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US 11,758,972 B2Granted
Footwear article with collar elevator
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsTimothy P. Hopkins, Andrew A. Owings, Haley Toelle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A footwear article includes a collar elevator to raise an ankle collar from a lowered position to a raised position. For example, the ankle collar may be lowered when a wearer slides a foot into or out of the footwear article. The collar elevator may include a forwardly inclined angle. In addition, the footwear article may include a doffing ledge, in some instances, which includes characteristics based on the forwardly inclined angle.
Claims8
A footwear article comprising:
- a sole;
- an upper coupled to the sole and comprising an ankle collar that is movable between a lowered state positioned closer to the sole and a raised state positioned farther from the sole, the upper including an exterior layer and an inner lining;
- and
- a collar elevator operable to return the ankle collar from the lowered state to the raised state, the collar elevator comprising:
- a medial lever arm;
- a lateral lever arm;
- a center connecting band that couples the medial lever arm to the lateral lever arm and that is located near a rear portion of the ankle collar, wherein, at an intersection with a longitudinal midline reference plane, the center connecting band comprises a rectangular-shaped cross section having a length in a superior-inferior orientation;
- and
- a base that is affixed at a first junction to the medial lever arm and at a second junction to the lateral lever arm, the base continuously extending from the first junction, around a backside of the footwear article, to the second junction, wherein the medial lever arm, the lateral lever arm, the center connecting band, and the base comprise a uniform thickness between an inner side facing towards a foot receiving cavity and an outer side facing away from the foot receiving cavity;
- wherein the center connecting band comprises an anterior material layer affixed to a posterior material layer;
- wherein the anterior material layer and the posterior material layer are affixed face-to-face without a space between the anterior material layer and the posterior material layer;
- and wherein the anterior material layer and the posterior material layer each extend the length of the center connecting band.
9 more elements
A footwear article comprising a collar elevator, the collar elevator comprising:
- a deformable element comprising:
- a base having a first base end, a second base end, and a base thickness between a base first side and a base second side;
- a first lever arm attached to the first base end at a first junction of the base and the first lever arm, the first lever arm comprising a first-lever-arm thickness between a first-lever-arm first side and a first-lever-arm second side;
- a second lever arm attached to the second end at a second junction of the base and the second lever arm, the second lever arm comprising a second-lever-arm thickness between a second-lever-arm first side and a second-lever-arm second side;
- and
- a center connecting band that couples the first lever arm to the second lever arm and that comprises a center-connecting-band thickness between a center-connecting-band first side and a center-connecting-band second side, wherein:
- the base thickness, the first-lever-arm thickness, the second-lever-arm thickness, and the center-connecting-band thickness comprise a uniform thickness;
- the center connecting band comprises an anterior material layer affixed face-to-face with a posterior material layer without a space between the anterior material layer and the posterior material layer;
- in a respective cross section, which is relative to a longitudinal midline reference plane of the footwear article, the center connecting band includes a shape that is symmetrical relative to a longitudinal reference axis of the center connecting band and that includes a length larger than a width;
- the anterior material layer and the posterior material layer extend an entirety of the length;
- and
- the deformable element is operable to return an ankle collar of the footwear from a lowered state to a raised state.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.