Shoe With A Flat Formed Shoe Upper

Abstract

Shoes specifically designed to facilitate production via efficient shoe manufacturing methods and systems are described. In embodiments, the shoe upper is designed by way of a flat forming process, whereby the upper pattern is kept in a two-dimensional shape for most of the upper assembly and then stitched or otherwise affixed into a three-dimensional form in the final stage of upper assembly.

1 . A shoe designed to facilitate a system for manufacturing shoes customized to an order placed by a customer, the shoe comprising: an upper, where the upper is manufactured by a flat forming construction process, the flat forming construction process comprising: layering a plurality of upper elements and hot-melt films in between a lining layer and an external layer; heat pressing the upper elements and the hot-melt films between the lining layer and the external layer to generate one or more basic laminated upper forms; and cutting out along pattern perimeters of the basic laminated upper forms. 
     
     
         2 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the hot-melt film is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). 
     
     
         3 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the upper elements are formed of polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         4 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the upper elements include one or more of internal foams, a lining foam, and reinforcement pieces. 
     
     
         5 . The shoe of  claim 4 , wherein the internal foams are shaped consistent with various portions of the shoe, and include one or more of a collar, a vamp, a quarter, and a tongue of the shoe. 
     
     
         6 . The shoe of  claim 4 , wherein the lining foam forms a barrier between the lining layer and the external layer to enhance comfort and provide a three-dimensional form of the shoe. 
     
     
         7 . The shoe of  claim 4 , wherein the reinforcement pieces include one or more of a vamp reinforcement or an eyestay reinforcement. 
     
     
         8 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the external layer is made from one or more of synthetic leather or polyester mesh. 
     
     
         9 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the external layer forms an outer surface of the upper and allows for customization of an appearance of the upper in that various customization processes can be performed to the upper including one or more of dying, digital printing, embossing, or embroidering. 
     
     
         10 . An upper portion of a shoe assembled using a flat forming construction process according to a method comprising: while maintaining a two-dimensional shape, layering a lining layer, one or more upper components, and an external layer to form the upper portion of the shoe, wherein a size and a shape of the upper components vary based on one or more of which portion of the shoe is being assembled, a type of shoe, and a size of shoe being assembled; adhering the lining layer, the upper components, and the external layer together by way of a heat press, wherein hot-melt films are also layered in between the lining layer and the external layer to bond the layers together; and cutting out the upper portion of the shoe along an upper perimeter. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the upper components are in the shape of one or more of a collar, a vamp, a quarter or a tongue of the shoe. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein one or more reinforcement pieces are also layered in between the lining layer and the external layer to provide more support for the upper portion of the shoe. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising forming a three-dimensional upper by affixing two or more upper portions of the shoe, wherein the two or more upper portions of the shoe include one or more of a heel-quarter element or a tongue-toe element. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising inserting a last into the three-dimensional upper. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising attaching the three-dimensional upper to a sole unit, wherein the sole unit includes a midsole and an outsole. 
     
     
         16 . A shoe designed to facilitate a system for manufacturing customizable shoes, the shoe comprising: an upper whose components are manufactured by way of a flat forming process wherein the components of the upper maintain a two-dimensional shape throughout their formation, and wherein the upper comprises: a heel-quarter element that includes a heel area and multiple quarter panels; and a tongue-toe element that includes a tongue and a toe-box region, wherein the tongue-toe element is secured to the heel-quarter element to form a three-dimensional upper form. 
     
     
         17 . The shoe of  claim 16 , wherein the tongue-toe element is secured to the heel-quarter element by way of one or more of stitching, gluing, RF welding, or ultrasonic welding. 
     
     
         18 . The shoe of  claim 16 , wherein the heel-quarter element and the tongue-toe element are manufactured by a method comprising: layering a plurality of upper elements and hot-melt films in between a lining layer and an external layer; heat pressing the upper elements and the hot-melt films between the lining layer and the external layer to generate one or more basic laminated upper forms; and cutting out along pattern perimeters of the basic laminated upper forms. 
     
     
         19 . The shoe of  claim 18 , wherein the external layer may be customized using a customization process that includes one or more of dying, digital printing, embossing, or embroidering. 
     
     
         20 . The shoe of  claim 18 , wherein the upper elements include internal foams, a lining foam, and reinforcement pieces.