Woven Footwear Upper With Lockout
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorThomas G. Bell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of the present invention relate to a shoe upper that is formed as a substantially planar woven article with varied functional zones and lockout strands integrated therein. The lockout strands may be integrally incorporated with the woven shoe upper to provide functional characteristics that differ from those characteristics provided by the woven upper. The lockout strands may be effective for transferring a load of a securing mechanism through the woven upper while allowing the woven upper to have a desired degree of elasticity, supper, and/or comfort.
Claims21
A woven shoe upper comprising:
- a plurality of wefts having a first modulus of elasticity;
- a plurality of warps having a second modulus of elasticity;
- a lockout strand having a third modulus of elasticity, the third modulus of elasticity is less than the first modulus of elasticity and less than the second modulus of elasticity, wherein the lockout strand is interwoven with the plurality of warps and the plurality of wefts in the woven upper portion.
A woven shoe upper comprising:
- a lateral side portion having a forefoot edge and a lower edge;
- a medial side portion having a forefoot edge and a lower edge;
- a forefoot opening extending between the lateral side portion forefoot edge and the medial side portion forefoot edge;
- a first lacing mechanism proximate the lateral side portion forefoot edge;
- a second lacing mechanism proximate the medial side portion forefoot edge;
- a first lockout strand extending from the first lacing mechanism toward the lateral side portion lower edge, the first lockout strand interwoven with the lateral side portion;
- and
- a second lockout strand extending from the second lacing mechanism toward the medial side portion lower edge, the second lockout strand interwoven with the medial side portion.
A shoe construction comprising:
- a sole;
- and
- an upper, the upper comprising:
- (1) a medial side portion, the medial side portion comprised of:
- a) a first region extending from a forefoot opening toward the sole, the first region comprised of a lockout strand extending from proximate the forefoot opening toward the sole, the first region having a first modulus of elasticity in a direction of the forefoot opening toward the sole direction;
- b) a second region extending from the forefoot opening toward the sole, the second region having a greater modulus of elasticity than the first region in the direction of the forefoot opening toward the sole direction;
- and
- c) a first aperture extending through the medial side portion proximate the forefoot opening within the first region;
- and
- d) wherein the first region and the second region are integrally coupled sharing a common warp.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.