FOOTWEAR ARTICLE HAVING CORD STRUCTURE

• US 20140130372A1
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuerst Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fuerst Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Aveni, Michael A., Tawney, John, Fuerst, Rory
• Granted Patent: US 10,092,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/83
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0295 Pieced uppers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/088 Heel stiffeners A43B23/10, A43B23/14, A43B23/16, A43B23/17 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/122 characterised by the attachment of the straps
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/126 characterised by the shape or layout of the straps
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/128 characterised by the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/16 Overshoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/04 with rings or loops
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/06 tightened by draw-strings
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 9/08 made of paper or wire
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/22 specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 5/00 Knitting apparatus or machines without needles for domestic use with needles D04B7/08
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear

Abstract

A footwear article is provided herein. The footwear article may include a sole coupled to a cord structure. The cord structure may include interconnected bights in a vamp cord and a rand cord forming a loop line extending along at least a portion of the footwear article.

Claims

1. A footwear article, comprising:

an upper, at least a portion of which is formed via one or more slippably-engaged and intertwined cords configured to at least partially enclose a foot, at least one of the cords engaged with a sole.

2. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the upper comprises one or more uninterrupted cords engaging with itself and/or one or more additional cords at a plurality of intertwined, yet at least partially slippably engaged at selected locations.

3. The footwear article of claim 2, wherein the slippably engaged locations are positioned along one or more loop lines traversing around a portion of the upper.

4. The footwear article of claim 3, wherein one or more of the cords interfaces with the sole in partial-locking engagement at a plurality of locations fully or partially around at least a portion of the sole.

5. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein a support structure is interlaced with one or more of the cords.

6. The footwear article of claim 1, where the support structure has less flexibility than the cord structure.

7. The footwear article of claim 5, where the support structure is a heel counter adjacent to a heel side of the sole.

8. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the one or more intertwined cords are flexible to bend in any direction, yet retains its shape at least partially in a free-state.

9. A footwear article comprising a looped upper with fibers or cords forming a structure configured to enclose a foot, the cords in the upper in slippable engagement with respect to one another, but being attached at interfaces with a sole with limited slip.

10. The footwear article of claim 9, wherein the slippable engagement is formed at cord interfaces, the cord interfaces positioned along a loop line traversing across lateral and medial sides of the upper, and further across a forefoot and/or toe region.

11. The footwear article of claim 10, wherein the looped upper is formed in an intertwined pattern, but substantially free of knots at a plurality of the slippable interfaces positioned away from the sole.

12. The footwear article of claim 9, where the cords in the structure are coupled to the sole via attachment openings in the sole.

13. A footwear article, comprising:

a sole having cord structure attachment openings; and

a cord structure including a rand substructure having sole attachment bights extending into the cord structure attachment openings coupling the sole to the rand substructure and vamp attachment bights interconnected with rand attachment bights included in a vamp substructure of the cord structure.

14. The footwear article of claim 13, where the vamp substructure is positioned away from the sole.

15. The footwear article of claim 13, where the rand substructure comprises one or more rand cords.

16. The footwear article of claim 13, where the vamp substructure comprises one or more vamp cords.

17. The footwear article of claim 13, where the cord structure further comprises a sole cord extending through the sole attachment bights.

18. The footwear article of claim 13, where cords in the cord structure interlock to provide slippable engagement.

19. The footwear article of claim 13, further comprising a heel counter coupled to the cord structure, wherein one or more of the cords in the cord structure extend through the heel counter.

20. The footwear article of claim 13, where the cord structure includes a first section and a second section having different degrees of slippable engagement.