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NikePatent applicationClothing & sportInterest 4/10

Nike patents printing method for stretchy, grippy shoe soles

Nike describes a method for printing a thin layer of polyurethane and other chemicals onto stretchy fabric or rubber bases. This printed layer is less than 25 microns thick, which makes the surface grippier without stopping the material from stretching.

Why it mattersThis technique could allow manufacturers to add specific grip patterns to flexible shoe parts without making them stiff.

In the filing’s own words

A printing method includes: (A) placing a substrate including an elastomeric base textile layer on a printing bed; and (B) printing one or more printed elements (e.g., as a topcoat layer) onto at least a portion of the substrate. The printing includes applying a mixture including at least: a polyurethane material, water, a cross-linker material, silica, and a rheological modifier to at least the portion of the surface of the substrate. The one or more printed elements: (a) have a thickness of less than 25 micron and (b) increase a coefficient of friction of the substrate at locations of the printed element(s) as compared to a coefficient of friction of the substrate before the printed element(s) is/are present. An elasticity and/or stretchability of the substrate with the printed element(s) thereon may be substantially the same as an elasticity and/or stretchability of the substrate before the printed element(s) is/are present thereon.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: placing a substrate on a printing bed, the substrate including an elastomeric base textile layer; and printing one or more printed elements onto at least a portion of a surface of the substrate, wherein the printing includes applying a mixture including at least: a polyurethane material, water, a cross-linker material, silica, and a rheological modifier to at least the portion of the surface of the substrate, wherein the one or more printed elements have a thickness of less than 25 micron, wherein the one or more printed elements increase a coefficient of friction of the substrate at locations of the one or more printed elements as compared to a coefficient of friction of the substrate before the one or more printed elements are present thereon, and wherein an elasticity and/or stretchability of the substrate with the one or more printed elements thereon is substantially the same as an elasticity and/or stretchability of the substrate before the one or more printed elements are present thereon.

Facts

Company
Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
Official title
Textile Components and/or Other Articles Including Printed Structures, Methods of Making These Articles, and Products Including Such Articles
Publication number
US20260256243A1
Application number
19555293
Filed
Mar 3, 2026
Published
Sep 3, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
22

Classified under

A43B 23/0235 Human necessitiesC09D 11/037 Chemistry & metalsC09D 11/102 Chemistry & metalsC09D 11/54 Chemistry & metalsD06P 1/5285 Textiles & paperD06P 1/54 Textiles & paper
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.