Article Of Footwear Having An Upper With Knitted Elements
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
- a material layer forming at least a portion of an exterior surface of the upper; and
a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction, the knitted component having a compressible area and a flange area, the compressible area forming a portion of the exterior surface and a portion of an opposite interior surface of the upper, and the flange area extending outward from the compressible area,wherein the flange area is located inward from the material layer, and the flange area is joined with the material layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear may incorporate various elements that are at least partially formed through a knitting process, such as a circular knitting process or a flat knitting process. Examples of the elements include tongue elements, collar elements, and collar-throat elements. In some configurations, the elements include compressible areas and flange areas. The compressible areas may include foam cores or floating yarns that impart compressibility, and the flange areas may be utilized to join the components to the article of footwear.
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Citations
41 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 material layer forming at least a portion of an exterior surface of the upper; and a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction, the knitted component having a compressible area and a flange area, the compressible area forming a portion of the exterior surface and a portion of an opposite interior surface of the upper, and the flange area extending outward from the compressible area, wherein the flange area is located inward from the material layer, and the flange area is joined with the material layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a first material layer forming at least a portion of an exterior surface of the upper; a second material layer located parallel to the first material layer and inward from the exterior surface; and a knitted component having a first knit layer and a second knit layer formed of unitary knit construction, the first knit layer forming at least a portion of the exterior surface of the upper, and the second knit layer forming at least a portion of an interior surface of the upper, the knitted component defining a flange extending outward from at least one of the first knit layer and the second knit layer, wherein the flange is located between the first material layer and the second material layer, and the flange is joined with at least one of the first material layer and the second material layer. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper including a tongue element comprising:
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a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction and forming a majority of an exterior of the tongue element, the knitted component defining an interior cavity; and a compressible material located within the cavity, wherein an end of the knitted component is secured to a throat area of the upper. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of manufacturing a tongue element for an article of footwear, the method comprising:
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knitting a tubular structure having a first end and a second end, at least the first end having a closed configuration; inserting a compressible material into the tubular structure through the second end; and securing the second end to an upper of the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper defining an interior void for receiving a foot of a wearer, and the upper having an ankle opening that provides access to the void, the upper having a collar element formed of unitary knit construction and comprising:
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a knitted exterior forming at least a portion of (a) an exterior surface of the upper adjacent to an ankle opening of the upper and (b) an interior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening, the knitted exterior defining an interior cavity; and a plurality of floating yarns located within the cavity, wherein the collar element is formed as a separate component from other portions of the upper and is secured to the other portions of the upper. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper defining an interior void for receiving a foot of a wearer, and the upper having an ankle opening that provides access to the void, the upper having a collar element comprising:
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a first knit layer and a second knit layer formed of unitary knit construction, the first knit layer forming at least a portion of the exterior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening, and the second knit layer forming at least a portion of an interior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening, areas of the first knit layer and the second knit layer are spaced from each other to define a cavity within the knitted component; a plurality of floating yarns located within the cavity and between the first knit layer and the second knit layer; and a flange extending outward from at least one of the first knit layer and the second knit layer, the flange being secured to another element of the upper. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. A method of manufacturing a collar element for an article of footwear, the method comprising:
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flat knitting the collar element to have unitary knit construction that includes (a) a tubular structure with an interior cavity and (b) a plurality of floating yarns within the cavity; and securing the collar element to an upper of the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
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knitting a series of footwear elements, at least two of the footwear elements being joined by a release area that includes a release yarn; removing the release yarn to separate the footwear elements; and incorporating at least one of the footwear elements into the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of manufacturing a first article of footwear for a right foot of a wearer and a second article of footwear for a left foot of the wearer, the method comprising:
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knitting a first element and a second element, the first element being substantially identical to the second element; incorporating the first element into the first article of footwear; and incorporating the second element into the second article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41)
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Specification