Footwear Incorporating Angled Tensile Strand Elements

• US 20150181981A1
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Dojan, Frederick J., Meschter, James C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,681,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0275 with a part of the upper particularly rigid, e.g. resisting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/227 fixed on the outside of the shoe
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/002 Fastenings using stretchable material attached to cuts in the uppers

Abstract

An article of footwear may include various first strands and second strands. The cutting and second strands may extend from an area proximal to lace-receiving elements to an area proximal to the sole structure. The first strands may have a substantially vertical orientation and the second strands may have a rearwardly-angled orientation. The first strands may be located in a midfoot region of the footwear and the second strands may be located in both the midfoot region and a heel region of the footwear. Angles between the first strands and the second strands may be at least 40 degrees. Additionally, the second strands may have at least fifty percent greater tensile strength than the first strands.

Claims

1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, at least a portion of the upper comprising:

a plurality of lace-receiving elements;

a base layer extending from the lace-receiving elements to the sole structure, the base layer having at least one surface;

a plurality of first strands having a first orientation and extending from an area proximal to the lace-receiving elements to an area proximal to the sole structure, the first strands laying substantially parallel to the surface of the base layer in a region between the lace-receiving elements and the sole structure; and

a plurality of second strands having a second orientation and extending from the area proximal to the lace-receiving elements to the area proximal to the sole structure, the second strands laying substantially parallel to the surface of the base layer in the region between the lace-receiving elements and the sole structure, the second orientation being different than the first orientation; and

wherein the plurality of first strands and the plurality of second strands are both exposed on an exterior of the upper of the article of footwear.

2. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of first strands are angled with respect to each other;

and

wherein at least two of the plurality of second strands are angled with respect to each other.

3. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the lace-receiving elements are apertures that extend through the base layer.

4. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein angles formed between the plurality of first strands and the plurality of second strands are greater than 40 degrees.

5. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the first orientation and the second orientation are angled with respect to a vertical direction of the upper.

6. The article of footwear recited in claim 5, wherein the second orientation is disposed at a greater angle with respect to the vertical direction than the first orientation.

7. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of first strands is substantially located adjacent to a forefoot region of the article of footwear.

8. The article of footwear recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of second strands is substantially located adjacent to the forefoot region of the article of footwear.

9. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the surface of the base layer, the plurality of first strands, and the plurality of second strands form at least a portion of the exterior of the upper of the article of footwear.

10. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of lace-receiving elements includes at least one lace-receiving element disposed at a forward portion of a lacing region of the upper.

11. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein the plurality of first strands and the plurality of second strands both extend from the same said at least one lace-receiving element disposed at the forward portion of the lacing region of the upper.

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

a base layer extending between a lacing region of the upper and a lower region of the upper proximal to the sole structure, the base layer including at least one aperture for receiving a lace; and

a pair of first strands and a pair of second strands that lay substantially parallel to a surface of the base layer for a distance of at least five centimeters, the pair of first strands and the pair of second strands extending from the at least one aperture to the lower region proximal to the sole structure, the pair of second strands having an orientation that forms an angle with the pair of first strands;

wherein each first strand of the pair of first strands is angled relative to the other; and

wherein each second strand of the pair of second strands is angled relative to the other.

13. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the orientation between the pair of first strands and the pair of second strands is at least 40 degrees.

14. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the pair of second strands has at least fifty percent greater tensile strength than the pair of first strands.

15. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one aperture is disposed at a forward portion of the lacing region of the upper in a direction towards a front of the article of footwear.

16. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the pair of first strands and the pair of second strands are both exposed on an exterior of the upper of the article of footwear.

17. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the pair of second strands extends from the at least one aperture to the lower region proximal to the sole structure with an orientation that is at a larger angle from a vertical direction than an orientation of the pair of first strands extends from the at least one aperture to the lower region proximal to the sole structure.

18. The article of footwear recited in claim 17, wherein the orientation of the pair of second strands is between 20 to 70 degrees from the vertical direction.

19. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the article of footwear is a running shoe.

20. The article of footwear recited in claim 12, wherein the article of footwear is a basketball shoe.