of the present invention there is provided a means of printing onto a 3D object while it is in a substantially 2D configuration. This may for example, reduce distortions, improve the printing quality and prevent unwanted accumulations of ink in recesses of the 3D object.
By “portion of an upper of a shoe” is meant the surface of the upper of a shoe; this may be a portion of the surface of the upper while it has a substantially planar configuration, but may further refer to the entirety of the upper of the shoe while it is in a substantially planar configuration.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the shoe upper may comprise a laminated portion. In a further embodiment, the shaping of the portion of the shoe upper to form a predetermined shape may comprise a molding step. Other methods of shaping may be employed, for example mechanical shaping. The portion of the shoe upper may comprise one or more of fabric, foam, plastic or leather.
The printing may comprise one or more steps of screen printing.
By “screen printing” is meant the known method of printing a design onto clothing items, for example T-shirts.
The printing may comprise printing onto a plurality of substantially planar portions of the shoe upper. The printing may occur on one portion separately from the printing on any other portion, or the printing may occur sequentially onto the same portion to ‘build-up’ a design.
The methods of this aspect may be combined with the methods of the first aspect, wherein the third aspect comprises one or more steps in the formation of one or more of the shaped pieces or components to be used in the method of the first aspect.
In a fourth aspect, there is provided a decorated portion of an upper of a shoe comprising one or more layers of substantially planar material and a decorative image, wherein the decorative image is printed on at least part of a surface of a portion of the shoe upper whilst the portion of the shoe upper is in a substantially planar configuration, and wherein the portion of the shoe upper is subsequently shaped into a predetermined shape.
The portion of the upper of a shoe may comprise at least a partially laminated portion, and may comprise one or more of fabric, foam, plastic or leather.
The decorated portion may comprise at least one screen printed decorative image.
The decorated portion of the fourth aspect may comprise part or all of a component or piece of the upper of a shoe according to the second aspect of the present invention.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are intended for illustrative purposes and are not to be considered limiting on the present invention. In the drawings:
In the following, the phrase “convex mold” refers to the portion of the mold which contains a protrusion designed to complement a recess in the complementary concave mold. This term does not describe the shape of the protrusion in any way.
In the following, the phrase “concave mold” refers to the portion of the mold which contains a recess designed to be complementary to and substantially accommodate the protrusion of the convex mold. This term does not describe the shape of the recess in any way.
The molding steps described herein may be performed in a single pair of concave and convex molds, or in one or more pairs of concave and convex molds as is needed.
The embodiments described herein and shown in the Figures are intended only to be exemplary, and are not limiting upon the scope of the disclosure. The skilled person will recognise that various alternative configurations not specifically described herein will still fall within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method of forming an upper of a shoe, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming a first shaped piece of the shoe upper;
- forming a second shaped piece of the shoe upper;
- laminating the first shaped piece of the shoe upper to the second shaped piece of the shoe upper.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece occurs during molding.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece comprises one or more steps of molding.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece comprises one or more steps of laminating.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece comprises a step of trimming from a larger piece.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece is formed by joining two or more components to form the first shaped piece or the second shaped piece.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least two of the components are joined together by one or more of:
- stitching;
- adhesive means;
- ultrasonic welding; or
- heat treatment.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece comprises the step of laminating two or more components.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the laminating of the two or more components occurs during one or more molding steps.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the components comprises a previously shaped component.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the previously shaped component is shaped by molding.
12. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the components comprises a laminated component.
13. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the components comprises one or more of fabric and foam.
14. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the components comprises a portion at least partially adapted to overlay one or more other of the components.
15. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the components comprises a cushioning component.
16. The method of claim 15,
- wherein at least one of the components comprises a portion at least partially adapted to overlay one or more other of the components; and
- wherein the one or more cushioning components are positioned between overlaying portions.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the overlaying components further comprises a portion which does not overlay at least one other component.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of hemming the portion which does not overlay the other component.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of one of the first shaped piece and a portion of the second shaped piece is at least partially adapted to overlay a portion of the other shaped piece.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece further comprises a portion which does not overlay the other piece.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of hemming the portion of one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece which does not overlay the other shaped piece.
22. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of joining the first shaped piece to the second shape piece.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the joining of the first shaped piece to the second shaped piece occurs prior to the laminating.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein the joining is performed by one or more of:
- stitching;
- adhesive means;
- ultrasonic welding; or
- heat treatment.
25. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of inverting the configuration of the pieces such that an outermost piece of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece becomes an innermost piece of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece.
26. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first shaped piece and at least a portion of the second shaped piece collectively form an aperture having a rim.
27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of adding a strip to at least partially cover the rim of the aperture.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the strip is added by using one or more of:
- stitching;
- adhesive means;
- ultrasonic welding; or
- heat treatment.
29. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of attaching one or more sole components to the shoe upper.
30. A method of making a shoe comprising the method of claim 1.
31. An upper for a shoe, the upper comprising:
- a first, shaped piece;
- a second, shaped piece;
- wherein at least a portion of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece are laminated together.
32. The upper of claim 31, wherein at least one of the first and second shaped pieces is a molded piece.
33. The upper of claim 31, wherein at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece is a laminated piece.
34. The upper of claim 31, wherein at least one of the first and second shaped pieces comprises a plurality of components.
35. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least two of the plurality of components are joined together by one or more of:
- stitching;
- adhesive means;
- ultrasonic welding; or
- heat treatment.
36. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece comprises a plurality of laminated components which collectively comprise the first shaped piece or the second shaped piece.
37. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least one of the components comprises a previously shaped component.
38. The upper of claim 37, wherein the previously shaped component is shaped by molding.
39. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least one of the components comprises a laminated component.
40. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least one of the components comprises one or more of fabric and foam.
41. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least one of the components comprises a portion at least partially adapted to overlay one or more of the other components.
42. The upper of claim 34, wherein at least one of the components is a cushioning component.
43. The upper of claim 42,
- wherein at least one of the components comprises a portion at least partially adapted to overlay one or more of the other components; and
- wherein the one or more cushioning components are positioned between one or more of the overlaying portions of two or more other components.
44. The upper of claim 42, wherein at least one of the overlaying components further comprises a portion which does not overlay the other component.
45. The upper of claim 44, further comprising a hemmed portion which does not overlay the other component.
46. The upper of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of one of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece is at least partially adapted to overlay the other of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece.
47. The upper of claim 46, wherein at least one of the first shaped piece and second shaped piece further comprises a portion which does not overlay the other piece.
48. The upper of claim 47, further comprising a hemmed portion of one of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece which does not overlay the other shaped piece.
49. The upper of claim 31, wherein the first shaped piece and the second shape piece are joined.
50. The upper of claim 49, wherein the join comprises one or more of:
- stitching;
- adhesive means;
- ultrasonic welding; or
- heat treatment.
51. The upper of claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the first shaped piece and at least a portion of the second shaped piece collectively form an aperture with a rim.
52. The upper of claim 31, further comprising a strip to at least partially cover the rim of the aperture.
53. The upper of claim 52, wherein the strip is attached to the upper by one or more of:
- stitching;
- adhesive means;
- ultrasonic welding; or
- heat treatment.
54. The upper of claim 31, further comprising one or more sole components.
55. A shoe comprising an upper of claim 31.
56. A method of forming a decorative pattern on a portion of an upper of a shoe, the method comprising:
- printing a decorative pattern on at least a portion of a shoe upper, the portion of the shoe upper having a substantially planar configuration; and
- shaping the portion of the shoe upper to form a predetermined shape.
57. The method of claim 56, wherein the portion of the shoe upper comprises a laminated portion.
58. The method of claim 56, wherein the shaping of the portion of the shoe upper to form a predetermined shape comprises molding.
59. The method of claim 56, wherein the portion of the shoe upper comprises at least one of fabric, foam, plastic or leather.
60. The method of claim 56, wherein the step of printing comprises screen printing.
61. The method of claim 56, wherein the step of printing comprises printing on a plurality of substantially planar portions of the shoe upper.
62. The method of claim 61, wherein the steps of printing onto one of the plurality of substantially planar portions occurs separately from the step of printing onto any other of the plurality of substantially planar portions.
63. The method of claim 61, wherein the steps of printing onto one of the plurality of substantially planar portions occurs sequentially.
64. The method of claim 56, further comprising the steps of:
- forming a first shaped piece of the shoe upper;
- forming a second shaped piece of the shoe upper;
- laminating the first shaped piece of the shoe upper to the second shaped piece of the shoe upper.
65. A decorated portion of an upper for a shoe comprising:
- one or more layers of substantially planar material; and
- a decorative image;
- wherein the decorative image is printed on at least part of a surface of a portion of the shoe upper whilst the portion of the shoe upper is in a substantially planar configuration,
- and wherein the portion of the shoe upper is subsequently shaped into a predetermined shape.
66. The decorated portion of claim 65, wherein the portion is at least partially a laminated portion.
67. The decorated portion of claim 65, wherein the portion of the shoe upper comprises at least one of fabric, foam, plastic or leather.
68. The decorated portion of claim 65, wherein the printed decorative image comprises at least one screen printed decorative image.
69. The decorated portion of claim 65, further comprising:
- a first, shaped piece;
- a second, shaped piece;
- wherein at least a portion of the first shaped piece and the second shaped piece are laminated together.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 2, 2015
Publication Date: Jul 9, 2015
Inventor: Changming LIANG (Kwai Chung)
Application Number: 14/588,633