Patent Application
20180125154
Conventional articles of athletic footwear may include two primary elements: an upper and a sole structure. The upper may be generally formed from a plurality of elements (e.g., textiles, foam, leather, synthetic leather) that are stitched or adhesively bonded together to form an interior void for securely and comfortably receiving a foot. The sole structure may incorporate multiple layers that are conventionally referred to as a sockliner, a midsole, and an outsole. The sockliner may be a thin, compressible member located within the void of the upper and adjacent to a plantar (i.e., lower) surface of the foot to enhance comfort. The midsole may be secured to the upper and form a middle layer of the sole structure that attenuates ground reaction forces during walking, running, or other ambulatory activities. The outsole may form a ground-contacting element of the footwear and usually may be fashioned from a durable and wear-resistant rubber material that includes texturing to impart traction.
The primary material forming many conventional midsoles may be a polymer foam, such as polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate. In some articles of footwear, the midsole may also incorporate a sealed and fluid-filled chamber that increases durability of the footwear and enhances ground reaction force attenuation of the sole structure. The fluid-filled chamber may be at least partially encapsulated within the polymer foam, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,001 to Potter, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,951 to Rapaport, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,132,032 to Tawney, et al., each of which is herein incorporated by reference. In other footwear configurations, the fluid-filled chamber may substantially replace the polymer foam, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,180 to Dojan, et al., also herein incorporated by reference. In general, the fluid-filled chambers may be formed from an elastomeric polymer material that is sealed and pressurized, but may also be substantially unpressurized. In some configurations, textile or foam tensile members may be located within the chamber or reinforcing structures and may be bonded to an exterior surface of the chamber to impart shape to or retain an intended shape of the chamber.
Articles of footwear having an upper or other component with structural elements formed of threads have also been previously proposed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,574,818 and 7,546,698 to Meschter, each of which is herein incorporated by reference, disclose articles of footwear having an upper with thread structural elements. The thread sections may be positioned to provide structural elements that restrict stretch in directions corresponding with longitudinal axes of the thread sections.
An article of footwear comprising a structural harness and fluid-filled chamber arrangement may provide various advantageous features, such as increased stability, shock absorption, and compression control features. Consistent with an embodiment, an article of footwear is provided, comprising an upper; a sole structure comprising a lateral side portion, an opposite medial side portion, a top portion proximate the upper, and an opposite bottom portion, the sole structure being secured to the upper and including an impact-attenuating structure comprising at least one fluid-filled chamber; and a structural harness extending between the upper and the impact-attenuating structure in a tensile arrangement, the structural harness biasing the impact-attenuating structure toward the upper.
Consistent with an embodiment, the structural harness may include a first base layer and a thread layer bonded to the first base layer. For example, a second base layer may be bonded to the thread layer on an opposite side of the thread layer from the first base layer. The thread layer may include a plurality of threads configured to transmit tensile forces longitudinally and restrict stretch in a longitudinal direction of the threads. The structural harness may be bonded to various portions of the fluid-filled chamber, such as side portions and/or bottom portions of the chamber.
Also consistent with an embodiment, an article of footwear is provided, comprising, an upper; a sole structure secured to the upper; and an expansion-limited gas spring, comprising: at least one gas-filled chamber integrated with the sole structure; and an expansion-limiter disposed outside of the at least one gas-filled chamber and attached to the upper and the at least one gas-filled chamber, the expansion-limiter configured to mechanically limit expansion of the at least one gas-filled chamber in a downward direction away from the upper.
Moreover, consistent with an embodiment, an article of footwear is provided, comprising: an upper; a sole structure comprising a lateral side portion, an opposite medial side portion, a top portion proximate the upper, and an opposite bottom portion, the sole structure being secured to the upper; a compressible and expandable fluid-filled chamber integrated in a portion of the sole structure; and a structural harness attached to the upper, extending downward from the upper to the fluid-filled chamber, and being bonded to an outer portion of the fluid-filled chamber, the structural harness comprising: a first textile layer; a second textile layer generally parallel to and opposing the first textile layer; and a plurality of structural threads disposed between the first and second textile layers and bonded to the first and second textile layers, each of the plurality of structural threads transmitting tensile forces longitudinally and restricting stretch in a longitudinal direction of the thread, wherein portions of the structural threads extending downward from the upper to the outer portion of the fluid-filled chamber are in a generally tensile configuration and transmit forces to bias the fluid-filled chamber in an upward direction toward a top region of the sole structure proximate the upper.
The disclosed article of footwear may also include various types of footwear including closed shoes, such as athletic shoes, or open shoes, such as sandals. The structural harness may be bonded to one or more subsections of the upper in some arrangements, and may be bonded to extend over substantial regions of the upper in other arrangements including being substantially integrated with the upper to extend about the majority of the upper and may structurally interface with the lace eyelet region of the upper. In further configurations, such as sandals and other open shoe configurations, the structural harness may be bonded to and/or integrally formed with retention straps of the upper including an open strap configured to cover a midfoot region of the foot or other regions like heel and/or forefoot regions.
Advantages and features of novelty characterizing aspects of the disclosure are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. To gain an improved understanding of advantages and features of novelty, however, reference may be made to the present disclosure and accompanying figures that describe and illustrate various embodiments.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the features, advantages, and principles of the embodiments disclosed throughout this disclosure. For illustration purposes, the following drawings may not be to scale. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. In the drawings:
The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose various configurations of structural harnesses in cooperative arrangements with fluid-filled chambers of articles of footwear that may provide various advantageous features. Concepts related to the structural harnesses and fluid-filled chambers are disclosed with reference to footwear having configurations that are suitable for common uses including walking, running, and general athletic activities.
Features pertaining to arrangements of structural harnesses and fluid-filled chamber features discussed herein are not limited to the example types of footwear shown, but rather may be utilized with a wide range of athletic and nonathletic footwear styles, including basketball shoes, tennis shoes, football shoes, cross-training shoes, walking shoes, and soccer shoes, for example. Features related to these arrangements may also be utilized with footwear styles that are generally considered to be nonathletic, including dress shoes, loafers, sandals, and boots. The concepts disclosed herein may, therefore, apply to a wide variety of footwear styles, in addition to the specific styles and types discussed in the following material by way of example and depicted in the accompanying figures.
An article of footwear 10 is depicted in
Upper 20 is depicted as having a substantially conventional configuration incorporating a plurality of material elements (e.g., textiles, foam, leather, and synthetic leather) that are stitched, adhesively bonded or otherwise attached together to form an interior void for receiving a foot securely and comfortably. The material elements may be selected and located with respect to upper 20 in order to impart properties of durability, air-permeability, wear-resistance, flexibility, and comfort, for example. An ankle opening 21 in heel region 13 provides access to the interior void. In addition, upper 20 may include a lace 22 that is utilized in a conventional manner to modify the dimensions of the interior void, thereby securing the foot within the interior void and facilitating entry and removal of the foot from the interior void. Lace 22 may extend through apertures in upper 20, such as lace eyelets 23, and a tongue portion of upper 20 may extend between the interior void and lace 22. Given that various aspects of the present disclosure primarily relate to sole structure 30, upper 20 may exhibit the general configuration discussed above or the general configuration of practically any other conventional or nonconventional upper. Accordingly, the structure of upper 20 may vary significantly within the scope of the present disclosure.
Sole structure 30 may be secured to upper 20 and may have a configuration that extends between upper 20 and the ground. The primary elements of sole structure 30 are a midsole 31 and an outsole 32. Midsole 31 may be formed from a polymer foam material, such as polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate, which may encapsulate a fluid-filled chamber 40 to enhance the ground reaction force attenuation characteristics of sole structure 30. In addition to the polymer foam material of midsole 31 and fluid-filled chamber 40, midsole 31 may incorporate one or more plates, moderators, or reinforcing structures, for example, that may further enhance the ground reaction force attenuation characteristics of sole structure 30 or the performance properties of footwear 10. Outsole 32, which may be absent in some configurations of footwear 10, may be secured to a lower region of midsole 31 and may be formed from a rubber material that provides a durable and wear-resistant surface for engaging the ground. Outsole 32 may also be textured to enhance the traction (i.e., friction) properties between footwear 10 and the ground. In addition, sole structure 30 may incorporate a sockliner 35 that is located within the void in upper 20 and adjacent a plantar (i.e., lower) surface of the foot to enhance the comfort of footwear 10.
Fluid-filled chamber 40, as shown in
Fluid-filled chamber 40 may be compressible and expandable as desired for the footwear application and may be manufactured by various techniques, such as a two-film technique in which two separate sheets of elastomeric film are bonded together to form a peripheral bond on the exterior of the chamber and to form a generally sealed structure. The sheets may also be bonded together at predetermined interior areas to give the chamber a desired configuration. That is, interior bonds (i.e., bonds spaced inward from the peripheral bond) may provide the chamber with a predetermined shape and size upon pressurization and/or control its configuration during use. In order to pressurize the chamber, a nozzle or needle may be connected to a fluid pressure source and inserted into a fill inlet formed in the chamber. Following pressurization of the chamber, the fill inlet may be sealed and the nozzle removed. A similar procedure, such as thermoforming, may also be utilized, in which a heated mold forms or otherwise shapes the sheets of elastomeric film during the manufacturing process.
Chambers may also be manufactured by a blow-molding technique, wherein a molten or otherwise softened elastomeric material in the shape of a tube is placed in a mold having the desired overall shape and configuration of the chamber. The mold has an opening at one location through which pressurized air is provided. The pressurized air induces the liquefied elastomeric material to conform to the shape of the inner surfaces of the mold. The elastomeric material then cools, thereby forming a chamber with the desired shape and configuration. As with the two-film technique, a nozzle or needle connected to a fluid pressure source may be inserted into a fill inlet formed in the chamber in order to pressurize the chamber. Following pressurization of the chamber, the fill inlet may be sealed and the nozzle removed.
Structural harness 50 generally provides a robust structural interface between components in tension in desired directions, but which may otherwise have little impact between components in other directions. For example, in the configuration shown in
As shown in
As an example, a woven textile may be incorporated into the harness as the base layer or upper layer to impart stretch resistance in a longitudinal direction. A woven textile may be formed from yarns that interweave at right angles to each other. If the woven textile is incorporated into the article of footwear for purposes of longitudinal stretch-resistance, then only the yarns oriented in the longitudinal direction will contribute to longitudinal stretch-resistance, and the yarns oriented orthogonal to the longitudinal direction will not generally contribute to longitudinal stretch-resistance. Accordingly, a woven textile used with harness 50 may have concentrations of yarns in orientations and configurations as appropriate for providing longitudinal stretch-resistance in desired directions while having fewer yarns in other orientations and configurations within the textile that will not be subjected to as many stresses. Thus, woven textiles used with structural harness 50 may be woven to provide directional structural properties as appropriate for the harness. Further, select portions of the woven textiles may be reinforced to provide appropriate features for an article of footwear, such as wear resistance to high stress regions of the article.
In addition, structural longitudinal elements, such as structural threads 52 may be incorporated in structural harness 50 and arranged as appropriate to provide even greater structural properties like longitudinal stretch resistance in desired directions. Threads 52 may include various “one-dimensional materials,” elongate materials or variants thereof as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,574,818 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,546,698 to James Meschter, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Other aspects, preferences, features and configurations pertaining to structural harnesses may be found in these references and in U.S. patent Publication Ser. No. 12/424,804 to Shawn G. Carboy et al., which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Each of threads 52 may be oriented and arranged in harness 50 to provide structural elements in the harness in desired directions. The threads are configured to resist stretching along their longitudinal axes and, accordingly, may transmit forces longitudinally when placed in tension. As discussed further in the references noted above and incorporated herein by reference, threads 52 may be formed, for example, from various filaments and yarns that may provide appropriate stretch-resisting properties. For instance, the thread filaments may be formed from a plurality of synthetic materials such as rayon, nylon, and polyester. In addition, various engineering fibers may be used to form thread filaments, such as aramid fibers, para-aramid fibers, and carbon fibers.
Base layer 70 may be formed from various two-dimensional materials, such as various textiles, polymer sheets, or combinations of textiles and polymer sheets. Threads 52 may be attached to base layer 70 through various mechanisms and arrangements as desired and appropriate for particular configurations. For instance, threads 52 may be mechanically integrated into base layer 70, such as by being embroidered into the two-dimensional material or by being stitched to the base layer via other threads. In addition, threads 52 may be attached to base layer 70 via other mechanisms, such as by an adhesive bond or thermoplastic bond with the base layer provided by an adhesive or a thermoplastic material placed over the threads that are heated to bond with the base layer and the threads.
In some exemplary configurations, harness 50 may be substantially formed via base layer 70 and thread layer 72 without including upper layer 74, which may add bulk to the harness at a face that may be unexposed when assembled on the article of footwear. In other exemplary configurations, upper layer 74 may be a relatively thin layer of bonding material that may bond the threads to the base layer, as well as bond the harness to the upper and the fluid-filled chamber. For example, upper layer 74 may be an adhesive sheet or heat-meltable thermoplastic sheet that may bond threads to the base layer and/or the harness to the upper and fluid-filled chamber. In yet other exemplary configurations, upper layer 74 may be formed from substantially the same material as base layer 70. The opposing layers may sandwich the thread layer therebetween and form a protected covering for the structural threads.
Threads 52 may be arranged in groups that may cooperate to provide structural features at the locations and in the orientations where forces are concentrated in order to provide desired features, such as the exemplary configuration of groups 54, 56, and 58 as shown in
When installed in article of footwear 10, the threads of third group 58 may extend downward and rearward from lateral side region 14 and medial side region 15 to lower rearward portions of the heel region for securely attaching the harness to the article of footwear and providing support for the continuous threads of groups 54 and 56 placed in a tensile arrangement around fluid-filled chamber 40. Groups 54 and 56 may extend from opposite side regions of upper 20 and wrap around lower regions of fluid-filled chamber 40 to provide advantageous features. More particularly, thread groups 54 and 56 in harness 50 may extend downward from a lateral side region 14 of the upper (as shown in
Harness 50 may be bonded to upper 20 and fluid-filled chamber 40 in various ways as desired and as beneficial for its structural requirements. For instance, harness 50 may be bonded to upper 20 along portions of its contact area with the upper in various ways including via adhesive or thermoplastic bonds and via embroidered or stitched connections. Further, harness 50 may be bonded to upper 20 along substantially its entire contact area with the upper (not shown) or at various locations as desired and beneficial for the particular structural arrangement. In addition, harness 50 may extend upward toward the lace region to be co-extensive with one or more of the lace eyelets 23 (as described later, for example, with reference to
As shown in
In the arrangement of
In other exemplary configurations, such as configurations encountering fewer stresses or in which stress concentrations between the components may be less significant, portions of harness 50 disposed proximate fluid-filled chamber 40 may be bonded to the chamber. Bonded connections between the harness and fluid-filled chamber may more securely retain the chamber and harness in a desired orientation and relationship. For example, harness 50 may be bonded to fluid-filled chamber 40 along its lateral side region 78 and its medial side region 82. In another example, harness 50 may be bonded to fluid-filled chamber 40 along its bottom region 80. This may be done either with or without bonds being formed along its side regions, where the likelihood of stress concentrations may be greater and where it may be beneficial to allow the harness and chamber free to translate at their interface. In some configurations, the bonds may be formed via chemical bonds, such as thermoplastic melt bonds and adhesive bonds.
Referring to
Harness 150 may be disposed about fluid-filled chamber 140 as described above with reference to
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When installed in article of footwear 610, the threads of third group 658 may extend downward and rearward from lateral side 14 (shown) and a medial side 15 (not shown) of harness 650 to lower rearward portions of the heel region for securely attaching the harness to the article of footwear and providing support for the continuous threads of groups 654 and 656 placed in a tensile arrangement around fluid-filled chamber 640. Further, groups 654 and 656 may extend from opposite side regions of upper 620 and wrap around lower regions of fluid-filled chamber 640 to provide advantageous features. More particularly, thread groups 654 and 656 in harness 650 may extend downward from a lateral side region 14 of the upper (as shown in
Harness 650 may be bonded to upper 620 and fluid-filled chamber 640 in various ways as desired and as beneficial for its structural requirements. For instance, harness 650 may be bonded to upper 620 along portions of its contact area with the upper in various ways including via adhesive or thermoplastic bonds and via embroidered or stitched connections. Further, harness 650 may be bonded to upper 620 along substantially its entire contact area with the upper (not shown) or at various locations as desired and beneficial for the particular structural arrangement. In addition, harness 650 may extend upward toward the lace region to be co-extensive with one or more of the lace eyelets 623. In such an exemplary configuration, end portions of thread groups, such as groups 654 and 656, may extend around one or more of the lace eyelets 623. Such an arrangement may permit the lace 622 and the lacing system to enhance stability of the harness attachment and reinforce its arrangement around the fluid-filled chamber 640 and upper 620, and to exert compressive forces on the chamber.
While various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the disclosure. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the disclosure, and be protected by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13723116 | Dec 2012 | US |
| Child | 15863045 | US |
