Knitted Footwear Upper With Removable Sole for Easy Recycling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional footwear components are difficult to deconstruct and recycle due to adhesive and stitching, leading to inefficient recycling and waste accumulation.

Innovation Solution

The footwear is designed with a knitted upper component that integrates seamlessly with a sole structure using mechanical engagement mechanisms, allowing for easy disassembly without adhesives or stitching, and is made from recyclable materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional molding processes are used to form synthetic material uppers, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but the material cannot be effectively recycled due to contamination from adhesive and textile components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoidrecyclability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The upper is constructed from separate knitted material portions that are selectively joined together, allowing the different materials to remain distinct and separable. This segmentation enables each material component to be independently recycled without contamination from adhesive-bonded composite structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A selective bonding agent is used as an intermediary to join specific portions of the knitted materials. This bonding agent allows for controlled attachment only where needed, leaving other portions unbonded and separable for recycling purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Shape

If excess material is trimmed from the upper during manufacturing, then proper fit and appearance are improved, but manufacturing time and complexity increase due to multiple trimming operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefit and appearanceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The knitted material portions are constructed with pre-determined shapes and sizes that match the final product requirements. This preliminary shaping during the knitting process eliminates the need for subsequent trimming operations, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining proper fit and appearance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple separate uppers are stitched together to form the final upper, then design flexibility is improved, but the number of manufacturing steps and production time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign flexibilityVSAvoidproduction time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple knitted material portions are selectively bonded together in a single integrated process to form the complete upper. This merging of separate components into a unified structure maintains design flexibility while eliminating multiple discrete manufacturing steps and reducing production time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4493012B1Knitted upper for an article of footwear

Publication Date: 2026.05.20 NIKE INNOVATE CV

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AI summary

Articles of footwear for sustainable systems are disclosed herein. A modular article of footwear includes a knitted upper component and a midsole component that are removably secured together. Some aspects further includes an exterior sole component that is removably secured to the midsole component and the knitted upper component.