The invention concerns a method of producing an article of footwear comprising: providing an upper; providing a mold and opening the mold; inserting the upper into the open mold; closing the mold; and injecting a pressurized molten resin, wherein, after the injecting, there is a gap filled with the resin between a side wall of the mold and an outer surface of at least a first portion of the upper, wherein the gap is essentially zero at a contacting point, wherein the gap increases gradually from the contacting point in at least a first region of the mold.

The invention concerns a method of producing an article of footwear comprising: providing an upper; providing a mold and opening the mold; inserting the upper into the open mold; closing the mold; and injecting a pressurized molten resin, wherein, after the injecting, there is a gap filled with the resin between a side wall of the mold and an outer surface of at least a first portion of the upper, wherein the gap is essentially zero at a contacting point, wherein the gap increases gradually from the contacting point in at least a first region of the mold.

An article of footwear has an upper that is direct attached with the sole in a article of footwear mold. The sole has a film extending up sidewalls of the sole to a film edge that is prior to the sidewall and the upper joining. Method of manufacture of the article of footwear includes steps of positioning a film over a mold cavity and then securing the film to the mold. The film is heated and then drawn into the mold cavity under a vacuum. The film forms a liner of the mold cavity. A foam composition is injected into the lined mold cavity. As the foam composition expands, the foam composition interacts with and mechanically engages with the upper that is poisoned at the mold cavity to allow for the mechanical engagement that results in the direct attach of the sole to the upper.

An article of footwear has an upper that is direct attached with the sole in a article of footwear mold. The sole has a film extending up sidewalls of the sole to a film edge that is prior to the sidewall and the upper joining. Method of manufacture of the article of footwear includes steps of positioning a film over a mold cavity and then securing the film to the mold. The film is heated and then drawn into the mold cavity under a vacuum. The film forms a liner of the mold cavity. A foam composition is injected into the lined mold cavity. As the foam composition expands, the foam composition interacts with and mechanically engages with the upper that is poisoned at the mold cavity to allow for the mechanical engagement that results in the direct attach of the sole to the upper.

A method of manufacturing an article of footwear from a flat pattern is provided. The method includes cutting a first cut in a first material through the top surface and the bottom surface of the first material. The method continues with coupling an overlay on the first material top surface such that the overlay extends over the first cut and obscures the first material top surface. The method continues with forming the flat pattern having the first material with the first cut and the overlay into a dimensional article of footwear configured to receive a foot. The first material bottom surface is more interior to the dimensional article of footwear than the top surface.

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, comprising the steps of providing a plurality of individual particles for a sole element in a mold, providing an upper in the mold, and fusing the plurality of individual particles and the upper by means of an electromagnetic field to bond the plurality of individual particles with each other and with the upper.

A method for manufacturing three-dimensional items with flexible walls is provided, by method of a mold and counter mold between which a volume corresponding to that of the item to be obtained is delimited. The item is made up of laminar parts which are mounted on a template that is fixed to the inner surface of the mold. The laminar parts are joined to one another by means of a material which is injected in molten state through a network of conduits delimited between the counter mold, template and the facing edges of adjacent laminar parts. The template is made of an elastically deformable material and has a three-dimensional configuration.

A method for manufacturing three-dimensional items with flexible walls is provided, by method of a mold and counter mold between which a volume corresponding to that of the item to be obtained is delimited. The item is made up of laminar parts which are mounted on a template that is fixed to the inner surface of the mold. The laminar parts are joined to one another by means of a material which is injected in molten state through a network of conduits delimited between the counter mold, template and the facing edges of adjacent laminar parts. The template is made of an elastically deformable material and has a three-dimensional configuration.

Variable-density soles for articles of footwear and methods for constructing said soles are provided herein. In one embodiment, a variable-density sole for a footwear article comprises a first layer comprising a first density coupled to a bottom surface of an upper of the article of footwear; and a second layer comprising a second density greater than the density of the first layer, wherein the first layer is physically coupled to the second layer forming an interface between the layers. In this way, comfort of the article of footwear may be increased while decreasing the weight of the article of footwear. Further, forming the variable-density sole includes directly molding the first layer to a strobel board, stitching the strobel board to an upper, and injecting the second layer to the upper with the strobel board and the first layer. In this way, the production of a footwear article is simplified.

Variable-density soles for articles of footwear and methods for constructing said soles are provided herein. In one embodiment, a variable-density sole for a footwear article comprises a first layer comprising a first density coupled to a bottom surface of an upper of the article of footwear; and a second layer comprising a second density greater than the density of the first layer, wherein the first layer is physically coupled to the second layer forming an interface between the layers. In this way, comfort of the article of footwear may be increased while decreasing the weight of the article of footwear. Further, forming the variable-density sole includes directly molding the first layer to a strobel board, stitching the strobel board to an upper, and injecting the second layer to the upper with the strobel board and the first layer. In this way, the production of a footwear article is simplified.