Article of footwear with a ball contacting surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9839254-B2
Application number	US-201414455961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2014
Priority date	Apr 7, 2010
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

An article of footwear with a ball contacting surface is disclosed. The ball contacting surface includes a raised peak member at the top and gripping members along a medial side. The ball contacting surface enhances the ability of a wearer to kick a ball with a low trajectory and to control the ball.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article of footwear, comprising an upper including a forefoot region, a heel region, and a midfoot region disposed between the forefoot region and the heel region; a ball contacting surface disposed over an exterior surface of a vamp portion of the upper of the article of footwear, the ball contacting surface including a raised peak member disposed at a top of the vamp portion of the upper adjacent to an entry hole for receiving a foot within the upper; the ball contacting surface comprising a plurality of padded members disposed over a first portion of the vamp portion; and wherein the plurality of padded members includes at least one first padded member having a first height associated with a height of the raised peak member and at least one second padded member having a second height that is smaller than the first height; wherein the plurality of padded members further includes at least one third padded member having a third height, the third height being smaller than the first height;
wherein the third height is smaller than the second height;
wherein the raised peak member diminishes from the first height of the at least one first padded member to the second height of the at least one second padded member that is smaller than the first height following a first contour along a longitudinal axis in the direction of the forefoot region;
wherein the raised peak member diminishes from the first height to the third height of the at least one third padded member that is smaller than the first height following a second contour along a lateral axis in the direction of a medial side of the article of footwear;
wherein the first contour and the second contour converge together at an apex of the raised peak member; and
wherein the raised peak member defines a wedge shape formed by a graduated increase in thickness of the plurality of padded members.

2. The article of footwear according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one second padded member is disposed closer to the forefoot region of the upper than the at least one first padded member in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the article of footwear.

3. The article of footwear according to claim 1 , wherein the ball contacting surface further comprises a plurality of gripping members disposed over a second portion of the vamp portion, the second portion being different than the first portion.

4. The article of footwear according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of gripping members is disposed over the medial side in the midfoot region of the upper of the article of footwear.

5. The article of footwear according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of gripping members comprises a tactile material applied onto the exterior surface of the upper of the article of footwear.

6. An article of footwear, comprising: an upper having an exterior surface and an opposite interior surface defining a void for receiving a foot; a sole attached to the upper; a ball contacting surface disposed over a vamp portion of the exterior surface of the upper; the ball contacting surface comprising a first portion including a raised peak member and a second portion disposed on a medial side of the upper; wherein the raised peak member is disposed at a top of the first portion of the vamp portion adjacent to an entry hole for receiving the foot within the void; wherein the second portion of the vamp portion includes a plurality of gripping members disposed across the exterior surface of the upper on the medial side; wherein the raised peak member is defined by a plurality of padded members located on the top of the first portion of the vamp portion of the upper; wherein the raised peak member diminishes from a first height of at least one first padded member of the plurality of padded members to a second height of at least one second padded member of the plurality of padded members that is smaller than the first height following a first contour along a longitudinal axis in a direction of a forefoot region;
wherein the raised peak member diminishes from the first height to a third height of at least one third padded member of the plurality of padded members that is smaller than the first height following a second contour along a lateral axis in a direction of the medial side of the article of footwear;
wherein the first contour and the second contour converge together at an apex of the raised peak member; and
wherein the raised peak member defines a wedge shape formed by a graduated increase in thickness of the plurality of padded members.

7. The article of footwear according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of padded members comprises a padding material disposed below the ball contacting surface so that the padded members extend above and away from the exterior surface of the upper.

8. The article of footwear according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of gripping members comprises a tactile material disposed on the exterior surface of the upper.

9. The article of footwear according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of padded members and the plurality of gripping members has a hexagonal shape.

10. The article of footwear according to claim 6 , wherein the article of footwear further comprises a shoe fastening system that is offset to a lateral side of the upper.

11. The article of footwear according to claim 10 , wherein the shoe fastening system comprises at least a tongue, a lace, and a tongue opening, the tongue opening being disposed between the ball contacting surface on the medial side of the upper and the lateral side of the upper.

12. The article of footwear according to claim 11 , wherein the shoe fastening system includes at least one eyelet located in the ball contacting surface that is disposed through the exterior surface of the upper and is configured to receive the lace.

13. The article of footwear according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one eyelet is disposed near an outer periphery of the ball contacting surface on the medial side.

14. The article of footwear according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one eyelet is disposed behind the raised peak member along a longitudinal axis of the article of footwear in a direction towards a heel region of the upper.

15. An article of footwear, comprising: an upper having a medial side and a lateral side; a shoe fastening system disposed on the upper, the shoe fastening system comprising at least a tongue, a lace, and a tongue opening; a ball contacting surface disposed over an exterior of the article of footwear, including at least a portion of the medial side of the upper, the ball contacting surface comprising a raised overlay material and a lower substrate material; wherein the raised overlay material is substantially continuous across the portion of the medial side of the upper; the lower substrate material forming a plurality of hollows between portions of the raised overlay material; wherein the tongue opening of the shoe fastening system is offset towards the lateral side of the upper; wherein an outer periphery of the ball contacting surface includes at least one eyelet for receiving the lace, the at least one eyelet being disposed through the lower substrate material within one of the hollows between portions of the raised overlay material; wherein the raised overlay material forms a raised peak member that defines a wedge shape formed by a graduated increase in thickness of the raised overlay material;
wherein the raised peak member diminishes from a first height of the raised overlay material at a first hollow to a second height of the raised overlay material at a second hollow that is smal

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Stauffer Morgan
• Eder Collin K
• Fahmi Windra
• Mermet Sebastien

Classifications

• A43B5/00 Primary

  Footwear for sporting purposes (non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00) · CPC title

• A43B5/025 Primary

  characterised by an element which improves the contact between the ball and the footwear · CPC title

• A43B23/0265

  having different properties in different directions · CPC title

• A43B23/0205

  characterised by the material (material of the lining A43B23/07, material of toe stiffeners or heel stiffeners A43B23/08) · CPC title

• A43B23/0225

  Composite materials, e.g. material with a matrix · CPC title