Article of footwear comprising reusable waste and surplus materials

Abstract

An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing are provided. The article comprises an upper fixedly attached to a sole structure. The upper may comprise a wall wherein an inner layer is coupled to an outer layer, such that the inner layer and the outer layer define a closed pocket therebetween. A layer of scrap particulate matter is disposed in the closed pocket, and is at least partially visible through the outer layer, which is formed of a sufficiently transparent material. The sole structure is fabricated from a mixture of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter and virgin polymer material, such that the discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter are at least partially visible on the outer surface of the sole structure. The sole structure is further substantially covered in a plurality of cavities and a plurality of protrusions, such that the outer sole surface has a crater-like texture.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an upper including a wall that at least partially surrounds an interior volume operative to receive a foot of a wearer, wherein the wall comprises:
 an inner layer; 
 an outer layer coupled to the inner layer, such that the inner layer and the outer layer define a closed pocket therebetween; 
 a layer of scrap particulate matter disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer and dispersed throughout the closed pocket, and wherein the outer layer is formed of an at least partially transparent material, such that the layer of scrap particulate matter is at least partially visible through the outer layer; 
   a sole structure configured to support thereon the foot of the wearer and fixedly attached to the upper, the sole structure comprising a first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter and defining an outer sole surface, such that more than one of the discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter of the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter are at least partially visible on the outer sole surface; and   wherein the sole structure includes a plurality of distinctly shaped cavities and a plurality of distinctly shaped protrusions defined by and erratically dispersed on the outer sole surface; and   wherein the layer of scrap particulate matter in the upper comprises a leather material, a textile material, a polymer material, or a foam material and the plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter in the sole structure comprises a rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and/or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1  wherein the layer of scrap particulate matter comprises at least one of a green regrind material or a grey regrind material. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 2  wherein the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter comprises at least 10% of the sole structure. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 2  wherein the sole structure further comprises an outsole defining a ground engaging surface, wherein the outsole is fabricated from a mixture of the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter and virgin polymer material. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4  wherein and the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter comprises at least one of a green regrind material or a grey regrind material. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 5  wherein the outsole includes more than 50 of the discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter of the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter, such that more than one of the discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter are visible on the ground engaging surface. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 6  wherein the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter comprise from about 12% to about 15% of the outsole. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 6  wherein the sole structure further comprises a midsole disposed between the upper and the outsole, the midsole defining a midsole outer surface, wherein the ground engaging surface and the midsole outer surface cooperate to collectively define the outer sole surface; and
 wherein the midsole is fabricated from a mixture of the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter and virgin polymer material. 
 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 8  wherein the midsole includes more than 50 of the discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter of the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter, such that more than one of the discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter are visible on the midsole outer surface. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 9  wherein the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter comprise form about 12% to about 15% of the midsole. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 9  wherein:
 the ground engaging surface defines at least 50 of the distinctly shaped cavities and at least 50 of the distinctly shaped protrusions erratically dispersed thereon; and 
 the midsole outer surface defines at least 50 of the distinctly shaped cavities and at least 50 of the distinctly shaped protrusions erratically dispersed thereon. 
 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 11  wherein the ground engaging surface and the midsole outer surface cooperate to collectively define the outer sole surface, such that the outer sole surface is substantially covered with the erratically dispersed distinctly shaped cavities and distinctly shaped protrusions. 
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 12  wherein:
 the outer layer is coupled to the inner layer at a plurality of bonded area lines, and wherein the plurality of bonded area lines is defined as at least one of a plurality of pocket boundary stitch lines, a plurality of pocket boundary weld junctions, or a plurality of pocket boundary baffle walls extending between the inner layer and the outer layer; 
 the plurality of bonded area lines define a pocket boundary of the closed pocket; and 
 the pocket boundary of the closed pocket defines a closed pocket shape. 
 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 13  wherein:
 the upper has a lateral side and a medial side and further defines a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region; 
 each of the lateral side and the medial side extend into the forefoot region, the midfoot region, and the heel region; 
 the upper further defines a vamp that extends into the forefoot region and the midfoot region on each of the lateral side and the medial side; 
 the wall forms at least a portion of the vamp; and 
 wherein the closed pocket is disposed in one of the vamp, the midfoot region, or the heel region. 
 
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 14  wherein the layer of scrap particulate matter is defined as a second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter, such that each of the second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter are free floating within the pocket. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 14  wherein the layer of scrap particulate matter further comprises a second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter secured to one another via a resin binder, such that the layer of scrap particulate matter is a die cut layer of scrap particulate matter defining a layer boundary and a thickness of from about 0.07 millimeters to about 1.3 millimeters; and
 wherein the layer boundary defines a layer shape, wherein the layer shape is substantially identical to the closed pocket shape. 
 
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 12  wherein:
 the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is further defined as at least one of ground pieces of at least one of the grey regrind material or the green regrind material or shredded pieces of the grey regrind material or the green regrind material; and 
 the layer of scrap particulate matter comprises a second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter, wherein the second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter are defined as at least one of ground pieces at least one of the grey regrind material or the green regrind material or shredded pieces of the grey regrind material or the green regrind material. 
 
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 17  wherein:
 the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a first grey regrind material, wherein the first grey regrind material comprises surplus material from a sole structure of another article of footwear; and 
 the second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a second grey regrind material, wherein the second grey regrind material comprises surplus material from an upper of another article of footwear. 
 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 17  wherein:
 the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a first green regrind material comprising recycled material from a sole structure of another article of footwear; and 
 the second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a second green regrind material comprising recycled material from an upper of another article of footwear. 
 
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of  claim 17  wherein:
 the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a first grey regrind material, wherein the first grey regrind material comprises surplus material from a sole structure of another article of footwear; and 
 the second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a second green regrind material, wherein the second green regrind material comprising recycled material from an upper of another article of footwear. 
 
     
     
         21 . The article of footwear of  claim 17  wherein:
 the first plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a first green regrind material, wherein the first green regrind material comprises comprising recycled material from a sole structure of another article of footwear; and 
 the second plurality of discrete pieces of scrap particulate matter is a plurality of discrete pieces of a second grey regrind material, wherein the second grey regrind material comprises surplus material from an upper of another article of footwear.