Article of footwear having a textile upper

• US 9,936,758 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Dua, Bhupesh, Thomas, Edward Nathaniel
• Primary Examiner(s): BAYS, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US15/610,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20170258171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 36 45, 36 10, 36 55
• 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 23/021 Leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0215 Plastics or artificial leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0235 Different layers of different material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/026 Laminated layers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0275 with a part of the upper particularly rigid, e.g. resisting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/028 Resilient uppers, e.g. shock absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/04 Uppers made of one piece; Uppers with inserted gussets
• 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 23/08 Heel stiffeners; Toe stiffeners
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/085 in the upper
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/14 with foot-supporting parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 7/1495 with arch-supports of the bracelet type
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 9/02 Footwear stitched or nailed through
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 111/00 Shoe machines with conveyors for jacked shoes or for shoes or shoe parts
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 8/00 Machines for cutting, ornamenting, marking or otherwise working up shoe part blanks pulling-over or lasting A43D9/00 - A43D23/00; making or fastening soles, heels or welts A43D25/00 - A43D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43D 8/02 Cutting-out cutting in general B26D, B26F; of leather articles in general C14B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/102 with stitch pattern D04B1/06, D04B1/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/24 : wearing apparel
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/20 : specially adapted for knitting articles of particular configuration
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/207 : Wearing apparel or garment blanks
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/043 : Footwear

Abstract

An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing the article of footwear are disclosed. The footwear may include an upper and a sole structure. The upper incorporates a textile element with edges that are joined together to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot. The textile element may also have a first area and a second area with a unitary construction with varying stitch configurations. The upper may also incorporate non-textile elements, including non-textile elements on the lateral side and in the heel region. Various warp knitting or weft knitting processes may be utilized to form the textile element.

Claims

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

a wide-tube circular-knitted textile element, the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element being removed from a wide-tube cylindrical textile structure having at least one outline for the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element, the outline defining at least a forefoot region and a heel region and having a longitudinal axis extending between the forefoot region and the heel region, wherein knit columns of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element have a knitting direction parallel to the longitudinal axis between the forefoot region and the heel region;

a non-textile element secured to a first portion of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element forming a heel region of the upper; and

a plurality of strips of non-textile material secured to a second portion of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element on a lateral side of the upper, the strips of non-textile material being spaced apart and parallel to each other on the lateral side.

2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the forefoot region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element is knitted before the heel region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element.

3. The upper of claim 1, wherein the heel region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element is knitted before the forefoot region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element.

4. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material comprise less stretch capabilities than the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element.

5. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material comprise a leather material or synthetic leather material.

6. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material comprise three strips of non-textile material of varying lengths.

7. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material extend longitudinally across the lateral side of the upper.

8. The upper of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material are in a mid-foot region of the upper on the lateral side.

9. The upper of claim 1, wherein the non-textile element secured to the first portion of the circular-knitted textile element defining the heel region extends from the lateral side to a medial side in the heel region.

10. An article of footwear comprising:

an upper comprising;

a wide-tube circular-knitted textile element, the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element being removed from a wide-tube cylindrical textile structure having at least one outline for the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element, the outline defining at least a forefoot region and a heel region and having a longitudinal axis extending between the forefoot region and the heel region, wherein knit columns of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element have a knitting direction parallel to the longitudinal axis between the forefoot region and the heel region;

a non-textile element secured to a first portion of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element forming a heel region of the upper; and

a plurality of strips of non-textile material secured to a second portion of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element on a lateral side of the upper, the strips of non-textile material being spaced apart and parallel to each other on the lateral side; and

a sole structure secured to the upper.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the forefoot region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element is knitted before the heel region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein the heel region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element is knitted before the forefoot region of the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element.

13. The article of claim 10, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material comprise less stretch capabilities than the wide-tube circular-knitted textile element.

14. The article of claim 10, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material comprise at least two strips of non-textile material parallel to one another.

15. The article of claim 10, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material comprise three strips of non-textile material of varying lengths.

16. The article of claim 10, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material extend longitudinally across the lateral side of the upper.

17. The article of claim 10, wherein the plurality of strips of non-textile material each comprise a first end extending toward the forefoot region and a second end extending toward the heel region.