Footwear Upper Incorporating A Knitted Component With Sock And Tongue Portions

• US 20140137434A1
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Craig, Kenneth T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/54
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 19/00 Shoe-shaped inserts; Inserts covering the instep
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/02 Uppers; Boot legs
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/021 Leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/024 Different layers of the same material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/04 Uppers made of one piece; Uppers with inserted gussets
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/042 Uppers made of one piece one piece slippers A43B3/106; one piece sandals A43B3/124
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/07 Linings therefor lining laminated with upper A43B23/026
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/04 with rings or loops
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/104 Openwork fabric, e.g. pelerine fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/106 at a selvedge, e.g. hems or turned welts
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/26 stockings
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/0113 One surface including hollow piping or integrated straps, e.g. for inserts or mountings
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/021 Lofty fabric with equidistantly spaced front and back plies, e.g. spacer fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/023 Fabric with at least two, predominantly unlinked, knitted or woven plies interlaced with each other at spaced locations or linked to a common internal co-extensive yarn system
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear may include a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction. The knitted component includes a sock portion and a tongue portion. The sock portion has a hollow structure (a) forming an ankle opening in a heel region of the footwear and (b) extending between the heel region and a forefoot region of the footwear to define a void within the footwear for receiving a foot. The tongue portion has an elongate configuration (a) extending through at least a portion of a length of a throat area of the upper and (b) including two knit layers that lay adjacent to each other.

Claims

1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction and including a sock portion and a tongue portion, the sock portion having a hollow structure (a) forming an ankle opening in a heel region of the footwear and (b) extending between the heel region and a forefoot region of the footwear to define a void within the footwear for receiving a foot, and the tongue portion having an elongate configuration (a) extending through at least a portion of a length of a throat area of the upper and (b) including two knit layers that lay adjacent to each other.

2. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein one of the knit layers lays against the sock portion in the throat area.

3. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the tongue portion is located within the void.

4. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein a first end of the tongue portion if formed of unitary knit construction with the sock portion, and a second end of the tongue portion is stitched to the sock portion, the first end being opposite the second end.

5. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein (a) peripheral areas of the knit layers are joined to each other and (b) central areas of the knit layers are unjoined to each other.

6. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the upper includes a cover component extending between (a) the heel region and the forefoot region and (b) the throat area and the sole structure, the knitted component being at least partially located within the cover component.

7. The article of footwear recited in claim 6, wherein the cover component is secured to the knitted component.

8. The article of footwear recited in claim 6, wherein the knitted component is removable from within the cover component.

9. The article of footwear recited in claim 6, wherein the cover component is absent in the throat area to expose an area of the sock portion located in the throat area.

10. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein a lace extends across the throat area and between opposite sides of the cover component.

11. The article of footwear recited in claim 9, wherein the upper includes (a) a plurality of tensile strands extending through a region between the throat area and the sole structure and (b) a lace coupled to the tensile strands and extending repeatedly across the throat area.

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

a knitted component (a) forming an ankle opening in a heel region of the footwear and (b) extending between the heel region and a forefoot region of the footwear to define a void within the footwear for receiving a foot, a majority of the knitted component being formed from a first knit layer, a portion of the knitted component located in a throat area of the upper having a layered structure that includes the first knit layer, a second knit layer, and a third knit layer, and each of the first knit layer, the second knit layer, and the third knit layer being formed of unitary knit construction; and

a cover component secured to the sole structure and extending between the throat area and the sole structure,

the knitted component being at least partially located within the cover component.

13. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the cover component is secured to the knitted component.

14. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the knitted component is removable from within the cover component.

15. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the second knit layer and the third knit layer are located within the void.

16. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the first knit layer is a sock portion of the knitted component and has a hollow structure.

17. The article of footwear recited in claim 16, wherein the second knit layer and the third knit layer are a tongue portion of the knitted component and have an elongate configuration extending through at least a portion of a length of the throat area.

18. The article of footwear recited in claim 16, wherein the second knit layer is located between and lays against each of the first knit layer and the third knit layer.

19. The article of footwear recited in claim 16, wherein (a) peripheral areas of the second knit layer and the third knit layer are joined to each other and (b) central areas of the second knit layer and the third knit layer are unjoined to each other.

20. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein an area of the cover component is absent in the throat area to expose an area of the first knit layer located in the throat area.

21. A knitted component formed of unitary knit construction and comprising a sock portion and a tongue portion, the sock portion having a hollow structure that forms an ankle opening and defines a void for receiving a foot, and the tongue portion having an elongate configuration extending through at least a portion of a length of the sock portion and including two knit layers that lay adjacent to each other.

22. The knitted component recited in claim 21, wherein one of the knit layers lays against the sock portion.

23. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the tongue portion is located within the void.

24. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein a first end of the tongue portion if formed of unitary knit construction with the sock portion, and a second end of the tongue portion is stitched to the sock portion, the first end being opposite the second end.

25. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein (a) peripheral areas of the knit layers are joined to each other and (b) central areas of the knit layers are unjoined to each other.

26. A method for manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:

utilizing a circular knitting process to form a knitted component by knitting a sock and two substantially coextensive layers located within the sock and extending along at least a portion of a length of the sock; and

incorporating the knitted component into an upper of the article of footwear.

27. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the step of utilizing the circular knitting process includes forming the sock to have a hollow structure.

28. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the step of incorporating the knitted component includes locating (a) the sock to extend from a forefoot region to a heel region of the article of footwear and (b) the two substantially coextensive layers to extend through at least a portion of a length of a throat area of the upper.

29. A method for manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:

knitting a knitted component that includes a sock portion and a tongue portion, the sock portion having a hollow structure, and the tongue portion including two knit layers that extend outward from the sock portion and are located within the sock portion; and

incorporating the knitted component into an upper of the article of footwear, the sock portion being located to extend from a forefoot region to a heel region of the article of footwear, and the tongue portion being located to extend through at least a portion of a length of a throat area of the upper.

30. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the step of knitting includes utilizing a circular knitting process.

31. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the step of knitting includes forming an aperture in the sock portion, and the step of incorporating includes locating the aperture to form an ankle opening of the upper.

32. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the step of knitting includes (a) forming the two knit layers to be substantially coextensive with each other and (b) joining peripheral areas of the two knit layers to each other.

33. The method recited in claim 29, wherein the step of incorporating includes joining the knitted component to a cover component extending between the throat area and the sole structure.