Article of footwear with braided upper
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorROBERT M. BRUCE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of footwear includes a braided upper comprised of a unitary braided structure. The unitary braided structure of the braided upper may be engineered with specific features tailored to particular activities. Different regions of the upper may have different braided configurations. For example, higher braid densities may be used in specific areas of the footwear to provide additional structural support or compression. Also, strands of a different material may be incorporated in different regions of the braided upper to provide specific properties to the footwear in those areas.
Claims20
An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
- a unitary braided structure forming at least a forefoot region and a midfoot region of the upper,
- wherein the unitary braided structure comprises a first density of braids forming at least a portion of the midfoot region and at least a portion of the forefoot region,
- wherein the unitary braided structure further comprises a first band of a second density of braids and a second band of the second density of braids, the first band and the second band each extending across a width of the upper and intersecting in an instep of the upper, and
- wherein the second density of braids is higher than the first density of braids.
An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
- a unitary braided structure forming at least a forefoot region and a midfoot region, the midfoot region comprising an apex between a lateral side of the upper and a medial side of the upper;
- wherein the unitary braided structure comprises a first density of braids forming at least a portion of the midfoot region and at least a portion of the forefoot region,
- wherein the unitary braided structure further comprises a first band of a second density of braids and a second band of the second density of braids, the first band and the second band each extending from the lateral side of the upper to the medial side of the upper;
- wherein the first band and the second band intersect at the apex of the midfoot region;
- and
- wherein the second density of braids is higher than the first density of braids.
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper comprising a unitary braided structure forming at least a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region of the upper;
- and
- a sole structure secured to the upper,
- wherein the unitary braided structure comprises a first density of braids forming at least a portion of the midfoot region and at least a portion of the forefoot region,
- wherein the unitary braided structure further comprises a first band of a second density of braids and a second band of the second density of braids, the first band and the second band each extending across a width of the upper and intersecting in an instep of the upper;
- and
- wherein the second density of braids is higher than the first density of braids.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.