The present disclosure generally relates to a device for easing foot entry into an article of footwear and to an article of footwear that includes the device at a heel region of the article of footwear.
Traditionally, placing footwear on a foot often requires the use of one or both hands to enlarge the ankle opening of a footwear upper, and hold the rear portion during foot insertion, especially in the case of a relatively soft upper and/or an upper that does not have a heel counter secured to a flexible fabric rearward of the ankle opening. These steps may be difficult for some wearers, such as those with limited dexterity and young children.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only, are schematic in nature, and are intended to be exemplary rather than to limit the scope of the disclosure.
Various embodiments of a device for easing foot entry into an article of footwear are disclosed herein. The device may enable hands-free foot entry, such as by loading the device with the foot to access a foot-receiving cavity from a rearward position, and sliding the foot forward and downward into the foot-receiving cavity. Optionally, a hand or hands may be used in conjunction with the device to ease foot entry. For example, the footwear upper may include a grab handle for pulling on the upper during foot entry. The footwear upper may have a boot configuration. The footwear may be implemented for all sizes and ages.
In an example, an article of footwear comprises a sole structure and a footwear upper secured to the sole structure. The footwear upper defines an ankle opening. The article of footwear includes a device for easing foot entry. The device comprises a control bar having a center segment, a medial side arm, and a lateral side arm. The center segment is secured to a rear portion of the footwear upper rearward of the ankle opening. The medial side arm extends downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a medial side of the footwear upper and is fixed to the sole structure. The lateral side arm extends downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a lateral side of the footwear upper and is fixed to the sole structure. The control bar depresses downward under an applied force to a loaded position as the medial side arm and the lateral side arm resiliently bend, storing potential energy that returns the control bar to an unloaded position upon removal of the applied force. The rear portion of the footwear upper moves with the control bar. Accordingly, when a foot depresses the control bar, it becomes easy to slide the foot through the ankle opening into the foot-receiving cavity.
The footwear upper may have at least one of a medial grab handle at the medial side of the footwear upper or a lateral grab handle at a lateral side of the footwear upper. For example, a hand may be used to pull the upper via the grab handle(s) while the foot is entering the foot-receiving cavity. Concurrent use of the grab handle(s) with the control bar further eases foot entry, especially in a boot configuration of the footwear upper. It is typically challenging to gain foot entry into footwear having a boot configuration given elongation of the upper and the longer entry through the ankle opening above the sole structure. The combination of the device and the grab handle(s) alleviates these issues. The rear portion of the upper may be relatively lower than the front portion at the ankle opening, providing easy access to the center segment. The grab handle(s) enable the relatively higher front upper portion to be pulled onto the foot. Entry may be possible in a hands-free manner without using the grab handle(s), but the availability of the grab handle(s) enables even easier donning of the footwear when used to pull the front portion of the upper onto the foot at the same time that the foot is depressing the device and sliding into the foot-receiving cavity.
In another example, an article of footwear comprises a sole structure and a footwear upper having a front upper portion secured to the sole structure and a rear upper portion secured to the sole structure. The front upper portion defines a front of an ankle opening and the rear upper portion defines a rear of the ankle opening. The article of footwear includes a device comprising a control bar that has a center segment, a medial side arm, and a lateral side arm. The center segment is secured to the rear upper portion rearward of the ankle opening. The medial side arm extends downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a medial side of the article of footwear outward of the footwear upper and is fixed to the sole structure. The lateral side arm extends downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a lateral side of the article of footwear outward of the footwear upper and is fixed to the sole structure. The control bar depresses under an applied force to a loaded position as the medial side arm and the lateral side arm resiliently bend, storing potential energy that returns the control bar to an unloaded position upon removal of the applied force, the rear upper portion moving with the control bar. The front upper portion and the rear upper portion overlap at and are at least partially decoupled from one another at the medial side and at the lateral side to enable movement of the rear upper portion with the control bar with less restriction from and partially independently of the front upper portion. This decoupling of the front upper portion and the rear upper portion may enable the ankle opening to open to a greater extent when the control bar is depressed than if the front upper portion were more fully coupled to the rear upper portion.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present teachings are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the modes for carrying out the present teachings when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though in the following Figures embodiments may be separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.
The article of footwear 10 is depicted as a boot. However, within the scope of the present teachings, the features of the article of footwear 10 may be implemented in an athletic shoe, a dress shoe, a work shoe, a sandal, a slipper, or any other category of footwear. The article of footwear 10 may be implemented in any footwear size, including adult and children's sizes. The article of footwear 10 shown is for a right foot and is sized for a toddler. A pair of footwear includes the article of footwear 10, and an article of footwear that is a mirror image of the article of footwear 10 and for a left foot.
Traditionally, slipping a foot into a foot-receiving cavity of an article of footwear often requires the use of one or both hands to stretch the ankle opening and hold the rear portion of the upper during foot insertion, especially in the case of a relatively soft footwear upper and/or a footwear upper that does not have a heel counter. Footwear having a boot configuration may be especially challenging to gain foot entry given the longer entry through the ankle opening above the sole structure.
As further discussed herein, the article of footwear 10 includes a device 22 for easing foot entry into the foot-receiving cavity 16, and the footwear upper 14 is configured to be complementary to the use of the device 22. Additionally, the footwear upper 14 includes one or both of a medial grab handle 24A (see
The combination of the device 22 and the grab handle(s) 24A, 24B alleviates difficulties of donning footwear with a boot configuration. A relatively low rear upper portion 14B of the footwear upper 14 provides easy access of the foot 20 (shown in phantom in
With reference to
The article of footwear 10 includes a lateral side 17 (see
The footwear upper 14 has a front upper portion 14A secured to the sole structure 12 and a rear upper portion 14B (also referred to as a rear portion) that is also secured to the sole structure 12. The sole structure 12 includes a midsole 23, a front outsole component 25A, and a rear outsole component 25B. The outsole components 25A, 25B are secured to the midsole 23 at a ground-facing surface 26 of the midsole 23 and are spaced apart from one another. The front outsole component 25A is in the forefoot region 15 and the rear outsole component 25B is in the heel region 11. A lower extent of the front upper portion 14A and a lower extent of the rear upper portion 14B may be secured to a foot-facing surface 28 of the midsole 23 or to a strobel disposed on the foot-facing surface 28. The foot-facing surface 28 may be recessed inward of medial and lateral side walls 27, 29 of the midsole 23 and below an upper peripheral edge 44 of the midsole 23, as represented in
The front upper portion 14A defines a front 18A of the ankle opening 18 as best shown in
The device 22 includes a control bar 30 that has a center segment 30A, a medial side arm 30B (see
The medial side arm 30B includes a medial terminal end 34 of the device 22 that terminates on and is secured to the medial side wall 27 of the midsole 23 of the sole structure 12, as shown in
As best shown in
The footwear upper 14 extends further above the sole structure 12 at the front 18A of the ankle opening 18 than at the rear 18B of the ankle opening near the center segment 30A. In fact, the front upper portion 14A of the footwear upper 14 extends above the ankle of a wearer. Stated differently, the front upper portion 14A of the footwear upper 14 has a boot configuration.
The device 22 is a single, unitary, one-piece component that includes the control bar 30 having the center segment 30A, the medial side arm 30B (see
The rear upper portion 14B is secured to the center segment 30A and terminates at the medial side 19 and at the lateral side 17 of the footwear upper 14 inward of the medial side arm 30B and the lateral side arm 30C and forward of the center segment 30A, as best shown in
The center segment 30A of the device 22 is secured to a rear portion of the footwear upper 14 rearward of the rear 18B of the ankle opening 18. More specifically, the rear upper portion 14B includes a heel portion 14E that extends in the gap G of
Referring to
The portion of the center segment 30A that surrounds the thinned portion 30D is thicker from an inner side 33 to an outer (exterior) side 41 of the center segment 30A than at the thinned portion 30D, as best shown in
In order to protect the stitches 43 and also for aesthetic purposes, a cover 46 is disposed in the recess 47 over the stitches 43. The cover 46 is removed in
The heel portion 14E between the center segment 30A and the midsole 23 may be a flexible material, and may be a single layer. This promotes the folding of the heel portion 14E during depression of the control bar 30, as shown in
The medial side arm 30B and the lateral side arm 30C resiliently bend to the loaded position of
As shown in
In the unloaded position, the center segment 30A is a first distance D1 from the rear of sole structure 12, as indicated in
The force F is first applied by the toes or ball of the foot, and then the foot slides forward into the foot-receiving cavity 16 as shown in
As shown in
Additionally, the relative dimensions and shape of the device 22 at the terminal ends 34, 36 (where secured to the midsole 23) and at the side arms 30B, 30C contributes to the spring-biased nature of the device 22 (e.g., its ability to elastically deform under a desired amount of loading and return to its original unloaded position). For example, the terminal ends 34, 36 of the side arms 30B, 30C have a thickness greater than a width, where the thickness is measured in the fore-aft (longitudinal) direction of the article of footwear 10 and the width is measured in the medial-lateral (transverse) direction of the article of footwear 10. The device 22 forms a medial joint 35 (see
The device 22 may also be configured to widen as it is moved from the unloaded position to the loaded position. This helps ease insertion of the foot 20 into the foot-receiving cavity 16 as the side arms 30B, 30C may bow apart from one another when the control bar 30 is depressed, allowing the upper 14 to be stretched outward by the entering foot 20 without interference from the side arms 30B, 30C. The medial side arm 30B and the lateral side arm 30C are disposed outward of the front upper portion 14A and are not secured to the front upper portion 14A. Stated differently, the device 22 is only secured to the rear upper portion 14B at the center segment 30A and to the midsole 23 at the respective terminal ends 34, 36 of the medial and lateral side arms 30B, 30C. The device 22 is not secured to any part of the front upper portion 14A. Between the rear of the center segment 30A (where it is stitched to the collar 40 of the rear upper portion 14B) and the terminal ends 34, 36 of the side arms 30B, 30C secured to the side walls 27, 29 of the midsole 23, the device 22 is floating and not secured to either the rear upper portion 14B or the front upper portion 14A. The medial side arm 30B and the lateral side arm 30C are outwardly exposed. For example, the medial side arm 30B and the lateral side arm 30C are outwardly exposed at the medial side 19 and the lateral side 17 of the article of footwear 10, respectively. This allows the side arms 30B, 30C to bow outwardly under loading during foot entry without being restricted by the footwear upper 14.
The ribs 48 overlie the vamp portion 14C and extend to the upper peripheral edge 44 of the midsole at the medial side wall 27 to the upper peripheral edge 44 of the midsole at the lateral side wall 29, as shown in
As best shown in
As best shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Similarly,
Referring to
As best shown in
Furthermore, the rear upper portion 14B is at least partially decoupled from the front upper portion 14A at the medial side 19 and at the lateral side 17. More specifically, the front upper portion 14A and the rear upper portion 14B overlap at and are at least partially decoupled from one another at the medial side 19 and at the lateral side 17 as discussed herein to enable movement of the rear upper portion 14B with the control bar 30 independently of the front upper portion 14A. This decoupling of the front upper portion 14A and the rear upper portion 14B may enable the ankle opening 18 to open to a greater extent when the control bar 30 is depressed than if the front upper portion 14A were more fully coupled to the rear upper portion 14B.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Although the outer side walls 58, 59 overlap the respective inner side walls 90, 92, they are at least partially decoupled from the inner side walls 90, 92 in order to allow less restricted movement of the device 22 (and the heel portion 14E secured thereto) to the loaded position for easier foot entry. More specifically, the first segments 86A, 88A of the rear medial edge 86 and the rear lateral edge 88 are decoupled from the rear upper portion 14B. The front upper portion 14A is secured to the rear upper portion 14B at the second segment 86B of the rear medial edge 86 and at the second segment 88B of the rear lateral edge 88, but is decoupled from the rear upper portion 14B at the first segment 86A of the rear medial edge 86 and at the first segment 88A of the rear lateral edge 88. This is best shown with respect to the rear lateral edge 88 in
The article of footwear 110 includes a device 122 that functions the same as the device 22 to enable easy entry into the foot-receiving cavity 16, but has some structural differences. The device 122 includes a control bar 130 having a center segment 130A, a medial side arm 130B (shown in
In comparison to the ends 34, 36 of the device 22, the lateral terminal end 136 shown and the similar medial terminal end 134 of the device 122 are slightly shorter in the fore-aft direction. The side arms 130B, 130C also extend downward from the center segment 130A more sharply (e.g., at a greater angle relative to a horizontal ground plane) than the more gradual downward and forward extension of the side arms 30B, 30C from the center segment 30A. Stated differently, the side arms 130B, 130C incline at a greater angle from near the midsole 23 to the center segment 130A than do the side arms 30B, 30C. This allows the center segment 130A to rest higher on the rear upper portion 14B in the unloaded state of
Additionally, the side arms 130B, 130C are thinner just above medial and lateral joints (lateral joint 137 shown in
The thinner side arms 130B, 130C near the midsole 23 as well as the more sharply declining angle of the side arms 130B, 130C may cause bending of the side arms 130B, 130C to occur further toward the sole structure 12 than side arms 30B, 30C, which may enable the center segment 130A to be disposed further rearward relative to the rear of the midsole 23 than the center segment 30A when in the loaded state shown in phantom in
The control bar 130 depresses downward under an applied force F to a loaded position shown in phantom in
Like the center segment 30A, the center segment 130A is stitched to the rear portion 14B at a recess 47 with stitches extending through the center segment 130A at the recess 47 (like stitches 43 shown in
The article of footwear 210 includes a device 222 that functions the same as the device 22 to enable easy entry into the foot-receiving cavity 16, but has some structural differences. The device 222 includes a control bar 230 having a center segment 230A, a medial side arm 230B (shown in
In comparison to the ends 34, 36 of the device 22, the lateral terminal end 236 shown and the similar medial terminal end of the device 222 are slightly shorter in the fore-aft direction. In comparison to the device 122, the lateral terminal end 236 shown and the similar medial terminal end 234 of the device 222 have a top edge 236A that falls closer to the upper peripheral edge 44 of the midsole 23 than does the top edge 136A of the lateral terminal end 136 in
The side arms 230B, 230C also extend downward from the center segment 230A more sharply (e.g., at a greater angle relative to a horizontal ground plane) than the more gradual downward and forward extension of the side arms 30B, 30C from the center segment 30A. Stated differently, the side arms 230B, 230C incline at a greater angle from near the midsole 23 to the center segment 230A than do the side arms 30B, 30C. This allows the center segment 230A to rest higher on the rear upper portion 14B in the unloaded state of
Additionally, the side arms 230B, 230C are thinner just above medial and lateral joints (lateral joint 237 shown in
The thinner side arms 230B, 230C near the midsole 23 as well as the more sharply declining angle of the side arms 230B, 230C may cause bending of the side arms 230B, 230C to occur further toward the sole structure 12 than side arms 30B, 30C, which may enable the center segment 230A to be disposed further rearward relative to the rear of the midsole 23 than the center segment 30A when in the loaded state shown in phantom in
The control bar 230 depresses downward under an applied force F to a loaded position shown in phantom in
Like the center segment 30A, the center segment 230A is stitched to the rear portion 14B at a recess 47 with stitches extending through the center segment 230A at the recess 47 (like stitches 43 shown in
The following Clauses provide example configurations of an article of footwear disclosed herein.
Clause 1. An article of footwear comprising: a sole structure; a footwear upper secured to the sole structure and defining an ankle opening; and a device comprising a control bar having: a center segment secured to a rear portion of the footwear upper rearward of the ankle opening; a medial side arm extending downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a medial side of the footwear upper and fixed to the sole structure; and a lateral side arm extending downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a lateral side of the footwear upper and fixed to the sole structure; wherein the footwear upper has at least one of a medial grab handle at the medial side of the footwear upper or a lateral grab handle at a lateral side of the footwear upper; and wherein the control bar depresses downward under an applied force to a loaded position as the medial side arm and the lateral side arm resiliently bend, storing potential energy that returns the control bar to an unloaded position upon removal of the applied force, the rear portion of the footwear upper moving with the control bar.
Clause 2. The article of footwear of clause 1, wherein: the medial side of the footwear upper includes a medial side wall that defines a medial aperture; the medial grab handle includes a portion of the medial side wall surrounding the medial aperture; the lateral side of the footwear upper includes a lateral side wall that defines a lateral aperture; and the lateral grab handle includes a portion of the lateral side wall surrounding the lateral aperture.
Clause 3. The article of footwear of clause 2, wherein: the medial grab handle is disposed above the medial side arm and further above the sole structure than the center segment of the device; and the lateral grab handle is disposed above the lateral side arm and further above the sole structure than the center segment of the device.
Clause 4. The article of footwear of clause 2, further comprising: a medial grip secured to the medial side wall at the medial aperture and at least partially surrounding the medial aperture; and a lateral grip secured to the lateral side wall at the lateral aperture and at least partially surrounding the lateral aperture.
Clause 5. The article of footwear of clause 4, wherein: the medial grip includes an inner grip portion at an inner surface of the medial side wall and an outer grip portion at an outer surface of the medial side wall; and the lateral grip includes an inner grip portion at an inner surface of the lateral side wall and an outer grip portion at an outer surface of the lateral side wall.
Clause 6. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the rear portion of the footwear upper includes a rear collar at a rear of the ankle opening that extends above the center segment of the device.
Clause 7. The article of footwear of clause 6, wherein the center segment of the device has a rear-facing exterior surface with a recess, and the rear collar is stitched to the center segment at the recess with stitches; and the article of footwear further comprising: a cover disposed in the recess over the stitches.
Clause 8. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-7, wherein the footwear upper extends further above the sole structure at a front of the ankle opening than at the center segment.
Clause 9. The article of footwear of clause 8, wherein: the footwear upper includes a front upper portion that includes the medial grab handle and the lateral grab handle and defines a front of the ankle opening; the footwear upper includes a rear upper portion that includes the rear portion secured to the center segment, the rear upper portion defining a rear of the ankle opening; and the front upper portion and the rear upper portion extend alongside one another at the medial side and at the lateral side with the rear upper portion inward of the front upper portion and are at least partially decoupled from one another at the medial side and at the lateral side.
Clause 10. The article of footwear of clause 9, wherein: the front upper portion has a medial side outer wall with the medial grab handle and a lateral side outer wall with the lateral grab handle, the front upper portion terminating at a rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall at the medial side of the article of footwear inward of the medial side arm, and terminating at a rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall at the lateral side of the article of footwear inward of the lateral side arm; and the rear upper portion includes a medial side inner wall and a lateral side inner wall, the medial side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the medial side outer wall and terminating at a front medial edge forward of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall, and the lateral side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the lateral side outer wall and terminating at a front lateral edge forward of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall.
Clause 11. The article of footwear of clause 10, wherein: the rear medial edge of the front upper portion includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment of the rear medial edge is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment of the rear medial edge is between the first segment of the rear medial edge and the sole structure; and the front upper portion is secured to the rear upper portion at the second segment of the rear medial edge and at the second segment of the rear lateral edge, and is decoupled from the rear upper portion at the first segment of the rear medial edge and at the first segment of the rear lateral edge.
Clause 12. The article of footwear of clause 9, wherein: the front upper portion has a medial side outer wall with the medial grab handle and a lateral side outer wall with the lateral grab handle; the rear upper portion includes a medial side inner wall and a lateral side inner wall, the medial side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the medial side outer wall, and the lateral side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the lateral side outer wall; the medial side outer wall includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment is between the first segment and the sole structure; the lateral side outer wall includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment of the lateral side outer wall is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment of the lateral side outer wall is between the first segment of the lateral side outer wall and the sole structure; and the front upper portion is secured to the rear upper portion at the second segment of the medial side outer wall and at the second segment of the lateral side outer wall, and is decoupled from the rear upper portion at the first segment of the medial side outer wall and at the first segment of the lateral side outer wall.
Clause 13. The article of footwear of clause 9, wherein the medial side arm and the lateral side arm are disposed outward of the front upper portion and are not secured to the front upper portion.
Clause 14. The article of footwear of clause 9, wherein the front upper portion includes a vamp portion and an ankle portion integral with the vamp portion and disposed at a front of the ankle opening.
Clause 15. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-14, wherein: the medial side arm includes a medial terminal end of the device that terminates on and is secured to a medial side wall of the sole structure; the lateral side arm includes a lateral terminal end of the device that terminates on and is secured to a lateral side wall of the sole structure; and the device defines a gap between the medial terminal end of the device and the lateral terminal end of the device.
Clause 16. An article of footwear comprising: a sole structure; a footwear upper having a front upper portion secured to the sole structure and a rear upper portion secured to the sole structure, the front upper portion defining a front of an ankle opening and the rear upper portion defining a rear of the ankle opening; and a device comprising a control bar having: a center segment secured to the rear upper portion rearward of the ankle opening; a medial side arm extending downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a medial side of the article of footwear outward of the footwear upper and fixed to the sole structure; and a lateral side arm extending downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a lateral side of the article of footwear outward of the footwear upper and fixed to the sole structure; wherein the control bar depresses under an applied force to a loaded position as the medial side arm and the lateral side arm resiliently bend, storing potential energy that returns the control bar to an unloaded position upon removal of the applied force, the rear upper portion moving with the control bar; and wherein the front upper portion and the rear upper portion overlap at and are at least partially decoupled from one another at the medial side and at the lateral side to enable movement of the rear upper portion with the control bar independently of the front upper portion.
Clause 17. The article of footwear of clause 16, wherein: the front upper portion extends in a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a heel region of the footwear upper and terminates at the medial side and at the lateral side of the footwear upper inward of the medial side arm and the lateral side arm and forward of the center segment; and the rear upper portion extends around a rear of the heel region and terminates at the medial side and at the lateral side of the footwear upper inward of the front upper portion.
Clause 18. The article of footwear of clause 17, wherein the medial side arm and the lateral side arm and are not secured to the front upper portion.
Clause 19. The article of footwear of any of clauses 16-18, wherein the rear upper portion includes a rear collar at a rear of the ankle opening that extends above the center segment of the device.
Clause 20. The article of footwear of any of clauses 16-19, wherein: the front upper portion has a medial side outer wall and a lateral side outer wall; the rear upper portion includes a medial side inner wall and a lateral side inner wall, the medial side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the medial side outer wall, and the lateral side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the lateral side outer wall; the medial side outer wall includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment is between the first segment and the sole structure; the lateral side outer wall includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment of the lateral side outer wall is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment of the lateral side outer wall is between the first segment of the lateral side outer wall and the sole structure; and the front upper portion is secured to the rear upper portion at the second segment of the medial side outer wall and at the second segment of the lateral side outer wall, and is decoupled from the rear upper portion at the first segment of the medial side outer wall and at the first segment of the lateral side outer wall.
To assist and clarify the description of various embodiments, various terms are defined herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the following definitions apply throughout this specification (including the claims). Additionally, all references referred to are incorporated herein in their entirety.
An “article of footwear”, a “footwear article of manufacture”, and “footwear” may be considered to be both a machine and a manufacture. Assembled, ready to wear footwear articles (e.g., shoes, sandals, boots, etc.), as well as discrete components of footwear articles (such as a midsole, an outsole, an upper component, etc.) prior to final assembly into ready to wear footwear articles, are considered and alternatively referred to herein in either the singular or plural as “article(s) of footwear”.
“A”, “an”, “the”, “at least one”, and “one or more” are used interchangeably to indicate that at least one of the items is present. A plurality of such items may be present unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. All numerical values of parameters (e.g., of quantities or conditions) in this specification, unless otherwise indicated expressly or clearly in view of the context, including the appended claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” whether or not “about” actually appears before the numerical value. “About” indicates that the stated numerical value allows some slight imprecision (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring and using such parameters. In addition, a disclosure of a range is to be understood as specifically disclosing all values and further divided ranges within the range.
The terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, or components. Orders of steps, processes, and operations may be altered when possible, and additional or alternative steps may be employed. As used in this specification, the term “or” includes any one and all combinations of the associated listed items. The term “any of” is understood to include any possible combination of referenced items, including “any one of” the referenced items. The term “any of” is understood to include any possible combination of referenced claims of the appended claims, including “any one of” the referenced claims.
For consistency and convenience, directional adjectives may be employed throughout this detailed description corresponding to the illustrated embodiments. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above”, “below”, “upward”, “downward”, “top”, “bottom”, etc., may be used descriptively relative to the figures, without representing limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.
The term “longitudinal” particularly refers to a direction extending a length of a component. For example, a longitudinal direction of a shoe extends between a forefoot region and a heel region of the shoe. The term “forward” or “anterior” is used to particularly refer to the general direction from a heel region toward a forefoot region, and the term “rearward” or “posterior” is used to particularly refer to the opposite direction, i.e., the direction from the forefoot region toward the heel region. In some cases, a component may be identified with a longitudinal axis as well as a forward and rearward longitudinal direction along that axis. The longitudinal direction or axis may also be referred to as an anterior-posterior direction or axis.
The term “transverse” particularly refers to a direction extending a width of a component. For example, a transverse direction of a shoe extends between a lateral side and a medial side of the shoe. The transverse direction or axis may also be referred to as a lateral direction or axis or a mediolateral direction or axis.
The term “vertical” particularly refers to a direction generally perpendicular to both the lateral and longitudinal directions. For example, in cases where a sole is planted flat on a ground surface, the vertical direction may extend from the ground surface upward. It will be understood that each of these directional adjectives may be applied to individual components of a sole. The term “upward” or “upwards” particularly refers to the vertical direction pointing towards a top of the component, which may include an instep, a fastening region and/or a throat of an upper. The term “downward” or “downwards” particularly refers to the vertical direction pointing opposite the upwards direction, toward the bottom of a component and may generally point towards the bottom of a sole structure of an article of footwear.
The “interior” of an article of footwear, such as a shoe, particularly refers to portions at the space that is occupied by a wearer's foot when the shoe is worn. The “inner side” of a component particularly refers to the side or surface of the component that is (or will be) oriented toward the interior of the component or article of footwear in an assembled article of footwear. The “outer side” or “exterior” of a component particularly refers to the side or surface of the component that is (or will be) oriented away from the interior of the shoe in an assembled shoe. In some cases, other components may be between the inner side of a component and the interior in the assembled article of footwear. Similarly, other components may be between an outer side of a component and the space external to the assembled article of footwear. Further, the terms “inward” and “inwardly” particularly refer to the direction toward the interior of the component or article of footwear, such as a shoe, and the terms “outward” and “outwardly” particularly refer to the direction toward the exterior of the component or article of footwear, such as the shoe. In addition, the term “proximal” particularly refers to a direction that is nearer a center of a footwear component, or is closer toward a foot when the foot is inserted in the article of footwear as it is worn by a user. Likewise, the term “distal” particularly refers to a relative position that is further away from a center of the footwear component or is further from a foot when the foot is inserted in the article of footwear as it is worn by a user. Thus, the terms proximal and distal may be understood to provide generally opposing terms to describe relative spatial positions.
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 embodiments. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with or substituted for any other feature or element in any other embodiment unless specifically restricted. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.
While several modes for carrying out the many aspects of the present teachings have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which these teachings relate will recognize various alternative aspects for practicing the present teachings that are within the scope of the appended claims. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and exemplary of the entire range of alternative embodiments that an ordinarily skilled artisan would recognize as implied by, structurally and/or functionally equivalent to, or otherwise rendered obvious based upon the included content, and not as limited solely to those explicitly depicted and/or described embodiments.