A sockliner for a shoe or other article of footwear is formed having at least one generally flat, planar surface. At least a portion of the sockliner has a linear width that exceeds the linear distance across a width of the shoe. When the sockliner is placed in the shoe, pressure on the wider portions of the sockliner changes the conformation of the sockliner to conform to the shoe.

A bonded mesh composite panel can be used to form a three-dimensional upper shell that includes extensions used for double-lasting and/or to otherwise provide a shelf to support foam padding. The foam padding may be, e.g., a foam midsole. The extensions of the upper shell may be located in a lower portion of the shell and may be bonded to the foam midsole in a heel, midfoot and/or forefoot regions.

A method for manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear includes: forming a foam layer; forming a preliminary upper by laminating an outer layer, an inner layer, and the foam layer intermediate to the outer layer and the inner layer; and molding the preliminary upper to a shape having a contour to substantially fit at least a portion of a foot to provide at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear.

A method of manufacturing a shoe structure includes: a setting step of setting an upper on a shoe last, and distributing a foam matrix material comprising a plurality of semi-foamed granules of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) along a bottom of the shoe last to position the foam matrix material between the shoe last and the upper, and a foaming step of heating the shoe last with the upper and the foam matrix material thereon by microwave, so that the semi-foamed granules are foamed to form an insole bonded to the upper, and the upper is shaped along a contour of the shoe last after cooling and removing the shoe last.

The present invention relates to an enhanced method for the manufacture of a plastic component (135), in particular a cushioning element for sports apparel, the method comprising: opening a mold (100) by a predetermined amount into a loading position, wherein the mold comprises at least two mold parts (110, 112) and wherein the amount by which the mold is opened influences an available loading volume of the mold, loading a material comprising expanded particles (130) into the loading volume, closing the mold into a closed position, wherein during closing of the mold the mold parts are moved together over different distances (140) in different areas of the mold, compressing the expanded particles by closing the mold and fusing at least the surfaces of the expanded particles to mold the plastic component.

An insole may include an insole body in a shape receivable in a shoe; an electronic element provided in the insole body; a connection line configured to electrically connect to the electronic element and including a contact terminal exposed to the outside of the insole body; and a connector including a detachable member configured to at least partially protrude outward from the insole body and configured to support the contact terminal.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure including a polymeric bladder element enclosing a fluid-filled interior cavity. The bladder element has a surface with a groove that extends generally parallel with a transverse edge from a lateral side to a medial side, and has a reduced thickness at the groove. A first length along a longitudinal midline of the bladder element from a longitudinal extremity of the bladder element to the groove corresponds with a first footwear size, and a second length along the longitudinal midline of the bladder element from the longitudinal extremity to the transverse edge corresponds with a second footwear size larger than the first footwear size. The sole structure is used in a method of manufacturing an article of footwear.

A molding process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes injecting a first molding material into a mold cavity of a mold, the mold cavity formed by at least a mold cavity portion of a first platen and a second platen when the first platen is in contact with the second platen; opening the mold by separating the first and second platens; placing a second molding material at the first molding material while the first molding material remains with the first platen or the second platen; sealing a space between the first and second platens; removing a gas from the space while the space is sealed; and closing the mold while the space is sealed.

A method of manufacturing an article comprises etching an etched feature on a surface of a first polymeric sheet, and forming a fluid-filled bladder element from the first polymeric sheet, with the fluid-filled bladder element having a sealable internal cavity that retains fluid. The method includes assembling the bladder element in the article so that a first portion of the bladder element having the etched feature is exposed to view, and a second portion of the bladder element is blocked from view by the article. An article includes the bladder element with the etched feature.

A system including an injector, a press, and a robotic conveyance is used to form a physically foamed article of footwear component from a single-phase solution of a polymeric composition and a supercritical fluid. The parameters and features of the system are configured for the formation of the footwear component in an automated manner with enhanced throughput by the system.