Article of footwear having talonavicular support
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsShane S. Kohatsu, Paul J. Francis, Andrea M. Vinet, Michael S. Amos, Thomas Foxen, Lysandre Follet, Troy C. Lindner, John Hurd
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of footwear includes a navicular support structure on a medial side. The navicular support structure includes a non-stretch, tensioned material that reduces an interior volume of the upper of the article of footwear and redirects applied forces from the midfoot region of the article of footwear to other regions, such as the forefoot region.
Claims25
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper;
- a sole structure attached to the upper so that the sole structure forms a lower surface of the article of footwear;
- and
- a navicular support structure, wherein the navicular support structure includes a frame and a pre-sprung material, wherein the frame extends from a point on the lower surface of the sole structure of the article of footwear to a point on a medial sidewall of the upper in the midfoot portion of the article of footwear, the pre-sprung material extends between a heel-side upwardly-extending portion of the frame and a forefoot-side upwardly-extending portion of the frame, and the pre-sprung material curves inward towards a lateral side of the article of footwear between the heel-side upwardly-extending portion and the forefoot-side upwardly-extending portion.
An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper made of a first material having a first stretch resistance and a first material rigidity;
- a sole structure associated with the upper, wherein the sole structure is made from a second material;
- a frame that extends from the sole structure to the upper, wherein the frame is made of a third material having a second material rigidity;
- and
- a pre-sprung material surrounded by the frame, wherein the pre-sprung material has a second stretch-resistance,
- wherein the first stretch resistance is less than the second stretch resistance,
- wherein the third material rigidity is greater than the first material rigidity, and
- wherein the pre-sprung material extends between a heel-side upwardly-extending portion of the frame and a forefoot-side upwardly-extending portion of the frame, and the pre-sprung material curves inward from a medial side of the article of footwear towards a lateral side of the article of footwear between the heel-side upwardly-extending portion and the forefoot-side upwardly-extending portion.
An article of footwear having a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region, the article of footwear comprising:
- an upper;
- a sole structure attached to the upper;
- a support assembly disposed in the midfoot region, the support assembly comprising a frame defining an aperture and a pre-sprung material disposed in the aperture,
- wherein the frame extends from a position on the sole structure to a position on a medial side in a midfoot portion of the upper,
- wherein the support assembly is configured to transfer force from the midfoot region to the forefoot region, and
- wherein the pre-sprung material extends between a heel-side upwardly-extending portion of the frame and a forefoot-side upwardly-extending portion of the frame, and the pre-sprung material curves inward towards a lateral side of the article of footwear between the heel-side upwardly-extending portion and the forefoot-side upwardly-extending portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.