Manufacturing and assembly of a shoe or a portion of a shoe is enhanced by automated placement and assembly of shoe parts. For example, a part-recognition system analyzes an image of a shoe part to identify the part and determine a location of the part. Once the part is identified and located, the part can be manipulated by an automated manufacturing tool.

Articles of footwear, including athletic footwear, include one or more of: (a) an upper; (b) a sole structure including a midsole and an outsole, the outsole having a plurality of polygonal lugs arranged about a base surface of the outsole. The outsole may include one or more regions wherein the characteristics of a portion of the lugs within a region differ from the characteristics of a portion of the lugs in another region. The lugs may differ, for example based on size, construction and/or spacing between the lugs. Methods of manufacturing such articles of footwear also are disclosed.

Articles of footwear, including athletic footwear, include one or more of: (a) an upper; (b) a sole structure including a midsole and an outsole, the outsole having a plurality of polygonal lugs arranged about a base surface of the outsole. The outsole may include one or more regions wherein the characteristics of a portion of the lugs within a region differ from the characteristics of a portion of the lugs in another region. The lugs may differ, for example based on size, construction and/or spacing between the lugs. Methods of manufacturing such articles of footwear also are disclosed.

A manufacturing process involving a series of discrete operations can be modified by adding, removing, or reordering operations, without design changes to the equipment. The manufacturing process uses a frame comprising one or more alignment tabs. Each alignment tab comprises an alignment element. The alignment element interacts with a corresponding alignment element at a manufacturing station to identify to the manufacturing station the position and orientation of the frame. The frame supports a material in a known position and orientation relative to the frame, allowing the manufacturing station to infer the position and orientation of the pliable material on the frame from the interaction of the alignment elements on the frame and the manufacturing station. The operations at any particular manufacturing station can therefore be positioned independent of what operations, if any, have come before, or in what order.

A manufacturing process involving a series of discrete operations can be modified by adding, removing, or reordering operations, without design changes to the equipment. The manufacturing process uses a frame comprising one or more alignment tabs. Each alignment tab comprises an alignment element. The alignment element interacts with a corresponding alignment element at a manufacturing station to identify to the manufacturing station the position and orientation of the frame. The frame supports a material in a known position and orientation relative to the frame, allowing the manufacturing station to infer the position and orientation of the pliable material on the frame from the interaction of the alignment elements on the frame and the manufacturing station. The operations at any particular manufacturing station can therefore be positioned independent of what operations, if any, have come before, or in what order.

A method of making a knitted shoe includes the steps of: (A) preparing a tube main body having opposite first and second openings; (B) closing the first opening to form a front joined part; (C) cutting an oval shaped opening in the tube main body and closing the same to form a side joined part proximate to the front joined part; (D) preparing and sleeving a three-dimensional rigid foam sleeve on a shoe last; (E) adhering the tube main body to an outer surface of the foam sleeve so as to form a tubular knitted upper; (F) placing the shoe last in an oven for heating; (G) removing the shoe last from the oven; (H) adhering a sole to a bottom side of the tubular knitted upper; and (I) removing the shoe last from the tubular knitted upper.

An article of footwear may include an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer and a sole structure fixedly attached to the upper, the sole structure including a ground-contacting outer member and a removable midsole. The footwear may further include a motorized tensioning system including a power source, a control unit, a tensile member, and a motorized tightening device, the motorized tightening device being attached to an outer surface of the upper, and the tightening device being configured to apply tension in the tensile member to adjust the size of an internal void defined by the article of footwear. In addition, the power source and the control unit of the tensioning system may be configured to be removably disposed in the removable midsole.

An article of footwear may include an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer and a sole structure fixedly attached to the upper, the sole structure including a ground-contacting outer member and a removable midsole. The footwear may further include a motorized tensioning system including a power source, a control unit, a tensile member, and a motorized tightening device, the motorized tightening device being attached to an outer surface of the upper, and the tightening device being configured to apply tension in the tensile member to adjust the size of an internal void defined by the article of footwear. In addition, the power source and the control unit of the tensioning system may be configured to be removably disposed in the removable midsole.

A method for manufacturing a shoe article is disclosed. The method includes a material preparing step, a heat pressing step, a cooling step, and a separating step. The material preparing step includes providing a frame, filling particles of a foam material in the cavities, and providing a shoe-shaped knitted object. The frame has an upper supporting face. The upper supporting face includes at least two concave area with a plurality of cavities. The shoe-shaped knitted object includes a shoe bottom face. The heat pressing step includes simultaneously heating the particles of the foam material to become a semi-solid state foam material, and applying a force to make the shoe bottom face contact with at least a portion of the foam material. The cooling step includes solidifying the semi-solid state foam material to form at least two foam structures connected with the shoe bottom face in positions corresponding to the cavities, wherein the foam structure includes a foam layer and a plurality of foam protrusions. The separating step includes making the foam structures and the shoe-shaped knitted object separate from the frame together.

A method for manufacturing a shoe article is disclosed. The method includes a material preparing step, a heat pressing step, a cooling step, and a separating step. The material preparing step includes providing a frame, filling particles of a foam material in the cavities, and providing a shoe-shaped knitted object. The frame has an upper supporting face. The upper supporting face includes at least two concave area with a plurality of cavities. The shoe-shaped knitted object includes a shoe bottom face. The heat pressing step includes simultaneously heating the particles of the foam material to become a semi-solid state foam material, and applying a force to make the shoe bottom face contact with at least a portion of the foam material. The cooling step includes solidifying the semi-solid state foam material to form at least two foam structures connected with the shoe bottom face in positions corresponding to the cavities, wherein the foam structure includes a foam layer and a plurality of foam protrusions. The separating step includes making the foam structures and the shoe-shaped knitted object separate from the frame together.