Woven planar footwear upper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10342289-B2
Application number	US-201314139262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to a shoe upper that is formed as a substantially planar article with varied functional zones integrated therein. The varied functional zones may be strategically positioned zones having varied degrees of stretch. Additionally, it is contemplated that the functional zones may provide dimensional variation (e.g., thickness) and/or permeability (e.g., breathability) characteristics. The substantially planar upper may then be formed into a three-dimensional upper having a volume that may be occupied by a wearer's foot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A woven substantially-planar shoe upper comprising:
a woven first side portion extending from a first coupling edge at a heel end towards a toe end and also extending from an upper edge towards a first side edge, the upper edge defining, in part, a forefoot opening and an ankle opening into an interior of the shoe upper portion when the shoe upper portion is formed as a non-planar shoe upper;
a woven second side portion extending from the heel end towards the toe end and also extending from the upper edge towards a second side edge, the second side portion and the woven first side portion form, in part, a medial side and a lateral side of the shoe upper portion when the shoe upper portion is formed as a non-planar shoe upper;
a woven toe region extending between the woven first side portion at the toe end and the second side portion at the toe end, the toe region also extending towards the upper edge forming a toe end of the forefoot opening;
a woven heel region extending from an ankle edge to a heel sole edge and also extending between the heel end of the second side portion and a second coupling edge; and
the woven first side portion seamlessly coupled with the toe region, the toe region seamlessly coupled with the woven second side portion, and the woven second side portion seamlessly coupled with the heel region, wherein the woven first side portion, the woven second side portion, the toe portion, and the heel portion are substantially planar, wherein the woven first side portion is further comprised of a first side sole flap, the first side sole flap having a length extending between the toe region and the heel region when the shoe upper is formed in a non-planar manner; and
an integrally formed stretch portion defined by a convergence of the woven first side portion and the first side sole flap, the integrally formed stretch portion having a lower modulus of elasticity than the woven first side portion, and wherein the integrally formed stretch portion increases the ease of transforming the woven substantially-planar shoe upper into a three-dimensional structure.

2. The shoe upper of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the woven first side portion is formed with a first weaving technique and the integrally formed stretch portion is formed with a second weaving technique that is different than the first weaving technique.

3. The shoe upper of claim 1 , wherein each of the woven first side portion and the woven second side portion is comprised of a first functional region and a second functional region, the first functional region is comprised of a material that is not utilized in the second functional region.

4. The shoe upper of claim 1 , wherein the woven first side portion further comprises:
a first portion extending from proximate the upper edge toward the first side edge; and
a second portion, wherein the first portion has a lower modulus of elasticity than the second portion.

5. The shoe upper portion of claim 4 further comprising a lacing mechanism, wherein the lacing mechanism is proximate the upper edge in the first portion.

6. The shoe upper of claim 1 , wherein the toe region is further comprised of an integrally formed first region and an integrally formed second region, the first region having a greater modulus of elasticity than the second region.

7. The shoe upper of claim 1 , wherein the heel region is comprised of a dimensional zone.

8. The shoe upper of claim 7 , wherein the dimensional zone is formed, at least in part, with a weaving technique that deposits filler yarns to generate thickness at the dimensional zone.

9. The shoe upper of claim 1 further comprising:
a first sole flap extending from the woven first side portion outwardly towards a first flap edge; and
a second sole flap extending from the woven second side portion outwardly towards a second flap edge.

10. The shoe upper of claim 9 , wherein the first flap edge is coupled with the second flap edge and the first coupling edge is coupled with the second coupling edge forming a three dimensional article comprised of an ankle opening and a forefoot opening.

11. A woven shoe upper comprising:
a woven heel portion having an ankle edge and an opposite heel sole edge, the heel portion comprised of a dimensional portion, a stretch portion, and a non-stretch portion, the dimensional portion has a thickness greater than the stretch portion and the non-stretch portion, wherein the dimensional portion, the stretch portion, and the non-stretch portion are integrally formed;
a woven toe portion having a forefoot edge and an opposite toe sole edge, the toe portion comprised of a stretch portion and a non-stretch portion, the stretch portion and the non-stretch portion integrally formed;
a woven medial side portion extending between the heel portion and the toe portion on a medial side of the shoe upper, the woven medial side portion having a first upper edge and an opposite medial sole edge, wherein the woven medial side portion is further comprised of a first side sole flap, the first side sole flap having a length extending between the woven toe region and the woven heel region when the shoe upper is formed in a non-planar manner;
a woven lateral side portion extending between the heel portion and the toe portion on a lateral side of the shoe upper, the woven lateral side portion having a first upper edge and an opposite lateral sole edge, wherein the woven lateral side portion is further comprised of a second side sole flap, the second side sole flap having a length extending between the toe region and the heel region when the shoe upper is formed in a non-planar manner; and
a first integrally formed stretch portion positioned at a convergence of the woven medial side portion and the first side sole flap, and a second integrally formed stretch portion defined by a convergence of the woven lateral side portion and the second side sole flap, wherein the first integrally formed stretch portion increases the ease of transforming the woven shoe upper into a three-dimensional structure, and wherein the first integrally formed stretch portion has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first side sole flap.

12. The shoe upper of claim 11 , wherein the woven medial side portion is further comprised of a non-stretch portion extending from the medial upper edge towards the medial sole edge, the first integrally formed stretch portion having a lower modulus of elasticity than the non-stretch portion.

13. The shoe upper of claim 12 further comprising a plurality of lacing mechanisms proximate the medial upper edge, wherein the non-stretch portion of the woven medial side portion extends from each of the plurality of lacing mechanisms towards the medial sole edge.

14. The shoe upper of claim 11 , wherein the heel region is seamlessly coupled with one of the woven medial side portion or the woven lateral side portion and the heel region is mechanically coupled with the other of the woven medial side portion or the woven lateral side portion.

15. The shoe upper of claim 11 , wherein the medial sole edge is coupled with the lateral sole edge.

16. The shoe upper of claim 11 further comprising a breathability region proximate the toe portion.

17. 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 towards the sole;
b) a second region extending from the forefoot opening toward the first region, the second region having a greater modulus of elastic

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Bell Thomas G

Classifications

• A43B23/027

  with a part of the upper particularly flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion · CPC title

• D03D13/002

  With diagonal warps or wefts · CPC title

• A43B23/02

  Uppers; Boot legs · CPC title

• D10B2501/043

  Footwear · CPC title

• A43B23/0275

  with a part of the upper particularly rigid, e.g. resisting articulation or torsion · CPC title