Article of footwear having an upper with thread structural elements
First Claim
1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
- a textile layer at least partially formed from a plurality of yarns, the textile layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the textile layer defining a first area and a second area spaced apart by a distance of at least five centimeters, and the textile layer defining a third area and a fourth area also spaced apart by a distance of at least five centimeters;
a first thread group having first thread sections that extend between the first area and the second area, the first thread sections lying adjacent to the first surface and substantially parallel to the first surface, and the first thread sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer; and
a second thread group having second thread sections extending between the third area and the fourth area, the second thread sections lying adjacent to the first surface and substantially parallel to the first surface, and the second thread sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer,wherein at least some of the first thread sections are oriented to extend in a first direction, and at least some of the second thread sections cross the first thread sections and are oriented to extend in a second direction.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear includes an upper that is at least partially formed from a base layer and thread sections that lie adjacent a surface of the base layer. The thread sections are positioned to provide structural elements that, for example, restrain stretch in directions corresponding with longitudinal axes of the thread sections. In some configurations of the footwear, a first portion of the thread sections may extend between forefoot and heel regions of the footwear, and a second portion of the thread sections may extend vertically. An embroidering process may be utilized to position the thread sections on the base layer.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a textile layer at least partially formed from a plurality of yarns, the textile layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the textile layer defining a first area and a second area spaced apart by a distance of at least five centimeters, and the textile layer defining a third area and a fourth area also spaced apart by a distance of at least five centimeters; a first thread group having first thread sections that extend between the first area and the second area, the first thread sections lying adjacent to the first surface and substantially parallel to the first surface, and the first thread sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer; and a second thread group having second thread sections extending between the third area and the fourth area, the second thread sections lying adjacent to the first surface and substantially parallel to the first surface, and the second thread sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer, wherein at least some of the first thread sections are oriented to extend in a first direction, and at least some of the second thread sections cross the first thread sections and are oriented to extend in a second direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a textile layer at least partially formed from a plurality of yarns, the textile layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface; a plurality of first thread sections extending from a forefoot region of the upper to a heel region of the upper, the first thread sections lying adjacent to the first surface and not extending through the first surface in an area between the forefoot region and the heel region, and the first thread sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer; a plurality of second thread sections extending from an upper area of the upper to a lower area of the upper, the second thread sections lying adjacent to the first surface and not extending through the first surface in an area between the upper area and the lower area, and the second thread sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer, the first thread sections and the second thread sections having a crossed configuration. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, at least a portion of the upper comprising:
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a base layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface; and a plurality of thread sections that are separate from the base layer and lie adjacent to at least a portion of the first surface, at least a portion of the thread sections being substantially aligned, the upper defining a first direction corresponding with longitudinal axes of the thread sections, and the upper defining a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, the upper being substantially non-stretch in the first direction, and the upper being stretchable by at least ten percent in the second direction. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification