US 10,945,491 B2Granted

Articles of footwear with bootie components having fixed connections and non-fixed regions

AssigneeNIKE, Inc.

InventorAaron Cooper

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Abstract

Footwear or other foot-receiving devices include various conforming fit, stability, and/or “locked down” feel features. The uppers (or foot-covering components) for such articles of footwear (or other foot-receiving devices) may include one or more of: (a) an upper shell defining an interior chamber, wherein the upper shell includes a plantar support surface and sidewalls extending from an outer perimeter of the plantar support surface; (b) a bootie component (e.g., formed as a sock or sock-like garment) received in the interior chamber; (c) one or more foot wrapping bands; and/or (d) an interior midsole within the bootie component. The bootie component and/or the foot wrapping band(s) may be secured to the upper shell at a location inside an outer perimeter of the plantar support surface of the upper shell and beyond the bight line between the sidewalls of the upper and the plantar support surface.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An upper for an article of footwear, comprising:

an upper shell defining an interior chamber, wherein the upper shell includes:
(a) a plantar support surface, (b) sidewalls extending upward from an outer perimeter of the plantar support surface, (c) a heel support extending around a rear heel area of the upper and defining an interior heel area of the upper shell, and (d) a top panel extending across an instep area of the upper and defining a forward edge of a lace engaging region of the upper;
and
a bootie component received in the interior chamber, wherein the bootie component conforms in shape to a wearer's foot and is fixedly engaged with the upper shell at fixed connections that consist essentially of:
(a) one or more fixed bottom connections connecting the bootie component and the plantar support surface, wherein the one or more fixed bottom connections are spaced inward from the outer perimeter of the plantar support surface, and wherein the one or more fixed bottom connections constitute one or more of stitching or adhesives, and
(b) one or more fixed top connections connecting the bootie component and the top panel of the upper shell proximate to the forward edge of the lace engaging region, wherein all of the one or more fixed top connections are located within a fixed region having:
(i) a width dimension of less than 5 cm in a medial side-to-lateral side direction of the upper and a length dimension of less than 2 cm in a heel-to-toe direction of the upper and/or (ii) a fixed area of less than 10 cm2, and wherein the one or more fixed top connections constitute one or more of stitching or adhesives.

4 more elements

An upper for an article of footwear, comprising:

an upper shell defining an interior chamber and a lace engaging region, wherein the upper shell includes a plantar support surface, sidewalls extending upward from an outer perimeter of the plantar support surface, a top panel extending across an instep area of the upper and defining a forward edge of the lace engaging region of the upper;
and
a bootie component received in the interior chamber, wherein the bootie component conforms in shape to a wearer's foot, and wherein:
(a) a bottom of the bootie component is fixedly engaged with the plantar support surface by one or more fixed bottom connections connecting the bootie component and the plantar support surface, wherein the one or more fixed bottom connections are spaced inward from the outer perimeter of the plantar support surface, and wherein the one or more fixed bottom connections constitute one or more of stitching or adhesives,
(b) a top of the bootie component is fixedly engaged with the top panel of the upper shell at a fixed region located proximate to the forward edge of the lace engaging region, wherein the fixed region includes one or more fixed top connections connecting the bootie component and the top panel of the upper shell, and wherein the fixed region has:
(i) a width dimension of less than 5 cm in a medial side-to-lateral side direction of the upper and a first length dimension of less than 2 cm in a heel-to-toe direction of the upper and/or (ii) a fixed area of less than 10 cm2, and wherein the one or more fixed top connections constitute one or more of stitching or adhesives,
(c) the top of the bootie component is not fixedly engaged with the top panel of the upper shell at a non-fixed region located forward of the fixed region, wherein the non-fixed region has:
(i) a second length dimension of at least 2 cm in the heel-to-toe direction of the upper and/or (ii) a non-fixed area of at least 10 cm2,
(d) the bootie component is not fixedly engaged with a medial side of the upper shell, and
(e) the bootie component is not fixedly engaged with a lateral side of the upper shell.

7 more elements

An upper for an article of footwear, comprising:

a medial sidewall;
a lateral sidewall;
a top panel extending across an instep area of the upper and engaged with or integrally formed with at least one of the medial sidewall and the lateral sidewall, wherein the medial sidewall, the lateral sidewall, and the top panel define a lace engaging region of the upper having a medial side edge, a lateral side edge, and a forward edge;
a bottom base including an outer perimeter edge, wherein a medial side of the outer perimeter edge is engaged or integrally formed with the medial sidewall, wherein a lateral side of the outer perimeter edge is engaged or integrally formed with the lateral sidewall, and wherein the medial sidewall, the lateral sidewall, the top panel, and the bottom base define an interior chamber;
and
a bootie component received in the interior chamber, wherein the bootie component conforms in shape to a wearer's foot, and wherein:
(a) a bottom of the bootie component is fixedly engaged with the bottom base by stitching and/or adhesive formed as a closed loop spaced inward from the outer perimeter edge,
(b) a top of the bootie component is fixedly engaged with the top panel by stitching and/or adhesive at a fixed region located proximate to the forward edge of the lace engaging region, wherein the fixed region has:
(i) a width dimension of less than 5 cm in a medial side-to-lateral side direction of the upper and a first length dimension of less than 2 cm in a heel-to-toe direction of the upper and/or (ii) a fixed area of less than 10 cm2,
(c) the top of the bootie component is not fixedly engaged with the top panel at a non-fixed region located forward of the fixed region, wherein the non-fixed region has:
(i) a second length dimension of at least 2 cm in the heel-to-toe direction of the upper and/or (ii) a non-fixed area of at least 10 cm2,
(d) the bootie component is not fixedly engaged with the medial sidewall, and
(e) the bootie component is not fixedly engaged with the lateral sidewall.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/116,353Filed 29 Aug 2018 · us provisional application
Priority: 31 Aug 2017
Published: US 2019/0082792 A121 Mar 2019
Granted: 16 Mar 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

A43B 23/0265
Characterised by the constructive form: having different properties in different directions
A43B 7/1495
With foot-supporting parts: with arch-supports of the bracelet type
A43B 13/023
Characterised by the material: soles with several layers of the same material
A43B 19/00
Shoe-shaped inserts

Family

Application62/552,542Us provisional application · filed 31 Aug 2017
US 2019/0082792 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Mar 2019
US 10,945,491 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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