Article of footwear incorporating a knitted component

• US 9,924,761 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fabdesigns, Inc., Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Huffa, Bruce, Dua, Bhupesh, Shaffer, Benjamin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoey, Alissa L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferreira, Catherine M
• Application Number:
  US14/198,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20140245643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 36 45, 36 9 R, 36 28, 36 55, 36 501, 36 3 A
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/028 Synthetic or artificial fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 1/04 braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0205 characterised by the material material of the lining A43B23/07, material of toe stiffeners or heel stiffeners A43B23/08
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/025 assembled by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0255 assembled by gluing or thermo bonding
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/042 Uppers made of one piece one piece slippers A43B3/106; one piece sandals A43B3/124
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/045 Uppers with inserted gussets
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/10 Tennis shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 5/00 Eyelets machines for setting eyelets A43D100/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/123 with laid-in unlooped yarn, e.g. fleece fabrics with elastic weft yarn D04B1/18
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 15/56 for flat-bed knitting machines
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/032 Flat fabric of variable width, e.g. including one or more fashioned panels
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/62 related technologies for production or treatment of textile or flexible materials or products thereof, including footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear may include an upper incorporating a knitted component. An inlaid strand extends through the knitted component. A combination feeder may be utilized to inlay the strand within the knitted component. As an example, the combination feeder may include a feeder arm that reciprocates between a retracted position and an extended position. In manufacturing the knitted component, the feeder inlays the strand when the feeder arm is in the extended position, and the strand is absent from the knitted component when the feeder arm is in the retracted position.

Claims

1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:

a knit element including at least one yarn that forms a plurality of intermeshed loops, the knit element defining a portion of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper along at least one of a medial side and a lateral side of the upper, the knit element having a configuration of a single textile layer that forms a portion of the exterior surface and the interior surface;

at least one aperture in the exterior surface of the upper and in a throat area of the upper; and

an inlaid strand extending through the plurality of intermeshed loops of the knit element and located within the single textile layer between the exterior surface and the interior surface of the knit element;

wherein the plurality of intermeshed loops form a plurality of courses of the knit element and the inlaid strand extends continuously through at least one of the courses of the knit element while remaining within the single textile layer between the exterior surface and the interior surface, and

wherein the inlaid strand extends continuously from a perimeter edge of the upper, around at least one of the apertures, and back to the perimeter edge of the upper.

2. The upper recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element extends from a throat area of the upper to a lower area of the upper adjacent to a sole structure on the at least one of the medial side and the lateral side, and the inlaid strand extends from the throat area to the lower area of the upper within the single textile layer between the exterior surface and the interior surface.

3. The upper recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element defines the aperture in a throat area of the upper, and the inlaid strand extends at least partially around the aperture while remaining between the exterior surface and the interior surface of the single layer of the knit element.

4. The upper recited in claim 3, wherein one section of the inlaid strand extends upward from a lower area of the upper adjacent to a sole structure to a first side of the aperture, the inlaid strand extends partially around the aperture to an opposite second side of the aperture, and the inlaid strand extends downward from the second side of the aperture to the lower area.

5. The upper recited in claim 4, wherein the inlaid strand extends upwards from the lower area to the first side of the aperture along a first course of the knit element;

and

wherein the inlaid strand extends downwards from the second side of the aperture to the lower area along a second course of the knit element, the second course being different than the first course.

6. The upper recited in claim 5, wherein the inlaid strand extends partially around the aperture along at least one wale of the knit element.

7. The upper recited in claim 3, further comprising a lace extending through the aperture.

8. The upper recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element includes a peripheral edge disposed along the at least one of the medial side and the lateral side of the upper;

and

wherein the inlaid strand exits a first course of the knit element at a first location along the peripheral edge and enters a second course of the knit element at a second location along the peripheral edge.

9. The upper recited in claim 1, wherein the inlaid strand has a greater stretch resistance than the knit element.

10. The upper recited in claim 1, wherein the inlaid strand has a greater thickness than yarns forming the knit element.