Systems and methods for manufacturing footwear

Abstract

Systems and methods for forming footwear are provided. The method may comprise forming a shoe blank. The shoe blank may comprise an upper portion and an outsole component. The forming the shoe blank may comprise coupling the upper portion to the outsole component. The method may comprise subtractively removing material from the shoe blank, comprising cutting away material from the upper portion. The cutting away the material from the upper portion causes the upper portion to be wearable by a user, forming a wearable shoe. The material removed corresponds to a shape of a pattern. The pattern defines a footwear style of the wearable shoe.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for manufacturing footwear and, in particular, systems and methods for manufacturing footwear via subtractive means.BACKGROUND

[0002] Shoe manufacturing is generally additive process by which material is added until a completed shoe is manufactured. Given the time, materials, and skill needed for manufacturing the various parts of the completed shoe and adding the parts throughout the process, additive shoe manufacturing can be costly and time-consuming. Additionally, to maintain stock, additives processes necessitate the overproduction and abundance of inventory in order to meet demand.

[0003] For at least these reasons, systems and methods for manufacturing footwear via a subtractive means is needed.SUMMARY

[0004] According to an object of the present disclosure, a method for forming footwear is provided. The method may comprise forming a shoe blank. The shoe blank may comprise an upper portion and an outsole component. The forming the shoe blank may comprise coupling the upper portion to the outsole component. The method may comprise subtractively removing material from the shoe blank, comprising cutting away material from the upper portion. The cutting away the material from the upper portion causes the upper portion to be wearable by a user, forming a wearable shoe. The material removed corresponds to a shape of a pattern. The pattern defines a footwear style of the wearable shoe.

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method may comprise applying one or more closures to the wearable shoe.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more closures may comprise one or more of: shoelaces; straps; and snaps.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method may comprise positioning a shoe last into a cavity of the shoe blank prior to the selectively removing the material from the shoe blank. The shoe last, when inserted into the shoe blank, may be configured to provide internal support to the upper portion as the material is subtractively removed.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe last may comprise a plurality of sections.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment, the positioning the shoe last into the cavity may comprise securing relative positions of the plurality of sections of the shoe last via one or more locking mechanisms.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment, the forming the shoe blank may comprise forming the upper portion and forming the outsole component.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, the forming the upper portion may comprise laminating two or more layers of material together.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment, the forming the shoe blank may comprise coupling the upper portion to the outsole component.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment, the coupling the upper portion to the outsole component may comprise securing the upper portion to the outsole component via: cementing; gluing; sewing; nailing; or tacking.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment, the coupling the upper portion to the outsole component may comprise tightening the upper portion around a shoe last.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, the forming the shoe blank may comprise injection-molding material into a shape of the shoe blank.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment, the forming the shoe blank may comprise 3D printing the shoe blank.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method may comprise applying one or more dyes or pigments to the shoe blank.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method may comprise applying the pattern to a surface of the shoe blank.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment, the applying the pattern may comprise tracing a pattern stencil.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the Detailed Description, illustrate various non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the subject matter and, together with the Detailed Description, serve to explain principles of the subject matter discussed below. Unless specifically noted, the drawings referred to in this Brief Description of Drawings should be understood as not being drawn to scale and like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified.

[0021] FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate examples of shoe blanks used in the manufacture of footwear, according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2A illustrates an example shoe blank upper portion, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 2B illustrates an example shoe blank outsole component, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates a pattern for a section of a shoe blank to be removed in the manufacturing of footwear, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates a shoe blank having a pattern marked thereon and a mold inserted therein, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a shoe blank having a mold inserted therein an a section of the shoe blank removed corresponding to the marked portion of the shoe blank shown in FIG. 4, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate examples of completed shoes formed via subtractive means from a shoe blank, according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method for manufacturing footwear, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following Detailed Description is merely provided by way of example and not of limitation. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding background or in the following Detailed Description.

[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the subject matter, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While various embodiments are discussed herein, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit to these embodiments. On the contrary, the presented embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in this Detailed Description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present subject matter. However, embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the described embodiments.

[0031] Some portions of the detailed descriptions which follow are presented in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on data within an electrical device. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In the present application, a procedure, logic block, process, or the like, is conceived to be one or more self-consistent procedures or instructions leading to a desired result. The procedures are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily, these quantities may take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in an electronic system, device, and / or component.

[0032] It should be borne in mind, however, that these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the description of embodiments, discussions utilizing terms such as “determining,”“communicating,”“taking,”“comparing,”“monitoring,”“calibrating,”“estimating,”“initiating,”“providing,”“receiving,”“controlling,”“transmitting,”“isolating,”“generating,”“aligning,”“synchronizing,”“identifying,”“maintaining,”“displaying,”“switching,” or the like, refer to the actions and processes of an electronic item such as: a processor, a sensor processing unit (SPU), a processor of a sensor processing unit, an application processor of an electronic device / system, or the like, or a combination thereof. The item manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic and / or magnetic) quantities within the registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, processing, or display components.

[0033] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,”“an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. These terms are merely intended to distinguish one component from another component, and the terms do not limit the nature, sequence or order of the constituent components. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Throughout the specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms “unit”, “-er”, “-or”, and “module” described in the specification mean units for processing at least one function and operation, and can be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

[0034] Unless specifically stated or obvious from context, as used herein, the term “about” is understood as within a range of normal tolerance in the art, for example within 2 standard deviations of the mean. “About” can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear from the context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term “about”.

[0035] In the figures, a single block may be described as performing a function or functions; however, in actual practice, the function or functions performed by that block may be performed in a single component or across multiple components, and / or may be performed using hardware, using software, or using a combination of hardware and software. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, logic, circuits, and steps have been described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Also, the example device vibration sensing system and / or electronic device described herein may include components other than those shown, including well-known components.

[0036] According to exemplary embodiments, systems and methods for manufacturing footwear via subtractive means are provided. “Shoes” and / or “footwear” may be used interchangeably and / or may be used to describe any suitable piece of footwear such as, e.g., dress shoes, running shoes, gym shoes, sandals, and / or other suitable footwear.

[0037] The systems and methods described herein address issues of overproduction and abundance of inventory since one stock shoe blank can be used to produce multiple styles of footwear. The systems and methods of the present disclosure further solve a long-felt need in the industry and improve upon systems and methods for manufacturing footwear by enabling lower-skill shoemaking work in collaboration with a factory, enabling shoe suppliers to meet factory minimum order quantities by, e.g., decreasing the amount of time needed for manufacturing footwear, enables shoe suppliers to offer made-to-order footwear, and addresses some customer fit and style customizations.

[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1B, examples of shoe blanks 100 for use in manufacturing footwear via subtractive means are illustratively depicted, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe blank 100 comprises a structure with which a completed shoe may be manufactured through subtractive means.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe blank 100 may not be not a wearable product. According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe blank 100 may comprise an upper portion 105 and an outsole component 110, as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 2A-2B. The shoe blank 100 may be made to conform to a variety of shapes and / or outsole component 110 types.

[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper portion 105 may comprise one or more materials that are coupled from multiple pieces (via, e.g., sewing, adhesives, and / or other suitable means). It is noted, however, that, according to some embodiments, the upper portion may comprise a single piece of material. According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper portion 105 may comprise 1, 2, or more layers of natural and / or synthetic material. According to an exemplary embodiment, the outsole component 110 may comprise one or more natural (e.g., leather, wood, natural rubbers, etc.) and / or synthetic (e.g., injected synthetics, synthetic rubbers, etc.) materials.

[0042] The upper portion may be formed and / or tightened around a shoe last / mold 115 (as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 4-5) to create a shape / silhouette. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper portion 105 may be formed and tightened around the shoe last / mold 115 to create the shape / silhouette.

[0043] The upper portion 105 may be attached to an outsole component 110. The means for securing the upper portion 105 to the outsole component 110 may comprise cementing, gluing, sewing, nailing, tacking, and / or other suitable means for securing the upper portion 105 to the outsole component 110.

[0044] According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper portion 105 and the outsole component 110 may comprise as a singular member and / or material. By way of example, the shoe blank 100 may comprise one or more materials injected into a mold to create the upper portion 105 and the outsole component 110 as a singular member. By further way of example, the shoe blank 100 may be 3D printed, forming the upper portion 105 and the outsole component 110 as a singular member.

[0045] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe blank 100 may or may not comprise any structural components needed for a final piece of manufactured footwear such as, e.g., heels, shanks, arch support, etc.

[0046] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe last / mold 115 may be configured to be inserted into a shoe blank 100. The shoe last / mold 115 may be configured to be reinsertable into the shoe blank 100.

[0047] The shoe last / mold 115 may be separable and lockable (as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 4-5). It is noted, however, that other shoe lasts / molds 115 may be incorporated (e.g., one-piece shoe lasts / mold 115, two or more-piece shoe lasts / mold 115, etc.). According to an exemplary embodiment, when the shoe last / mold 115 comprises two or more sections 120, 125, the shoe last / mold 115 may comprise one or more locking mechanisms 130 (e.g., a nail, tack, pin, adhesive, button, hook and loop fastener, and / or other suitable locking mechanism) configured to secure the relative positions of the sections 120, 125 of the shoe last / mold 115. According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more locking mechanisms 130 may be configured to secure the relative positions of the sections 120, 125 while the shoe last / mold 115 is within and / or exterior to the shoe blank 100. According to some exemplary embodiments, the shoe last / mold 115 may not comprise a locking mechanism 130 and / or may comprise only one section. The shoe last / mold 115 may comprise wood, plastic, metal, rubber, stone, and / or other suitable materials.

[0048] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe last / mold 115 may be positioned within a cavity 135 formed within the shoe blank 100 formed by the upper portion 105 and the outsole component 110.

[0049] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe blank 100 may be configured to have one or more sections removed in the manufacture of footwear. The one or more sections to be removed may correspond with one or more pattern stencils 140 (as shown, e.g., in FIG. 3). The one or more pattern stencils 140 may be traced and / or otherwise displayed and / or imprinted onto a surface of the shoe blank 100, forming a pattern 145 on the shoe blank 100, as shown, e.g., in FIG. 4.

[0050] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe last / mold 115 may comprise a material durable enough to withstand cutting against it (via, e.g., blades, punched, and / or other suitable cutting instrumentation) when one or more sections of the shoe blank 100 are being removed in accordance with the pattern 145 displayed onto the surface of the shoe blank 100. For example, the shoe blank 100 may comprise one or more layers of leather and / or other suitable material. According to an exemplary embodiment, when the shoe blank 100 comprises two or more layers, the two or more layers may be laminated and / or otherwise fused together.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment, the pattern stencil 140 may be configured and positioned along the shoe blank 100 to avoid cutting through any stitches and / or other suitable structural components of the shoe blank 100.

[0052] According to an exemplary embodiment, when the upper portion 105 comprise 2 or more layers, the layers may be fused, laminated, and / or otherwise attached to each other in such a way that pattern cutting does not cause the multiple layers to separate from each other.

[0053] According to an exemplary embodiment, the pattern stencils 140 may be configured to be laid on a 3-dimensional shoe blank 100 such that they are configured to be adjusted to accommodate the 3-dimensional shape of the shoe blank 100 and moldable against the shoe blank 100.

[0054] According to various embodiments, the finished footwear may comprise closures such as, e.g., one or more straps 155, one or more laces 160, one or more buckles 165, one or more rivets 170, one or more snaps, and / or other closures and / or devices (as shown, e.g., on the footwear 150 in FIGS. 6A-6B). The footwear 150 of FIGS. 6A-6B is shown by way of example and it is understood that other types of footwear may be manufactured using the systems and methods of the present disclosure. According to an exemplary embodiment, one or more dyes / pigments / etc. 175 (as shown, e.g., in FIG. 5) may be applied to the shoe blank 100 during manufacturing to alter shading and / or coloring to the shoe blank 100 and / or to apply an image to the shoe blank 100.

[0055] Referring now to FIG. 7, a flowchart of a method 200 for manufacturing footwear is illustratively depicted, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] At 202, a shoe blank is formed, comprising an upper portion and an outsole component.

[0057] According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper portion and the outsole component may be formed separately and then coupled together. According to an exemplary embodiment, when the upper portion and the outsole component are formed separately and then coupled together, the forming the shoe blank may comprise forming the upper portion, at 204, forming the outsole component, at 206, and coupling the upper portion to the outsole component, at 208.

[0058] Forming the upper portion may comprise forming one or more materials into the shape of the upper portion. When the upper portion comprises multiple materials and / or layers of material, the forming the upper portion may comprise coupling the multiple materials and / or multiple layers via adhesive means, sewing, and / or other suitable means.

[0059] Forming the outsole component may comprise forming one or more materials into the shape of the outsole component. When the outsole component comprises multiple materials and / or layers of material, the forming the outsole component may comprise coupling the multiple materials and / or multiple layers via adhesive means, sewing, and / or other suitable means.

[0060] According to an exemplary embodiment, the coupling the upper portion to the outsole component may comprise forming and / or tightening the upper portion over a shoe last / mold to create a shape / silhouette. According to an exemplary embodiment, the coupling the upper portion to the outsole component may comprise coupling the upper portion to the outsole component via one or more securing means, such as, e.g., cementing, gluing, sewing, nailing, tacking, and / or other suitable securing means.

[0061] According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper portion and the outsole component may comprise as a singular member and / or material. According to an exemplary embodiment, when the upper portion and the outsole component comprise as a singular member and / or material, the forming the shoe blank may comprise injection-molding material, at 210, into the shape of the shoe blank, 3D printing the shoe blank, at 212, and / or forming the shoe blank by one or more other suitable means.

[0062] At 214, a shoe last / mode may be positioned within a cavity of the shoe blank. According to an exemplary embodiment, the shoe last, when inserted into the shoe blank, provides internal support to the upper portion as material is subtractively removed.

[0063] The shoe last / mold may be separable and lockable. It is noted, however, that other shoe lasts / molds may be incorporated (e.g., one-piece shoe lasts / mold, two or more-piece shoe lasts / mold, etc.). According to an exemplary embodiment, when the shoe last / mold comprises two or more sections, the shoe last / mold may comprise one or more locking mechanisms (e.g., a nail, tack, pin, adhesive, button, hook and loop fastener, and / or other suitable locking mechanism) configured to secure the relative positions of the sections of the shoe last / mold, and positioning the shoe last / mold may comprise securing the relative positions of the sections of the shoe last / mold via the one or more locking mechanisms. According to an exemplary embodiment, the one or more locking mechanisms may be configured to secure the relative positions of the sections while the shoe last / mold is within and / or exterior to the shoe blank. According to some exemplary embodiments, the shoe last / mold may not comprise a locking mechanism and / or may comprise only one section.

[0064] At 216, a pattern may be formed onto a surface of the shoe blank. According to exemplary embodiments, the pattern may be traced onto the shoe blank using one or more pattern stencils, printed onto the shoe blank, displayed onto the shoe blank, and / or formed onto the shoe blank by one or more other suitable means.

[0065] At 218, material conforming to the pattern may be removed from the shoe blank. The material may be removed via cutting, stamping, and / or other suitable means for removing the material. According to an exemplary embodiment, removing the material from the shoe blank forms a wearable shoe. According to an exemplary embodiment, the pattern defines a footwear style of the wearable shoe.

[0066] According to an exemplary embodiment, at 220, one or more dyes / pigments / etc. may be applied to the shoe blank during manufacturing to alter shading and / or coloring to the shoe blank and / or to apply an image to the shoe blank.

[0067] At 222, closures and / or hardware may be applied to the shoe blank, forming a finished piece of footwear. The closures and / or hardware may comprise, one or more straps, one or more laces, one or more buckles, one or more snaps, one or more rivets, one or more heels, and / or other closures and / or hardware and / or devices.

[0068] What has been described above includes examples of the subject disclosure. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the subject matter, but it is to be appreciated that many further combinations and permutations of the subject disclosure are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0069] In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, devices, systems and the like, the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the claimed subject matter.

[0070] The aforementioned systems and components have been described with respect to interaction between several components. It can be appreciated that such systems and components can include those components or specified sub-components, some of the specified components or sub-components, and / or additional components, and according to various permutations and combinations of the foregoing. Sub-components can also be implemented as components communicatively coupled to other components rather than included within parent components (hierarchical). Additionally, it should be noted that one or more components may be combined into a single component providing aggregate functionality or divided into several separate sub-components. Any components described herein may also interact with one or more other components not specifically described herein.

[0071] In addition, while a particular feature of the subject innovation may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,”“including,”“has,”“contains,” variants thereof, and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.

[0072] Thus, the embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain various selected embodiments of the present invention and its particular application and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments of the invention to the precise form disclosed,

Claims

1. A method for forming footwear, comprising:forming a shoe blank,wherein:the shoe blank is a non-wearable product that comprises:an upper portion; andan outsole component, andforming the shoe blank comprises coupling the upper portion to the outsole component; andsubtractively removing material from the shoe blank, comprising cutting away material from the upper portion,wherein:the cutting away the material from the upper portion causes the upper portion to be wearable by a user, forming a wearable shoe,the material removed corresponds to a shape of a pattern, andthe pattern defines a footwear style of the wearable shoe.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying one or more closures to the wearable shoe.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more closures comprise one or more of:shoelaces;straps; andsnaps.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning a shoe last into a cavity of the shoe blank prior to the selectively removing the material from the shoe blank,wherein the shoe last, when inserted into the shoe blank, provides internal support to the upper portion as the material is subtractively removed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:the shoe last comprises a plurality of sections, andthe positioning the shoe last into the cavity comprises securing relative positions of the plurality of sections of the shoe last via one or more locking mechanisms.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the shoe blank comprises:forming the upper portion; andforming the outsole component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the forming the upper portion comprises laminating two or more layers of material together.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the forming the shoe blank comprises coupling the upper portion to the outsole component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the coupling the upper portion to the outsole component comprises securing the upper portion to the outsole component via:cementing;gluing;sewing;nailing; ortacking.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the coupling the upper portion to the outsole component comprises tightening the upper portion around a shoe last.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the shoe blank comprises injection-molding material into a shape of the shoe blank.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the shoe blank comprises 3D printing the shoe blank.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying one or more dyes or pigments to the shoe blank.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the pattern to a surface of the shoe blank.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the applying the pattern comprises tracing a pattern stencil.

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