Footwear

• US 20120180340A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SR Holdings LLC (Authentic Brands Group, LLC)
• Original Assignee: SR Holdings LLC (Authentic Brands Group, LLC)
• Inventors: Crowley, Kevin II, Nau, David M., Cheney, James, Wong, Nicholas W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,726,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/103
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0009 made at least partially of alveolar or honeycomb material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/0027 made at least partially from a material having special colours
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0225 Composite materials, e.g. material with a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/08 Bathing shoes ; Aquatic sports shoes

Abstract

A footwear upper including a first layer and a second layer disposed on the first layer exteriorly of the first layer. The second layer defines grooves in a rhombille tiling pattern.

Claims

1. A footwear upper comprising:

a first layer; and

a second layer disposed on the first layer exteriorly of the first layer, the second layer defining grooves in a rhombille tiling pattern.

2. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the second layer is disposed on at least one of a top forefoot portion, a heel portion, a lateral portion, and a medial portion of the first layer.

3. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the rhombille tiling comprises a tessellation of 60°

rhombi.

4. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the rhombille tiling pattern comprises a hexagonal tiling of overlapping hexagonally shaped figures, each figure being divided into three rhombi meeting at a center point of the hexagonally shaped figure.

5. The footwear upper of claim 4, wherein first and second diagonals of each rhombus have a ratio of 1:

√

3.

6. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the grooves are defined to provide an edge density of between about 40 mm/cm² and about 200 mm/cm² and a surface contact ratio of between about 40% and about 95%.

7. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises polychloroprene.

8. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the second layer comprises rubber.

9. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the second layer has durometer of between about 35 Shore A and about 70 Shore A.

10. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the second layer has a thickness of between about 1 mm and about 1.5 cm.

56. The footwear upper of claim 1, wherein the grooves are defined to have a sinusoidal path.

57. The footwear upper of claim 56, wherein at least one sinusoidal groove path has an amplitude of between about 3 mm and about 25 mm and/or a frequency of between about 4 mm and about 50 mm.

58. The footwear upper of claim 57, wherein the at least one sinusoidal groove path has an amplitude of about 5 mm and a frequency of about 6.3 mm.

59. The footwear upper of claim 57, wherein the at least one sinusoidal groove path has an amplitude of about 17.6 mm and a frequency of about 40 mm.

11. A footwear article comprising:

a sole assembly; and

an upper assembly attached to the sole assembly, the upper assembly comprising;

a first layer; and

a second layer disposed on the first layer exteriorly of the first layer, the second layer defining grooves in a rhombille tiling pattern.

12. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the second layer is disposed on at least one of a top forefoot portion, a heel portion, a lateral portion, and a medial portion of the first layer.

13. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the rhombille tiling comprises a tessellation of 60°

rhombi.

14. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the rhombille tiling comprises a hexagonal tiling of overlapping hexagonally shaped figures, each figure being divided into three rhombi meeting at a center point of the hexagonally shaped figure.

15. The footwear article of claim 14, wherein first and second diagonals of each rhombus have a ratio of 1:

√

3.

16. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the grooves are defined to provide an edge density of between about 40 mm/cm² and about 200 mm/cm² and a surface contact ratio of between about 40% and about 95%.

17. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the first layer comprises polychloroprene.

18. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the second layer comprises rubber.

19. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the second layer has durometer of between about 35 Shore A and about 70 Shore A.

20. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the second layer has a thickness of between about 1 mm and about 1.5 cm.

21. The footwear article of claim 11, further comprising a third layer disposed between the first and second layers, the third layer comprising a compliant material for cushioning.

22. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the sole assembly comprises an outsole body having a ground contact surface and defining grooves having a sinusoidal path along the ground contact surface, the grooves being arranged to provide an edge density of between about 40 mm/cm² and about 200 mm/cm² and a surface contact ratio of between about 40% and about 95%.

23. The footwear article of claim 22, wherein at least one sinusoidal groove path along the ground contact surface has an amplitude of between about 3 mm and about 25 mm and/or a frequency of between about 4 mm and about 50 mm.

24. The footwear article of claim 23, wherein the corresponding groove of the at least one sinusoidal groove path has a width of about 0.4 mm.

25. The footwear article of claim 23, wherein the corresponding groove of the at least one sinusoidal groove path has a depth of about 1.2 mm.

26. The footwear article of claim 22, wherein each groove has at least one shoulder edge with the ground contact surface, the at least one shoulder edge defining a right angle with a substantially non-radiused corner.

27. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the sole assembly comprises an outsole body having a ground contact surface and defining outsole grooves having a sinusoidal path along the ground contact surface, the grooves defining a sinusoidal groove path along the ground contact surface having an amplitude of about 5 mm and a frequency of about 6.3 mm.

28. The footwear article of claim 27, wherein the outsole grooves have at least one of a width of about 0.4 mm and a depth of about 1.2 mm.

29. The footwear article of claim 27, wherein adjacent outsole grooves are offset from each other along the ground contact surface in a common direction by an offset distance of about 3.15 mm.

30. The footwear article of claim 27, further comprising at least one channel connecting adjacent outsole grooves.

31. The footwear article of claim 27, wherein the outsole grooves are arranged substantially parallel to each other to provide an edge density of about 106 min/cm² and a surface contact ratio of about 91%.

32. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the sole assembly comprises an outsole body having aground contact surface and defining outsole grooves having a sinusoidal path along the ground contact surface, the grooves defining a sinusoidal groove path along the ground contact surface having an amplitude of about 17.6 mm and a frequency of about 40 mm.

33. The footwear article of claim 32, wherein the outsole grooves have at least one of a width of about 1 mm and a depth of about 1.5 mm.

34. The footwear article of claim 33, wherein adjacent outsole grooves are offset from each other along the ground contact surface in a common direction by an offset distance of between about 3 mm and about 3.75 mm.

35. The footwear article of claim 34, wherein for three consecutive outsole grooves along the ground contact surface, a first groove is offset from a second groove by an offset distance of about 3 mm and the second groove is offset from a third groove by an offset distance of about 3.75 mm.

36. The footwear article of claim 32, wherein at least some adjacent outsole grooves intersect each other periodically along their respective sinusoidal paths.

37. The footwear article of claim 32, wherein the outsole grooves are arranged substantially parallel to each other to provide an edge density of about 59 mm/cm² and a surface contact ratio of about 67%.

38. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the sole assembly comprises an outsole body comprising at least one of rubber having a durometer of between about 45 Shore A and about 65 Shore A, a rubber having a minimum coefficient of friction of about 0.9 and a durometer of between about 50 Shore A and about 65 Shore A, and a rubber having a minimum coefficient of friction of about 1.1 and a durometer of between about 50 Shore A and about 65 Shore A.

39. The footwear article of claim 11, wherein the sole assembly comprises an outsole body having lateral and medial portions and a ground contact surface, the outsole defining a longitudinal axis along a walking direction and perpendicular transverse axis, the ground contact surface having

a first tread region disposed on the lateral outsole body portion near a lateral periphery of the outsole,

a second tread region disposed on the medial outsole body portion near a medial periphery of the outsole, and

a third tread region disposed between the first and second tread regions in at least a ground striking portion of the outsole;

wherein the first and second tread regions define grooves having a sinusoidal path along the ground contact surface with an axis of propagation substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the outsole, adjacent grooves offset from each other along the transverse axis by a first offset distance; and

wherein the third tread region defines grooves having a sinusoidal path along the ground contact surface with an axis of propagation substantially parallel to the transverse axis of the outsole, adjacent grooves offset from each other along, the longitudinal axis by a second offset distance.

40. The footwear article of claim 39, wherein the grooves of the first and second tread regions define a sinusoidal groove path along the ground contact surface having an amplitude of about 17.6 mm and a frequency of about 40 mm.

41. The footwear article of claim 40, wherein the grooves of the first and second tread regions have at least one of a width of about 1 mm and a depth of about 1.5 mm.

42. The footwear article of claim 39, wherein the first offset distance is between about 3 mm and about 3.75 mm and the second offset distance is about 3.15 mm.

43. The footwear article of claim 42, wherein for three consecutive grooves along the ground contact surface of the first and second tread regions, a first groove is offset from a second groove by an offset distance of about 3 mm and the second groove is offset from a third groove by an offset distance of about 3.75 mm.

44. The footwear article of claim 39, wherein the grooves of the first and second tread regions are arranged to provide an edge density of about 59 mm/cm² and a surface contact ratio of about 67%.

45. The footwear article of claim 39, wherein the grooves of the third tread region define a sinusoidal groove path along the ground contact surface having an amplitude of about 5 mm and a frequency of about 6.3 mm.

46. The footwear article of claim 45, wherein the grooves of the third tread region have at least one of a width of about 0.4 mm and a depth of about 1.2 mm.

47. The footwear article of claim 39, wherein the third tread region further comprise at least one channel connecting adjacent grooves.

48. The footwear article of claim 47, wherein the at least one channel has a depth of about half a depth of the grooves of the third tread region.

49. The footwear article of claim 47, wherein the at least one channel has a width substantially equal to a width of the grooves the third tread region.

50. The footwear article of claim 39, wherein the grooves of the third tread region are arranged to provide an edge density of about 106 mm/cm² and a surface contact ratio of about 91%.

51. A footwear upper comprising:

a first layer; and

a second layer disposed on the first layer exteriorly of the first layer, the second layer defining grooves arranged to have edge density of between about 40 mm/cm² and about 200 min/cm² and a surface contact ratio of between about 40% and about 95%, each groove having width of between about 0.1 mm and about 2.5 mm.

52. The footwear upper of claim 51, wherein the second layer is disposed on at least one of a top forefoot portion, a heel portion, a lateral portion, and a medial portion of the first layer.

53. The footwear upper of claim 51, wherein the grooves are arranged in a in a rhombille tiling pattern comprising a tessellation of 60°

rhombi.

54. The footwear upper of claim 51, wherein the rhombille tiling pattern comprises a hexagonal tiling of overlapping hexagonally shaped figures, each figure being divided into three rhombi meeting at a center point of the hexagonally shaped figure.

55. The footwear upper of claim 54, wherein first and second diagonals of each rhombus have a ratio of 1:

√

3.

60. The footwear upper of claim 51, wherein each groove has at least one shoulder edge, the at least one shoulder edge defining a right angle with a substantially non-radiused corner.