Article of footwear

• US 6,029,376 A
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Cass, William
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US09/219,312
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 36/50.1, 36/50.5, 36/51, 36/45, 36/88, 36/89, 36/9 R, 36/58.5
• 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 1/05 woven
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/04 with rings or loops

Abstract

An article of footwear including a sole and an upper for enclosing and supporting the foot. The upper includes a tongueless outer sleeve of flexible woven elastic material, such as spandex, that allows the outer sleeve to expand and contract around a foot of a wearer. A flexible cage of support elements is permeation bonded to the inside or outside of the outer sleeve by welding to provide additional support. Tensioning elements are located at the upper ends of the support elements. A lace is routed through superimposed holes in the tensioning elements and the outer sleeve. Tightening of the lace causes the tightening of the flexible cage to further secure the article of footwear to the foot of the wearer. A breathable inner sleeve provides additional support for the foot of the wearer and protects the foot from pressure points due to the lacing under the outer sleeve. The outer sleeve protects portions of the lace that extend between the inner and outer sleeve. A counter can be used to stiffen the shoe in selected areas. A heel strap can be used with a heel counter to lock the heel of the wearer into the shoe.

Claims

1. An article of footwear, comprising:

a sole;

a tongueless upper attached to said sole, said upper having a medial side, a lateral side, and an instep portion, the upper including

a sleeve, said sleeve includes woven elastic fibers and is disposed above said sole and extending from the medial side of said upper to the lateral side of said upper, said sleeve exhibiting elastic behavior and having a foot opening for insertion of a foot of a wearer therethrough, said sleeve including a plurality of lacing holes therein; and

a support cage permeation bonded to the woven sleeve, the support cage including foot restraining portions less elastic than said sleeve, and lace engaging portions, each lace engaging portion superimposed with a respective lacing hole in said sleeve; and

a lace routed through said lace engaging portions and their respective lacing holes, whereby manipulation of the lace causes tightening or loosening of the cage around a foot of a wearer.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said support cage is made from a thermoplastic vinyl resin.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein support cage includes a plurality of medial and lateral supports, each support having an upper end, a lower end, a length defined as the distance from its upper end to its lower end and a width defined as the distance between opposing sides of the support taken in a direction transverse to the length, wherein at least two of the supports include a length to width ratio of at least 5 to 1.

8. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein the sleeve includes an outer surface, said medial and lateral supports have a thickness of at least 3/32 inch measured from the outer surface of the sleeve away from the article of footwear.

9. The article of footwear of claim 8, wherein said medial and lateral supports are curved between their upper and lower ends.

10. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said support cage includes a plurality of medial and lateral supports, said medial and lateral supports attached to said sole.

11. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said support cage includes a plurality of medial and lateral supports, said medial and lateral supports are attached to an outside surface of said sleeve.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said support cage includes a plurality of medial and lateral supports, said medial and lateral supports are separate and distinct from one another.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising an external heel counter permeation bonded to said sleeve.

2. An article of footwear, comprising:

a sole;

a tongueless upper attached to said sole, said upper having a medial side, a lateral side, and an instep portion, the upper including

a sleeve, said sleeve includes woven elastic fibers and is disposed above said sole and extending from the medial side of said upper to the lateral side of said upper, said sleeve exhibiting elastic behavior and having a foot opening for insertion of a foot of a wearer therethrough, said sleeve including a plurality of lacing holes therein; and

a support cage permeation bonded to the woven sleeve, the support cage including foot restraining portions less elastic than said sleeve, and lace engaging portions, each lace engaging portion superimposed with a respective lacing hole in said sleeve; and

a lace routed through said lace engaging portions and their respective lacing holes, whereby manipulation of the lace causes tightening or loosening of the cage around a foot of a wearer;

wherein said sleeve is an outer sleeve, said article of footwear further comprising an inner sleeve extending beneath said outer sleeve and extending from the sole on medial side of the article of footwear to the sole on the lateral side of the article of footwear.

3. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein said inner sleeve includes a breathable mesh material.

4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein said lace extends between the inner and outer sleeves.

5. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein said inner sleeve and said outer sleeve form a dual-layer sock construction that substantially envelopes the entire forefoot of the wearer.

14. An article of footwear comprising:

a sole;

a tongueless upper attached to said sole, said upper having a medial side, a lateral side, and an instep portion, the upper including

a sleeve, said sleeve includes woven elastic fibers and is disposed above said sole and extending from the medial side of said upper to the lateral side of said upper said sleeve exhibiting elastic behavior and having a foot opening for insertion of a foot of a wearer therethrough, said sleeve including a plurality of lacing holes therein; and

a support cage permeation bonded to the woven sleeve, the support cage including foot restraining portions less elastic than said sleeve and lace engaging portions, each lace engaging portion superimposed with a respective lacing hole in said sleeve; and

a lace routed through said lace engaging portions and their respective lacing holes, whereby manipulation of the lace causes tightening or loosening of the cage around a foot of a wearer;

wherein said support cage includes a plurality of medial and lateral supports, said medial and lateral supports are attached to an inside surface of said sleeve.

15. An article of footwear, comprising:

a sole;

a tongueless upper attached to said sole, said upper having a medial side, a lateral side, and an instep portion, the upper including

a sleeve, said sleeve includes a woven elastic fibers and is disposed above said sole and extending from the medial side of said upper to the lateral side of said upper, said sleeve exhibiting elastic behavior and having a foot opening for insertion of a foot of a wearer therethrough, said sleeve including a plurality of lacing holes therein; and

a support cage permeation bonded to the woven sleeve, the support cage including foot restraining portions less elastic than said sleeve, and lace engaging portions, each lace engaging portion superimposed with a respective lacing hole in said sleeve; and

a lace routed through said lace engaging portions and their respective lacing holes, whereby manipulation of the lace causes tightening or loosening of the cage around a foot of a wearer; and

a heel strap located inside said sleeve.

16. An article of footwear, comprising:

a sole, said sole including a medial side and a lateral side;

an upper attached to said sole and having a foot opening for insertion of a foot of a wearer therethrough, said upper further including an inner sleeve extending from the lateral side of the sole to the medial side of the sole and a woven outer sleeve disposed outside of said inner sleeve and extending from the lateral side of the sole to the medial side of the sole, said outer sleeve including a plurality of lacing holes therein;

a plurality of tensioning elements attached to said outer sleeve, each of said tensioning elements having a hole therein, each hole in each said tensioning element disposed above a respective lacing hole in said outer sleeve; and

a lace, said lace routed in between said inner and outer sleeves and through said holes in said tensioning elements and said lacing holes in said outer sleeve enabling the adjustable tightening of the upper around a foot of a wearer.

17. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein said outer sleeve is made from woven elastane fibers.

18. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein said tensioning elements are permeation bonded to the woven outer sleeve.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein said tensioning elements are made from a plastic material.

20. The article of footwear of claim 19, wherein said tensioning elements are made from a molded thermoplastic vinyl resin.

21. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein said tensioning elements are attached to an inside surface of said outer sleeve.

22. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein said tensioning elements are attached to an outside surface of said outer sleeve.

23. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein said upper includes a medial side and a lateral side, said tensioning elements include medial tensioning elements on the medial side of the upper and lateral tensioning elements on the lateral side of the upper, said article of footwear further comprising:

a plurality of medial supports, each medial support having an upper end and a lower end, said medial supports permeation bonded to said outer sleeve on the medial side of said upper, said lower end of each medial support disposed near the medial side of said sole, each said medial support having its upper end disposed above its lower end, each of said medial supports being attached to a respective one of said medial tensioning elements; and

a plurality of lateral supports, each lateral support having an upper end and a lower end, said lateral supports permeation bonded to said outer sleeve on the lateral side of said upper, said lower end of each lateral support disposed near the lateral side of said sole, each said lateral support having its upper end disposed above its lower end, each of said lateral supports being attached to a respective one of said lateral tensioning elements.

24. The article of footwear of claim 23, wherein each said medial tensioning element is integrally formed with its respective medial support, and each said lateral tensioning element is integrally formed with its respective lateral support.

25. The article of footwear of claim 23, wherein said medial and lateral supports are composed of a material less elastic than said sleeve.

26. The article of footwear of claim 16, further comprising a heel strap located inside said outer sleeve.

27. The article of footwear of claim 16, further comprising an external heel counter permeation bonded to said outer sleeve.

28. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein said upper is tongueless.

29. An article of footwear, comprising:

a sole;

an upper attached to said sole, said upper including a medial side, a lateral side, and a tongueless sleeve, said sleeve disposed above said sole and extending from the medial side of said upper to the lateral side of said upper, said sleeve having a foot opening disposed therethrough for insertion of a foot of a wearer, said sleeve including a hole therethrough;

a counter disposed above said sole, and inside said sleeve;

said counter extending upwardly from said sole;

a heel strap including a first end and a second end, said first end connected to said counter, said second end having a lace engaging portion, and said strap extending through said hole in the sleeve.

30. The article of footwear of claim 29, wherein said sleeve is made from woven elastane fibers.

31. The article of footwear of claim 29, further including, a plurality of tensioning elements attached to said outer sleeve, and a lace routed through said tensioning elements and said lace engaging portion of said strap.

32. The article of footwear of claim 31 wherein said tensioning elements are made from a molded thermoplastic vinyl resin.

33. The article of footwear of claim 29, wherein said counter includes a lower portion proximate to said sole, and an upper portion extending around the heel of said article of footwear, said lower portion delineated from said upper portion by a neck, said first end of said strap connected to said upper portion of said counter.

34. The article of footwear of claim 33, fuirther comprising a strap redirecting device coupled to said lower portion of said counter, said strap redirecting device having a hole therein, said strap routed through said hole in said strap redirecting device.

35. The article of footwear of claim 29, further comprising an external heel counter permeation bonded to an outer surface of said sleeve.