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US 11,896,086 B2Granted
Article of footwear with external support member
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorDeVonne DeVoe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article of footwear includes a dynamic support member that provides support to a foot. The support member is external to the article. The support member provides dynamic support by tightening around the foot when a user applies a strong enough force against a base portion of the support member. The support member includes several lateral gaps that facilitate increased flexibility for some portions of the support member.
Claims19
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper having an outer surface;
- and
- a support member including (i) a base portion extending from a medial side of the upper to a lateral side of the upper and defining a convex surface facing the outer surface of the upper in a forefoot region of the upper when the base portion is in an unloaded state, (ii) a first side portion extending around the upper and defining a first side axis extending from the base portion to a first side upper edge at the medial side, and (iii) a second side portion extending around the upper and defining a second side axis extending from the base portion to a second side upper edge at the lateral side, the first side axis and the second side axis being continuously convergent with one another in a direction extending away from the base portion.
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper having an outer surface;
- and
- a support member including (i) a base portion extending from a medial side of the upper to a lateral side of the upper and defining a concave surface facing away from the outer surface of the upper in a forefoot region of the upper when the base portion is in an unloaded state, (ii) a first side portion defining a first side axis extending from the base portion to a first side upper edge at the medial side, and (iii) a second side portion defining a second side axis extending from the base portion to a second side upper edge at the lateral side, the first side axis and the second side axis extending continuously toward one another in a direction extending away from the base portion and over the forefoot region of the upper.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.