Article of footwear having a flat knit upper construction or other upper construction
DCFirst Claim
1. An article of footwear comprising an upper including a flat-knitted element formed from at least one yarn mechanically manipulated in a flat-knitting process, the flat-knitted element including a first layer having:
- a central portion having a domed, three-dimensional structure configured for extending over the top of a foot;
a first side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a first side of the central portion; and
a second side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a second side opposite the first side of the central portion, the domed, three-dimensional structure shaped to extend above the plane of the first side portion and the second side portion when the flat-knitted element is in a flattened configuration.
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Abstract
Flat knitting allows production of textile structures (e.g., for use in footwear uppers) of a final desired shape such that textile cutting steps can be avoided. Flat knitted elements also can be formed directly in desired three dimensional shapes, which can help avoid the need to use additional support structures (e.g., in footwear construction). By selectively placing multiple different yarns and/or stitch patterns at multiple different locations in the overall structure during the knitting process, flat knitted products may have multiple different physical properties (e.g., different stretchability, different moisture management capabilities, etc.) at multiple different locations or zones within a single, unitary construction (e.g., different properties at different zones or locations within a single footwear structure). Additionally, flat knitting can be used to produce pockets, tunnels, or other layered structures in the final product.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An article of footwear comprising an upper including a flat-knitted element formed from at least one yarn mechanically manipulated in a flat-knitting process, the flat-knitted element including a first layer having:
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a central portion having a domed, three-dimensional structure configured for extending over the top of a foot; a first side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a first side of the central portion; and a second side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a second side opposite the first side of the central portion, the domed, three-dimensional structure shaped to extend above the plane of the first side portion and the second side portion when the flat-knitted element is in a flattened configuration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An article of footwear comprising an upper including a flat-knitted element formed from at least one yarn mechanically manipulated in a flat-knitting process, the flat-knitted element including a first layer and a second layer, the first layer including:
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a central portion having a domed, three-dimensional structure configured for extending over the top of a foot; a first side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a first side of the central portion; and a second side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a second side opposite the first side of the central portion; and the second layer being flat-knitted with the first layer at opposite ends of the second layer to form an overlapped loop.
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11. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising
forming during a flat-knitting process an upper including a flat-knitted element including a first layer having: -
a central portion having a domed, three-dimensional structure configured for extending over the top of a foot; a first side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a first side of the central portion; and a second side portion being formed of unitary construction with the central portion and extending from a second side opposite the first side of the central portion, wherein the domed, three-dimensional structure is shaped to extend above the plane of the first side portion and the second side portion when the flat-knitted element is in a flattened configuration. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification