Footwear with knit upper and method of manufacturing the footwear

• US 6,931,762 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Dua, Bhupesh
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US10/323,608
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 36/95.R, 36/45, 121/46.C, 121/42.G, 661/85, 661/86, 661/87, 661/88
• US Class Current: 36/9.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/025 assembled by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0295 Pieced uppers
• 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 3/00 Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 9/00 Footwear characterised by the assembling of the individual parts
• 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 1/26 stockings
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 9/26 for producing patterned fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear with a knit upper and a method of manufacturing the footwear are disclosed. The upper is formed through a knitting process to include a plurality of sections formed of different yarns and knits to provide the sections with different physical properties. In portions of the upper where sections formed of different yarns are in adjacent wales, a tuck stitch is utilized to join the sections. The method utilizes a circular knitting machine having multiple feeds that work together to knit the upper into a unitary, seamless structure. The multiple feeds, each of which provide multiple types of yarns, produce the sections to have varying physical properties.

Claims

1. An article of footwear comprising:

a sole structure for providing a ground-contacting surface; and

an upper for receiving a foot of a wearer, said upper being attached to said sole structure and having a plurality of sections formed of knit materials, said plurality of sections including a first section and a second section, said first section, including a first yarn with a first physical property, said first yarn being substantially absent from said second section, and said second section including a second yarn with a second physical property, said second yarn being substantially absent from said first section, said first physical property being different than said second physical property, and said first and second sections being connected by tuck stitches, said tuck stitches joining said first section and said second section in a seamless manner.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein, said first physical property is a stretchability of said first yarn.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein said second physical property is a stretchability of said second yarn, said stretchability of said first yarn being greater than said stretchability of said second yarn.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said tuck stitches join said first section and said second section between adjacent wales.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1 wherein said plurality of sections form a substantial portion of said upper.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sections include:

an ankle section,

an instep section positioned forward of said ankle section,

a heel section positioned below said ankle section,

a primary section that forms a lower portion and side portions of said upper, and

a toe section located forward of said primary section.

7. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein said first section is said instep portion, and said second section is said primary section.

8. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein a stretchability of said first yarn is greater than a stretchability of said second yarn.

9. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein said ankle section and said instep section stretch in four directions.

10. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein said heel section, said primary section, and said toe section stretch in two directions.

11. The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein a knit of at least one of said heel section, said primary section, and said toe section is ribbed.

12. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said upper is attached to a midsole of said sole structure, and an outsole is attached to said midsole.

13. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein said first physical property is an abrasion-resistance of said first yarn.

14. An article of footwear comprising:

a sole structure for providing a ground-contacting surface, and

an upper for receiving a foot of a wearer, said being attached to said sole structure and having a plurality of sections formed of knit materials, said sections including;

an ankle section,

an instep section positioned forward of said ankle section,

a heel section positioned below said ankle section, and

a section that forms a lower portion and side portions of said upper, at least two of said sections being formed of different yarns with different physical properties, each of said yarns in a first of said at least two of said sections being absent from a second of said at least two said sections, and said at least two of said sections being joined by tuck stitches in a seamless manner, said tuck stitches joining said at least two sections between adjacent wales.

15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein said physical properties are stretchabilities of said yarns.

16. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein said plurality of sections form a substantial portion of said upper.

17. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein said ankle section and said instep section stretch in four directions.

18. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein said heel section and said primary section stretch in two directions.

19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the stretch in said heel section is in a horizontal direction and the stretch in said primary section is in a vertical direction.

21. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein a knit of at least one of said heel section and said section is ribbed.

22. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein said upper is attached to a midsole of said sole structure, and an outsole is attached to said midsole.

23. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein said first physical property is a stretchability of said first yarn.

20. The article of footwear of clam 19, wherein a knit in said heel section and said primary section includes ribs, said ribs of said heel section being oriented in the horizontal direction, and said ribs of said primary section being oriented in the vertical direction.

24. An article of footwear comprising:

a sole structure for providing a ground-contacting surface; and

an upper for receiving a foot of a wearer, said upper being attached to said sole structure an having a plurality of section formed of knit materials, said plurality of sections including;

a first section being substantially formed a first yarn with a first physical property, said first yarn being knit such that said first section exhibits a first type of stitch, and

a second section being substantially formed a second yarn with a second physical property, said second yarn being knit such that said second section exhibits a second type of stitch

wherein said first physical property is different than said second physical property, said first type of stitch is different than said second type of stitch, said first yarn is substantially absent from said second section, said second yarn is substantially absent from said first section, and said first section and said second section are connected by tuck stitches, said tuck stitches joining said first section and said second section in a seamless manner between adjacent wales.

25. The article of footwear of claim 24, wherein said first section is positioned in a heel area of said upper.

26. The article of footwear of claim 24, wherein said second section is positioned on side areas of said upper.

27. The article of footwear of claim 24, wherein said first section and said second section are formed of yarns incorporating different materials.

28. The article of footwear of claim 27, wherein the different physical properties are stretchabilities of said yarns.

29. The article of footwear of claim 27, wherein the different physical properties are abrasion-resistances of said yarns.

30. The article of footwear of claim 24, wherein said second section and a third section that is separate from said second section are joined by tuck stitches, said tuck stitches joining said second section and said third section between adjacent wales.