Footwear incorporating angled tensile strand elements
First Claim
1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, at least a portion of the upper comprising:
- a plurality of lace-receiving elements, the plurality of lace-receiving elements including a first lace-receiving element located on one of a medial side or a lateral side of the upper;
a base layer extending from the plurality of lace-receiving elements to the sole structure, the base layer having a surface;
a plurality of first strands having a first orientation and extending from the first lace-receiving element to an area proximal to the sole structure, the first strands laying substantially parallel to the surface of the base layer in a region between the first lace-receiving element and the sole structure; and
a plurality of second strands having a second orientation and extending from said first lace-receiving element to the area proximal to the sole structure, the second strands laying substantially parallel to the surface of the base layer in the region between the first lace-receiving element and the sole structure, the second orientation being different than the first orientation;
wherein the plurality of first strands and the plurality of second strands are both exposed on an exterior of the upper of the article of footwear; and
wherein at least one strand of the plurality of first strands and at least one strand of the plurality of second strands intersect each other when the article of footwear is in a relaxed, un-flexed configuration.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear may include various first strands and second strands. The cutting and second strands may extend from an area proximal to lace-receiving elements to an area proximal to the sole structure. The first strands may have a substantially vertical orientation and the second strands may have a rearwardly-angled orientation. The first strands may be located in a midfoot region of the footwear and the second strands may be located in both the midfoot region and a heel region of the footwear. Angles between the first strands and the second strands may be at least 40 degrees. Additionally, the second strands may have at least fifty percent greater tensile strength than the first strands.
94 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, at least a portion of the upper comprising:
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a plurality of lace-receiving elements, the plurality of lace-receiving elements including a first lace-receiving element located on one of a medial side or a lateral side of the upper; a base layer extending from the plurality of lace-receiving elements to the sole structure, the base layer having a surface; a plurality of first strands having a first orientation and extending from the first lace-receiving element to an area proximal to the sole structure, the first strands laying substantially parallel to the surface of the base layer in a region between the first lace-receiving element and the sole structure; and a plurality of second strands having a second orientation and extending from said first lace-receiving element to the area proximal to the sole structure, the second strands laying substantially parallel to the surface of the base layer in the region between the first lace-receiving element and the sole structure, the second orientation being different than the first orientation; wherein the plurality of first strands and the plurality of second strands are both exposed on an exterior of the upper of the article of footwear; and wherein at least one strand of the plurality of first strands and at least one strand of the plurality of second strands intersect each other when the article of footwear is in a relaxed, un-flexed configuration. - 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, at least a portion of the upper comprising:
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a base layer extending between a lacing region of the upper and a lower region of the upper proximal to the sole structure, the base layer including a plurality of apertures for receiving a lace; and a pair of first strands and a pair of second strands that lay substantially parallel to a surface of the base layer for a distance of at least five centimeters, the pair of first strands and the pair of second strands extending from a first aperture of the plurality of apertures to the lower region proximal to the sole structure, the pair of second strands having an orientation that forms an angle with the pair of first strands, wherein the first aperture is disposed on one of a medial side or a lateral side of the upper; wherein each first strand of the pair of first strands is angled relative to the other first strand of the pair of first strands; wherein each second strand of the pair of second strands is angled relative to the other second strand of the pair of second strands; wherein a topmost extent of the pair of first strands and a topmost extent of the pair of second strands extend over the first aperture; and wherein the pair of first strands and the pair of second strands are both exposed on an exterior of the upper of the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification