Interchangeable cleat system for footwear

• US 8,997,381 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Auger, Perry W., Caine, Andrew, Cavaliere, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Khoa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gracz, Katharine
• Application Number:
  US13/219,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 361/34, 36/67.R, 36/67.D, 36/67.A, 36/62
• US Class Current: 36/67.D
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/223 Profiled soles
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/26 projecting beyond the sole surface
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/16 Studs or cleats for football or like boots
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/161 characterised by the attachment to the sole
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/162 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 15/167 frusto-conical or cylindrical

Abstract

An interchangeable cleat system for an article of footwear includes an outer sole member with a plurality of fixed cleat members and a plurality of removable cleat members. The spacing between the removable cleat members and the fixed cleat members may be approximately constant in at least one portion of the article of footwear. The differences in height between the removable cleat members and the fixed cleat members may be approximately constant within a portion of the outer sole member. The cleat system can include at least three sets of cleat members that can be interchanged over different portions of the outer sole member.

Claims

1. A method of using a kit of parts to form a cleated article of footwear, the kit of parts including the article of footwear, a first set of removable cleat members having a first height, a second set of removable cleat members having a second height, a third set of removable cleat members having a third height, wherein the second height is greater than the first height and the third height is greater than the second height,

wherein the article of footwear includes an outer sole member having a plurality of fixed cleat members associated with an exposed surface of the outer sole member and a plurality of cleat receiving portions disposed on the exposed surface of the outer sole member,

wherein a first group of cleat receiving portions is disposed in a forefoot region of the outer sole member and a second group of cleat receiving portions is disposed in a heel region of the outer sole member,

the method comprising the steps of:

forming a first cleat configuration by placing the entire first set of removable cleat members into the first group of cleat receiving portions, and placing a subset of the second set of removable cleat members in the second group of cleat receiving portions, thereby forming a first cleat configuration;

converting from the first cleat configuration to a second cleat configuration by removing the entire first set of removable cleat members from the first group of cleat receiving portions, moving the subset of the second set of removable cleat members from the second group of cleat receiving portions into the first group of cleat receiving portions, placing additional cleats from the second set of removable cleat members into the first group of cleat receiving portions so that the entire second set of removable cleat members is positioned in the first group of cleat receiving portions, and placing the entire third set of removable cleat members into the second group of cleat receiving portions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first height is approximately 11 mm, the second height is approximately 13 mm and the third height is approximately 15 mm.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein wherein the step of placing the entire first set of removable cleat members into the first group of cleat receiving portions includes positioning a removable cleat member selected from the first set of removable cleat members proximate a fixed cleat member.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of placing the subset of the second set of removable cleat members in the second group of cleat receiving portions includes positioning a removable cleat member selected from the second set of removable cleat members proximate a fixed cleat member.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of placing the entire third set of removable cleat members into the second group of cleat receiving portions includes positioning a removable cleat member selected from the third set of removable cleat members proximate a fixed cleat member.

6. A method of using a kit of parts to form a cleated article of footwear, the kit of parts including the article of footwear including an outer sole member, the outer sole member including fixed cleats disposed on the outer sole member, a first group of cleat receiving portions for receiving removable cleat members disposed in a forefoot portion of the outer sole member, and a second group of cleat receiving portions for receiving removable cleat members disposed in a heel portion of the outer sole member, and

a plurality of removable cleat members including a first set of removable cleat members having a first height, a second set of removable cleat members having a second height and a third set of removable cleat members having a third height, wherein the first height is less than the second height and wherein the second height is less than the third height,

wherein the number of removable cleat members in the first set of removable cleat members is equal to the number of cleat receiving portions in the first group of cleat receiving portions, wherein the number of removable cleat members in the second set of removable cleat members is equal to the number of cleat receiving portions in the first group of cleat receiving portions, wherein the number of removable cleat members in the third set of removable cleat members is equal to the number of cleat receiving portions in the second group of cleat receiving portions, wherein the number of cleat receiving portions in the first set of cleat receiving portions is greater than the number of cleat receiving portions in the second set of cleat receiving portions, and wherein the number of removable cleats in the third set of removable cleat members is less than the number of cleats in the second set of removable cleat members,

the method comprising the steps of:

forming a first cleat configuration by placing the entire first set of removable cleat members into the first group of cleat receiving portions so that all of the first group of cleat receiving portions has received a cleat member from the first set of removable cleat members, and placing a subset of the second set of removable cleat members in the second group of cleat receiving portions so that all of the second group of cleat receiving portions has received a cleat member from the second set of removable cleat members, thereby forming a first cleat configuration;

converting from the first cleat configuration to a second cleat configuration by removing the entire first set of removable cleat members from the first group of cleat receiving portions, moving the subset of the second set of removable cleat members from the second group of cleat receiving portions into the first group of cleat receiving portions, placing additional cleats from the second set of removable cleat members into the first group of cleat receiving portions so that the entire second set of removable cleat members is positioned in the first group of cleat receiving portions and all of the first group of cleat receiving portions has received a cleat member from the second set of removable cleat members, and placing the entire third set of removable cleat members into the second group of cleat receiving portions.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of placing the subset of the second set of removable cleat members in the second group of cleat receiving portions includes placing half of the second set of removable cleat members in the second group of cleat receiving portions.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the number of cleat receiving portions in the first set of cleat receiving portions is twice the number of cleat receiving portions in the second set of cleat receiving portions.