Article of footwear with a stretchable upper and an articulated sole structure
First Claim
1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure, the upper comprising:
- an exterior layer forming at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, the exterior layer including a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer; and
an interior layer located adjacent at least a portion of an inner surface of the exterior layer, the interior layer being exposed through at least a portion of the incisions, the interior layer forming at least a portion of an interior surface of the upper throughout a longitudinal length of the footwear, and the interior layer forming both the interior surface and an exterior surface of the upper in a heel region of the upper,wherein a first portion of the incisions are oriented to provide stretch in a direction that extends between a medial side and a lateral side of the upper, and a second portion of the incisions are positioned adjacent the medial side and in a forefoot region of the upper.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear is disclosed that includes at least one of a stretchable upper and an articulated sole structure. The upper may include an exterior layer and an interior layer. The exterior layer forms at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, and the exterior layer includes a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer. The interior layer is located adjacent an inner surface of the exterior layer, and the interior layer is exposed through the incisions. The sole structure may include a connecting portion and a plurality of discrete sole elements. The connecting portion is positioned adjacent the upper and may extend along a longitudinal length of the upper. The sole elements extend from the connecting portion, and the sole elements are separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure.
215 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure, the upper comprising:
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an exterior layer forming at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, the exterior layer including a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer; and an interior layer located adjacent at least a portion of an inner surface of the exterior layer, the interior layer being exposed through at least a portion of the incisions, the interior layer forming at least a portion of an interior surface of the upper throughout a longitudinal length of the footwear, and the interior layer forming both the interior surface and an exterior surface of the upper in a heel region of the upper, wherein a first portion of the incisions are oriented to provide stretch in a direction that extends between a medial side and a lateral side of the upper, and a second portion of the incisions are positioned adjacent the medial side and in a forefoot region of the upper. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An article of footwear comprising:
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an upper formed from at least one material layer that includes a plurality of linear incisions, the upper having lesser stretch in a first direction that corresponds with an orientation of the incisions, and the upper having greater stretch in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, the at least one material layer including an exterior layer and an interior layer, the exterior layer including the incisions, the interior layer forming at least a portion of an interior surface of the upper throughout a longitudinal length of the footwear, and the, interior layer forming both the interior surface and an exterior surface of the upper in a heel region of the upper; and a sole structure at least partially formed from a polymer foam material, the sole structure including a plurality of sipes that extend into the polymer foam material and form flexion lines in the sole structure, the sipes defining a plurality of discrete sole elements that are separated by the sipes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An article of footwear having an upper end a sole structure, the upper comprising:
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an exterior layer forming at least a portion of an exterior of the upper, the exterior layer including a plurality of incisions that extend through the exterior layer, the incisions being formed trough a laser-etching process; and an interior layer located adjacent at least a portion of an Inner surface of the exterior layer, the interior layer being unsecured to the exterior layer in areas that are proximal to the incisions, and the interior layer being exposed through at least a portion of the incisions, the interior layer forming at least a portion of an interior surface of the upper throughout a longitudinal length of the footwear, and the interior layer forming both the interior surface and an exterior surface of the upper in a heel region of the upper. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure, the sole structure comprising:
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a connecting portion positioned adjacent the upper; a plurality of discrete sole elements extending downward from the connecting portion, the sole elements being separated by a plurality of sipes that extend upward into the sole structure; and an insole having a plurality of flexion lines tax correspond with positions of at least a portion of the sipes, the flexion lines being defined in a lower surface of the insole, wherein the sipes and to flexion lines include; a first sipe and a first flexion line that extends longitudinally through substantially an entire length of the sole structure, a second sipe and a second flexion line that extends longitudinally through only a portion of the length of the sole structure; and a plurality of third sipes and third flexion lines that extend laterally from a medial side to a lateral side of the sole structure. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification