Article of apparel with zonal force attenuation properties
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsKenneth T. Craig, Hagit Ottens-Wilk, Donna L. Marchant
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of apparel, such as a sock or a shoe, is disclosed as having a foot-supporting area for extending adjacent to a plantar surface of a foot. The foot-supporting area has various zones of differing thickness that attenuate forces upon the plantar surface to different degrees. The apparel may be manufactured through a process that includes utilizing a force mapping device to obtain data relating to forces upon the plantar surface of the foot. The sock is then formed to have zones of different thickness located to correspond with the areas of the plantar surface subjected to different magnitudes of forces.
Claims11
A method of manufacturing an article for receiving a foot, the article comprising a foot-supporting area for extending adjacent to a plantar surface of a foot, the method comprising steps of:
- forming a heel zone of the article with a circular knitting machine in a reciprocating mode;
- forming a midfoot zone of the article with the circular knitting machine in a circular mode;
- and
- forming a forefoot zone of the article with the circular knitting machine in the reciprocating mode, the forefoot zone having a first forefoot area positioned on a medial side of the foot-supporting area, a first portion of the first forefoot area extending along a medial side of the foot-supporting area, and a second portion of the first forefoot area extending into a center of the foot-supporting area and terminating in the center of the foot supporting area, the first forefoot area having a first thickness, each of a lateral edge and a rear edge of the first forefoot area abutting edges of a second forefoot area having a thickness different than the first thickness, and an entire continuous outer periphery of the first forefoot area having an L shaped configuration,
- the first forefoot area and the second forefoot area being formed with the circular knitting machine in the reciprocating mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.