Upper and shoe including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12440000-B2
Application number	US-202118272976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2021
Priority date	Jan 21, 2021
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

An upper includes an upper body covering the instep of a foot. An upper body includes a first layer, a second layer disposed with a gap from the first layer, and a third layer connecting the first layer and the second layer. A part of the upper body is disposed with a low stiffness region having lower stiffness than an adjacent region. At least a part of the low stiffness region has a point in which the third layer is not disposed. A plurality of holes is disposed in at least a part of a portion of the first layer and the second layer of the low stiffness region corresponding to the point in which the third layer is not disposed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upper comprising
an upper body covering an instep of a foot, wherein
the upper body includes a first layer, a second layer disposed with a gap from the first layer, and a third layer connecting the first layer and the second layer,
the upper body includes a standard region, a non-hole region having a lower stiffness than the standard region, and a low stiffness region having a lower stiffness than the non-hole region,
the first layer and the second layer have no hole in the standard region,
the third layer is not disposed in the non-hole region,
the first layer and the second layer have no hole in the non-hole region,
the third layer is not disposed in the low stiffness region,
at least one hole is disposed in each of the first layer and the second layer in the low stiffness region, and
the at least one hole in the first layer and the at least one hole in the second layer are disposed at a corresponding position in the low stiffness region.

2. The upper according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one hole in the first layer and the at least one hole in the second layer have a same shape.

3. The upper according to claim 1 , wherein a shape of the at least one hole in the first layer and the at least one hole in the second layer are a circle, an ellipse, or a 2n-polygon (n is an integer of 2 or more).

4. The upper according to claim 1 , wherein
the upper body includes an upper forefoot portion adapted to cover a forefoot of the foot, and
the low stiffness region includes a first low stiffness region disposed in the upper forefoot portion.

5. The upper according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one hole in the first layer includes a plurality of holes disposed with a space from each other in a front-rear direction and a foot width direction, and
a total opening area of the plurality of holes in a center portion of the upper body in the foot width direction is larger than a total opening area of the plurality of holes in a side face portion of the upper body in the foot width direction.

6. The upper according to claim 4 , wherein
the first low stiffness region includes a plurality of first holes disposed side by side in a front-rear direction and a foot width direction, and
a shape of the plurality of first holes is a rhombus.

7. The upper according to claim 4 , wherein
the upper body includes an upper midfoot portion covering a midfoot of the foot, and
the low stiffness region includes a second low stiffness region disposed in the upper midfoot portion.

8. The upper according to claim 7 , wherein a point in which the third layer is disposed and a point in which the third layer is not disposed are alternately disposed in the second low stiffness region along a foot width direction.

9. The upper according to claim 7 , wherein
the second low stiffness region includes a plurality of second holes disposed side by side in a front-rear direction and in a foot width direction, and
a shape of the second holes is a square or a rectangle.

10. The upper according to claim 1 , wherein
the third layer includes a plurality of linear bodies, and
a density of the plurality of linear bodies in the third layer increases from one side to the other side in a front-rear direction.

11. The upper according to claim 1 , wherein the upper body is disposed of a single material.

12. A shoe comprising: the upper according to claim 1 ; and a sole positioned below the upper.

Assignees

• Asics Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Chihaya
• Yano Seiji
• Nakamura Hiroki
• Abe Satoru
• Takamasu Sho

Classifications

• A43B7/08

  with air-holes, with or without closures · CPC title

• A43B1/04

  braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted · CPC title

• A43B23/027

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

• A43B23/024

  Different layers of the same material · CPC title

• A43B23/0245 Primary

  characterised by the constructive form · CPC title