Article of Footwear With Tongue of Varying Thickness
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear includes a tongue. The tongue includes a medial portion, a lateral portion, a central portion, a top portion and an upper perimeter portion. The medial portion and the top portion have similar thicknesses, which are greater than the thicknesses of the lateral portion, the central portion and the upper perimeter portion. The central portion is the thinnest portion of the tongue. Each portion of the tongue corresponds to a different pressure zone along a foot in order to provide differential cushioning and support against pressure applied by a fastening system.
3 Citations
50 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A method of manufacturing a tongue of an article of footwear, comprising:
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forming a first portion of the tongue, located at a medial side of the tongue, with a first thickness that is substantially consistent over the first portion, the first portion extending substantially an entire length of the medial side of the tongue, the first portion further being associated with a top portion of the tongue that extends substantially from a medial edge of the tongue to a lateral edge of the tongue, the top portion being disposed closest to an ankle when a foot is inserted into the article of footwear; forming a second portion of the tongue, located at a lateral side of the tongue, with a second thickness that is substantially less than the first thickness; and forming a third portion of the tongue, located in a central area of the tongue disposed between and adjacent to the medial side and the lateral side, with a third thickness that is substantially less than the second thickness. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of manufacturing a tongue of an article of footwear, comprising:
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forming a central portion of the tongue, that extends to a distal edge of the tongue, with a first thickness; and forming an outer portion of the tongue that extends between the central portion and an edge of the tongue; where forming the outer portion includes forming a top portion, disposed between an upper edge of the central portion and a proximal edge of the tongue, and a lower portion that extends from the top portion to a lower edge of the lower portion adjacent a distal end of the tongue; wherein forming the outer portion includes forming the lower portion with a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness and substantially consistent from the top portion to the lower edge of the lower portion, and forming the top portion thicker than the lower portion; and wherein forming the central portion includes extending the central portion further than the lower edge of the lower portion. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of manufacturing a tongue of an article of footwear, comprising:
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forming a medial portion of the tongue, that extends substantially from a proximal end to a distal end of a medial side of the tongue and corresponds with a first anatomical feature of a foot, with a first thickness; and forming a lateral portion of the tongue, that extends substantially from a proximal end to a distal end of the lateral side of the tongue and corresponds with a second anatomical feature of the foot, with a second thickness that is substantially different than first thickness, such that a thickness profile of the tongue in a medial to lateral direction of the tongue is asymmetrical. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification