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US 10,064,448 B2Granted
Auxetic sole with upper cabling
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsElizabeth Langvin, Tory M. Cross, Bryant Russell Klug, Timothy K. Liles, Robert Mervar, Olivier Henrichot
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of footwear has an upper and a sole structure. The upper includes a base layer and one or more tensile strands. The sole structure includes an auxetic element operable to expand in two orthogonal horizontal directions in response to a tension applied in one of the directions. Each tensile strand has at least one end secured in fixed position relative to a peripheral region of the sole structure.
Claims16
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper and a sole structure, the sole structure comprising:
- an upper surface and an opposing ground-contacting surface, the upper abutting and coupled with the upper surface;
- a plurality of apertures extending from at least one of the upper surface or the ground-contacting surface, the sole structure further including a plurality of sole portions disposed between adjacent ones of the plurality of apertures, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of sole portions and the plurality of apertures forms an auxetic structure;
- and the upper comprising:
- a base layer and a tensile strand, the tensile strand having a first end and a second end, a portion of the tensile strand between the first end and the second end being separate from the material of the base layer and lying adjacent to a surface of the base layer;
- and
- wherein the first end of the tensile strand has a fixed position relative to a peripheral region of the sole structure:
- and
- wherein a tension applied through the tensile strand induces an auxetic deformation of the sole structure such that each of the plurality of apertures expands simultaneously in both the radial and longitudinal directions.
6 more elements
An article of footwear comprising:
- a sole structure including:
- an upper surface and an opposing ground-contacting surface;
- a plurality of apertures extending from at least one of the upper surface or the ground-contacting surface, the sole structure further including a plurality of sole portions disposed between adjacent ones of the plurality of apertures, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of sole portions and the plurality of apertures forms an auxetic structure;
- a base layer secured to a peripheral region of the sole structure;
- and
- a tensile strand separate from the material of the base layer, the tensile strand having at least one end fixed in position relative to a peripheral region of the sole structures;
- and
- wherein a tension applied through the tensile strand induces an auxetic deformation of the sole structure such that each of the plurality of apertures expands simultaneously in both the radial and longitudinal directions.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.