A warp knit element for an article of footwear includes a plurality of cell structures that extend from a sole structure to a lacing region of an upper.

The present disclosure encompasses three-dimensional articles comprising flexible-composite materials and methods of manufacturing said three-dimensional articles. More particularly, the present system relates to methods for manufacturing seamless three-dimensional-shaped articles usable for such finished products as airbags/inflatable structures, bags, shoes, and similar three-dimensional products. A preferred manufacturing process combines composite molding methods with specific precursor materials to form fiber-reinforced continuous shaped articles that are flexible and collapsible.

A footwear upper is made of a knitted engineered fabric. The footwear upper includes a front portion for covering an upper part of a foot, an intermediate portion corresponding to an insole, and a rear portion for covering a heel. The front portion, the intermediate portion and the rear portion are produced with an engineered fabric composed of an internal core and a pair of external layers of knitted fabric. The footwear upper is made as one piece, is already contoured during a machining stage and is ready to be applied to a sole without any other type of machining, except for the possibility of sealing for joining the front portion to the rear portion laterally.

A knitted component for an article of footwear may have an overfoot portion and an underfoot portion, a first yarn, where the first yarn at least partially forms the overfoot portion and at least partially forms the underfoot portion, and a second yarn, where the second yarn at least partially forms the overfoot portion and at least partially forms the underfoot portion. The first yarn may include a first material composition with a first melting point and the second yarn may include a second material composition with a second melting point. The first melting point may be at least 20 degrees Celsius higher than the second melting point.

The subject matter of the present disclosure is a process for manufacturing a shoe comprising an outsole joined to the sole part of a first main liner comprising on its outer face at least two studs, and a first auxiliary liner, at least partially, in particular integrally, hot-melt, in a textile piece, covering at least part of the first main liner, the outsole, and the junction between the first main liner and the outsole, at least part or all of the first hot-melt auxiliary liner being melted and adhered to the first main liner and to the outsole.

Methods for manufacturing at least a portion of an upper for an article of footwear that include thermo-forming a pattern on the upper. The methods may include disposing a skin for forming an upper over and inflatable bladder and disposing a mold insert between the skin and a surface of a mold cavity. The mold insert may include a mold pattern including surface features formed in the mold insert. The inflatable bladder may be inflated such that the skin is pressed against the mold insert within a heated mold cavity to form a pattern on an exterior surface of the skin and cause the skin to take on the shape of at least a portion of an upper. In some embodiments, the surface features may be disposed in a gradient pattern configured to provide varying degrees of one or more characteristics to different areas of an upper.

A method for the manufacture of a sporting goods component including the steps of: selecting a first textile, wherein the first textile has a first shrinkage ratio under a predetermined shrinking condition; forming a first portion of the component using the first textile; selecting a second textile, wherein the second textile has a second shrinkage ratio under the predetermined shrinking condition, wherein the second shrinkage ratio is higher than the first shrinkage ratio; forming a second portion of the component using the second textile; and attaching the first textile and the second textile together.

A method of processing a sheet material (20) for use in the manufacture of products such as, but not limited to, a shoe upper blank (10). The method comprises providing a sheet material (20); providing a two-dimensional mark (30) on a surface of the sheet material (20); imposing an indentation (40) on said surface of the sheet material (20), wherein at least part of the indentation (40) is arranged with respect to at least part of the two-dimensional mark (30) to create a three-dimensional mark (50) on said surface. A blank for such a product is also related. The blank (10) comprises a sheet material (20) shaped in accordance with the product such as a shoe upper, the sheet material (20) comprising a two-dimensional mark (30) is provided thereon and is positioned with respect to an indentation (40) formed in the sheet material (20) to thereby provide a three-dimensional mark (50) on said surface.

A footwear assembly can comprise, an upper, a lace cable, a plurality of lace guides and a tensioner. The tensioner can comprise an elastic member extending between two lace guides of the plurality of lace guides, an elastic member extending between first and second portions of the upper, an elastic member extending between a portion of the upper and a lace guide of the plurality of lace guides, a heel channel connected to a heel portion of the upper and configured to facilitate access to an interior space, an elastic member coupled to the footwear assembly that functions to smooth out a torque versus lace displacement curve during tightening of the lace cable.

A process for thermo-adhesive bonding of semi-finished products includes preparing an inner sock, an outer sock and an impermeable membrane provided with a thermo-adhesive disposed on an inner surface and/or an outer surface of the membrane; fitting the inner sock onto a rigid reference shape; fitting the membrane over the inner sock; fitting the outer sock over the membrane; heating the outer sock, the membrane and the inner sock arranged on the rigid reference shape in an oven until at least partial melting of the thermo-adhesive; cooling the outer sock, the membrane and the inner sock arranged on the rigid reference shape until cross-linking of the thermo-adhesive and stable bonding of the membrane to the outer sock and/or the inner sock. Also, exerting a substantially uniform pressure on the outer sock, the membrane and the inner sock disposed on the rigid reference shape during cooling, so as to compact them.