Article of footwear with accessory system and accessory kit for an article of footwear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11659895-B2
Application number	US-202016943269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2020
Priority date	Oct 30, 2019
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

An article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The article of footwear may further include an accessory system that includes at least one ornamentation selectively securable to and removable from one or both of the upper or the sole structure. The one or more ornamentations may partially cover a contoured outer surface of the upper when secured to one or both of the upper or the sole structure but may be relatively flat when not secured to the upper or the sole structure. An accessory kit and a method of manufacturing the article of footwear includes securing first fastener components to the upper or sole structure and providing ornamentations with second fastener components releasably securable to the first fastener components and arranged in the same spatial arrangement when so secured.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article of footwear comprising:
an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper; and
an accessory system including at least one ornamentation selectively securable to and removable from one or both of the sole structure or the upper, the at least one ornamentation partially covering a contoured outer surface of the upper when secured to the article of footwear;
wherein the at least one ornamentation is configured to flex from a first shape to a contoured shape when secured to one or both of the sole structure or the upper, the first shape being relatively flat as compared to the contoured shape and the contoured shape following the contoured outer surface of the upper;
wherein the accessory system includes a plurality of fasteners, the fasteners including first fastener components and second fastener components, the first fastener components fixed directly to one or both of the sole structure or the upper and the second fastener components fixed to and extending through the at least one ornamentation and configured to fasten to the first fastener components to secure the at least one ornamentation to one or both of the sole structure or the upper; and
wherein the at least one ornamentation includes multiple ornamentations, each of the multiple ornamentations selectively securable to and removable from one or both of the sole structure or the upper independently of one another without securing or removing any other of the multiple ornamentations from the one or both of the sole structure or the upper, each partially covering a different respective contoured outer surface of the upper when secured to one or both of the sole structure or the upper, and at least some of the multiple ornamentations having different shapes.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ornamentation includes a webbed base.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein:
the webbed base includes a plurality of strands interconnected at nodes; and
the at least one ornamentation further includes embellishments secured to the webbed base at the nodes and exposed at an outer side of the webbed base.

4. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein:
the first fastener components are arranged in a first spatial arrangement on the sole structure and the upper; and
the second fastener components are arranged in a second spatial arrangement on the at least one ornamentation, the second spatial arrangement matching the first spatial arrangement when the at least one ornamentation is disposed on the contoured outer surface of the upper.

5. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein a first set of the first fastener components are fixed directly to the sole structure and a second set of the first fastener components are fixed directly to the upper.

6. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein a first group of the fasteners includes magnetic fasteners or snaps and a second group of the fasteners includes threaded fasteners.

7. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ornamentation wraps from a medial side to a lateral side of the upper when secured to the upper or the sole structure.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple ornamentations includes a webbed base, the webbed base of at least one of the multiple ornamentations overlapping the webbed base of at least one other of the multiple ornamentations when the multiple ornamentations are secured to one or both of the sole structure or the upper.

9. An accessory kit for an article of footwear, the accessory kit comprising:
at least one ornamentation selectively directly securable to and removable from at least one of an upper or a sole structure of the article of footwear by a fastener component extending through the at least one ornamentation, the at least one ornamentation partially covering a contoured outer surface of the upper of the article of footwear when secured to the article of footwear;
wherein the at least one ornamentation is configured to flex from a first shape to a contoured shape when secured to the article of footwear, the first shape being relatively flat as compared to the contoured shape and the contoured shape following the contoured outer surface of the upper; and
wherein the at least one ornamentation includes multiple different ornamentations each selectively securable to and removable from the article of footwear independently of one another without securing or removing any other of the multiple different ornamentations from the one or both of the sole structure or the upper, each partially covering a different respective contoured outer surface of the upper when secured to the article of footwear, and at least some of the multiple different ornamentations having a different shape.

10. The accessory kit of claim 9 , further comprising:
a tool configured to secure the at least one ornamentation to the article of footwear.

11. The accessory kit of claim 9 , wherein each of the multiple different ornamentations includes:
a webbed base including a plurality of strands interconnected at nodes; and
embellishments secured to the webbed base at the nodes and exposed at an outer side of the webbed base.

12. An article of footwear comprising:
an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper; and
an accessory system including at least one ornamentation selectively securable to and removable from one or both of the sole structure or the upper, the at least one ornamentation partially covering a contoured outer surface of the upper when secured to the article of footwear;
wherein the at least one ornamentation is configured to flex from a first shape to a contoured shape when secured to one or both of the sole structure or the upper, the first shape being relatively flat as compared to the contoured shape and the contoured shape following the contoured outer surface of the upper;
wherein the accessory system includes a plurality of fasteners, the fasteners including first fastener components and second fastener components, the first fastener components fixed directly to one or both of the sole structure or the upper and the second fastener components fixed to and extending through the at least one ornamentation and configured to fasten to the first fastener components to secure the at least one ornamentation to one or both of the sole structure or the upper; and
wherein a first set of the first fastener components are fixed directly to the sole structure and a second set of the first fastener components are fixed directly to the upper.

13. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein the at least one ornamentation includes a webbed base.

14. The article of footwear of claim 13 , wherein:
the webbed base includes a plurality of strands interconnected at nodes; and
the at least one ornamentation further includes embellishments secured to the webbed base at the nodes and exposed at an outer side of the webbed base.

15. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein:
the first fastener components are arranged in a first spatial arrangement on the sole structure and the upper; and
the second fastener components are arranged in a second spatial arrangement on the at least one ornamentation, the second spatial arrangement matching the first spatial arrangement when the at least one ornamentation is disposed on the contoured outer surface of the upper.

16. The article of footwear of claim 12 , wherein a first group of the fasteners includes magnetic fasteners or snaps and a second group of the fasteners includes threaded fasteners.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Gerig Kristina

Classifications

• A43D8/16

  Ornamentation (by creasing A43D8/44; of leather in general C14B1/56) · CPC title

• A43B23/24 Primary

  Ornamental buckles; Other ornaments for shoes without fastening function · CPC title

• A43C19/00

  Attachments for footwear, not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title