发明人：
BAGHDADI, HOSSEIN A. | CONSTANTINOU, JAY | MARIOTTE, ELOISE E. | MUTH, JOSEPH THOMAS | PREVO, BRIAN G. | TUTMARK, BRADLEY C.
摘要：
Components for articles of footwear and athletic equipment including a foam are provided. The foam portion of the components and articles include a composition which includes a thermoplastic copolyester, the composition having a foam structure. A polymer layer is provided on at least on surface of the foam portion. The polymer layer can control or reduce the water uptake of the foam portion. Methods of making the compositions, foams, and components are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the foam components. In some aspects, the foams and foam components can be made by injection molding, or injection molding followed by compression molding.
技术问题语段：
The design of athletic equipment, apparel, and footwear involves various factors like aesthetics, comfort, and performance. To meet the increasing demand for better performance, designers use a variety of materials and designs for the various components of the athletic equipment. The patent describes a foam structure that can be used as a cushioning element in footwear, made by fusing together multiple foam particles using an additive manufacturing process.
权利要求：
1. A cushioning element for an article of footwear, the cushioning element comprising: a first injection molded foam component having an exterior surface, the foam component comprising a foamed first thermoplastic composition comprising a first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer having a multicellular open cell foam structure; and a polymeric layer comprising a second thermoplastic composition comprising a second thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, and the polymeric layer is disposed on at least a portion of the exterior surface of the first foam component; wherein the first thermoplastic composition is structurally different than the second thermoplastic composition.
2. The cushioning element of claim 1, wherein the second thermoplastic composition comprises (i) the second thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer and (ii) an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, a styrene-butadiene copolymer, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, or any combination thereof.
3. The cushioning element of any of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer comprises, (a) a plurality of first copolyester units, each first copolyester unit of the plurality comprising the first segment derived from a dihydroxy-terminated polydiol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the first copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 1: wherein R1 is a group remaining after removal of terminal hydroxyl groups from the poly(alkylene oxide) diol of the first segment, wherein the poly(alkylene oxide) diol of the first segment is a poly(alkylene oxide) diol having a number-average molecular weight of 400 to 6000; and wherein R2 is a group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the aromatic dicarboxylic acid of the third segment; and (b) a plurality of second copolyester units, each second copolyester unit of the plurality comprising the second segment derived from a diol and the third segment derived from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, wherein the second copolyester unit has a structure represented by a formula 2: wherein R3 is a group remaining after removal of hydroxyl groups from the diol of the second segment derived from a diol, wherein the diol is a diol having a molecular weight of less than 250; and wherein R2 is the group remaining after removal of carboxyl groups from the aromatic dicarboxylic acid of the third segment.
4. The cushioning element of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first foam comprises an average cell diameter of from 50 microns to 1 millimeter determined visually, by capturing an image of a cut surface with a camera or digital microscope and determining the average cell diameters of a cross-section of a sample of the foam, the diameters being determined between planes formed by the intersections of supporting struts between cells.
5. The cushioning element of any of claims 1-4, wherein the foamed first thermoplastic composition includes 5 weight percent or less of non-polymeric ingredients based on the total weight of the first thermoplastic composition.
6. The cushioning element of any of claims 1-5, wherein the polymeric layer has an average thickness of from 0.01 millimeter to 3 millimeter.
7. The cushioning element of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the cushioning element is a midsole or a heel cushion.
8. An article of footwear comprising the cushioning element of any one of claims 1-7.
9. A method of making a cushioning element for an article of footwear, the method comprising: forming a first foam component by injection molding a first thermoplastic composition in an injection mold, the foam component having an exterior surface and having a multicellular open cell foam structure, the thermoplastic composition comprising a first thermoplastic copolyester elastomer; and disposing a polymeric layer on at least a portion of the exterior surface of the first foam component, wherein the polymeric layer comprises a second thermoplastic composition comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer; wherein the first thermoplastic composition is structurally different than the second thermoplastic composition.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming comprises solidifying the first thermoplastic composition to retain the multicellular foam structure, and removing the solidified first foam component from the injection mold; and wherein the disposing comprises, after the solidifying, applying heat or vacuum or both heat and vacuum to a thermoplastic film comprising the second thermoplastic composition, thereby disposing and bonding the polymeric film to the exterior surface of the first foam component, forming the polymeric layer on the exterior surface of the first foam component, and forming the cushioning element.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming comprises solidifying the first thermoplastic composition to retain the multicellular foam structure, and removing the solidified first foam component from the injection mold; and wherein the disposing comprises, after the solidifying, applying the second thermoplastic composition in liquid form to the exterior surface of the first foam component, and allowing the second thermoplastic composition to solidify, thereby forming, disposing and bonding the polymeric layer to the exterior surface of the first foam component and forming the cushioning element, wherein optionally the applying the second thermoplastic composition in liquid form comprises spraying, printing, or painting the second thermoplastic composition onto the exterior surface, and the allowing the second thermoplastic composition to solidify comprises evaporating a solvent from the second thermoplastic composition.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming and disposing comprise placing a polymeric film comprising the second thermoplastic composition in an injection mold; melting the first polymeric composition; injecting the molten first polymeric composition into the mold and onto an exposed surface of the polymeric film in the mold; foaming the molten first polymeric composition in the mold; solidifying the foamed first thermoplastic material, thereby bonding the exposed surface of the polymeric film to the solidified foamed first thermoplastic material and forming the polymeric layer on the first foam component, and thereby forming the cushioning element; and removing the cushioning element from the injection mold.
13. The cushioning element of any one of claims 1-7, or the article of footwear of claim 8, or the method of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the first foam component has a specific gravity from 0.05 to 0.25.