Thermoplastic Non-Woven Textile Elements

Abstract

A non-woven textile may be formed from a plurality of thermoplastic polymer filaments. The non-woven textile may have a first region and a second region, with the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. A variety of products, including apparel (e.g., shirts, pants, footwear), may incorporate the non-woven textile. In some of these products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another textile element to form a seam. More particularly, an edge area of the non-woven textile may be heatbonded with an edge area of the other textile element at the seam. In other products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another component, whether a textile or a non-textile.

1 . A non-woven textile formed from a plurality of polymer filaments that incorporate a thermoplastic polyurethane material, the non-woven textile having a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. 
     
     
         2 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein the polymer filaments stretch at least one-hundred percent prior to tensile failure. 
     
     
         3 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first region is a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         4 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein a permeability of the first region is less than a permeability of the second region. 
     
     
         5 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein a stretch-resistance of the first region is greater than a stretch-resistance of the second region. 
     
     
         6 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven textile defines a first surface and an opposite second surface, at least a portion of the second surface being joined to a second textile element. 
     
     
         7 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 6 , wherein the polymer filaments of the non-woven textile are heatbonded to filaments of the second textile element. 
     
     
         8 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven textile defines a first surface and an opposite second surface, at least a portion of the second surface being joined to a polymer foam element. 
     
     
         9 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven textile is incorporated into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         10 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven textile is incorporated into an article of footwear. 
     
     
         11 . An article of apparel comprising at least one non-woven textile element that includes a plurality of filaments at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material, the non-woven textile having a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the thermoplastic polymer material from filaments of the first region being fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         12 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 11 , wherein the article of apparel is a shirt-type garment. 
     
     
         13 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 12 , wherein the first region is located in a shoulder area of the shirt-type garment. 
     
     
         14 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 12 , wherein the first region is located around at least one of a neck opening, an arm opening, and a waist opening of the shirt-type garment. 
     
     
         15 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 11 , wherein the article of apparel is a pants-type garment. 
     
     
         16 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 15 , wherein the first region is located in a knee area of the pants-type garment. 
     
     
         17 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 15 , wherein the first region is located around at least one of a waist opening and a leg opening of the pants-type garment. 
     
     
         18 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 11 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer filaments stretch at least one-hundred percent prior to tensile failure. 
     
     
         19 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 11 , wherein the article of apparel also includes a second textile element, an edge area of the non-woven textile element being heatbonded with an edge area of the second textile element. 
     
     
         20 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 11 , wherein the article of apparel is an article of footwear. 
     
     
         21 . An article of apparel comprising:
 a first textile element having a configuration of a non-woven textile that includes a plurality of thermoplastic polymer filaments;   a second textile element; and   a seam between the first textile element and the second textile element, an edge area of the first textile element being heatbonded with an edge area of the second textile element at the seam.   
     
     
         22 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer filaments stretch at least one-hundred percent prior to tensile failure. 
     
     
         23 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein the second textile element is a non-woven textile that includes a plurality of thermoplastic polymer filaments. 
     
     
         24 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein the second textile element is a mechanically-manipulated textile. 
     
     
         25 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein stitching is absent in the edge area of the first textile and the edge area of the second textile element. 
     
     
         26 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein an adhesive is absent from an area between the edge area of the first textile and the edge area of the second textile element. 
     
     
         27 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein the first textile element has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. 
     
     
         28 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein the first textile element has a first surface and an opposite second surface, and a third textile element is heatbonded to the second surface. 
     
     
         29 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 28 , wherein the third textile element is a mechanically-manipulated textile. 
     
     
         30 . The article of apparel recited in  claim 21 , wherein the article of apparel is an article of footwear. 
     
     
         31 . An article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure, at least a portion of the upper being a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material. 
     
     
         32 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 31 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the thermoplastic polymer material from filaments of the first region being fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         33 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 32 , wherein the first region is located in a forefoot area of the article of footwear and adjacent to the sole structure. 
     
     
         34 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 32 , wherein the first region extends around a lace receiving area of the upper. 
     
     
         35 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 32 , wherein the first region extends from an area that is proximal to a lace receiving area of the upper to an area that is proximal to the sole structure. 
     
     
         36 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 32 , wherein the first region extends from a heel area of the footwear to a forefoot area of the footwear. 
     
     
         37 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 32 , wherein the first region is proximal to an ankle opening of the upper. 
     
     
         38 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 31 , wherein at least eighty percent of a combined mass of the upper and the sole structure is from the thermoplastic polymer material of the non-woven textile and thermoplastic polymer materials of at least one of (a) other elements of the upper and (b) the sole structure. 
     
     
         39 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 31 , wherein at least eighty percent of a combined mass of the upper and the sole structure is from the thermoplastic polymer material of the non-woven textile and thermoplastic polymer materials of at least one of (a) a fluid-filled chamber of the sole structure and (b) a foam material of the sole structure. 
     
     
         40 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 31 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer filaments stretch at least one-hundred percent prior to tensile failure. 
     
     
         41 . An article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure, at least eighty percent of a combined mass of the upper and the sole structure being from at least one thermoplastic polymer material, and at least a portion of a textile material incorporated into the upper being formed from the at least one thermoplastic polymer material. 
     
     
         42 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 41 , wherein the at least one thermoplastic polymer material includes a first material and a second material, the first material being filaments of a non-woven textile forming at least a portion of the upper, and the second material being within the sole structure. 
     
     
         43 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 42 , wherein the second material is incorporated into a polymer foam of the sole structure. 
     
     
         44 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 42 , wherein the second material is incorporated into a fluid-filled chamber of the sole structure. 
     
     
         45 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 41 , wherein the upper includes a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that incorporate the at least one thermoplastic polymer material. 
     
     
         46 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an upper for receiving a foot of a wearer, the upper including a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material; and   a sole structure secured to a lower area of the upper, the sole structure including at least one of (a) a foam material and (b) a fluid-filled chamber that is at least partially formed from the thermoplastic polymer material.   
     
     
         47 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 46 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. 
     
     
         48 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 47 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer material from the filaments of the first region form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         49 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 46 , wherein the filaments that include the thermoplastic polymer material stretch at least one-hundred percent prior to tensile failure. 
     
     
         50 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 46 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer material of the upper is substantially identical to the thermoplastic polymer material of the sole structure. 
     
     
         51 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an upper for receiving a foot of a wearer, the upper including a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material; and   a sole structure secured to a lower area of the upper,   
       wherein the non-woven textile of the upper is heatbonded to the sole structure. 
     
     
         52 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 51 , wherein stitching and adhesives are absent from an area between the non-woven textile of the upper and the sole structure. 
     
     
         53 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 51 , wherein a portion of the sole structure that is heatbonded to the upper is at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material. 
     
     
         54 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 53 , wherein the portion of the sole structure that is heatbonded to the upper is at least one of a polymer foam material and a fluid-filled chamber. 
     
     
         55 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 51 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. 
     
     
         56 . An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
 a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material, the non-woven textile having a first surface and an opposite second surface; and   a strand extending in a direction that is substantially parallel to the first surface for a distance of at least five centimeters.   
     
     
         57 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 56 , wherein a material of the strand is selected from a group consisting of carbon fiber, aramid fiber, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, and liquid crystal polymer. 
     
     
         58 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 56 , wherein the strand is bonded to the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         59 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 56 , wherein the strand extends from either (a) an area that is proximal to a lace receiving area of the upper to an area that is proximal to the sole structure or (b) a heel area of the footwear to a forefoot area of the footwear. 
     
     
         60 . The article of footwear recited in  claim 56 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the thermoplastic polymer material from filaments of the first region being fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile, at least a portion of the strand extending through the first region. 
     
     
         61 . A method of altering properties of a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material, the method comprising:
 locating an insulating element adjacent to at least one surface of the non-woven textile, the insulating element being absent from a first region of the non-woven textile, and the insulating element contacting a second region of the non-woven textile; and   heating the non-woven textile and the insulating element to fuse the filaments of the first region.   
     
     
         62 . The method recited in  claim 61 , wherein the step of heating includes placing the non-woven textile and the insulating element between platens of a press. 
     
     
         63 . The method recited in  claim 61 , wherein the step of heating includes compressing the non-woven textile and the insulating element 
     
     
         64 . The method recited in  claim 61 , wherein the step of heating includes melting the filaments of the first region to form a non-filamentous structure. 
     
     
         65 . The method recited in  claim 61 , further including a step of selecting a shape of one of the first region and the second region to be a shape of an indicia. 
     
     
         66 . The method recited in  claim 61 , further including a step of incorporating the non-woven textile into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         67 . The method recited in  claim 61 , further including a step of incorporating the non-woven textile into an upper of an article of footwear. 
     
     
         68 . A method of manufacturing a composite element, the method comprising:
 locating a component adjacent to a surface of a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material; and   heating and compressing the component and the non-woven textile to bond the component to the non-woven textile.   
     
     
         69 . The method recited in  claim 68 , wherein the component is a textile. 
     
     
         70 . The method recited in  claim 68 , wherein the component includes a polymer foam material. 
     
     
         71 . The method recited in  claim 68 , wherein the component is a sheet of a polymer material. 
     
     
         72 . The method recited in  claim 68 , wherein the step of heating and compressing includes placing the component and the non-woven textile between platens of a press. 
     
     
         73 . The method recited in  claim 68 , further including a step of incorporating the component and the non-woven textile into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         74 . The method recited in  claim 68 , further including a step of incorporating the component and the non-woven textile into an upper of an article of footwear. 
     
     
         75 . A method of manufacturing a composite element, the method comprising:
 locating two layers of a non-woven textile on opposite sides of an intermediate element, the layers being formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material; and   heating and compressing the layers and the intermediate element to bond the layers to the opposite sides of the intermediate element.   
     
     
         76 . The method recited in  claim 75 , wherein the intermediate element includes a polymer foam material. 
     
     
         77 . The method recited in  claim 76 , further including a step of selecting the polymer foam material to include another thermoplastic polymer material. 
     
     
         78 . The method recited in  claim 75 , wherein the step of heating and compressing includes placing the intermediate element and the layers between platens of a press. 
     
     
         79 . The method recited in  claim 75 , wherein the step of heating and compressing includes bonding the two layers to each other around at least a portion of a perimeter of the intermediate element. 
     
     
         80 . The method recited in  claim 75 , further including a step of incorporating the intermediate element and the layers into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         81 . The method recited in  claim 75 , further including a step of incorporating the intermediate element and the layers into an article of footwear. 
     
     
         82 . A method comprising:
 incorporating a first non-woven textile into a first product, the non-woven textile being formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material;   recycling the thermoplastic polymer material from the first product to form at least one of a second non-woven textile, a polymer foam, and a polymer sheet; and   incorporating the at least one of the second non-woven textile, the polymer foam, and the polymer sheet into a second product.   
     
     
         83 . The method recited in  claim 82 , further including a step of selecting at least one of the first product and the second product to be an article of apparel. 
     
     
         84 . The method recited in  claim 82 , further including a step of selecting at least one of the first product and the second product to be an article of footwear. 
     
     
         85 . A composite element comprising:
 a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material, the non-woven textile having a first surface and an opposite second surface; and   a component heatbonded to the second surface.   
     
     
         86 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein the component includes a second textile, and the thermoplastic polymer material extends around filaments of the second textile to secure the component to the second surface. 
     
     
         87 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein the component includes a polymer foam material, and the thermoplastic polymer material extends into the polymer foam material to secure the component to the second surface. 
     
     
         88 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein the component includes a thermoplastic polymer foam material, and the thermoplastic polymer material and the thermoplastic polymer foam material intermingle to secure the component to the second surface. 
     
     
         89 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein stitching is absent from an area extending through the non-woven textile and the component. 
     
     
         90 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein an adhesive is absent from an area between the second surface and the component. 
     
     
         91 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the thermoplastic polymer material from filaments of the first region being fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         92 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein the composite element is incorporated into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         93 . The composite element recited in  claim 85 , wherein the composite element is incorporated into an article of footwear. 
     
     
         94 . A composite element comprising:
 a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material, the non-woven textile having a first surface and an opposite second surface; and   a strand that is secured to the non-woven textile and extends in a direction that is substantially parallel to the first surface for a distance of at least five centimeters.   
     
     
         95 . The composite element recited in  claim 94 , wherein the strand is embedded within the first surface. 
     
     
         96 . The composite element recited in  claim 94 , wherein the strand has a tensile strength greater than 0.60 gigapascals. 
     
     
         97 . The composite element recited in  claim 96 , wherein the strand has a tensile modulus greater than 50 gigapascals. 
     
     
         98 . The composite element recited in  claim 94 , wherein a material of the strand is selected from a group consisting of carbon fiber, aramid fiber, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, and liquid crystal polymer. 
     
     
         99 . The composite element recited in  claim 94 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, each of the first region and the second region having a continuous area of at least one square centimeter, and the thermoplastic polymer material from filaments of the first region being fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         100 . The composite element recited in  claim 99 , wherein the strand extends through at least the first region. 
     
     
         101 . The composite element recited in  claim 94 , wherein the composite element is incorporated into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         102 . The composite element recited in  claim 94 , wherein the composite element is incorporated into an article of footwear. 
     
     
         103 . A non-woven textile formed from a plurality of polymer filaments that incorporate a thermoplastic polyurethane material, the non-woven textile having a first region and a second region, the first region being a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile, and the second region being a filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         104 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 103 , wherein each of the first region and the second region have a continuous area of at least one square centimeter. 
     
     
         105 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 103 , wherein a permeability of the first region is less than a permeability of the second region, and a stretch-resistance of the first region is greater than a stretch-resistance of the second region. 
     
     
         106 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 103 , wherein the non-woven textile is incorporated into an article of apparel. 
     
     
         107 . The non-woven textile recited in  claim 103 , wherein the non-woven textile is incorporated into an article of footwear. 
     
     
         108 . A composite element comprising:
 a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material, the non-woven textile having a first surface and an opposite second surface, and the non-woven textile having a first region and a second region, the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region; and   a thread that is stitched into the non-woven textile and extends from the first surface to the second surface, the thread extending through each of the first region and the second region.   
     
     
         109 . The composite element recited in  claim 108 , wherein the thermoplastic polymer material from filaments of the first region are fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         110 . A composite element comprising:
 a non-woven textile formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material, the non-woven textile having a first surface and an opposite second surface; and   an adhesive layer secured to the second surface.   
     
     
         111 . The composite element recited in  claim 110 , wherein the non-woven textile has a first region and a second region, the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. 
     
     
         112 . The composite element recited in  claim 111 , wherein the filaments of the first region are fused to form a non-filamentous portion of the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         113 . The composite element recited in  claim 111 , wherein a strand is embedded in the non-woven textile and extends through the first region. 
     
     
         114 . The composite element recited in  claim 110 , wherein a strand is embedded in the non-woven textile. 
     
     
         115 . The composite element recited in  claim 110 , wherein the adhesive layer is an acrylic adhesive.