Article of footwear incorporating a knitted component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924761-B2
Application number	US-201414198679-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2011
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An article of footwear may include an upper incorporating a knitted component. An inlaid strand extends through the knitted component. A combination feeder may be utilized to inlay the strand within the knitted component. As an example, the combination feeder may include a feeder arm that reciprocates between a retracted position and an extended position. In manufacturing the knitted component, the feeder inlays the strand when the feeder arm is in the extended position, and the strand is absent from the knitted component when the feeder arm is in the retracted position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising:
a knit element including at least one yarn that forms a plurality of intermeshed loops, the knit element defining a portion of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper along at least one of a medial side and a lateral side of the upper, the knit element having a configuration of a single textile layer that forms a portion of the exterior surface and the interior surface;
at least one aperture in the exterior surface of the upper and in a throat area of the upper; and
an inlaid strand extending through the plurality of intermeshed loops of the knit element and located within the single textile layer between the exterior surface and the interior surface of the knit element;
wherein the plurality of intermeshed loops form a plurality of courses of the knit element and the inlaid strand extends continuously through at least one of the courses of the knit element while remaining within the single textile layer between the exterior surface and the interior surface, and
wherein the inlaid strand extends continuously from a perimeter edge of the upper, around at least one of the apertures, and back to the perimeter edge of the upper.

2. The upper recited in claim 1 , wherein the knit element extends from a throat area of the upper to a lower area of the upper adjacent to a sole structure on the at least one of the medial side and the lateral side, and the inlaid strand extends from the throat area to the lower area of the upper within the single textile layer between the exterior surface and the interior surface.

3. The upper recited in claim 1 , wherein the knit element defines the aperture in a throat area of the upper, and the inlaid strand extends at least partially around the aperture while remaining between the exterior surface and the interior surface of the single layer of the knit element.

4. The upper recited in claim 3 , wherein one section of the inlaid strand extends upward from a lower area of the upper adjacent to a sole structure to a first side of the aperture, the inlaid strand extends partially around the aperture to an opposite second side of the aperture, and the inlaid strand extends downward from the second side of the aperture to the lower area.

5. The upper recited in claim 4 , wherein the inlaid strand extends upwards from the lower area to the first side of the aperture along a first course of the knit element; and
wherein the inlaid strand extends downwards from the second side of the aperture to the lower area along a second course of the knit element, the second course being different than the first course.

6. The upper recited in claim 5 , wherein the inlaid strand extends partially around the aperture along at least one wale of the knit element.

7. The upper recited in claim 3 , further comprising a lace extending through the aperture.

8. The upper recited in claim 1 , wherein the knit element includes a peripheral edge disposed along the at least one of the medial side and the lateral side of the upper; and
wherein the inlaid strand exits a first course of the knit element at a first location along the peripheral edge and enters a second course of the knit element at a second location along the peripheral edge.

9. The upper recited in claim 1 , wherein the inlaid strand has a greater stretch resistance than the knit element.

10. The upper recited in claim 1 , wherein the inlaid strand has a greater thickness than yarns forming the knit element.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Huffa Bruce
• Dua Bhupesh
• Shaffer Benjamin A

Classifications

• D04B15/56

  for flat-bed knitting machines · CPC title

• A43C5/00

  Eyelets (machines for setting eyelets A43D100/00) · CPC title

• D10B2403/032

  Flat fabric of variable width, e.g. including one or more fashioned panels · CPC title

• A43B23/0265

  having different properties in different directions · CPC title

• A43B3/0078

  provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration (A43B23/24 takes precedence) · CPC title