Encased strobel with cushioning member and method of manufacturing an article of footwear
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsKoosha Aslani, Juliana Flores Baza
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A strobel for an article of footwear may include a casing having a peripheral flange and defining a cavity. The strobel may also include at least one cushioning member disposed in the cavity. An exterior surface of the casing facing away from the cavity may be a foot contact surface of the strobel and the peripheral flange may be configured for connection to a lower perimeter of a footwear upper of an article of footwear. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes securing a peripheral flange of the casing to a lower perimeter of an upper, the upper and the strobel defining a foot-receiving void of the article of footwear, the strobel having at least one cushioning member.
Claims17
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper;
- a strobel including a casing, a first cushioning member, and a second cushioning member, the casing having a peripheral flange and defining a cavity, and the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member disposed in the cavity;
- wherein the casing includes:
- a top sheet having a periphery;
- and
- a bottom sheet having a periphery secured to the periphery of the top sheet of the casing to define the peripheral flange of the casing, and the cavity defined between an inner surface of the top sheet of the casing and an inner surface of the bottom sheet of the casing;
- wherein at least one of the top sheet of the casing or the bottom sheet of the casing includes a textile material;
- wherein the periphery of the bottom sheet of the casing is secured to the periphery of the top sheet of the casing with stitching and without thermal bonds, welds, or adhesive to define the peripheral flange of the casing;
- wherein at least one of the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member is a fluid-filled chamber including a top sheet bonded to a bottom sheet at a cushioning member peripheral flange, the cushioning member peripheral flange entirely inward of the peripheral flange of the casing in the cavity;
- wherein a lower perimeter of the upper is secured to the peripheral flange of the strobel, the upper and the strobel defining a foot-receiving void of the article of footwear;
- and
- wherein an exterior surface of the casing facing away from the cavity is a foot contact surface of the strobel within the foot-receiving void, the article of footwear characterized by the absence of an insole.
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
- forming a strobel by stitching a periphery of a top sheet of a casing of the strobel to a periphery of a bottom sheet of the casing of the strobel to define a peripheral flange of the casing;
- wherein the top sheet of the casing is secured to the bottom sheet of the casing at the peripheral flange by the stitching and without thermal bonds, welds, or adhesive;
- securing the peripheral flange of the casing of the strobel to a lower perimeter of an upper, the upper and the strobel defining a foot-receiving void of the article of footwear, the strobel having a first cushioning member and a second cushioning member, the casing defining a cavity, and the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member disposed in the cavity;
- wherein at least one of the first cushioning member and the second cushioning member is a fluid-filled chamber including a top sheet bonded to a bottom sheet at a cushioning member peripheral flange, the cushioning member peripheral flange entirely inward of the peripheral flange of the casing in the cavity;
- and
- wherein an exterior surface of the casing facing away from the cavity is a foot contact surface of the strobel within the foot-receiving void, the article of footwear characterized by the absence of an insole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.