Interior and upper members for articles of footwear and other foot-receiving devices

• US 7,849,609 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.), Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.), Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Baier, John, Casillas, Tina, Edington, Christopher, Swartz, Eric, Kilgore, Bruce J., Baudouin, Alexandre, Pisciotta, Jeffrey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAVANAUGH, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US11/394,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20070227038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 36/48, 36/10, 36/55, 36/45, 36/49, 36/71.R
• US Class Current: 36/48
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 19/00 Shoe-shaped inserts; Inserts covering the instep
• 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 23/07 Linings therefor lining laminated with upper A43B23/026

Abstract

Interior members for foot-receiving devices, such as bootie elements for articles of footwear, include a material element at least partially defining a foot-receiving chamber. This material element may include, in some examples, a heel-surrounding portion, a lateral side portion, a medial side portion, and a seamless plantar portion in a continuous, one-piece arrangement. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the material element may include a heel-surrounding portion, a lateral side portion, a medial side portion, a plantar surface, and a double layer of the material element at least along an Achilles area portion. Additional aspects relate to material blanks for forming such interior members as well as to foot-receiving devices, such as athletic footwear, including such interior members.

Claims

1. An interior member for a foot-receiving device comprising:

a first material element having a length defined in a toe to a heel direction and a width defined in a medial to a lateral direction, the first material element at least partially defining a foot-receiving chamber, the first material element including,

a plantar portion forming a bottom surface of the interior member,

a heel-surrounding portion seamlessly connected to the plantar portion and extending-upward from a rear end of the plantar portion,

a lateral side portion seamlessly connected to the plantar portion and extending upward from a lateral side of the plantar portion,

a medial side portion seamlessly connected to the plantar portion and extending upward from a medial side of the plantar portion, and

an Achilles portion that forms a double layer along an Achilles region of the foot-receiving chamber, the Achilles portion being elongated and having a width measured in the medial to the lateral direction that is smaller than a width of the heel-surrounding portion measured in the medial to the lateral direction; and

the first material element includes the plantar portion, the heel-surrounding portion, the lateral side portion, the medial side portion; and

the Achilles portion in a continuous, one-piece arrangement, wherein the plantar portion is seamless, such that the bottom surface of the interior member has no seams thereon.

2. An interior member according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second material element including a tongue portion engaged with the first material element, the second material element at least partially defining an instep portion of the foot-receiving chamber.

3. An interior member according to claim 2, wherein a first seam joins a lateral edge of the heel-surrounding portion with a first lateral edge of the lateral side portion, wherein a second seam joins a medial edge of the heel-surrounding portion with a first medial edge of the medial side portion, wherein a third seam joins a lateral edge of the tongue portion with a second lateral edge of the lateral side portion, and wherein a fourth seam joins a medial edge of the tongue portion with a second medial edge of the medial side portion.

4. An interior member according to claim 3, wherein the tongue portion is a formed as a separate member from the first material element, and the third seam and the fourth seam extend around at least a portion of a front edge of the first material element and connect the front edge of the first material element to at least a portion of a front edge of the tongue portion.

5. An interior member according to claim 1, wherein the first material element includes a non-porous layer and an impact-attenuating layer.

6. An interior member according to claim 1, wherein the first material element forms a double layer at a lateral ankle edge portion of the foot-receiving chamber.

7. An interior member according to claim 1, wherein the first material element forms a double layer at a medial ankle edge portion of the foot-receiving chamber.

8. An interior member according to claim 1, wherein the first material element forms a double layer at a lateral ankle edge portion, at a medial ankle edge portion, and along an Achilles portion of the foot-receiving chamber.

9. An interior member according to claim 1, wherein the first material element extends from the heel-surrounding portion to provide an ankle-containing portion.

10. An interior member according to claim 1, wherein a first seam joins a lateral edge of the heel-surrounding portion with a first lateral edge of the lateral side portion, and wherein a second seam joins a medial edge of the heel-surrounding portion with a first medial edge of the medial side portion.

11. A foot-receiving device, comprising:

a bootie element defining a foot-receiving chamber, the bootie element including,

a first material element having a plantar portion forming a bottom surface of the bootie element, the first material element having a length defined in a toe to a heel direction and a width defined in a medial to a lateral direction,

a heel-surrounding portion seamlessly connected to the plantar portion and extending-upward from a rear end of the plantar portion,

a lateral side portion seamlessly connected to the plantar portion and extending upward from a lateral side of the plantar portion,

a medial side portion seamlessly connected to the plantar portion and extending upward from a medial side of the plantar portion, and

an Achilles portion that forms a double layer along an Achilles region of the foot-receiving chamber, the Achilles portion being elongated and having a width measured in the medial to the lateral direction that is smaller than a width of the heel-surrounding portion measured in the medial to the lateral direction;

the first material element includes the plantar portion, the heel-surrounding portion, the lateral side portion, and the medial side portion in a continuous, one-piece arrangement, wherein the plantar portion is seamless, such that the bottom surface of the bootie element has no seams thereon;

the first material element forms a double layer at a lateral ankle edge portion of the foot-receiving chamber; and

a first foot-receiving device component engaged with the bootie element.

12. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the first foot-receiving device component includes at least a portion of a sole member for an article of footwear, the sole member positioned beneath the bottom surface of the bootie element.

13. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the first foot-receiving device component includes at least a portion of a midsole member for an article of footwear, the midsole member positioned beneath the bottom surface of the bootie element.

14. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the first foot-receiving device component includes at least a portion of an upper member for an article of footwear, the upper member being-positioned around at least a portion of the heel-surrounding-portion, the medial side portion, and the lateral side portion of the bootie element.

15. An interior member according to claim 14, wherein the foot-receiving device is an athletic shoe, and wherein the first foot-receiving device component further comprises an impact-attenuating member positioned beneath the bottom surface of the bootie element and beneath the upper member, and wherein a bottom inner surface of the bootie element defines a bottom surface of the foot-receiving chamber with no additional impact-attenuating member positioned above the bottom inner surface of the bootie element within the foot-receiving chamber.

16. A foot-receiving device according to claim 14, wherein at least a major portion of the upper member is formed from an unstretchable material.

17. A foot-receiving device according to claim 14, wherein at least a major portion of the upper member is formed from a canvas material.

18. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the foot-receiving device is an article of athletic footwear.

19. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the foot-receiving device is a high top athletic shoe and the bootie element extends so as to provide an ankle-containing portion.

20. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the first foot-receiving device component includes an upper member for an article of footwear, and the foot-receiving device further includes:

a sole member engaged with the bootie element.

21. A foot-receiving device according to claim 11, wherein the first foot-receiving device component includes an upper member for an article of footwear, and the foot-receiving device further includes:

a midsole member engaged with the bootie element; and

an outsole member engaged with the midsole element.