Footwear Flat Pattern Upper with Reduced Seam Construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional construction of footwear involves numerous discrete portions that are costly, time-consuming, and complex to assemble, leading to increased material waste and production complexity.
Innovation Solution
An article of footwear is designed with a flat pattern upper that forms a medial toebox seam and a heel-end seam, allowing for efficient conversion into a dimensional article with reduced operations, utilizing a plain seam and acute-angle indentation for better conformity to the foot anatomy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional footwear construction with numerous discrete portions is used, then manufacturing flexibility and design versatility are improved, but manufacturing complexity and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete upper portions into a single integrated upper construction that is directly formed on the sole assembly. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly steps for individual upper components, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining design versatility through the flexibility of direct formation processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated upper construction serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, defines the footwear shape, and allows for design variations. By combining these functions into a single component formed directly on the sole, the patent reduces the number of discrete portions needed while maintaining adaptability across different footwear designs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional footwear construction with multiple manufacturing steps is used, then design flexibility is improved, but production time and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by directly forming the upper construction on the sole assembly during the molding process itself, rather than manufacturing separate upper components and assembling them later. This preliminary formation of the upper integrated with the sole eliminates subsequent assembly steps and reduces production time while maintaining design flexibility through mold customization.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous molding process allows the upper and sole to be formed in a single continuous operation without interruption for assembly. This continuity of useful action eliminates the downtime and labor associated with transferring and joining separate components, thereby reducing production time while preserving design flexibility through process control.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional footwear construction with numerous discrete portions is used, then design versatility is improved, but material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the upper and sole into a single integrated construction formed directly on the sole assembly, the patent eliminates the need for separate upper components that would require separate material inputs and generate separate waste streams. This consolidation reduces overall material waste while maintaining design versatility through the flexibility of the direct formation process.
Data Source
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AI summary
An article of footwear (100) formed from a flat pattern. The article of footwear (100) has a reduced seam construction to reduce manufacturing operations. A toe-end seam (210) extending from a throat on a medial side (102) of the article of footwear (100) provides a seaming option. An acute-angle indentation (254) on a lateral side (104) of the throat allows the article of footwear (100) to conform to a wearer's traditional foot. A heel-end seam (212) having adjacent inner surfaces of medial and lateral portions of the upper (200) may also be included to convert the flat pattern upper (800, 900, 1000) to a dimensional article of footwear (100) that conforms to the wearer's traditional foot.