Article of footwear having a textile upper

• US 10,130,136 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Dua, Bhupesh, Thomas, Edward Nathaniel
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYS, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US15/703,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20180000188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 36 45, 36 10, 36 55, 36 91, 36 57
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0205 characterised by the material material of the lining A43B23/07, material of toe stiffeners or heel stiffeners A43B23/08
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/021 Leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0275 with a part of the upper particularly rigid, e.g. resisting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/028 Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/04 Uppers made of one piece; Uppers with inserted gussets
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/042 Uppers made of one piece one piece slippers A43B3/106; one piece sandals A43B3/124
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/08 Heel stiffeners; Toe stiffeners
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/085 in the upper
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/14 with foot-supporting parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/1495 with arch-supports of the bracelet type
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 9/02 Footwear stitched or nailed through
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 111/00 Shoe machines with conveyors for jacked shoes or for shoes or shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 8/00 Machines for cutting, ornamenting, marking or otherwise working up shoe part blanks pulling-over or lasting A43D9/00 - A43D23/00; making or fastening soles, heels or welts A43D25/00 - A43D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 8/02 Cutting-out cutting in general B26D, B26F; of leather articles in general C14B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/102 with stitch pattern D04B1/06, D04B1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/24 : wearing apparel
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/20 : specially adapted for knitting articles of particular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/207 : Wearing apparel or garment blanks
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 : Footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing the article of footwear are disclosed. The footwear may include an upper and a sole structure. The upper incorporates a textile element with edges that are joined together to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot. Various warp or weft knitting processes, including flat knitting, may be utilized to form the textile element.

Claims

1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:

a flat knit textile element comprising;

(1) flat knit edges free of surrounding textile structure such that the flat knit edges are not surrounded by textile structure from which the textile element must be removed, and (2) a first knit strip having a first property and a second knit strip having a second property that is different from the first property;

wherein the first knit strip and the second knit strip each extend from an instep region of the upper to a lower region of the upper along at least one of a lateral side or a medial side of the upper,

wherein the flat knit edges of the flat knit textile element comprise a first longitudinal edge extending from a forefoot region of the flat knit textile element to a heel region of the flat knit textile element and a second longitudinal edge opposite the first longitudinal edge and extending from the forefoot region to the heel region,

wherein the flat knit textile element comprises a distance extending over a surface of the flat knit textile element between the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge in the heel region, the distance being approximately twelve inches.

2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge comprises a width of the flat knit textile element in the heel region when the flat knit textile element is in a substantially planar configuration.

3. The upper of claim 1, wherein the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge are joined together to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot.

4. The upper of claim 3, wherein the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge are joined together to form a seam extending along a bottom surface of the upper.

5. The upper of claim 1, wherein the flat knit textile element forms at least a portion of both an interior surface and an exterior surface of the upper.

6. The upper of claim 5, wherein at least one additional element is secured to a portion of the exterior surface of the upper.

7. The upper of claim 1, wherein the first property of the first knit strip comprises a higher degree of stretch than the second property of the second knit strip.

8. The upper of claim 1, wherein the first property comprises a first knit construction and the second property comprises a second knit construction.

9. The upper of claim 1, wherein the first property comprises a first yarn type and the second property comprises a second yarn type.

10. An article of footwear comprising:

an upper comprising;

(1) a flat knit textile element having flat knit edges free of surrounding textile structure such that the flat knit edges are not surrounded by textile structure from which the textile element must be removed, and (2) a first knit strip having a first property and a second knit strip having a second property that is different from the first property, wherein the flat knit edges comprise a first longitudinal edge extending from a forefoot region of the flat knit textile element to a heel region of the flat knit textile element and a second longitudinal edge opposite the first longitudinal edge and extending from the forefoot region to the heel region, and

a sole structure secured to the upper,

wherein the flat knit textile element comprises a distance extending over a surface of the flat knit textile element between the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge in the heel region, the distance being approximately twelve inches;

wherein the first knit strip and the second knit strip each extend from an instep region of the upper to a lower region of the upper adjacent the sole structure along at least one of a lateral side or a medial side of the upper.

11. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the distance between the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge comprises a width of the flat knit textile element in the heel region when the flat knit textile element is in a substantially planar configuration.

12. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge are joined together to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12, wherein the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge are joined together to form a seam extending along a bottom surface of the upper, and wherein the flat knit edges further comprise an additional pair of edges that are joined together to form a second seam along the heel region of the upper.

14. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the flat knit textile element forms at least a portion of both an interior surface and an exterior surface of the upper.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein at least one additional element is secured to the flat-knit textile element to form a second portion of the exterior surface of the upper.

16. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the first property of the first knit strip comprises a higher degree of stretch than the second property of the second knit strip.

17. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the first property comprises a first knit construction and the second property comprises a second knit construction.

18. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the first property comprises a first yarn type and the second property comprises a second yarn type.