# US 11,304,479 B2 · Footwear with laceless fastening system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,304,479 B2 - Document ID: US11304479B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/839,242 - Filed: 2017-12-12 - Published: 2018-08-30 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-28 - Assignees: NIKE, Inc. - Applicants: NIKE, Inc. - Inventors: Derek Houng; Jason G. Petrie; Miaochang Zadnik - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11304479B2 ## CPC - A43C 11/006: {Elastic fastenings} - A43C 11/008: {Combined fastenings, e.g. to accelerate undoing or fastening} - A43C 11/14: Clamp fastenings {, e.g. strap fastenings}; Clamp-buckle fastenings; Fastenings with toggle levers - A43C 11/1493: {Strap fastenings having hook and loop-type fastening elements} - A43C 1/00: Shoe lacing fastenings (garment fastening devices A41F) - A43C 1/003: {Zone lacing, i.e. whereby different zones of the footwear have different lacing tightening degrees, using one or a plurality of laces (laces combined with another system A43C11/008; zone tightening using straps A43C11/14)} - A43C 1/006: {Rear lacing, i.e. with a lace placed on the back of the foot in place of, or in addition to the traditional front lace} - A43C 1/02: with elastic laces - A43C 1/04: with rings or loops - A43C 1/06: tightened by draw-strings - A43C 11/00: Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes (dress fastenings in general A44B) - A43C 11/002: {Fastenings using stretchable material attached to cuts in the uppers} - A43C 11/004: {Fastenings fixed along the upper edges of the uppers} - A43C 11/08: Hook fastenings; Rotary hooks - A43C 11/22: Fastening devices with elastic tightening parts between pairs of eyelets, e.g. clamps, springs, bands - A43C: FASTENINGS OR ATTACHMENTS OF FOOTWEAR; LACES IN GENERAL ## Abstract An article of footwear includes an upper that has a body extending over at least a portion of a first side and a second side of the upper. A laceless fastening system includes a strap having an anchored end fixed at the second side and a distal end selectively remote from the upper. A first fastener is fixed to an outer surface of the body on the first side. The first fastener is less elastic than the body. A segmented second fastener is fixed to the inner side of the strap. The segmented second fastener includes a proximal segment and a distal segment closer to the distal end of the strap than the proximal segment and spaced apart from the proximal segment along the strap by an exposed portion of the strap. The segmented second fastener is less elastic than the strap. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An article of footwear comprising: an upper having a body with a first side and a second side; a sole structure attached to a lower portion of the upper; a laceless fastening system including: a strap having an anchored end fixed adjacent to the second side of the body and having a distal end selectively remote from the upper; wherein the anchored end of the strap is fixed to sole structure; wherein the strap has an inner side and an outer side; a first fastener fixed to an outer surface of the body on the first side; wherein the first fastener is less elastic than the body; a segmented second fastener fixed to the inner side of the strap and configured to secure to the first fastener; wherein the segmented second fastener includes a proximal segment and a distal segment each selectively remote from the upper and each covering a different portion of the inner side of the strap, with the distal segment closer to the distal end of the strap than the proximal segment and spaced apart from the proximal segment along the strap; wherein the proximal segment has a first end and a second end, and the distal segment has a first end and a second end; wherein an exposed portion of the inner side of the strap is between the second end of the proximal segment and the first end of the distal segment; wherein the first end of the proximal segment is at the anchored end and the proximal segment extends from the anchored end to the exposed portion; wherein the segmented second fastener is less elastic than the strap; and wherein the strap crosses over the body from the second side to the first side, and the distal segment overlies and secures to the first fastener, with the inner side of the strap facing the outer surface of the body, and with the proximal segment against the body on the second side. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein: the body includes a first base material; elastic stretchability of the body at the first fastener is inhibited by the first fastener; elastic stretchability of the body on the second side is that of the first base material with the second fastener remote from the first fastener and is inhibited by the strap with the second fastener secured to the first fastener; and elastic stretchability of the strap at the second fastener is inhibited by the second fastener such that elastic stretchability of the strap at the exposed portion of the strap is greater than elastic stretchability of the strap at the second fastener. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the strap is elastically stretched at the exposed portion with the second fastener secured to the first fastener so that the strap is extended in tension. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein a portion of the proximal segment is secured to the first fastener with the distal segment secured to the first fastener. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein: the first fastener inhibits stretching of the body at the first fastener; and the second fastener inhibits stretching of the strap at the second fastener. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the second fastener secures to the first fastener with the distal end of the strap pressed toward the upper, and releases from the first fastener with the distal end of the strap pulled away from the upper. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein one of the first fastener and the second fastener is a plurality of loops, and the other one of the first fastener and the second fastener is a plurality of hooks that engages with the plurality of loops with the second fastener pressed against the first fastener. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein: the first side is a lateral side of the upper and the second side is a medial side; and the anchored end of the strap is at least partially forward of the first fastener such that the strap extends rearward from the medial side to the lateral side with the second fastener secured to the first fastener. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the strap extends over one of a forefoot portion of the body, a midfoot portion of the body, or an ankle portion of the body with the second fastener secured to the first fastener. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the laceless fastening system further comprises: an additional strap having an anchored end fixed adjacent to the second side of the body and having a distal end selectively remote from the upper; wherein the additional strap has an inner side and an outer side; an additional first fastener fixed to the outer surface of the body on the first side; wherein the additional first fastener is less elastic than the body; an additional segmented second fastener less elastic than the additional strap and fixed to the inner side of the additional strap; wherein the additional segmented second fastener includes a proximal segment and a distal segment each covering a different portion of the inner side of the additional strap, with the distal segment of the additional segmented second fastener closer to the distal end of the additional strap than the proximal segment of the additional segmented second fastener and spaced apart from the proximal segment along the additional strap; wherein the proximal segment of the additional segmented second fastener has a first end and a second end, and the distal segment of the additional segmented second fastener has a first end and a second end; wherein an exposed portion of the inner side of the additional strap is between the second end of the proximal segment of the additional segmented second fastener and the first end of the distal segment of the additional segmented second fastener; and wherein the additional strap crosses over the body from the second side to the first side and the distal segment of the additional segmented second fastener secures to the additional first fastener, with the inner side of the additional strap facing the outer surface of the body, and with the proximal segment of the additional segmented second fastener against the body on the second side. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The article of footwear of claim 10, wherein the body has an ankle portion, and the laceless fastening system further comprises: an additional fastener fixed to the ankle portion of the body at the first side of the body; a third strap having an anchored end fixed to the ankle portion and having a distal end selectively remote from the upper; wherein the third strap has an inner side and an outer side; and another additional fastener fixed to the inner side of the third strap and that secures to the additional fastener with the third strap wrapping around the ankle portion of the upper from the second side to the first side. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein: the sole structure includes: an outsole; and a midsole attached to the outsole between the upper and the outsole; and the anchored end of the strap is disposed between the midsole and the outsole. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The article of footwear of claim 12, wherein: an end of the first fastener is secured to the sole structure and disposed between the midsole and the outsole. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the strap is a knit material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the body is unrestrained by the strap with the segmented second fastener remote from the first fastener. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the second end of the proximal segment and the first end of the distal segment are non-linear. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the exposed portion is chevron-shaped. ### Claim 18 An article of footwear comprising: an upper having an elastic body and forming a cavity configured to receive a foot; a laceless fastening system for securing the body around the foot including: a first fastener comprising a first strip of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to a lateral side of the body; a strap having a fixed end fixed adjacent to a medial side of the body, and having a free end selectively remote from the upper; a second fastener configured to secure to the first fastener by contact with the first fastener, and the second fastener including: a second strip of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to an inner face of the strap at an expanse selectively remote from the upper, the second strip having a first end and a second end; and a third strip of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to the inner face of the strap at the expanse selectively remote from the upper, nearer to the free end than the second strip, and spaced apart from the second strip along the inner face of the strap, the third strip having a first end and a second end, with the inner face of the strap exposed between the second end of the second strip and the first end of the third strip; wherein: the second strip and the third strip are both either a plurality of hooks or a plurality of loops securable to a plurality of hooks, and the first strip is the other of the plurality of hooks and the plurality of loops; the strap wraps over and across the upper to the lateral side with the inner face of the strap facing the upper, with the second strip overlying the body of the upper on the medial side and partly overlying the first strip, and with the third strip overlying the first strip; and the second strip and the third strip secure to the first strip with the strap stretching in tension between the second strip and the third strip; a sole structure attached to a lower portion of the upper; wherein the fixed end of the strap is fixed to sole structure; and wherein the first end of the second strip is at the fixed end of the amp. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein: the body includes a base material; the strap is a first strap and overlies a midfoot portion of the body to support an arch of a foot received in the cavity with the third strip secured to the first strip; the laceless fastening system further includes: an additional first strip of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to a lateral side of the body forward of the first strip; a second strap spaced forward of the first strap and having a fixed end fixed adjacent to the medial side of the body and having a free end selectively remote from the upper; an additional second strip of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to an inner face of the second strap; an additional third strip of hook-and-loop fastener material secured to the inner face of the second strap nearer the free end of the second strap than the additional second strip and spaced apart from the additional second strip along the inner face of the second strap; the additional second strip and the additional third strip are both a plurality of hooks or a plurality of loops securable to a plurality of hooks, and the additional first strip is the other one of the plurality of hooks and the plurality of loops; the second strap wraps over and across the upper to the lateral side with the inner face of the second strap facing the upper, with the additional second strip overlying the base material on the medial side and partly overlying the additional first strip, and with the additional third strip overlying the additional first strip; and the additional second strip and the additional third strip secure to the additional first strip with the second strap stretching in tension between the additional second strip and the additional third strip, and the second strap overlying a forefoot portion of the body on the medial side.