Seamless upper for footwear and method for making the same

Abstract

This invention relates generally to footwear and methods for making the same, more particularly to a seamless upper for footwear and methods for making a seamless upper. In one aspect of the invention, the upper is seamless and/or is of unitary construction that defines an interior void for comfortably receiving a foot.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 473,473, entitled “SEAMLESS UPPER FOR FOOTWEAR AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME” filed on Apr. 8, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF INVENTION[0002]This invention relates generally to an upper for footwear, more particularly to a seamless upper for footwear and method for making the same.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The upper portion of footwear vary in composition and design based on several design parameters, to include function / performance, weight, cost, aesthetics, comfort and ease of manufacture. Athletic shoes, for example, typically emphasize performance as dictated by the sport. A running shoe is commonly of lighter-weight than a tennis shoe, for example, given a running shoe generally does not require the lateral support of a tennis shoe. Given the particular cost-competitive nature of footwear and th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an upper for footwear and methods for making the footwear upper. The invention involves application of a knitting process to the production of footwear uppers and entire footwear. In one preferred embodiment, a knitting process is disclosed to create a completely seamless upper portion of a shoe. The process can form the seamless footwear upper in a single step. ...

Problems solved by technology

Leather, synthetic leather, and rubber materials, however, may not exhibit the desired degree of flexibility and air-permeability.

However, the above-mentioned shoe upper having a plastic foam layer interposed therein is not necessarily satisfactory in air permeability.

Therefore, this causes problems such that the inside of the shoe becomes stuffy and hot because of abnormal temperature increase attributable to the sweating and generation of heat from feet during exercise, which brings about a discomfort.

However, the prior art use of fabrics and/or textiles in footwear uppers typically require seams.

Seams introduce difficulties and limitations, to include difficulties in manufacture and freedom of design, and unintended abrasion to the user causing, for example, blisters and thereby compromising athletic performance.

Fewer materials reduce costs and increase efficiency, given that shoe manufacture is a labor intensive process.

Modern footwear designs, particularly athletic shoe designs, require numerous upper pieces and complicated manufacturing steps, leading to high labor costs.

In addition, incorporating separate materials into an upper may involve...

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