Article of footwear with customizable stiffness
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An article of footwear comprising:
- an outer shell, the outer shell including an upper and a sole structure;
an inner liner, the inner liner being configured to be removably inserted within an interior of the outer shell;
wherein the inner liner comprises an upper liner portion and a lower liner portion;
a first retaining enclosure comprising a first securing end and a first receiving end disposed on the upper liner portion of the inner liner;
a second retaining enclosure comprising a second securing end and a second receiving end, wherein the second retaining enclosure is disposed across at least a portion of the upper liner portion and a portion of the lower liner portion;
the second retaining enclosure extending in a longitudinal direction being disposed beneath the first retaining enclosure;
a stiffener element comprising a first end shaped approximately the same as the first securing end, an opposite end shaped approximately the same as the second securing end, wherein the stiffener element has an oval shape with concavity on one side, and wherein the first end and the opposite end are curved; and
wherein the first retaining enclosure and the second retaining enclosure are configured to receive the stiffener element that extends from the first retaining enclosure to the second retaining enclosure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear with customizable stiffness is provided. The article of footwear in the form of a snowboard boot is provided with stiffness elements that are inserted within retaining enclosures disposed on either side of an inner liner of the snowboard boot. Depending on the level of stiffness of the stiffener element, or lack thereof, different flex profiles having varying degrees of stiffness are available to the wearer to customize the stiffness of the snowboard boot when secured within a binding. A kit of parts is also disclosed that includes a pair of boots and two sets of interchangeable stiffener inserts to allow a wearer to customize the stiffness of the boots as desired.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. An article of footwear comprising:
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an outer shell, the outer shell including an upper and a sole structure;
an inner liner, the inner liner being configured to be removably inserted within an interior of the outer shell;wherein the inner liner comprises an upper liner portion and a lower liner portion; a first retaining enclosure comprising a first securing end and a first receiving end disposed on the upper liner portion of the inner liner;
a second retaining enclosure comprising a second securing end and a second receiving end, wherein the second retaining enclosure is disposed across at least a portion of the upper liner portion and a portion of the lower liner portion;
the second retaining enclosure extending in a longitudinal direction being disposed beneath the first retaining enclosure;a stiffener element comprising a first end shaped approximately the same as the first securing end, an opposite end shaped approximately the same as the second securing end, wherein the stiffener element has an oval shape with concavity on one side, and wherein the first end and the opposite end are curved; and wherein the first retaining enclosure and the second retaining enclosure are configured to receive the stiffener element that extends from the first retaining enclosure to the second retaining enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An article of footwear comprising:
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an outer shell, the outer shell including an upper and a sole structure;
an inner liner, the inner liner being configured to be removably inserted within an interior of the outer shell;wherein the inner liner comprises an upper liner portion and a lower liner portion; a stiffening arrangement disposed on at least one of a lateral side and a medial side of the inner liner, the stiffening arrangement being disposed through at least a portion of the upper liner portion and a portion of the lower liner portion; wherein the stiffening arrangement comprises a stiffener element disposed within a first retaining enclosure disposed on the upper liner portion and a portion of the lower liner portion, the stiffener element having a curved first end and a curved opposite end; wherein the second retaining enclosure extending in a longitudinal direction is disposed beneath the first retaining enclosure; and
wherein the stiffener element has a first width approximately to the same as a width of the first retaining enclosure and a second width approximately to the same as a width of the second retaining enclosure; and
wherein the stiffening arrangement provides varying degree of flexibility for the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An article of footwear comprising:
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an outer shell, the outer shell including an upper and a sole structure;
an inner liner, the inner liner being configured to be removably inserted within an interior of the outer shell;at least one stiffener element associated with at least one of a lateral side and a medial side of the inner liner, wherein the at least one stiffener element has an oval shape including a first side that has a convex shape and a second side that has a concave shape; wherein the at least one stiffener element has a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end and the proximal end are curved; the at least one stiffener element having a centerline disposed along a middle of the stiffener element along a longitudinal direction, the centerline extending from a first end to a second end opposite the first end, wherein the at least one stiffener element provides a varying degree of flexibility for the article of footwear; and wherein the centerline has a first orientation at the first end and a second orientation at the second end, the first orientation being different than the second orientation. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A kit of parts, the kit comprising:
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at least one article of footwear, the article of footwear including an outer shell and an inner liner; at least one set of stiffener elements that are configured to be inserted within a stiffening arrangement disposed on the inner liner, wherein the at least one set of stiffener elements has an oval shape including a first side that has a convex shape and a second side that has a concave shape; wherein the at least one set of stiffener elements has a first end and an opposite end, the first end and the opposite end are curved; wherein the inner liner comprises an upper an upper liner portion and a lower liner portion; wherein the inner liner includes the stiffening arrangement disposed on each of a lateral side and a medial side of the inner liner, each stiffening arrangement being disposed through at least a portion of the upper liner portion and a portion of the lower liner portion; wherein each stiffening arrangement comprises a first retaining enclosure disposed on the upper liner portion of the inner liner and a second retaining enclosure disposed across at least a portion of the upper liner portion and a portion of the lower liner portion; wherein the article of footwear has a variable flex profile after insertion of the at least one set of stiffener elements into the first retaining enclosure and the second retaining enclosure; and wherein the second retaining enclosure extending in a longitudinal direction is disposed beneath the first retaining enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification