Article Of Footwear Incorporating A Knitted Component

• US 20140150292A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Podhajny, Daniel A., Shaffer, Benjamin A., Williams, Robert C. Jr., Toraya, Erin E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,861,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/50.1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/028 Synthetic or artificial fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0205 characterised by the material material of the lining A43B23/07, material of toe stiffeners or heel stiffeners A43B23/08
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/025 assembled by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/042 Uppers made of one piece one piece slippers A43B3/106; one piece sandals A43B3/124
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 5/00 Eyelets machines for setting eyelets A43D100/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/102 with stitch pattern D04B1/06, D04B1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/106 at a selvedge, e.g. hems or turned welts
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/123 with laid-in unlooped yarn, e.g. fleece fabrics with elastic weft yarn D04B1/18
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/18 elastic threads
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/032 Flat fabric of variable width, e.g. including one or more fashioned panels
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear may have an upper with a knitted component. Alone or in combination, the knitted component may include regions with different degrees of stretch-resistance; the knitted component forms a collar with a half-gauge knit; the upper includes a strand with sections that are inlaid within the knitted component, and the sections are positioned immediately adjacent to each other; the strand forms a plurality of loops, pairs of the loops are positioned immediately adjacent to each other and configured to receive a lace; and the knitted component includes a thermoplastic polymer material, and the strand is unbonded to the thermoplastic polymer material.

Claims

1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper including a knitted component that is formed of unitary knit construction, the knitted component comprising:

a first region forming a collar of the upper and having a first stretch-resistance, the collar defining an opening to a void within the upper for receiving a foot;

a second region extending outward from the first region and having a second stretch-resistance; and

a third region extending at least partially around the second region and having a third stretch-resistance,

the first stretch-resistance being less than the second stretch-resistance, and the second stretch-resistance being less than the third stretch-resistance.

2. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the first region is formed as a half-gauge knit.

3. The article of footwear recited in claim 2, wherein the second region and the third region are formed as a full-gauge knit.

4. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the second region is located in a throat area of the upper.

5. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein a yarn in the third region includes a thermoplastic polymer material.

6. The article of footwear recited in claim 5, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is substantially absent from the first region and the second region.

7. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein an inlaid strand extends through the third region.

8. The article of footwear recited in claim 7, wherein the inlaid strand forms lace loops that is configured to receive a lace.

9. The article of footwear recited in claim 7, wherein the inlaid strand forms lace loops, and pairs of the lace loops overlap each other and are configured to receive a lace.

10. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the knitted component is a flat knitted component.

11. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising a knitted component that forms a collar defining an opening to a void within the upper for receiving a foot, the collar being formed as a half-gauge knit.

12. The article of footwear recited in claim 11, wherein the collar has a ribbed structure.

13. The article of footwear recited in claim 11, wherein other regions of the knitted component are formed as a full-gauge knit.

14. The article of footwear recited in claim 11, wherein the collar has a lesser stretch-resistance than other regions of the knitted component.

15. The article of footwear recited in claim 11, wherein the knitted component has (a) a central region that extends outward from the collar and (b) a peripheral region that extends at least partially around the central region, the collar, the central region, and the peripheral region being formed of unitary knit construction, and the collar having a lesser stretch-resistance than the central region and the peripheral region.

16. The article of footwear recited in claim 15, wherein the central region has a lesser stretch-resistance than the peripheral region.

17. The article of footwear recited in claim 15, wherein the central region and the peripheral region are formed as a full-gauge knit.

18. The article of footwear recited in claim 15, wherein a yarn in the peripheral region includes a thermoplastic polymer material.

19. The article of footwear recited in claim 18, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is substantially absent from the collar and the central region.

20. The article of footwear recited in claim 11, wherein the knitted component is a flat knitted component.

21. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising a knitted component and a strand having a first section inlaid within the knitted component, a second section located exterior of the knitted component and forming a lace loop that is configured to receive a lace, and a third section inlaid within the knitted component, the first section and the third section being positioned immediately adjacent to each other.

22. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the first section and the third section are located within two millimeters of each other.

23. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the first section and the second section extend between a throat area and a lower area of the upper.

24. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the strand forms a plurality of additional lace loops located on opposite sides of the upper.

25. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the lace loop and another lace loop overlap each other and form a pair of lace loops configured to receive the lace.

26. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the strand has a greater stretch-resistance than the knitted component.

27. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the knitted component includes a thermoplastic polymer material, and the strand is unbonded with the thermoplastic polymer material.

28. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the knitted component has (a) a collar region that forms a collar, (b) a central region that extends outward from the collar region, and (c) a peripheral region that extends at least partially around the central region, the collar region, the central region, and the peripheral region being formed of unitary knit construction, and the first section and the third section of the strand being inlaid within the peripheral region.

29. The article of footwear recited in claim 28, wherein a yarn in the peripheral region includes a thermoplastic polymer material, and the thermoplastic polymer material is substantially absent from the collar region and the central region.

30. The article of footwear recited in claim 21, wherein the knitted component is a flat knitted component.

31. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising a knitted component and a strand that is inlaid within the knitted component, portions of the strand being located exterior of the knitted component and forming a plurality of loops, pairs of the loops being positioned immediately adjacent to each other configured to receive a lace.

32. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein the pairs of the loops are in an overlapping configuration.

33. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein each of the pairs of the loops are aligned to form an aperture.

34. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein a first of the pairs of the loops is located on one side of the upper, and a second of the pairs of the loops is located on another side of the upper, the lace extending across the upper and through each of the first of the pairs of the loops and the second of the pairs of the loops.

35. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein the strand has a greater stretch-resistance than the knitted component.

36. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein the knitted component includes a thermoplastic polymer material, and the strand is unbonded with the thermoplastic polymer material.

37. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein the knitted component has (a) a collar region that forms a collar, (b) a central region that extends outward from the collar region, and (c) a peripheral region that extends at least partially around the central region, the collar region, the central region, and the peripheral region being formed of unitary knit construction.

38. The article of footwear recited in claim 37, wherein a yarn in the peripheral region includes a thermoplastic polymer material, and the thermoplastic polymer material is substantially absent from the collar region and the central region.

39. The article of footwear recited in claim 37, wherein the collar region is formed as a half-gauge knit, and the central region and the peripheral region are formed as a full-gauge knit.

40. The article of footwear recited in claim 31, wherein the knitted component is a flat knitted component.

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

a knitted component that includes a thermoplastic polymer material, the knitted component having at least one fused region where the thermoplastic polymer material bonds yarns within the knitted component; and

a strand that is inlaid within the knitted component, the strand being unbonded to the thermoplastic polymer material.

42. The article of footwear recited in claim 41, wherein the yarns within the knitted component include a yarn that does not include the thermoplastic polymer material and is positioned immediately adjacent to the strand.

43. The article of footwear recited in claim 41, wherein the strand includes a material that does not form a bond with the thermoplastic polymer material.

44. The article of footwear recited in claim 43, wherein the material of the strand is nylon.

45. The article of footwear recited in claim 41, wherein the material of the strand is polytetrafluoroethylene.

46. The article of footwear recited in claim 41, wherein the strand includes a first section inlaid within the knitted component, a second section located exterior of the knitted component and forming a loop, and a third section inlaid within the knitted component, the first section and the third section being positioned immediately adjacent to each other.

47. The article of footwear recited in claim 41, wherein portions of the strand are located exterior of the knitted component and form a plurality of loops, pairs of the loops being positioned immediately adjacent to each other, and a lace extends through the pairs of the loops.

48. The article of footwear recited in claim 41, wherein the knitted component has (a) a collar region that forms a collar, (b) a central region that extends outward from the collar region, and (c) a peripheral region that extends at least partially around the central region, the collar region, the central region, and the peripheral region being formed of unitary knit construction.

49. The article of footwear recited in claim 47, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is located in the peripheral region and absent from the collar region and the central region.

50. The article of footwear recited in claim 47, wherein the collar region is formed as a half-gauge knit, and the central region and the peripheral region are formed as a full-gauge knit.