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US 10,117,478 B2Granted
Method of customizing heel cushioning in articles of footwear
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsChristopher S. Cook, Shane S. Kohatsu, Bret Schoolmeester, Daniel T. Rowe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of footwear includes an upper and a sole structure with a sole member. The sole member can be manufactured using a system that modifies the heel cushioning of the sole member over a series of footwear purchases. The modifications can be configured to correspond to a customer's evaluation of the heel cushioning previously purchased. The sole member can include a set of apertures that are formed along various surfaces of the sole member to adjust the cushioning characteristics of the sole member.
Claims24
A method of manufacturing articles of footwear, comprising:
- associating a cycle length with a user;
- manufacturing a first article of footwear having a first sole member with a first level of heel cushioning, the first sole member being formed from a first base sole layer, wherein the first article of footwear is manufactured while the user is associated with the cycle length;
- providing the user with the first article of footwear;
- providing the user with a rating system for evaluating the first level of heel cushioning and requesting that the user provide a customer-selected rating of the first level of heel cushioning;
- receiving the customer-selected rating from the user for the first level of heel cushioning;
- selecting a second base sole layer similar to the first base sole layer;
- forming at least a first aperture in a heel portion of the second base sole layer to form a second sole member with a second level of heel cushioning, wherein the second level of heel cushioning is determined by the customer-selected rating of the first level of heel cushioning in the first article of footwear;
- and
- providing the user with a second article of footwear including the second sole member when the cycle length is satisfied.
6 more elements
A method of manufacturing articles of footwear, comprising:
- associating a cycle length with a user;
- manufacturing a first article of footwear having a first sole member, the first sole member being fixedly attached to the first article of footwear, the first sole member having a first level of heel cushioning, the first sole member being formed from a first base sole layer that includes a first heel portion, wherein the first article of footwear is manufactured while the user is associated with the cycle length;
- providing the user with the first article of footwear;
- providing the user with a rating system for evaluating the first level of heel cushioning and requesting that the user provide a customer-selected rating of the first level of heel cushioning;
- receiving the customer-selected rating from the user for the first level of heel cushioning;
- selecting a second base sole layer with a second heel portion to form a second sole member with a second level of heel cushioning, wherein the material composition of the second heel portion is determined by the customer-selected rating of the first level of heel cushioning in the first article of footwear, wherein the second heel portion is fixedly attached to the second base sole layer;
- and
- providing the user with a second article of footwear that includes the second sole member when the cycle length is satisfied, wherein the second sole member is fixedly attached to the second article of footwear.
5 more elements
A method of manufacturing articles of footwear, comprising:
- associating a cycle length with a user;
- manufacturing a first article of footwear having a first sole member with a first level of heel cushioning, the first sole member being formed from a first base sole layer, wherein the first article of footwear is manufactured while the user is associated with the cycle length;
- providing the user with the first article of footwear;
- providing the user with a rating system for evaluating the first level of heel cushioning and requesting that the user provide a customer-selected rating of the first level of heel cushioning;
- receiving the customer-selected rating from the user for the first level of heel cushioning;
- selecting a second base sole layer similar to the first base sole layer;
- forming at least a first aperture in a heel portion of the second base sole layer to form a second sole member with a second level of heel cushioning, wherein the second level of heel cushioning is determined by the customer-selected rating of the first level of heel cushioning in the first article of footwear;
- providing the user with a second article of footwear including the second sole member when the cycle length is satisfied;
- providing the user with a rating system for evaluating the second level of heel cushioning and requesting that the user provide a customer-selected rating of the second level of heel cushioning;
- receiving the customer-selected rating from the user for the second level of heel cushioning;
- selecting a third base sole layer similar to the second base sole layer;
- forming at least a second aperture in a heel portion of the third base sole layer to form a third sole member with a third level of heel cushioning, wherein the third level of heel cushioning is determined by the customer-selected rating of the second level of heel cushioning in the second article of footwear;
- and
- providing the user with a third article of footwear including the third sole member.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.