Article of footwear incorporating illuminable strands
First Claim
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1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
- at least one illuminable strand located to be visible from an exterior of the article of footwear; and
a power source at least partially embedded within the upper and electrically-coupled to the illuminable strand;
a portion of the illuminable strand extending between a lace region of the upper and a lower area of the upper where the sole structure is joined to the upper; and
wherein the portion of the illuminable strand extending between the lace region and the lower area of the upper is positioned around, and radiating outward from, a lace-receiving element in the lace region of the upper to resist stretch due to tension in a lace received in the lace-receiving element.
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Abstract
An article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper includes at least one illuminable strand located to be visible from an exterior of the article of footwear. In some configurations, the upper includes a power source at least partially embedded within the upper and electrically-coupled to the illuminable strand. In another configuration, the upper includes a foundation layer and a cover layer that are secured to each other, and the illuminable strand is located between the foundation layer and the cover layer.
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Citations
20 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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at least one illuminable strand located to be visible from an exterior of the article of footwear; and a power source at least partially embedded within the upper and electrically-coupled to the illuminable strand; a portion of the illuminable strand extending between a lace region of the upper and a lower area of the upper where the sole structure is joined to the upper; and wherein the portion of the illuminable strand extending between the lace region and the lower area of the upper is positioned around, and radiating outward from, a lace-receiving element in the lace region of the upper to resist stretch due to tension in a lace received in the lace-receiving element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a foundation layer and a cover layer that are secured to each other, the cover layer forming at least a portion of an exterior surface of the upper, and the cover layer being formed from an at least semi-transparent material; and at least one electroluminescent wire located between the foundation layer and the cover layer, the electroluminescent wire laying adjacent to the foundation layer for a distance of at least five centimeters; the at least one electroluminescent wire extends around a lace-receiving element in a lace region of the upper, and extends downward toward the sole structure to form a structural component in the upper that resists stretch. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:
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a lace region having a plurality of lace-receiving elements; a lower region where the sole structure is secured to the upper; and a plurality of sections of electroluminescent wire extending from the lace region to the lower region; wherein the electroluminescent wire extends upward and around a first lace-receiving element of the plurality of lace-receiving elements, extends downward from the first lace-receiving element toward the sole structure, and extends upward and around a second lace-receiving element of the plurality of lace-receiving elements, thereby reinforcing the upper between the lace-receiving elements and the sole structure. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification