EP3453791B1 - Woven shoe upper - Google Patents

Woven shoe upper Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3453791B1
EP3453791B1 EP18192672.6A EP18192672A EP3453791B1 EP 3453791 B1 EP3453791 B1 EP 3453791B1 EP 18192672 A EP18192672 A EP 18192672A EP 3453791 B1 EP3453791 B1 EP 3453791B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
yarn
stitching
yarns
warp
stitching yarn
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
EP18192672.6A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3453791A1 (en
Inventor
Tom O'HAIRE
Andrew Yip
Thomas Henwood
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Adidas AG
Original Assignee
Adidas AG
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Publication date
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Publication of EP3453791A1 publication Critical patent/EP3453791A1/en
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Publication of EP3453791B1 publication Critical patent/EP3453791B1/en
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D25/00—Woven fabrics not otherwise provided for
    • D03D25/005—Three-dimensional woven fabrics
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
    • A43B23/02—Uppers; Boot legs
    • A43B23/0245—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the constructive form
    • A43B23/025—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the constructive form assembled by stitching
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
    • A43B13/28—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by their attachment, also attachment of combined soles and heels
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
    • A43B23/02—Uppers; Boot legs
    • A43B23/0205—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the material
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
    • A43B23/02—Uppers; Boot legs
    • A43B23/0245—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the constructive form
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
    • A43B23/02—Uppers; Boot legs
    • A43B23/0245—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the constructive form
    • A43B23/0255—Uppers; Boot legs characterised by the constructive form assembled by gluing or thermo bonding
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
    • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
    • A43B3/0036—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use characterised by a special shape or design
    • A43B3/0078—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use characterised by a special shape or design provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A43—FOOTWEAR
    • A43D—MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR
    • A43D999/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D1/00—Woven fabrics designed to make specified articles
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D13/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the special disposition of the warp or weft threads, e.g. with curved weft threads, with discontinuous warp threads, with diagonal warp or weft
    • D03D13/004—Woven fabrics characterised by the special disposition of the warp or weft threads, e.g. with curved weft threads, with discontinuous warp threads, with diagonal warp or weft with weave pattern being non-standard or providing special effects
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D15/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
    • D03D15/20—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the material of the fibres or filaments constituting the yarns or threads
    • D03D15/242—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the material of the fibres or filaments constituting the yarns or threads inorganic, e.g. basalt
    • D03D15/275—Carbon fibres
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D15/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
    • D03D15/20—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the material of the fibres or filaments constituting the yarns or threads
    • D03D15/283—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the material of the fibres or filaments constituting the yarns or threads synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D15/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
    • D03D15/50—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the properties of the yarns or threads
    • D03D15/573—Tensile strength
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D15/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
    • D03D15/50—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the properties of the yarns or threads
    • D03D15/587—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the properties of the yarns or threads adhesive; fusible
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D15/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
    • D03D15/60—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the warp or weft elements other than yarns or threads
    • D03D15/68—Scaffolding threads, i.e. threads removed after weaving
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D21/00—Lappet- or swivel-woven fabrics
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D03—WEAVING
    • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
    • D03D31/00—Lappet, swivel or other looms for forming embroidery-like decoration on fabrics
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B2101/00—Inorganic fibres
    • D10B2101/10—Inorganic fibres based on non-oxides other than metals
    • D10B2101/12—Carbon; Pitch
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B2331/00—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products
    • D10B2331/02—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products polyamides
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B2331/00—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products
    • D10B2331/10—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products polyurethanes
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B2401/00—Physical properties
    • D10B2401/02—Moisture-responsive characteristics
    • D10B2401/024—Moisture-responsive characteristics soluble
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B2401/00—Physical properties
    • D10B2401/04—Heat-responsive characteristics
    • D10B2401/041—Heat-responsive characteristics thermoplastic; thermosetting
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
    • D10B2501/00—Wearing apparel
    • D10B2501/04—Outerwear; Protective garments
    • D10B2501/043—Footwear

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a shoe upper comprising a woven portion with an integrally woven stitching yarn and methods for production thereof.
  • Knitting offers a great amount of flexibility for varying the stiffness and elasticity of a shoe upper by varying local yarn content and knit structure. Therefore, a knitted shoe upper allows for a good fit and conformation to a wearer's foot.
  • the knit requires extra reinforcement, for example from tape, a heel counter, or an external cage system, which adds to the complexity and cost of the production process. For this reason, woven materials are an alternative for such applications because they have a lighter weight and higher tensile strength than knits.
  • the woven fabric may be engineered primarily by altering warp and weft yarns.
  • the technical limitations resulting from compatibility issues of different materials on a warp beam are more severe than for knitting.
  • a further important limitation is that any engineering based on introducing different warp or weft yarns is done in a strictly linear fashion. Therefore, reinforcement, for example by using stronger yarns, can only be achieved along the warp (0°) or weft (90°) direction and therefore woven materials are often unstable along a "bias direction" substantially along +/- 45° to the warp direction.
  • the mechanical properties of the textile are governed by the interaction of the warp and weft yarns and the stability of the fabric is governed by the sum total of frictional contact of warp and weft yarns. This relationship limits the stability of certain open structures as well as the range of achievable differences between traditionally engineered zones since typically most zones on a single textile will have similar densities and common warp yarns.
  • a problem addressed in the present invention is to provide a light-weight, woven portion for a shoe upper that provides sufficient stability for demanding applications, that can be produced in a simple, accurate, and reproducible way and that can be engineered in a more flexible way than conventional woven fabric.
  • a further problem addressed in the present invention is to increase the stability of woven fabric used for shoe uppers along directions significantly different to the warp and weft direction.
  • the US 2014/0173932 discloses a shoe upper that is formed as a substantially planar woven article with varied functional zones and lockout strands integrated therein.
  • the lockout strands may be integrally incorporated with the woven shoe upper to provide functional characteristics that differ from those characteristics provided by the woven upper.
  • US 2016/309843 A1 discloses a loom for weaving a fabric with two types of tissue, a shoe upper woven using the loom, and a shoe including such a shoe upper.
  • the loom includes a first heddle stack formed by arranging a plurality of first heddles in one or more rows, and a second heddle stack formed by arranging a plurality of second heddles in one or more rows.
  • the invention concerns a shoe upper comprising a woven portion, wherein the woven portion comprises: a plurality of warp yarns; a plurality of weft yarns; at least one stitching yarn, wherein the stitching yarn is integrally woven into the fabric during the weaving process by laterally displacing the stitching yarn substantially along the weft direction and moving the stitching yarn in and out of at least one open reed gap in a reed.
  • the woven portion may be only a component for the upper, such as a tongue or a vamp, or it may make up substantially the entire upper.
  • This shoe upper can be generally light-weight and durable.
  • the upper can be engineered to have desired performance requirements concerning, for example, stretch, durability, support, haptic, etc.
  • the properties of specific regions can be engineered by locally incorporating at least one stitching yarn during the weaving process without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the displacement of the stitching yarn is in a direction substantially parallel to the weft yarns, which effects that two subsequent interlacing points between the weft yarns and the stitching yarn may occur diagonally from each other.
  • the stitching yarns are separate from the warp yarns and are controlled individually or as a group by needle eyelets.
  • the stitching yarn feeder is able to move laterally between weaving cycles.
  • the action of the feeding needles is "non-orthogonal", meaning that the stitching yarn is able to change direction, i.e. change the angle it makes with the warp and weft direction.
  • the feeding needles are controlled electronically or via a mechanical cam or dobby system.
  • a displacement mechanism provides sufficient lateral displacement to cover at least a half width of a shoe upper, typically up to 10 cm.
  • the process has a reduced complexity compared to a two-step process where a stitching yarn is incorporated in a second step either manually or by a machine.
  • the reed is closed at the top and the yarns are not free to leave the read through either vertical or horizontal movement.
  • an open reed is required, wherein the reed has openings at the top where the stitching yarn can move out of the reed and re-enter at a different lateral position within the reed.
  • the stitching yarns run in a linear, warp-wise direction.
  • the stitching yarn can be arranged in a more accurate and reproducible manner. Since a needle is not required for incorporating the stitching yarn, there is also less risk of damage to the warp or weft yarns which could be damaged by a needle in a second step comprising an embroidery process.
  • the present invention allows for a full digital design and customization of an upper at the development stage, allowing for mechanical properties, design, size, and fit to be determined at this early creation stage.
  • the area weight of the fabric may also be engineered to vary locally (the area weight in regions comprising the stitching yarn may be higher than in regions without the stitching yarn) more specifically than with conventional methods, thus allowing reinforcement regions to be engineered into some portions of the fabric while keeping other portions more lightweight.
  • the stitching yarn can have a tensile modulus greater than the tensile modulus of the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns.
  • the upper may have a good and comfortable fit but still provides the required level of support in regions where increased support is required due to the presence of the less elastic stitching yarn.
  • the stitching yarn may comprise a meltable component.
  • the stitching yarn can be either coated or comprised entirely of low temperature melt, typically with melting temperatures between 40° and 200°C.
  • melting the meltable component it is possible to locally fix the structure permanently, for example to prevent unravelling during further processing or when the shoe is worn.
  • the use of a yarn comprising a meltable component enables the additional stiffness that is introduced by the stitching yarn to be spread over a whole region rather than just along the stitching yarn.
  • the step of melting the meltable component can be conducted in a 2-D form, for example with a stent frame heat setting, or in a 3-D form, or when the upper is arranged on a last. This has the advantage that the shoe upper obtains a shape specific to the mold or lasting geometry.
  • melt yarns are incorporated into the woven portion outside of the boundary of a normal 2-D shoe upper. Therefore, when it 2-D upper is lasted to bring it to a 3-D form, these excess melt yarns could be used to close the shoe upper around the last.
  • the stitching yarn may be located in a midfoot region of the shoe.
  • the midfoot region requires an increased level of support, for example for running or playing football. Therefore, a stitching yarn that is located in the midfoot region of the upper, may facilitate the required level of support, without adding much weight to the upper.
  • the stitching yarn is located within 2 cm from at least one lace eyelet.
  • the region around the lace eyelet is subject to increased wear and tear in normal everyday use of a shoe. Therefore, by incorporating the at least one stitching yarn in the area around the lace eyelets it is possible to add support locally in this area as required but without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the stitching yarn is located around a heel counter.
  • the region around the heel counter requires additional support in normal everyday use of a shoe. Therefore, by incorporating the at least one stitching yarn in the area around the heel counter it is possible to add support locally in this area as required but without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the stitching yarn may additionally be located in a sole region of the shoe upper.
  • a sole region of the shoe upper is at the interface between the midsole and the upper. Incorporating the at least one stitching yarn in a sole region of the upper is functional as it increases the stability in this area and reduces the risk of the upper detaching from the midsole or tearing at this point.
  • the meltable component could be melted, partly or fully, such as to facilitate a strong bond to be formed between the midsole and the upper.
  • the midsole could be a football plate comprising thermoplastic polyurethane and the meltable component in the stitching yarn could comprise thermoplastic polyurethane. Therefore, a particularly strong bond would be formed between the midsole and the upper without the use of any additional adhesive.
  • Connecting the midsole and the upper may comprise activating at least one portion of a first connection surface by providing heat energy without contact, for example by infrared radiation and connecting the midsole with the upper by joining the connection surfaces of the midsole and the upper. This process is sometimes called infrared welding.
  • the woven portion may comprise at least a first and a second stitching yarn, wherein the second stitching yarn is incorporated substantially parallel to the first stitching yarn.
  • the first or the second stitching yarn or both the first and the second stitching yarn may have the properties of the "at least one stitching yarn" described herein.
  • Substantially parallel in this context means parallel within +/- 10 degrees to allow for manufacturing imperfections. In many cases, it may not be sufficient to include a single stitching yarn.
  • At least one stitching yarn makes an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp or weft yarns between at least two different interlacing points.
  • a conventional woven fabric is most stable along the warp (0°) or weft (90°) directions.
  • Woven materials are often unstable along a "bias direction" substantially along +/- 45° to the warp direction. If the stitching yarn is added at an angle of between 30° and 60° to the warp direction, the mechanical properties in this angular range reflect the properties of the stitching yarn. Therefore, for example, by using a strong stitching yarn it is possible to add support that reduces strains when mechanical stresses, or forces, are present at an angle of between approximately 30° and 60° to the warp direction.
  • Said two interlacing points may be located in a midfoot region of the upper.
  • the stitching yarn makes an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp or weft yarns, it is possible to engineer additional support against distortions in this direction.
  • the midfoot region of an upper is frequently subject to the large stresses and forces in a range of directions during physical activity. Therefore, it is often preferable that additional support is provided in the midfoot region of the upper, especially along the frequently weakest directions of the fabric.
  • Said two interlacing points may be located within 2 cm from at least one lace eyelet.
  • the region around the lace eyelets is often subject to large stresses and forces in a range of directions during physical activity. Therefore, it is preferable to engineer additional support for the region around the lace eyelets by incorporating the stitching yarn at an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp yarns or weft yarns.
  • the shoe upper may further comprise a reinforcement region comprising: a. at least one stitching yarn along a first direction; b. the stitching yarn then changes to a second direction, which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the first direction; c. the stitching yarn then changes to a third direction which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the second direction; and d. the stitching yarn then changes to a fourth direction which is at an angle of less than 30 degrees to the first direction.
  • the reinforcement region comprises at least one stitching yarn that starts off along a first direction and follows a zigzag path before it returns approximately back to the first direction.
  • At least one stitching yarn may be a lacing yarn, wherein a lacing yarn extends beyond the edge of the woven portion and is configured to be moveable within the woven portion.
  • the lacing yarn may be a strand and / or a ribbon.
  • An advantage of incorporating a stitching yarn that is configured as a lacing yarn is that the speed of production of the upper may be increased significantly as in conventional shoe manufacturing the step of lacing an upper is still manual and thus time consuming and expensive.
  • Another advantage of incorporating a stitching yarn that is a lacing yarn is that much more elaborate and effective lacing systems can be developed.
  • the lacing yarn can be configured to be moveable within the woven portion for example by having a relatively small number of points at which it is interwoven with the warp and weft yarns.
  • the lacing yarn may be chosen from a stronger material such as high-tenacity polyester or nylon to prevent tearing.
  • the lacing yarn can be provided to extend beyond the edge of the woven portion for example by interweaving the lacing yarn in a sheet from which the woven portion is later cut but extending the lacing yarn beyond the edges of the woven portion in the sheet.
  • the lacing yarn may change direction in a ripstop region, which has a similar function as a lacing eyelet.
  • a ripstop region can be formed using any method known in the art and may comprise tear-resistant yarn such as high tenacity polyester or nylon. This way, the lacing yarn may be used to adjust the fit of the upper without risking tearing the upper in those regions, where the pulling force on the upper exerted by the lacing yarn would be greatest.
  • lacing yarns instead of just one lacing yarn. This way, it is easier to design a lacing system as the two or more lacing yarns may be connected.
  • At least one lacing yarn may comprise a meltable component.
  • the meltable component can be activated by heat so that the lacing yarn can be fixedly attached to the warp and weft yarns at a desired end point of the lacing yarn.
  • two lacing yarns may be fixedly attached to each other by activating the meltable component at a chosen connection point.
  • At least one stitching yarn and/or one weft yarn and/or one warp yarn may be dissolvable in a solvent.
  • gaps i.e. areas that provide improved ventilation and flexibility, in the woven portion. It is not feasible to create these gaps in conventional weaving, as the warp and weft yarns will slide across each other to close any gaps.
  • the dissolvable yarn keeps a space clear from non-dissolvable yarns during weaving. After weaving, the dissolvable yarn is dissolved and a gap is created. This process may include fixing the woven portion before dissolving the dissolvable yarns, for example by melting selected melt yarns in order to improve the stability of the gap.
  • the dissolvable yarn may be dissolved prior to lasting of the upper or it may be dissolved after lasting of the upper. Dissolving the dissolvable yarn may be performed prior to sale or after sale of the shoe, i.e. it is also possible that the decision whether or not to dissolve the dissolvable yarns is left up to the customer.
  • Dissolving the dissolvable yarn may be done at temperatures of 70° - 100° C to increase the solubility of the dissolvable yarn in the solvent.
  • the solvent may be water.
  • Water is non-toxic and safe to use even on a large scale.
  • a water-dissolvable yarn could comprise poly(vinyl alcohol), which has the advantage that it is not toxic and has a high solubility in water.
  • dissolvable yarn and solvent are suitable. It is only important that the dissolvable yarn is soluble in the solvent.
  • the solvent may be an ionic liquid or an organic solvent, depending on the material of the dissolvable yarn.
  • the dissolvable yarn may comprise polycaprolactone for which a suitable solvent would be chloroform or dichloromethane, or a mixture of both.
  • the dissolvable yarn could be made from nylon for which a suitable solvent would be acetic acid.
  • the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns may contain a volume fraction of at least 0.1% of elastane.
  • the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns contain a volume fraction of between 0.1 and 30%, more preferably the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns contain a volume fraction of between 0.5 and 20%.
  • the upper conforms well to a wearer's foot and the upper can be lightweight and comfortable to wear.
  • the basic fabric formed by the warp and weft yarns has an inherent amount of stretch and elasticity, deforming and recovering from strains of up to 20% in at least one direction.
  • a base fabric, comprising the warp yarns and the weft yarns but excluding the stitching yarn(s), of the woven portion may have a mass of 15-700 grams per square meter, more preferably between 50 and 350 grams per square meter.
  • a lightweight fabric improves the performance and wearing comfort of the upper.
  • the mass per unit area (also known as area weight) of the woven portion comprising the warp yarns and the weft yarns, but excluding the stitching yarn may be measured by cutting out a portion of the fabric that does not comprise a stitching yarn, weighing said portion and normalizing the measured weight (or mass) by the area of the cut-out portion.
  • an analogous procedure allows measuring the area weight of portions of the fabric that also comprise the stitching yarn.
  • At least one stitching yarn may have a tensile modulus of at least 3 GPa.
  • a stitching yarn with a tensile modulus of at least 3 GPa facilitates a preferred level of support in areas where additional support is required during physical activity without being too constricting for a wearer's foot which would deteriorate the wearing comfort.
  • At least one stitching yarn may comprise high-tenacity polyester.
  • High-tenacity polyester is a lightweight and durable material with a low elasticity that is particularly suitable for regions of the upper that require additional support.
  • At least one stitching yarn may comprise a polyamide material.
  • Polyamide materials are particularly lightweight and particularly durable with a low elasticity that is suitable for regions of the upper that require additional support.
  • the stitching yarn may comprise carbon fibre.
  • Carbon fibre materials are particularly lightweight and durable with a low elasticity that is suitable for regions of the upper that require additional support.
  • the stitching yarns may provide unique benefits such as cooling or warming, they may be electrically conductive, for example for safety purposes, they may provide the upper with auxetic properties.
  • a plurality of stitching yarns may be incorporated at a density of at least 1 stitching yarn end per cm along the weft direction. It is found that, in order to locally engineer the properties of the shoe upper, the density of the stitching yarns does not need to be high. Preferably this density is at least 1 stitching yarn end per cm along the weft direction. More preferably this density is at least 2 stitching yarn ends per cm along the weft direction. At this density, the stiffness of the stretched woven portion is increased significantly at strains of 20% to 30%.
  • the stitching yarns may be integrated in large numbers over a great width or in small numbers over a narrow width.
  • the weaving may comprise at least two stitching axes.
  • the stitching axis is given by the physical direction of the displacement means that facilitates the lateral displacement of the stitching yarn.
  • the displacement of the stitching yarn is preferably in a direction substantially parallel to the weft yarns.
  • a stitching axis may be parallel to the weft or warp direction, or it may not be parallel to either the weft or warp direction.
  • the second stitching axis may be parallel to the first stitching axis, or it may not be parallel to the first stitching axis. Using a second stitching axis allows for more complex stitching patterns to be incorporated into the woven portion which improves the extent to which the woven portions' properties can be engineered.
  • the invention further concerns a method of making a woven portion for a shoe upper, comprising: providing a plurality of warp yarns and a plurality of weft yarns; interweaving the plurality of weft yarns and the plurality of warp yarns; providing at least one stitching yarn, arranged substantially parallel to the warp yarns; and simultaneously interweaving the stitching yarn during the weaving process by laterally displacing the stitching yarn substantially along the weft direction and moving the stitching yarn in and out of at least one open reed gap in a reed.
  • This shoe upper can be generally light-weight and durable.
  • the upper can be engineered to have desired performance requirements concerning, for example, stretch, durability, support, haptic, etc.
  • the properties of specific regions can be engineered by locally incorporating at least one stitching yarn during the weaving process without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the displacement of the stitching yarn is in a direction substantially parallel to the weft yarns, which effects that two subsequent interlacing points between the weft yarns and the stitching yarn may occur diagonally from each other.
  • the stitching yarns are separate from the warp yarns and are controlled individually or as a group by needles eyelets.
  • the stitching yarn feeder is able to move laterally between weaving cycles.
  • the action of the feeding needles is "non-orthogonal", meaning that the stitching yarn is able to change direction, i.e. change the angle it makes with the warp and weft direction.
  • the feeding needles are controlled electronically or via a mechanical cam or dobby system.
  • a displacement mechanism provides sufficient lateral displacement to cover at least a half width of a shoe upper, typically up to 10 cm.
  • the process has a reduced complexity compared to a two-step process where a stitching yarn is incorporated in a second step either manually or by a machine.
  • the reed is closed at the top and the yarns are not free to leave the read through either vertical or horizontal movement.
  • an open reed is required, wherein the reed has openings at the top where the stitching yarn can move out of the reed and re-enter at a different lateral position within the reed.
  • the stitching yarns run in a linear, warp-wise direction.
  • the stitching yarn can be arranged in a more accurate and reproducible manner. Since a needle is not required for incorporating the stitching yarn, there is also less risk of damage to the warp or weft yarns which could be damaged by a needle in a second step comprising an embroidery process.
  • the present invention allows for a full digital design and customization of an upper at the development stage, allowing for mechanical properties, design, size, and fit to be determined at this early creation stage.
  • the area weight of the fabric may also be engineered to vary locally (the area weight in regions comprising the stitching yarn may be higher than in regions without the stitching yarn) more specifically than with conventional methods, thus allowing, for example, reinforcement regions to be engineered into some portions of the fabric while keeping other portions more lightweight.
  • stitching yarn can be used to crimp the edge of the woven sheet to prevent fraying.
  • Part of the woven sheet is cut after weaving to form the woven portion, either manually or automatically via conventional cutting or laser cutting.
  • the shoe is then formed via a lasting and finishing process.
  • One of the major hurdles in using woven materials, for example Leno-type woven fabric, for producing shoe uppers is the unravelling of material during handling. This method allows for open woven structures without the need for glues or adhesives, such as melt yarns, to prevent unravelling during handling.
  • the reed may comprise at least two groups of reed gaps, wherein a reed gap of the first group is at least partially covered by an insertion bevel, and wherein a reed gap of the second group is not covered by an insertion bevel.
  • One problem of using an open reed is that the stitching yarn may get stuck at the top of the reed gap during insertion into the reed gap. This can be prevented by using an insertion bevel which guides the stitching yarn into the intended reed gap and blocks neighboring reed gaps.
  • the stitching yarn may comprise a meltable component.
  • the stitching yarn can be either coated or comprised entirely of low temperature melt, typically with melting temperatures between 40° and 200°C.
  • melting the meltable component it is possible to locally fix the structure permanently, for example to prevent unravelling during further processing or when the shoe is worn.
  • the use of a yarn comprising a meltable component enables the additional stiffness that is introduced by the stitching yarn to be spread over a whole region rather than just along the stitching yarn.
  • the step of melting the meltable component can be conducted in a 2-D form, for example with a stent frame heat setting, or in a 3-D form, or when the upper is arranged on a last. This has the advantage that the shoe upper obtains a shape specific to the mold or lasting geometry.
  • melt yarns are incorporated into the woven portion outside of the boundary of a normal 2-D shoe upper. Therefore, when it 2-D upper is lasted to bring it to a 3-D form, these excess melt yarns could be used to close the shoe upper around the last.
  • the stitching yarn can have a tensile modulus greater than the tensile modulus of the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns.
  • the upper may have a good and comfortable fit but still provides the required level of support in regions where increased support is required due to the presence of the less elastic stitching yarn.
  • the stitching yarn may be located in a midfoot region of the shoe.
  • the midfoot region requires an increased level of support, for example for running or playing football. Therefore, a stitching yarn that is located in the midfoot region of the upper, may facilitate the required level of support, without adding much weight to the upper.
  • the stitching yarn is located within 2 cm from at least one lace eyelet.
  • the region around the lace eyelet is subject to increased wear and tear in normal everyday use of a shoe. Therefore, by incorporating the at least one stitching yarn in the area around the lace eyelets it is possible to add support locally in this area as required but without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the stitching yarn is located around a heel counter.
  • the region around the heel counter requires additional support in normal everyday use of a shoe. Therefore, by incorporating the at least one stitching yarn in the area around the heel counter it is possible to add support locally in this area as required but without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the stitching yarn may additionally be located in a sole region of the shoe upper.
  • a sole region of the shoe upper is at the interface between the midsole and the upper.
  • Incorporating the at least one stitching yarn in a sole region of the upper is functional as it increases the stability in this area and reduces the risk of the upper detaching from the midsole or tearing at this point.
  • the meltable component could be melted, partly or fully, such as to facilitate a strong bond to be formed between the midsole and the upper.
  • the midsole could be a football plate comprising thermoplastic polyurethane and the meltable component in the stitching yarn could comprise thermoplastic polyurethane.
  • Connecting the midsole and the upper may comprise activating at least one portion of a first connection surface by providing heat energy without contact, for example by infrared radiation and connecting the midsole with the upper by joining the connection surfaces of the midsole and the upper. This process is sometimes called infrared welding.
  • the method may comprise providing at least a first and a second stitching yarn, wherein the second stitching yarn is interwoven substantially parallel to the first stitching yarn.
  • the first or the second stitching yarn or both the first and the second stitching yarn may have the properties of the "at least one stitching yarn" described herein.
  • Substantially parallel in this context means parallel within +/- 10 degrees to allow for manufacturing imperfections. In many cases, it may not be sufficient to include a single stitching yarn.
  • incorporating a second stitching yarn that is substantially parallel to the first stitching yarn the effect of incorporating the first stitching yarn is enhanced by the second stitching yarn and thus a greater amount of stiffness can be achieved.
  • At least one stitching yarn makes an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp or weft yarns between at least two different interlacing points.
  • a conventional woven fabric is most stable along the warp (0°) or weft (90°) directions.
  • Woven materials are often unstable along a "bias direction" substantially along +/- 45° to the warp direction. If the stitching yarn is added at an angle of between 30° and 60° to the warp direction, the mechanical properties in this angular range reflect the properties of the stitching yarn. Therefore, for example, by using a strong stitching yarn it is possible to add support that reduces strains when mechanical stresses, or forces, are present at an angle of between approximately 30° and 60° to the warp direction.
  • Said two interlacing points may be located in a midfoot region of the upper.
  • the stitching yarn makes an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp or weft yarns, it is possible to engineer additional support against distortions in this direction.
  • the midfoot region of an upper is frequently subject to the large stresses and forces in a range of directions during physical activity. Therefore, it is often preferable that additional support is provided in the midfoot region of the upper, especially along the frequently weakest directions of the fabric.
  • Said two interlacing points may be located within 2 cm from at least one lace eyelet.
  • the region around the lace eyelets is often subject to large stresses and forces in a range of directions during physical activity. Therefore, it is preferable to engineer additional support for the region around the lace eyelets by incorporating the stitching yarn at an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp yarns or weft yarns.
  • the method may further comprise forming a reinforcement region comprising: a. stitching at least one stitching yarn along a first direction; b. changing the direction of the stitching yarn to a second direction, which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the first direction; c. changing the direction of the stitching yarn to a third direction which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the second direction; and d. changing the direction of the stitching yarn to a fourth direction which is at an angle of less than 30 degrees to the first direction.
  • the reinforcement region comprises at least one stitching yarn that starts off along a first direction and follows a zigzag path before it returns approximately back to the first direction.
  • the method may further comprise configuring at least one stitching yarn as a lacing yarn, comprising: extending at least one stitching yarn beyond the edge of the woven portion and configuring said stitching yarn to be moveable within the woven portion.
  • the lacing yarn may be a strand and / or a ribbon.
  • An advantage of incorporating a stitching yarn that is configured as a lacing yarn into the woven portion is that the speed of production of the upper may be increased significantly as in conventional shoe manufacturing the step of lacing an upper is still manual and thus time consuming and expensive.
  • Another advantage of incorporating a stitching yarn that is a lacing yarn is that much more elaborate and effective lacing systems can be developed.
  • the lacing yarn can be configured to be moveable within the woven portion for example by having a relatively small number of points at which it is interwoven with the warp and weft yarns.
  • the lacing yarn may be chosen from a stronger material such as high-tenacity polyester or nylon to prevent tearing.
  • the lacing yarn can be provided to extend beyond the edge of the woven portion for example by interweaving the lacing yarn in a sheet from which the woven portion is later cut but extending the lacing yarn beyond the edges of the woven portion in the sheet.
  • the lacing yarn may be interwoven such that it changes direction in a ripstop region, which has a similar function as a lacing eyelet.
  • a ripstop region can be formed using any method known in the art and may comprise tear-resistant yarn such as high tenacity polyester or nylon. This way, the lacing yarn may be used to adjust the fit of the upper without risking tearing the upper in those regions, where the pulling force on the upper exerted by the lacing yarn would be greatest.
  • lacing yarns instead of just one lacing yarn. This way, it is easier to design a lacing system as the two or more lacing yarns may be connected.
  • At least one lacing yarn may comprise a meltable component and the method may further comprise melting the meltable component so that the lacing yarn can be fixedly attached to the warp and weft yarns at a desired end point of the lacing yarn.
  • two lacing yarns may be fixedly attached to each other by activating the meltable component at a chosen connection point.
  • Providing a plurality of warp and weft yarns, and at least one stitching yarn may comprise providing at least one stitching yarn and/or one weft yarn and/or one warp yarn that is dissolvable in a solvent and dissolving the dissolvable warp, weft, and/or stitching yarn in the solvent.
  • gaps i.e. areas that provide improved ventilation and flexibility, in the woven portion. It is not feasible to create these gaps in conventional weaving, as the warp and weft yarns will slide across each other to close any gaps.
  • the dissolvable yarn keeps a space clear from non-dissolvable yarns during weaving. After weaving, the dissolvable yarn is dissolved and a gap is created.
  • This process may include fixing the woven portion before dissolving the dissolvable yarns, for example by melting selected melt yarns in order to improve the stability of the gap.
  • the dissolvable yarn may be dissolved prior to lasting of the upper or it may be dissolved after lasting of the upper. Dissolving the dissolvable yarn may be performed prior to sale or after sale of the shoe, i.e. it is also possible that the decision whether or not to dissolve the dissolvable yarns is left up to the customer.
  • Dissolving the dissolvable yarn may be done at temperatures of 70° - 100° C to increase the solubility of the dissolvable yarn in the solvent.
  • the solvent may be water.
  • Water is non-toxic and safe to use even on a large scale.
  • a water-dissolvable yarn could comprise poly(vinyl alcohol), which has the advantage that it is not toxic and has a high solubility in water.
  • dissolvable yarn and solvent are suitable. It is only important that the dissolvable yarn is soluble in the solvent.
  • the solvent may be an ionic liquid or an organic solvent, depending on the material of the dissolvable yarn.
  • the dissolvable yarn may comprise polycaprolactone for which a suitable solvent would be chloroform or dichloromethane, or a mixture of both.
  • the dissolvable yarn could be made from nylon for which a suitable solvent would be acetic acid.
  • the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns may contain a volume fraction of at least 0.1% of elastane.
  • the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns contain a volume fraction of between 0.1 and 30%, more preferably the warp yarns and/or the weft yarns contain a volume fraction of between 0.5 and 20%.
  • the upper conforms well to a wearer's foot and the upper can be lightweight and comfortable to wear.
  • the basic fabric formed by the warp and weft yarns has an inherent amount of stretch and elasticity, deforming and recovering from strains of up to 20% in at least one direction.
  • a base fabric, comprising the warp yarns and the weft yarns, but excluding the stitching yarn(s), of the woven portion may have a mass of 15-700 grams per square meter, more preferably between 50 and 350 grams per square meter.
  • a lightweight fabric improves the performance and wearing comfort of the upper.
  • the mass per unit area (also known as area weight) of the woven portion comprising the warp yarns and the weft yarns, but excluding the stitching yarn may be measured by cutting out a portion of the fabric that does not comprise a stitching yarn, weighing said portion and normalizing the measured weight (or mass) by the area of the cut-out portion.
  • an analogous procedure allows measuring the area weight of portions of the fabric that also comprise the stitching yarn.
  • At least one stitching yarn may have a tensile modulus of at least 3 GPa.
  • a stitching yarn with a tensile modulus of at least 3 GPa facilitates a preferred level of support in areas where additional support is required during physical activity without being too constricting for a wearer's foot which would deteriorate the wearing comfort.
  • At least one stitching yarn may comprise high-tenacity polyester.
  • High-tenacity polyester is a lightweight and durable material with a low elasticity that is particularly suitable for regions of the upper that require additional support.
  • At least one stitching yarn may comprise a polyamide material.
  • Polyamide materials are particularly lightweight and particularly durable with a low elasticity that is suitable for regions of the upper that require additional support.
  • At least one stitching yarn may comprise carbon fibre.
  • Carbon fibre materials are particularly lightweight and durable with a low elasticity that is suitable for regions of the upper that require additional support.
  • the stitching yarns may provide unique benefits such as cooling or warming, they may be electrically conductive, for example for safety purposes, they may provide the upper with auxetic properties.
  • a plurality of stitching yarns may be incorporated at a density of at least 1 stitching yarn end per cm along the weft direction. It is found that, in order to locally engineer the properties of the shoe upper, the density of the stitching yarns does not need to be high. Preferably this density is at least 1 stitching yarn end per cm along the weft direction. More preferably this density is at least 2 stitching yarn ends per cm along the weft direction. At this density, the stiffness of the stretched woven portion is increased significantly at strains of 20% to 30%.
  • the stitching yarns may be integrated in large numbers over a great width or in small numbers over a narrow width.
  • the weaving may comprise at least two stitching axes.
  • the stitching axis is given by the physical direction of the displacement means that facilitates the lateral displacement of the stitching yarn.
  • the displacement of the stitching yarn is preferably in a direction substantially parallel to the weft yarns.
  • a stitching axis may be parallel to the weft or warp direction, or it may not be parallel to either the weft or warp direction.
  • the second stitching axis may be parallel to the first stitching axis, or it may not be parallel to the first stitching axis. Using a second stitching axis allows for more complex stitching patterns to be incorporated into the woven portion which improves the extent to which the woven portions' properties can be engineered.
  • Fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a weaving apparatus 10 suitable for producing a woven sheet 20 from which a woven portion can be cut for a shoe upper according to a method of the present invention.
  • a first set of warp yarns 11a is raised by a reed 18.
  • An alignment mechanism 13 containing a needle eyelet 14 allows two stitching yarns 15 to be raised or lowered along a substantially vertical direction 16. The needle can enter and leave the open reed gaps 19 in the reed.
  • a weft (not shown in Fig. 1 ) is inserted at a weft insertion port the weaving apparatus 10 therefore allows simultaneous weaving of the weft and the warp yarns and stitching of the stitching yarns.
  • the process has a reduced complexity compared to a two-step process where a stitching yarn is incorporated in a second step either manually or by a machine.
  • the reed 18 is closed at the top and the yarns are not free to leave the read through either vertical or horizontal movement.
  • an open reed is required, wherein the reed has openings 19 at the top where the stitching yarn 15 can move out of the reed and re-enter at a different lateral position within the reed.
  • the stitching yarns 15 run in a linear, warp-wise direction.
  • the stitching yarn 15 can be arranged in a more accurate and reproducible manner. Since a needle is not required for incorporating the stitching yarn, there is also less risk of damage to the warp or weft yarns which could be damaged by a needle in a second step comprising an embroidery process.
  • the area weight of the fabric may also be engineered to vary locally (the area weight in regions comprising the stitching yarn may be higher than in regions without the stitching yarn) more specifically than with conventional methods, thus allowing reinforcement regions to be engineered into some portions of the fabric while keeping other portions more lightweight.
  • stitching yarn can be used to crimp the edge of the woven sheet to prevent fraying.
  • Part of the woven sheet is cut after weaving, either manually or automatically via conventional cutting or laser cutting.
  • the shoe is then formed via a lasting and finishing process.
  • One of the major hurdles in using woven materials, for example Leno-type woven fabric, for producing shoe uppers is the unravelling of material during handling. This method allows for open woven structures without the need for glues or adhesives, such as melt yarns, to prevent unravelling during handling.
  • the reed may comprise at least two groups of reed gaps, wherein a reed gap of the first group is at least partially covered by an insertion bevel, and wherein a reed gap of the second group is not covered by an insertion bevel.
  • One problem of using an open reed is that the stitching yarn may get stuck at the top of the reed gap during insertion into the reed gap. This can be prevented by using an insertion bevel which guides the stitching yarn into the intended reed gap and blocks neighboring reed gaps.
  • the stitching yarns 15 can have a tensile modulus greater than the tensile modulus of the warp yarns 11a and 11b and/or the weft yarns.
  • an upper comprising the woven portion has a good and comfortable fit but still provides the required level of support in regions where increased support is required due to the presence of the less elastic stitching yarns 15.
  • a displacement mechanism allows for the lateral displacement of the alignment mechanism 13 substantially along the weft direction 17. Therefore, two subsequent interlacing points between the weft yarns and the stitching yarn may occur diagonally from each other.
  • a conventional woven fabric is most stable along the warp (0°) or weft (90°) directions. Woven materials are often unstable along a bias direction substantially along +/- 45° to the warp direction. If the stitching yarn is added at an angle of between 30° and 60° to the warp direction, the mechanical properties in this angular range reflect the properties of the stitching yarn.
  • the weaving apparatus 10 therefore allows a woven portion to be produced that is significantly more stable along a bias direction than a conventional woven fabric. It is also possible to engineer a woven portion that is "locked" by the stitching yarn and has only very little elasticity in a specific direction or region. Furthermore, by arranging the stitching yarn at such angles, it is possible for the stitching yarn to follow the natural contours of a shoe upper to improve the fit and aesthetic aspects of the upper.
  • the warp yarns 11a, 11b and/or the weft yarns contain a volume fraction of at least 0.5% of elastane.
  • an upper comprising the woven portion conforms well to a wearer's foot and the upper is lightweight and comfortable to wear.
  • the basic fabric formed by the warp and weft yarns has an inherent amount of stretch and elasticity, deforming and recovering from strains of up to 20% in at least one direction. The person skilled in the art will recognize that this value is significantly higher than for conventional woven or knitted fabric, which typically experience irreversible damage at strains of about 4% or higher.
  • a base fabric comprising the warp yarns 11a, 11b and the weft yarns, but excluding the stitching yarns 15, of the woven portion has a mass of 15-700 grams per square meter.
  • a lightweight woven portion improves the performance and wearing comfort of the upper.
  • the stitching yarns 15 have a tensile modulus of at least 3 GPa.
  • a stitching yarn 15 with a tensile modulus of at least 3 GPa facilitates a preferred level of support in areas where additional support is required during physical activity without being too constricting for a wearer's foot which would deteriorate the wearing comfort.
  • the stitching yarns 15 may comprise high-tenacity polyester, polyamide, and / or carbon fibre. It is possible that some stitching yarns comprise one of these materials and some other stitching yarns comprise another one of these materials. It is also possible that one stitching yarn comprises a composition of two or all of these materials. These materials are particularly lightweight and particularly durable with a low elasticity that is suitable for regions of the woven portion that require additional support.
  • the stitching yarns 15 are incorporated at a density of at least 1 stitching yarn end per cm along the weft direction. It is found that, in order to locally engineer the properties of the woven portion, the density of the stitching yarns does not need to be high. Preferably this density is at least 1 stitching yarn end per cm along the weft direction. More preferably this density is at least 2 stitching yarn ends per cm along the weft direction. At this density, the stiffness of the stretched woven portion is increased significantly at strains of 20% to 30%.
  • the stitching yarns may be integrated in large numbers over a great width or in small numbers over a narrow width.
  • stitching yarns 15 may comprise a meltable component (not shown in the figures).
  • the stitching yarns can be either coated or comprised entirely of low temperature melt, typically with melting temperatures between 40° and 200°C. By melting the meltable component, it is possible to locally fix the structure permanently, for example to prevent unravelling during further processing or when the shoe is worn.
  • Fig. 2 shows an exemplary weaving machine 21 suitable for producing a woven sheet 20 from which a woven portion can be cut for a shoe upper according to a method of the present invention.
  • Yarn packages are stored on spools 22 for the warp yarns, the weft yarns, and / or the stitching yarns.
  • An alignment mechanism 13 provides the stitching yarns 15.
  • the displacement mechanism 23 facilitates the lateral displacement of the alignment mechanism 13 along a direction substantially parallel to the weft direction 17.
  • the displacement mechanism 23 allows for up to 10 cm of lateral displacement. This range of motion is sufficient to cover the half width of a shoe upper in order to engineer areas of the woven portion. It is also possible that the displacement mechanism 23 allows for a greater range of lateral displacement.
  • the displacement mechanism 23 further allows a dipping motion along a substantially vertical direction 16 to insert and remove the alignment mechanism 13 into and out of the open reed gaps 19.
  • Fig. 3A shows an exemplary embodiment of a woven sheet 20a for a woven portion 34 comprising two stitching yarns 15a of a first type.
  • the stitching yarns 15a are located in a part of the woven sheet 20a that will be cut to form a woven portion 34 for a midfoot region of the shoe upper.
  • the woven sheet 20a also comprises a cut-away region 32 which will not form part of the woven portion of the shoe upper.
  • the midfoot region requires an increased level of support, for example for running or playing football. Therefore, a stitching yarn that is located in the midfoot region of the upper, may facilitate the required level of support, without adding much weight to the upper.
  • the stitching yarns 15a make an angle of between 30° and 60° with the direction 35 of the warp yarns between several different interlacing points.
  • a conventional woven fabric is most stable along the warp (0°) or weft (90°) directions. Woven materials are often unstable along a "bias direction" substantially along +/- 45° to the warp direction. If the stitching yarn is added at an angle of between 30° and 60° to the warp direction, the mechanical properties in this angular range reflect the properties of the stitching yarn. Therefore, for example, by using a strong stitching yarn it is possible to add support that reduces strains when mechanical stresses, or forces, are present at an angle of between approximately 30° and 60° to the warp direction.
  • interlacing points are located in an area of the woven portion 34 that will be located in a midfoot region of the upper.
  • the stitching yarn makes an angle of between 30° and 60° with the warp or weft yarns, it is possible to engineer additional support against distortions in this direction.
  • the midfoot region of an upper is frequently subject to the large stresses and forces in a range of directions during physical activity. Therefore, it is often preferable that additional support is provided in the midfoot region of the upper, especially along the frequently weakest directions of the fabric.
  • Fig. 3B shows an exemplary embodiment of a woven sheet 20b for a woven portion 34 comprising two stitching yarns 15a of a first type and two stitching yarns 15b of a second type.
  • the stitching yarns of the first type 15a are located in a part of the woven portion 34 that will be located in a midfoot area of the shoe upper.
  • the woven sheet 20b also comprises a cut-away region 32 that will not form part of the woven portion of the shoe upper.
  • the stitching yarns 15b of the second type are located close to, and within 2 cm from, several lace eyelets 33.
  • the region around the lace eyelets is subject to increased wear and tear in normal everyday use of a shoe. Therefore, by incorporating the stitching yarns 15b of the second type in the area around the lace eyelets it is possible to add support locally in this area as required but without increasing the weight of the upper significantly.
  • the stitching yarns 15a of the first type may have a different composition and/or tensile modulus than the stitching yarns 15b of the second type.
  • stitching yarns 15b of a second type with a very high tensile modulus around the lace eyelets where no elasticity is required
  • stitching yarns 15a of the first type could be more elastic and have a lower tensile modulus to allow for a certain degree of flexibility in the midfoot region.
  • the stitching yarns 15a and 15b make an angle of between 30° and 60° with the direction 35 of the warp yarns between several different interlacing points. This is in order to add support that reduces strains when mechanical stresses, or forces, are present at an angle of between approximately 30° and 60° to the warp direction. These stresses are often present in the midfoot region and the region around the lace eyelets 33 during physical exercise.
  • the woven sheets 20a and 20b comprise a reinforcement region 36, comprising: a. at least one stitching yarn 15 along a first direction; b. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a second direction, which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the first direction; c. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a third direction which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the second direction; and d. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a fourth direction which is at an angle of less than 30 degrees to the first direction.
  • the reinforcement region 36 comprises at least one stitching yarn 15 that starts off along a first direction and follows a zigzag path before it returns approximately back to the first direction.
  • Fig. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a woven sheet 20c for a woven portion 34 comprising several stitching yarns 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d of four different types.
  • the stitching yarns 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d are located in a part of the woven portion 34 that will be located in a midfoot region of the shoe upper.
  • the woven sheet 20c also comprises a cut-away region 32 which will not form part of the woven portion.
  • the stitching yarns of one type may have a different composition and/or tensile modulus than the stitching yarns of another type.
  • the woven sheet 20c comprises a reinforcement region 36, comprising: a. at least one stitching yarn 15 along a first direction; b. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a second direction, which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the first direction; c. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a third direction which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the second direction; and d. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a fourth direction which is at an angle of less than 30 degrees to the first direction.
  • the reinforcement region 36 comprises at least one stitching yarn 15 that starts off along a first direction and follows a zigzag path before it returns approximately back to the first direction.
  • the woven sheet 20c comprises two stitching yarns 41 that are dissolvable in a solvent. This way it is possible to create gaps, i.e. areas that provide improved ventilation and flexibility, in the woven portion. It is not feasible to create these gaps in conventional weaving, as the warp and weft yarns will slide across each other to close any gaps.
  • the dissolvable yarns 41 keep a space clear from non-dissolvable yarns during weaving. After weaving, the dissolvable yarns are dissolved and a gap is created. This process may include fixing the woven portion before dissolving the dissolvable yarns, for example by melting selected melt yarns in order to improve the stability of the gap.
  • the dissolvable yarns may be dissolved prior to lasting of the upper or they may be dissolved after lasting of the upper. Dissolving the dissolvable yarns may be performed prior to sale or after sale of the shoe, i.e. it is also possible that the decision whether or not to dissolve the dissolvable yarns is left up to the customer.
  • stitching yarns are dissolvable in a solvent
  • a stitching yarn, a warp yarn, and/or a weft yarn may be dissolvable in a solvent.
  • Dissolving the dissolvable yarns 41 may be done at temperatures of 70° - 100° C to increase the solubility of the dissolvable yarns 41 in the solvent.
  • the solvent is water.
  • Water is non-toxic and safe to use even on a large scale.
  • the exemplary water-dissolvable yarn 41 comprises poly(vinyl alcohol), which has the advantage that it is not toxic and has a high solubility in water.
  • dissolvable yarn and solvent are suitable. It is only important that the dissolvable yarn is soluble in the solvent.
  • the solvent may be an ionic liquid or an organic solvent, depending on the material of the dissolvable yarn.
  • the dissolvable yarn may comprise polycaprolactone for which a suitable solvent would be chloroform or dichloromethane, or a mixture of both.
  • the dissolvable yarn could be made from nylon for which a suitable solvent would be acetic acid.
  • the woven sheet 20a, 20b, 20c shown in Figs 3A, 3B, 4 can be produced, for example, using the weaving apparatus shown in Fig. 1 or the weaving machine shown in Fig. 2 .
  • a shoe upper is then formed by cutting a woven portion 34 from the woven sheet 20a, 20b, 20c for manual or automated shoe make-up using conventional cutting or laser cutting.
  • the shoe is then formed via a lasting and finishing process.
  • a shoe upper according to the present invention can be manufactured using a reduced number of reinforcements steps.
  • Fig. 5A shows an exemplary embodiment of a woven sheet 20d comprising stitching yarns 15 which comprise a meltable component.
  • Fig. 5A shows the woven sheet with the warp direction 17 and the weft direction 35.
  • the woven sheet 20d shows an exemplary embodiment of incorporating the stitching yarns in order to reinforce the midfoot region of an upper.
  • Fig. 5B shows an exemplary embodiment of a woven sheet 20e comprising stitching yarns 15 which comprise a meltable component.
  • Fig. 5B shows the woven sheet with the warp direction 17 and the weft direction 35.
  • the woven sheet 20e shows an exemplary embodiment of incorporating the stitching yarns in order to reinforce the heel counter region of an upper.
  • the woven sheets 20d and 20e comprise at least a first 15 and a second 15 stitching yarn, wherein the second stitching yarn 15 is incorporated substantially parallel to the first stitching yarn 15.
  • the first 15 or the second 15 stitching yarn or both the first 15 and the second 15 stitching yarn may have the properties of the "at least one stitching yarn" 15 described herein.
  • Substantially parallel in this context means parallel within +/- 10 degrees to allow for manufacturing imperfections. In many cases, it may not be sufficient to include a single stitching yarn.
  • the effect of incorporating the first stitching yarn is enhanced by the second stitching yarn and thus a greater amount of stiffness can be achieved.
  • the stitching yarns 15 can be either coated or comprised entirely of low temperature melt, typically with melting temperatures between 40° and 200°C.
  • melting the meltable component it is possible to locally fix the structure permanently, for example to prevent unravelling during further processing or when the shoe is worn.
  • the use of a yarn comprising a meltable component enables the additional stiffness that is introduced by the stitching yarn to be spread over a whole region rather than just along the stitching yarn 15.
  • the step of melting the meltable component can be conducted in a 2-D form, for example with a stent frame heat setting, or in a 3-D form, or when the upper is arranged on a last. This has the advantage that the shoe upper obtains a shape specific to the mold or lasting geometry.
  • melt yarns 15 are incorporated into the woven sheet outside of the boundary of a normal 2-D shoe upper, i.e. outside the woven portion that will become part of the upper. Therefore, when it 2-D upper is lasted to bring it to a 3-D form, these excess melt yarns 15 could be used to close the shoe upper around the last.
  • the woven sheets 20d and 20e comprise a reinforcement region 36, comprising: a. at least one stitching yarn 15 along a first direction; b. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a second direction, which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the first direction; c. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a third direction which is at an angle of at least 30 degrees to the second direction; and d. the stitching yarn 15 then changes to a fourth direction which is at an angle of less than 30 degrees to the first direction.
  • the reinforcement region 36 comprises at least one stitching yarn 15 that starts off along a first direction and follows a zigzag path before it returns approximately back to the first direction.
  • the woven sheets 20d and 20e shown in Figs. 5A and 5B can be produced, for example, using the weaving apparatus shown in Fig. 1 or the weaving machine shown in Fig. 2 .
  • a shoe upper is then formed by cutting a woven portion from the woven sheet 20d, 20e for manual or automated shoe make-up using conventional cutting or laser cutting.
  • the shoe is then formed via a lasting and finishing process.
  • a shoe upper according to the present invention can be manufactured using a reduced number of reinforcements steps.
  • Figs. 6A-C show exemplary woven sheets 20f,g and woven portions 34 for a shoe upper according to the present invention.
  • Fig. 6A shows an exemplary woven sheet 20f comprising a woven portion 34 with the boundary at which the woven portion is to be cut indicated by a solid line.
  • the exemplary woven portion comprises two stitching yarns 61a,b that are lacing yarns, wherein the lacing yarns 61a,b extend beyond the edge of the woven portion 34 and are configured to be moveable within the woven portion 34.
  • the lacing yarns 61a and 61b may be a strand and / or a ribbon.
  • stitching yarns 61a,b that are configured as lacing yarns are that the speed of production of the upper may be increased significantly as in conventional shoe manufacturing the step of lacing an upper is still manual and thus time consuming and expensive.
  • Another advantage of incorporating stitching yarns 61a,b that are lacing yarns is that much more elaborate and effective lacing systems can be developed.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are configured to be moveable within the woven portion by having a relatively small number of points at which the lacing yarns 61a,b are interwoven with the warp and weft yarns forming the base fabric 62.
  • the exemplary lacing yarns 61a,b are chosen from a stronger material such as high-tenacity polyester or nylon to prevent tearing.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are provided to extend beyond the edge of the woven portion 34 by interweaving the lacing yarns 61a,b in the sheet 20f from which the woven portion 34 is later cut but extending the lacing yarns 61a,b beyond the edges of the woven portion 34 in the sheet 20f.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are straight between two subsequent woven portions.
  • the lacing yarns are not attached to the base fabric 62.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are attached to the base fabric 62.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b may be removed from the base fabric 62 easily by disconnecting them only at a single point, for example by cutting.
  • lacing yarns 61a and 61b there are two lacing yarns 61a and 61b.
  • the advantage of having two lacing yarns is that it is easier to make a lacing system as the two lacing yarns may be connected.
  • both lacing yarns 61a and 61b comprise a meltable component and the method further comprises melting the meltable component so that the lacing yarn can be fixedly attached to the warp and weft yarns at a desired end point 65 of the lacing yarns 61a and 61b.
  • the two lacing yarns 61a and 61b are fixedly attached to each other by activating the meltable component at a chosen connection point 65.
  • only one lacing yarn may comprise a meltable component or no lacing yarn may comprise a meltable component and the lacing yarn or lacing yarns may be attached by any other suitable means to each other or to the base fabric.
  • Fig. 6B shows a similar woven sheet 20g for the production of a woven portion 34 comprising two lacing yarns 61a and 61b.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are provided to extend beyond the edge of the woven portion 34 by interweaving the lacing yarns 61a,b in the sheet 20g from which the woven portion 34 is later cut but extending the lacing yarns 61a,b beyond the edges of the woven portion 34 in the sheet 20f.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are not straight between subsequent woven portions that are to be cut from the woven sheet 20g. This allows the space between subsequent woven portions to be used more effectively.
  • the lacing yarns are not attached to the base fabric 62.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b are attached to the base fabric 62.
  • the lacing yarns 61a,b may be removed from the base fabric 62 easily by disconnecting them only at a single point, for example by cutting.
  • lacing yarn 61a comprise a meltable component while lacing yarn 61b does not and the method further comprises melting the meltable component in lacing yarn 61a so that the lacing yarn 61a can be fixedly attached to the warp and weft yarns at a desired end point 65 of the lacing yarn 61a.
  • the melting of the meltable component of lacing yarn 61a at end point 65 also effects that the two lacing yarns 61a and 61b are fixedly attached to each other by activating the meltable component at a chosen connection point 65.
  • Fig. 6C shows an example of part of a woven portion 34 comprising two lacing yarns 61a and 61b.
  • the lacing yarns 61a and 61b change direction in a ripstop region 66, which has a similar function as a lacing eyelet.
  • the ripstop region 66 comprises tear-resistant yarn such as high tenacity polyester or nylon and can be formed using any technique known in the art. This way, the lacing yarns 61a and 61b may be used to adjust the fit of the upper without risking tearing the upper in those regions, where the pulling force on the upper exerted by the lacing yarns 61a and 61b would be greatest.
  • the woven sheets 20f and 20g shown in Figs. 6A and 6B can be produced, for example, using the weaving apparatus shown in Fig. 1 or the weaving machine shown in Fig. 2 .
  • a shoe upper is then formed by cutting a woven portion 34 as shown in Figs. 6A-C from the woven sheet 20f, 20g for manual or automated shoe make-up using conventional cutting or laser cutting.
  • the shoe is then formed via a lasting and finishing process.
  • the woven portion 34 may be a portion of an upper, such as for example a tongue or vamp, or it may form substantially all of the upper.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)
  • Woven Fabrics (AREA)
EP18192672.6A 2017-09-12 2018-09-05 Woven shoe upper Active EP3453791B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102017216026.8A DE102017216026B4 (de) 2017-09-12 2017-09-12 Gewebtes Schuhoberteil

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3453791A1 EP3453791A1 (en) 2019-03-13
EP3453791B1 true EP3453791B1 (en) 2021-07-28

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ID=63517735

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EP18192672.6A Active EP3453791B1 (en) 2017-09-12 2018-09-05 Woven shoe upper

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US (2) US20190075888A1 (zh)
EP (1) EP3453791B1 (zh)
JP (1) JP6717900B2 (zh)
CN (1) CN109487409B (zh)
DE (1) DE102017216026B4 (zh)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106037119A (zh) * 2016-07-25 2016-10-26 信泰(福建)科技有限公司 一体鞋面制造方法及一体编织鞋面
CN111163881B (zh) 2017-10-06 2022-04-05 株式会社Ihi 粉末供给装置以及三维层叠造型装置
GB2589378B (en) * 2019-11-29 2024-08-21 Texon Man Limited A woven upper
DE102020208218B4 (de) 2020-07-01 2022-02-10 Adidas Ag Auxetischer Artikel

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS6392751A (ja) * 1986-10-01 1988-04-23 小河原　通弘 四軸織物及び四軸織機
DE102010007048A1 (de) * 2010-02-06 2011-08-11 Lindauer DORNIER Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, 88131 Verfahren und Webmaschine zur Herstellung von Geweben mit Zusatzschusseffekten
DE102010026609B3 (de) * 2010-07-09 2011-11-17 Lindauer Dornier Gesellschaft Mit Beschränkter Haftung Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Webmusterbildung bei Geweben mit Zusatzschusseffekten
CN201914770U (zh) * 2010-11-21 2011-08-03 海宁横达纺织机械有限公司 一种络筒机专用导线架
DE102012200835B3 (de) * 2012-01-20 2013-03-14 Lindauer Dornier Gesellschaft Mit Beschränkter Haftung Webmaschine mit einer Vorrichtung zur Bildung von Zusatzschusseffekten
CN104883917B (zh) 2012-12-21 2017-08-04 耐克创新有限合伙公司 具有闭锁部的编织的鞋类鞋面
DE102013208251A1 (de) * 2013-05-06 2014-11-06 Mep-Olbo Gmbh Webmaschine zur Herstellung eines Gewebes und Gewebe
EP4365340A3 (en) * 2015-03-31 2024-09-04 adidas AG Sole for sports shoes
DE102015205751B4 (de) * 2015-03-31 2018-10-31 Adidas Ag Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Schuhoberteils, Schuhoberteil und Sportschuh
KR101557130B1 (ko) * 2015-04-24 2015-10-02 송수복 이종 조직 직물 직조용 직기, 이를 이용하여 직조된 신발갑피 및 신발

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN109487409B (zh) 2021-05-28
JP6717900B2 (ja) 2020-07-08
EP3453791A1 (en) 2019-03-13
US20240016258A1 (en) 2024-01-18
DE102017216026A1 (de) 2019-03-14
CN109487409A (zh) 2019-03-19
US20190075888A1 (en) 2019-03-14
JP2019051306A (ja) 2019-04-04
DE102017216026B4 (de) 2022-01-27

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