Knitted Footwear Component With An Inlaid Ankle Strand

• US 20130145652A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Podhajny, Daniel A., Shaffer, Benjamin A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,172,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 36/50.1
• 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 23/0245 characterised by the constructive form
• 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 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 1/102 with stitch pattern D04B1/06, D04B1/08 take precedence
• 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 2403/0241 enhancing mechanical properties
• 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

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 article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:

a knit element formed from at least one yarn and extending from a throat area to a heel region of the upper;

an inlaid strand extending through the knit element from the throat area to a rear portion of the heel region, the inlaid strand forming a loop in the throat area; and

a lace extending through the loop.

2. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element defines an ankle opening for providing access to a void within the upper, and a section of the inlaid strand having a length of at least four centimeters is substantially parallel to the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

3. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element defines an ankle opening for providing access to a void within the upper, and a section of the inlaid strand having a length of at least four centimeters is positioned within three centimeters of the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

4. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein separate and spaced apart sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of an exterior surface of the upper between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

5. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein multiple covered sections of the inlaid strand are located within the knit element between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of an exterior surface of the upper between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

6. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein multiple sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and a lower area of the upper that is adjacent to the sole structure.

7. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein a first portion of the inlaid strand is located on a first side of the article of footwear, and a second portion of the inlaid strand is located on a second side of the article of footwear and extends through the knit element from the throat area to the rear portion of the heel region, the first side being opposite the second side.

8. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the loop is located within the knit element.

9. The article of footwear recited in claim 1, wherein the knit element is formed of unitary knit construction and extends along a lateral side of the upper, along a medial side of the upper, over a forefoot region of the upper, and around the heel region of the upper.

10. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:

a knit element forming a portion of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper, the interior surface defining a void for receiving a foot, the knit element extending from a throat area to a heel region of the upper, the knit element defining an ankle opening of the upper that provides access to the void, and the knit element defining a plurality of apertures located in the throat area;

an inlaid strand extending through the knit element from the throat area to a rear portion of the heel region, and the inlaid strand extending at least partially around the apertures in the throat area; and

a lace extending through the apertures.

11. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein a section of the inlaid strand having a length of at least four centimeters is substantially parallel to the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

12. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein a section of the inlaid strand having a length of at least four centimeters is positioned within three centimeters of the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

13. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein separate and spaced apart sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of the exterior surface between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

14. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein multiple covered sections of the inlaid strand are located within the knit element between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand are exposed and form a portion of the exterior surface between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

15. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein multiple sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and a lower area of the upper that is adjacent to the sole structure.

16. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein a first portion of the inlaid strand is located on a first side of the article of footwear, and a second portion of the inlaid strand is located on a second side of the article of footwear and extends through the knit element from the throat area to the rear portion of the heel region, the first side being opposite the second side.

17. The article of footwear recited in claim 10, wherein the knit element includes:

a first knitted layer that forms at least a portion of the exterior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening;

a second knitted layer that forms at least a portion of the interior surface of the upper adjacent to the ankle opening, the second knitted layer being formed of unitary knit construction with the first knitted layer, and the second knitted layer being positioned adjacent to the first knitted layer and at least partially coextensive with the first knitted layer to define a tube between the first knitted layer and the second knitted layer; and

a plurality of floating yarns located within the tube and extending in a direction that is substantially parallel to the first knitted layer and the second knitted layer,

18. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:

utilizing a knitting process to form a knit element from at least one yarn;

inlaying a strand into the knit element during the knitting process; and

incorporating the knitted component into an upper of the article of footwear, the knit element and the strand extending from a throat area to a rear portion of a heel region of the upper.

19. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the step of utilizing the knitting process includes selecting the knitting process to be a flat knitting process.

20. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the step of inlaying the strand includes forming a loop from the strand, and the step of incorporating includes (a) locating the loop within the throat area and (b) extending a lace through the loop.

21. The method recited in claim 18, wherein the step of utilizing the knitting process includes forming an aperture in the knit element, the step of inlaying the strand includes forming a loop from the strand that extends around the aperture, and the step of incorporating includes (a) locating the aperture and the loop within the throat area and (b) extending a lace through the aperture and the loop.

22. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:

a knit element forming a portion of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper, the interior surface defining a void for receiving a foot, the knit element extending from a throat area to a heel region of the upper; and

an inlaid strand extending through the knit element from the throat area to a rear portion of the heel region.

23. The article of footwear recited in claim 22, wherein the knit element defines an ankle opening of the upper, and a section of the inlaid strand having a length of at least four centimeters is substantially parallel to the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

24. The article of footwear recited in claim 23, wherein the section of the inlaid strand having the length of at least four centimeters is positioned within three centimeters of the ankle opening between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region.

25. The article of footwear recited in claim 22, wherein multiple sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and the rear portion of the heel region, and other sections of the inlaid strand extend between the throat area and a lower area of the upper that is adjacent to the sole structure.

26. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:

a knit element extending from a throat area on a first side of the footwear to a heel region of the footwear, and the knit element extending continuously around the heel region and to a second side of the footwear that is opposite the first side; and

an inlaid strand extending through the knit element and from the throat area on the first side of the footwear to the heel region, and the inlaid strand extending continuously around the heel region and to the second side of the footwear.

27. The article of footwear recited in claim 26, wherein the inlaid strand forms a loop in the throat area, and a lace extends through the loop.

28. The article of footwear recited in claim 26, wherein the second side is a medial side of the footwear, and a seam that joins two edges of the knit element is located on the medial side.