Form-fitting articles and method for customizing articles to be form-fitted

摘要

Customized, form-fitting athletic articles with a heat moldable material that a wearer may heat to soften after purchase to conform the heat moldable material so the contours of the wearer's body may provide many advantages for consumers, such as increased comfort, performance, or safety. The heat moldable material may be incorporated into the upper of an athletic shoe. The heat moldable material may be sufficiently flexible so as not to impede the necessary movements of a wearer or the athletic shoe while performing activities, such as running, walking, jumping, etc. The heat moldable material may be reusable in that it may be reheated and remolded multiple times so that the article may be re-customized or re-fitted as needed. The article may also include a temperature sensitive indicator that indicates when the heat moldable material has been softened.

主权项

1. An athletic shoe comprising: a sole; a temperature sensitive indicator configured to undergo a first visible change and a second visible change; and an upper connected to the sole, the upper having a forefoot region, a heel region, and a midfoot region between the forefoot region and the heel region, wherein the temperature sensitive indicator is disposed directly on an outer surface of the upper, the upper comprising: a flexible outer layer; a lining connected to the flexible outer layer; a flexible heat moldable sheet disposed between the outer layer and the lining at least in a portion of the midfoot region, the flexible heat moldable sheet having a first area and at least two ridges;
wherein the temperature sensitive indicator undergoes the first visible change when a predetermined temperature is reached; wherein the flexible heat moldable sheet is configured to be conformable to a portion of a wearer's body for at least 30 seconds after being heated to the predetermined temperature to provide the wearer with a customized fit for the athletic shoe; wherein the flexible heat moldable sheet comprises a fabric and a thermoplastic resin, wherein the first area of the flexible heat moldable sheet is adjacent to the at least two ridges, and wherein the at least two ridges are thicker than the first area.