Article of footwear having an upper with thread structural elements
First Claim
1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
- a base layer defining a first surface and an opposite second surface, the base layer having a first edge and a second edge located opposite each other;
a thread having a section that lies adjacent to the first surface and is substantially parallel to the first surface for a distance of more than twelve millimeters; and
a connecting layer bonded to the first surface of the base layer and extending from the first edge to the second edge, the section of the thread being located between the connecting layer and the base layer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear includes an upper that is at least partially formed from a base layer and thread sections that lie adjacent a surface of the base layer. The thread sections are positioned to provide structural elements that, for example, restrain stretch in directions corresponding with longitudinal axes of the thread sections. In some configurations of the footwear, a first portion of the thread sections may extend between forefoot and heel regions of the footwear, and a second portion of the thread sections may extend vertically. An embroidering process may be utilized to position the thread sections on the base layer.
172 Citations
44 Claims
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1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a base layer defining a first surface and an opposite second surface, the base layer having a first edge and a second edge located opposite each other; a thread having a section that lies adjacent to the first surface and is substantially parallel to the first surface for a distance of more than twelve millimeters; and a connecting layer bonded to the first surface of the base layer and extending from the first edge to the second edge, the section of the thread being located between the connecting layer and the base layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a base layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the base layer defining a first edge and a second edge spaced apart by a distance of at least five centimeters; and a section of a thread extending from the first edge to the second edge, the section of the thread lying adjacent to the first surface and substantially parallel to the first surface throughout the distance of at least five centimeters, and the section of the thread having ends located at the first edge and the second edge. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a textile layer at least partially formed from a plurality of yarns, the textile layer having a first surface and an opposite second surface, and the textile layer defining a first area and a second area spaced apart by a distance of at least five centimeters; at least one thread with a plurality of sections that extend from the first area to the second area, the sections lying adjacent to the first surface and not extending through the textile layer throughout the distance of at least five centimeters, and the sections being separate from the yarns of the textile layer; and a polymer layer bonded to the first surface of the textile layer, the plurality of sections being entirely located between the polymer layer and the textile layer. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a base layer defining a first area and a second area spaced from the first area; and at least one thread with a plurality of sections that extend from the first area to the second area, the sections lying adjacent to the base layer between the first area and the second area, and substantially all of a length of each of the sections being bonded to the first surface between the first area and the second area, a spacing between the sections being less in the first area than in the second area. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a base layer defining a first surface and an opposite second surface, the base layer having a first edge and a second edge located opposite each other; a thread having a plurality of sections that lie adjacent to the first surface and are substantially parallel to the first surface for a distance of more than five centimeters, each of the sections defining a first end and a second end, the first end being located at the first edge of the base layer, and the second end being located at the second edge of the base layer; and a connecting layer bonded to the first surface of the base layer and extending from the first edge to the second edge, the sections being located between the connecting layer and the base layer. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification