US 11,981,788 B2
Methods of manufacturing articles utilizing foam particles
Jay Constantinou, Beaverton, OR (US); Harleigh Doremus, Portland, OR (US); Luis Folgar, Beaverton, OR (US); Brandon Kvamme, Beaverton, OR (US); Joseph Thomas Muth, North Plains, OR (US); and Denis Schiller, Vancouver, WA (US)
Assigned to NIKE, INC., Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed by NIKE, Inc., Beaverton, OR (US)
Filed on Apr. 25, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/306,416.
Application 18/306,416 is a continuation of application No. 17/649,859, filed on Feb. 3, 2022, granted, now 11,732,102.
Application 17/649,859 is a continuation of application No. 16/688,501, filed on Nov. 19, 2019, granted, now 11,401,396, issued on Aug. 2, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/776,124, filed on Dec. 6, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/776,129, filed on Dec. 6, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0312858 A1, Oct. 5, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C08J 9/228 (2006.01); A43B 13/04 (2006.01); A43B 13/18 (2006.01); B32B 5/16 (2006.01); B32B 7/12 (2006.01); B32B 27/14 (2006.01); B32B 27/36 (2006.01); B41M 5/00 (2006.01); C08J 9/224 (2006.01); C08J 9/232 (2006.01); C08J 9/236 (2006.01)
CPC C08J 9/228 (2013.01) [A43B 13/04 (2013.01); A43B 13/187 (2013.01); B32B 5/16 (2013.01); B32B 7/12 (2013.01); B32B 27/14 (2013.01); B32B 27/36 (2013.01); B41M 5/0041 (2013.01); C08J 9/224 (2013.01); C08J 9/232 (2013.01); C08J 9/236 (2013.01); B32B 2264/0285 (2013.01); B32B 2307/72 (2013.01); B32B 2307/732 (2013.01); B32B 2437/02 (2013.01); C08J 2203/22 (2013.01); C08J 2207/00 (2013.01); C08J 2300/26 (2013.01); C08J 2367/02 (2013.01); C08J 2371/02 (2013.01); C08J 2387/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming an article, the method comprising:
decorating a first plurality of foam particles thereby forming a first plurality of decorated foam particles, and
arranging a second plurality of foam particles thereby forming a second plurality of arranged foam particles, wherein the second plurality of arranged of foam particles comprises a first thermoplastic elastomeric material; and
affixing together at least some of the first plurality of decorated foam particles and at least some of the second plurality of arranged foam particles thereby forming a third affixed plurality of foam particles, wherein the arranging and affixing are carried out for two or more iterations using an additive manufacturing process, forming the article without use of a compression molding step.