Article of footwear having a textile upper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9943130-B2
Application number	US-201715684608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2017
Priority date	Mar 3, 2004
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

An article of footwear and a method of manufacturing the article of footwear are disclosed. The footwear may include an upper and a sole structure. The upper incorporates a textile element with edges that are joined together to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot. Various warp or weft knitting processes, including circular knitting, may be utilized to form the textile element. The textile element may be removed from a circular-knit tubular structure having two textile elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, the method comprising:
mechanically-manipulating a yarn with a circular knitting machine to form a cylindrical textile structure, the cylindrical textile structure including a first outline defining a first circular-knitted textile element and a second outline defining a second circular-knitted textile element, wherein the first circular-knitted textile element has a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge each extending from a forefoot region to a heel region of the first circular-knitted textile element and wherein the second circular-knitted textile element has a third longitudinal edge and a fourth longitudinal edge each extending from a forefoot region to a heel region of the second circular-knitted textile element, wherein the first longitudinal edge of the first circular-knitted textile element is aligned with the third longitudinal edge of the second circular-knitted element and wherein the second longitudinal edge of the first circular-knitted textile element is aligned with the fourth longitudinal edge of the second circular-knitted element;
removing at least the first circular-knitted textile element from the cylindrical textile structure; and
incorporating the first circular-knitted textile element into the upper.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second circular-knitted textile elements are each surrounded by the cylindrical textile structure.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein mechanically manipulating the yarn with the circular knitting machine to form the cylindrical textile structure comprises knitting the first and second circular-knitted textile elements and the cylindrical textile structure surrounding the first and second circular-knitted textile elements with a unitary construction.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein incorporating the first circular-knitted textile element into the upper comprises joining together the first and second longitudinal edges to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when in the cylindrical textile structure, the forefoot region of the first circular-knitted textile element is aligned with the forefoot region of the second circular-knitted textile element.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circular knitting machine used to form the cylindrical textile structure is a jacquard double needle-bar raschel knitting machine.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises removing the second circular-knitted textile element from the cylindrical textile structure and incorporating the second circular-knitted textile element into a second upper.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises securing the upper to a sole assembly.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical textile structure has a diameter within a range of approximately ten inches to twenty inches.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first circular-knitted textile element has a substantially planar configuration upon removal from the cylindrical textile structure.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first longitudinal edge and second longitudinal edge of the first circular-knitted textile element are substantially parallel with a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical textile structure.

12. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising:
mechanically-manipulating a yarn with a circular knitting machine to form a cylindrical textile structure, the cylindrical textile structure including a first outline defining a first circular-knitted textile element and a second outline defining a second circular-knitted textile element, wherein the first circular-knitted textile element has a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge each extending from a forefoot region to a heel region of the first circular-knitted textile element and the second circular-knitted textile element has a third longitudinal edge and a fourth longitudinal edge each extending from a forefoot region to a heel region of the second circular-knitted textile element, wherein the first longitudinal edge of the first circular-knitted textile element is aligned with the third longitudinal edge of the second circular-knitted element and wherein the second longitudinal edge of the first circular-knitted textile element is aligned with the fourth longitudinal edge of the second circular-knitted element;
removing at least the first circular-knitted textile element from the cylindrical textile structure;
incorporating the first circular-knitted textile element into the upper; and
securing the upper to a sole assembly.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first and second circular-knitted textile elements are each surrounded by the cylindrical textile structure.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein mechanically manipulating the yarn with the circular knitting machine to form the cylindrical textile structure comprises knitting the first and second circular-knitted textile elements and the cylindrical textile structure surrounding the first and second circular-knitted textile elements with a unitary construction.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein incorporating the first circular-knitted textile element into the upper comprises joining together the first and second longitudinal edges to define at least a portion of a void for receiving a foot.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein, when in the cylindrical textile structure, the forefoot region of the first circular-knitted textile element is aligned with the forefoot region of the second circular-knitted textile element.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the circular knitting machine used to form the cylindrical textile structure is a jacquard double needle-bar raschel knitting machine.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises removing second circular-knitted textile element from the cylindrical textile structure and incorporating the second circular-knitted textile element into a second upper.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the cylindrical textile structure has a diameter within a range of approximately ten inches to twenty inches.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first circular-knitted textile element has a substantially planar configuration upon removal from the cylindrical textile structure.

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Dua Bhupesh
• Thomas Edward Nathaniel

Classifications

• A43B9/02

  Footwear stitched or nailed through · CPC title

• A43D8/02

  Cutting-out (cutting in general B26D, B26F; of leather articles in general C14B5/00) · 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

• A43B23/0275

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

• A43B1/04 Primary

  braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted · CPC title