Footwear articles and methods for preparing a footwear article

Abstract

Footwear articles are disclosed herein. Footwear articles may be formed using a method comprising disposing uncured resin adjacent a mold, disposing a lattice structure in at least a portion of the uncured resin disposed adjacent the mold, closing the mold using a lasted upper, and injecting foam into the closed mold such that the foam operates to couple the lasted upper and the lattice structure together.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A footwear article formed using a method comprising:
 disposing uncured resin adjacent a mold;   disposing a lattice structure in at least a portion of the uncured resin disposed adjacent the mold;   closing the mold using a lasted upper; and   injecting foam into the closed mold such that the foam operates to couple the lasted upper and the lattice structure together.   
     
     
         2 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the lattice structure is formed using additive manufacturing. 
     
     
         3 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a knit upper. 
     
     
         4 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the closing the mold using a lasted upper comprises using a mold component comprising an integral upper. 
     
     
         5 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the foam is injected into the mold via an aperture formed in the mold. 
     
     
         6 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the foam operates as a base cushion layer in a footwear article. 
     
     
         7 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the first resin comprises a clear resin. 
     
     
         8 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the lattice structure is formed using additive manufacturing. 
     
     
         9 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the lattice structure is formed in the shape of the footwear article. 
     
     
         10 . The footwear article of  claim 1 , wherein the lattice structure comprises one or more struts interconnected to define a plurality of apertures. 
     
     
         11 . A footwear article comprising:
 A lasted upper;   a midsole; and   an outsole, wherein at least one of the midsole or the outsole are formed using a method comprising:
 disposing a first resin in a female mold portion of a mold associated with footwear; 
 closing the mold using a male mold portion; 
 disposing an uncured second resin on at least a portion of the first resin in the female mold portion; 
 disposing a lattice structure in at least a portion of the uncured second resin disposed on the first resin in the female mold portion; 
 injecting foam into the mold such that the foam operates to couple the lasted upper and the lattice structure together; and 
 releasing the mold. 
   
     
     
         12 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein one or more of the first resin or the second resin comprises a clear resin. 
     
     
         13 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein the foam is injected into the mold via an aperture formed in the female mold portion. 
     
     
         14 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein the foam operates as a base cushion layer in a footwear article. 
     
     
         15 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein the first resin is uncured. 
     
     
         16 . The footwear article of  claim 15 , further comprising curing the first resin to provide a cured first resin in the female mold portion. 
     
     
         17 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein the male mold portion comprises a lasted upper. 
     
     
         18 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein the lasted upper is an integral upper. 
     
     
         19 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein rereleasing the mold comprises forming at least portion of at least one of the outsole or the midsole. 
     
     
         20 . The footwear article of  claim 11 , wherein the lattice structure comprises one or more struts interconnected to define a plurality of apertures.