Article of footwear with integrally-knitted upper and sole including grip yarn and method of manufacturing

Abstract

An article of footwear includes an integrally-knitted footwear upper and sole, the sole including reflowed polymeric material of a grip yarn. The ground contact surface of the sole may include the reflowed polymeric material. The footwear upper and the sole are a one-piece, unitary knit construction. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes integrally knitting a footwear upper and a sole of an article of footwear, the sole including a grip yarn. The method further includes thermoforming the grip yarn such that the sole includes reflowed polymeric material of the grip yarn.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 an integrally-knitted footwear upper and sole, the sole including one or more interlooped yarns comprising a first material, the first material including a thermoplastic material.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein a ground contact surface of the sole includes the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the sole includes reflowed polymeric material of the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 3 , wherein a ground contact surface of the sole includes the reflowed polymeric material. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more interlooped yarns includes a core and a sheath, and the sheath includes the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more interlooped yarns comprising the first material is a first yarn, the one or more interlooped yarns include a second yarn comprising a second thermoplastic material, and a ground contact surface of the sole is a polymeric composition of reflowed polymeric material of the first yarn and reflowed polymeric material of the second yarn.   
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more interlooped yarns comprising the first material is a first yarn, the one or more interlooped yarns include a second yarn comprising a second thermoplastic material, and a ground contact surface of the sole is a polymeric composition of polymeric material of the first yarn and polymeric material of the second yarn.   
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more interlooped yarns comprising the first material are at an outer layer of the sole;   the sole further includes an inner layer integrally knit with the outer layer; and   the inner layer includes a yarn comprising a different material than the first material and establishes a footbed having a foot contact surface.   
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein a ground contact surface of the sole includes reflowed polymeric material of the thermoplastic material, and one or more portions of the of the ground contact surface including the reflowed polymeric material have a different coefficient of friction relative to the foot contact surface including the yarn of the inner layer. 
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein a ground contact surface of the sole includes polymeric material of the thermoplastic material, and one or more portions of the of the ground contact surface including the polymeric material have a different coefficient of friction relative to the foot contact surface including the yarn of the inner layer. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein the yarn of the inner layer establishing the footbed includes two or more twisted core yarns with cut pile yarns between the twisted core yarns. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the footwear upper includes:
 a knitted medial quarter at a medial side of the article of footwear;   a knitted lateral quarter at a lateral side of the article of footwear;   a knitted tongue secured to the knitted medial quarter; and   a knitted heel portion extending between the knitted medial quarter and the knitted lateral quarter at a rear of the article of footwear;   wherein the sole and the footwear upper together define a foot-receiving cavity;   wherein the knitted medial quarter, the knitted lateral quarter, the knitted tongue, and the knitted heel portion together define an ankle opening at the foot-receiving cavity; and   wherein the knitted lateral quarter extends to form a strap configured to cross over the knitted tongue and secure at the knitted medial quarter to secure a foot within the foot-receiving cavity.   
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 12 , wherein the footwear upper has a knitted toe box forward of the knitted tongue, the knitted toe box including an elastomeric yarn adjacent to a forward extent of the knitted tongue. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the knitted toe box further includes a reflowed polymeric material of an additional yarn knitted with the elastomeric yarn and forming a reinforcing skin at a lower portion of the knitted toe box adjacent to the sole. 
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the knitted toe box further includes a polymeric material of an additional yarn knitted with the elastomeric yarn and forming a reinforcing skin at a lower portion of the knitted toe box adjacent to the sole. 
     
     
         16 . An article of footwear, comprising:
 a knitted component forming one or more of an overfoot portion of the footwear and an underfoot portion of the article of footwear;   wherein the underfoot portion comprises an external facing layer forming ground contacting portions and an internal facing layer forming foot contacting portions, the external facing layer including a first material comprising a thermoplastic material and the internal facing layer including a second material different from the first material;   wherein one or more portions of the external facing layer including the first material have a different coefficient of friction relative to the internal facing layer including the second material.   
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more portions of the external facing layer have a greater coefficient of friction relative to the internal facing layer including the second material. 
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 16 , wherein the external facing layer further comprises one or more raised traction elements including the first material. 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 18 , wherein the one or more raised traction elements includes reflowed first material. 
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of ac claim 16 , wherein the external facing layer comprises one or more interlooped yarns, each of the one or more interlooped yarns having a coating of the first material surrounding a core yarn, the core yarn having a second material that excludes the thermoplastic material and has a greater melting temperature than the first material. 
     
     
         21 . The article of footwear of  claim 20 , wherein the first material is at least partially fused with one or more core yarns. 
     
     
         22 . The article of footwear of  claim 21 , wherein the internal facing layer comprises one or more second interlooped yarns comprising the second material; and wherein the first material is at least partially fused to a portion of the one or more second interlooped yarns. 
     
     
         23 . The article of footwear of  claim 20 , wherein one or more intersection portions at or near a junction of the external facing layer and the internal facing layer include the first material. 
     
     
         24 . The article of footwear of  claim 16 , wherein the overfoot portion includes:
 a knitted medial quarter at a medial side of the article of footwear;   a knitted lateral quarter at a lateral side of the article of footwear;   a knitted tongue secured to the knitted medial quarter; and   a knitted heel portion extending between the knitted medial quarter and the knitted lateral quarter at a rear of the article of footwear;   wherein the knitted medial quarter, the knitted lateral quarter, the knitted tongue, and the knitted heel portion together define an ankle opening into a foot-receiving cavity over the underfoot portion; and   wherein the knitted lateral quarter extends to form a strap configured to cross over the knitted tongue and secure at the knitted medial quarter to secure a foot within a foot-receiving cavity over the underfoot portion.