Seamless upper for footwear and method for making the same

Abstract

This invention relates generally to footwear and methods for making the same, more particularly to a seamless upper for footwear and methods for making a seamless upper. In one aspect of the invention, the upper is seamless and/or is of unitary construction that defines an interior void for comfortably receiving a foot.

1 . An article of footwear comprising an upper portion, the upper portion comprising a seamless knitted material and configured with a foot-receiving portion, the foot-receiving portion defining a void for receiving a foot of a user. 
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the seamless knitted material is selected from the group consisting of interloop knit, interweave knit, warp knit, weft knit, circular knit and flat knit. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the seamless knitted material comprises at least one of rayon, polyester, polyacrylic, silk, cotton, wool and elastane. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion comprises at least one of an end cap portion, a vamp portion and a heel portion. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of an end cap portion, a vamp portion and a heel portion comprises an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion is configured to engage with one or more structural inserts in communication with a vamp portion of the upper. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion forms an article of footwear. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of knitted eyelets. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the knitted material has a plurality of different knitted textures formed by varying at least one of a stitch type and a yarn type. 
     
     
         11 . A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:
 forming a seamless knitted material that includes a foot-receiving portion; forming an opening for receiving a foot of a user in the foot-receiving portion during the knitting process; and   forming the upper.   
     
     
         12 . The method recited in  claim 11 , wherein the forming includes utilizing a double needle knitting process to form the knitted element. 
     
     
         13 . The method recited in  claim 11 , wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of knitted eyelets. 
     
     
         14 . The method recited in  claim 11 , wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole. 
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
 knitting a textile element with a surrounding textile structure, the knitted textile element configured to form a seamless footwear upper; removing the knitted textile element from the surrounding knitted textile structure; forming the knitted textile element into an article of footwear upper.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the knitted textile element has a substantially planar configuration upon removal from the surrounding knitted textile structure. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the knitted textile element has a plurality of different knitted textures formed by varying at least one of a stitch type and a yarn type. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein simultaneously knitting a textile element with a surrounding textile structure includes utilizing a jacquard double needle-bar raschel knitting machine. 
     
     
         19 . The method recited in  claim 15 , wherein the upper further comprises a plurality of knitted eyelets. 
     
     
         20 . The method recited in  claim 15 , wherein the upper portion is configured to engage a footwear sole.