Uppers and articles incorporating same
First Claim
1. An upper comprising:
- a textile base layer extending over sides of a generally foot-shaped interior region, the textile base layer including an outer edge, tongue opening edges, and ankle opening edges, the textile base layer further including an exterior face extending between the outer edge and the tongue opening edges and between the outer edge and the ankle opening edges; and
a fiber-reinforced layer comprising a first panel, the first panel being a continuous and seamless single piece of composite material that includes reinforcing fibers bound in a polymer matrix, the first panel including an interior face, and wherein at least portions of the interior face of the first panel are bonded to portions of the exterior face of the textile base layer by penetration of solidified bonding material forming those bonded portions of the interior face of the first panel into interstices of the exterior face, whereinthe first panel includes portions located in lateral forefoot, lateral midfoot, lateral heel, and medial heel regions of the upper, the first panel further including a portion extending from the lateral heel region and across a central heel region to the medial heel region,the first panel includes a plurality of strips, the strips separated by and defining inter-strip gaps in the first panel, the strips distributed across the lateral forefoot, the lateral midfoot, the lateral heel, and the medial heel regions, andthe first panel includes a central strip extending upwardly along the central heel region, and a plurality of strips branch outwardly and upwardly from the central strip toward the lateral heel region and a plurality of strips branch outwardly and upwardly from the central strip toward the medial heel region.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A composite shell for an upper may include a base layer and a fiber-reinforced layer. The base layer may comprise a mesh or other type of textile material and may extend at least over sides of a generally foot-shaped interior region of the upper. The fiber-reinforced layer may be at least partially bonded to the base layer. The fiber-reinforced layer may extend at least from a lower portion of the base layer generally corresponding to a footbed perimeter to at least a top portion of the base layer generally corresponding to part of an instep region. The fiber-reinforced layer may include a plurality of strips extending from the lower portion to the top portion, the strips separated by inter-strip gaps in the fiber-reinforced layer.
54 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An upper comprising:
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a textile base layer extending over sides of a generally foot-shaped interior region, the textile base layer including an outer edge, tongue opening edges, and ankle opening edges, the textile base layer further including an exterior face extending between the outer edge and the tongue opening edges and between the outer edge and the ankle opening edges; and a fiber-reinforced layer comprising a first panel, the first panel being a continuous and seamless single piece of composite material that includes reinforcing fibers bound in a polymer matrix, the first panel including an interior face, and wherein at least portions of the interior face of the first panel are bonded to portions of the exterior face of the textile base layer by penetration of solidified bonding material forming those bonded portions of the interior face of the first panel into interstices of the exterior face, wherein the first panel includes portions located in lateral forefoot, lateral midfoot, lateral heel, and medial heel regions of the upper, the first panel further including a portion extending from the lateral heel region and across a central heel region to the medial heel region, the first panel includes a plurality of strips, the strips separated by and defining inter-strip gaps in the first panel, the strips distributed across the lateral forefoot, the lateral midfoot, the lateral heel, and the medial heel regions, and the first panel includes a central strip extending upwardly along the central heel region, and a plurality of strips branch outwardly and upwardly from the central strip toward the lateral heel region and a plurality of strips branch outwardly and upwardly from the central strip toward the medial heel region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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12. An upper comprising:
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a textile base layer extending over sides of a generally foot-shaped interior region, the textile base layer including an outer edge, tongue opening edges, and ankle opening edges, the textile base layer further including an exterior face extending between the outer edge and the tongue opening edges and between the outer edge and the ankle opening edges; and a fiber-reinforced layer comprising first and second panels, each of the first and second panels being a single seamless and continuous piece of composite material that includes reinforcing fibers bound in a polymer matrix, wherein the first panel includes an interior face, at least portions of the interior face of the first panel being bonded to portions of the exterior face of the textile base layer, the second panel includes an interior face, at least portions of the interior face of the second panel being bonded to different portions of the exterior face of the textile base layer, the first panel includes portions located in lateral forefoot, lateral midfoot, lateral heel, and medial heel regions of the upper and extends from the outer edge of the base layer to a top portion of the base layer generally corresponding to part of an instep region and to part of an ankle opening region, the first panel includes a plurality of first strips, the first strips separated by and defining first inter-strip gaps in the first panel, the first strips distributed across the lateral forefoot, the lateral midfoot, the lateral heel, and the medial heel regions, the first panel includes a central strip extending upwardly along a central heel region, and a plurality of strips branch outwardly and upwardly from the central strip toward the lateral heel region and a plurality of strips branch outwardly and upwardly from the central strip toward the medial heel region, and the second panel comprises a plurality of second strips separated by and defining second inter-strip gaps in the second panel, the second strips distributed across a medial forefoot region of the upper, a medial midfoot region of the upper, and the medial heel region. - View Dependent Claims (13, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification