Footwear article capable of hands-free donning
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsTimothy P. Hopkins, Austin J. Orand, Aaron B. Weast, Peter P. Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A footwear article includes a collar elevator that is conducive to hands-free donning to secure the wearer's foot during wear. A footwear article capable of hands-free donning includes a sole and an upper having a heel region. The upper includes an inner material layer and an outer material layer. The footwear article also includes a collar elevator positioned between the inner material layer and the outer material layer in the heel region. The collar elevator, in an example, comprises a strand-receiving aperture through which a stitch extends attaching the collar elevator to the upper.
Claims26
A footwear article capable of hands-free donning, comprising:
- a sole;
- an upper having a heel region, the upper comprising an inner material layer and an outer material layer;
- and
- a collar elevator positioned between the inner material layer and the outer material layer in the heel region, wherein the collar elevator comprises:
- a first half on a medial side of a longitudinal midline reference plane of the footwear article;
- a second half on a lateral side of the longitudinal midline reference plane;
- an outer face oriented towards the outer material layer and an inner face oriented towards the inner material layer;
- a central portion aligned with the longitudinal midline reference plane, the central portion comprising a first recess in the outer face and a second recess in the inner face;
- and
- a strand-receiving aperture through which a stitch extends attaching the collar elevator to at least the inner material layer of the upper, the strand-receiving aperture extending through the first recess and the second recess.
A footwear article capable of hands-free donning, the footwear article comprising:
- a sole;
- an upper having a heel region, the upper comprising an inner material layer and an outer material layer, and the upper comprising an ankle collar;
- and
- an intermediate element that is positioned between the inner material layer and the outer material layer in the heel region and that is configured to prevent the ankle collar from collapsing inward during donning,
- wherein the intermediate element comprises a top portion that extends in an arc around a back side of the heel region from a first position on a medial side of the heel region to a second position on a lateral side of the heel region;
- wherein the first position is below a strobel of the footwear article and the second position is below the strobel;
- wherein the intermediate element comprises an outer face oriented towards the outer material layer and an inner face oriented towards the inner material layer;
- wherein the outer face comprises a first recessed portion aligned with a longitudinal midline reference plane of the footwear article and the inner face comprises a second recessed portion aligned with the longitudinal midline reference plane;
- and
- wherein the intermediate element comprises a strand-receiving aperture through which a stitch extends attaching the intermediate element to the inner material layer of the upper, wherein the strand-receiving aperture extends through the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.