Upper Having Bonded Differentially-Oriented Inner and Outer Reinforcing Strips

• US 20140157623A1
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Dekovic, Denis
• Granted Patent: US 9,635,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/47
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0255 assembled by gluing or thermo bonding
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions

Abstract

An upper may include a reinforced panel. The panel may comprise a carrier, inner reinforcing strips and outer reinforcing strips. The inner and outer reinforcing strips may be respectively bonded to interior and exterior faces of the carrier. Each of the inner reinforcing strips may be approximately parallel to at least one adjacent inner reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent inner reinforcing strip by one or more unreinforced portions of the carrier interior face. Each of the outer reinforcing strips may be approximately parallel to at least one adjacent outer reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent outer reinforcing strip by one or more unreinforced portions of the carrier exterior face.

Claims

1. An article of footwear comprising:

an upper having a reinforced panel forming a portion of the upper extending from at least the medial heel region, around the rear of the upper, and to at least the lateral heel region, the reinforced panel further comprising

a carrier having interior and exterior faces,

a set of first reinforcing strips bonded to the exterior face of the carrier, wherein each of the first reinforcing strips is approximately parallel to at least one adjacent first reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent first reinforcing strip by at least one unreinforced portion of the carrier exterior face,

a set of second reinforcing strips bonded to the interior face of the carrier, wherein each of the second reinforcing strips is approximately parallel to at least one adjacent second reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent second reinforcing strip by at least one unreinforced portion of the carrier exterior face,

and wherein each of the first reinforcing strips is oriented so as to intersect a least one of the second reinforcing strips and to form acute angles at said intersections.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises a mesh material.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the carrier is a single piece of the mesh material.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein each of the first reinforcing strips and each of the second reinforcing strips has a length along a dimension extending between top and bottom edges of the reinforced panel and an average width exceeded by the length.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the set of first reinforcing strips comprises at least 10 first reinforcing strips and the set of second reinforcing strips comprises at least 10 second reinforcing strips.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the set of first reinforcing strips comprises at least 20 first reinforcing strips and the set of second reinforcing strips comprises at least 20 second reinforcing strips.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein

at least a portion of the first reinforcing strips on a lateral side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the front of the article,

at least a portion of the first reinforcing strips on a medial side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the front of the article, and

at least a portion of the second reinforcing strips on the lateral side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the rear of the article.

8. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the second reinforcing strips on the medial side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the front of the article.

9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the reinforced panel forms a portion of the upper extending from at least the medial heel region, around the rear of the upper, and to at least the lateral midfoot region.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the first and the second reinforcing strips are formed from polyurethane coated thermoplastic polyurethane film.

11. A method of fabricating an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:

forming a reinforced panel by bonding a set of first reinforcing strips to an exterior face of a carrier and bonding a set of second reinforcing strips to an interior face of the carrier, wherein

each of the first reinforcing strips is approximately parallel to at least one adjacent first reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent first reinforcing strip by at least one unreinforced portion of the carrier exterior face,

each of the second reinforcing strips is approximately parallel to at least one adjacent second reinforcing strip and separated from that at least one adjacent second reinforcing strip by at least one unreinforced portion of the carrier interior face, and

each of the first reinforcing strips is oriented so as to intersect a least one of the second reinforcing strips and to form acute angles at said intersections; and

assembling the upper so that the panel forms a portion of the upper extending from at least the medial heel region, around the rear of the upper, and to at least the lateral heel region.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein assembling the upper comprises attaching the reinforced panel to one or more additional elements comprising at least a forefoot region of the upper.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the carrier comprises a mesh material.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the carrier is a single piece of the mesh material.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the first reinforcing strips and each of the second reinforcing strips has a length along a dimension extending between top and bottom edges of the reinforced panel and an average width exceeded by the length.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of first reinforcing strips comprises at least 10 first reinforcing strips and the set of second reinforcing strips comprises at least 10 second reinforcing strips.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein

at least a portion of the first reinforcing strips on a lateral side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the front of the upper,

at least a portion of the first reinforcing strips on a medial side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the front of the upper, and

at least a portion of the second reinforcing strips on the lateral side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the rear of the upper

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the second reinforcing strips on the medial side have orientations angled acutely from the vertical and toward the front of the upper.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the composite panel forms a portion of the upper extending from at least the medial heel region, around the rear of the upper, and to at least the lateral midfoot region.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and the second reinforcing strips are formed from polyurethane coated thermoplastic polyurethane film.