Knitted footwear component with an inlaid ankle strand

• US 10,172,422 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Podhajny, Daniel A., Shaffer, Benjamin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoey, Alissa L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferreira, Catherine M
• Application Number:
  US13/686,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20130145652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,233 Days
• Field of Search: 36 45, 36 54, 36 84, 36 48, 36 9 R
• 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 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/025 assembled by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0255 assembled by gluing or thermo bonding
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/102 with stitch pattern D04B1/06, D04B1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/123 with laid-in unlooped yarn, e.g. fleece fabrics with elastic weft yarn D04B1/18
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 15/56 for flat-bed knitting machines
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/0241 enhancing mechanical properties
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/032 Flat fabric of variable width, e.g. including one or more fashioned panels
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear may include an upper incorporating a knitted component. An inlaid strand extends through the knitted component. A combination feeder may be utilized to inlay the strand within the knitted component. As an example, the combination feeder may include a feeder arm that reciprocates between a retracted position and an extended position. In manufacturing the knitted component, the feeder inlays the strand when the feeder arm is in the extended position, and the strand is absent from the knitted component when the feeder arm is in the retracted position.

Claims

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

a knitted component comprising a knit element and an inlaid strand;

the knit element with a knit structure formed from at least one yarn and extending from a throat area to a heel region of the upper; and

the inlaid strand having a continuous individual portion extending continuously around a first aperture located in the throat area on a medial side of the article of footwear, continuously through the knit element from the throat area to a rear portion of the heel region, continuously from the rear portion to a second aperture located in the throat area on a lateral side of the article of footwear, and continuously around the second aperture,

wherein the knit element includes a first course with at least a first loop and a second loop, where the first loop and the second loop of the first course are intermeshed with loops of a second course, and

wherein the inlaid strand extends through the first course of the knit element such that the first loop covers the inlaid strand on an exterior side of the knit element and the second loop covers the inlaid strand on an interior side of the knit element.

2. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element defines an ankle opening for providing access to a void within the upper, and wherein the inlaid strand extends parallel to the ankle opening from the throat area to the rear portion of the heel region.

3. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element defines an ankle opening for providing access to a void within the upper, and a section of the inlaid strand having a length of at least four centimeters is positioned within three centimeters of the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

4. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein separate and spaced apart sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of an exterior surface of the upper between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

5. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein multiple covered sections of the inlaid strand are located within the knit element between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of an exterior surface of the upper between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

6. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein multiple sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and a lower area of the upper that is adjacent to a sole structure.

7. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the loop of the inlaid strand is located within the knit element.

8. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the loop of the inlaid strand is exposed with respect to an outer surface of the knit element such that the loop forms an exposed lace aperture external to the outer surface.

9. An article of footwear having an upper, the upper comprising:

a knit element forming a portion of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper, the interior surface defining a void for receiving a foot, the knit element extending from a throat area to a heel region of the upper, the knit element defining an ankle opening of the upper that provides access to the void, and the knit element defining a plurality of apertures located in the throat area, wherein a first aperture of the plurality of apertures is located on a lateral side of the throat area, and wherein a second aperture of the plurality of apertures is located on a medial side of the throat area; and

an inlaid strand with a continuous individual portion having a first section extending through the knit element from the first aperture to the second aperture while remaining parallel to the ankle opening,

wherein the first section of the inlaid strand forms a continuous loop around at least one of the first aperture and the second aperture.

10. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein a section of the inlaid strand extends from the throat area to a seam disposed in the rear portion of the heel region.

11. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein the first section is positioned within three centimeters of the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

12. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein separate and spaced apart sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of the exterior surface between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

13. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein the continuous loop of the inlaid strand is exposed with respect to an outer surface of the knit element.

14. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein multiple sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and a lower area of the upper that is adjacent to a sole structure.

15. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein the knit element includes:

a first knitted layer that forms at least a portion of the exterior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening;

a second knitted layer that forms at least a portion of the interior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening, the second knitted layer being formed of unitary knit construction with the first knitted layer, and the second knitted layer being positioned adjacent to the first knitted layer and at least partially coextensive with the first knitted layer to define a tube between the first knitted layer and the second knitted layer; and

a plurality of floating yarns located within the tube.

16. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:

a knit element extending from a throat area on a first side of the footwear to a heel region of the footwear, and the knit element extending continuously around the heel region and to a second side of the footwear that is opposite the first side; and

an inlaid strand having a continuous individual portion extending through the knit element and from the throat area on the first side of the footwear to the heel region, and the continuous portion of the inlaid strand extending around the heel region and to the second side of the footwear,

wherein the inlaid strand extends between loops of the knit element such that a first loop covers the inlaid strand on an exterior side of the knit element and a second loop covers the inlaid strand on an interior side of the knit element, and

wherein the continuous individual portion of the inlaid strand forms a first aperture on the first side of the throat area and a second aperture on the side of the throat area.