The current embodiments relate generally to footwear, and in particular a tongue for an article of footwear.
Articles of footwear can include fastening systems such as laces, straps and zippers. Laces are generally attached to the top of an upper, and help to tighten an opening around a foot. Typically, a tongue is provided along the upper, which rests between a foot and the laces. The tongue can help in adjusting the lacing system. The tongue can act to cover the top of the foot in the region of the opening.
In one embodiment, an article of footwear includes an upper, the upper including an opening and a fastening region associated with the opening. The article of footwear also includes a tongue, the tongue including a first portion and a second portion, where the first portion includes a first set of holes and the second portion including a second set of holes. The first set of holes includes holes of approximately a first size and the second set of holes comprising holes of approximately a second size. The first size is substantially different from the second size.
In another embodiment, an article of footwear includes an upper, the upper including an opening and a fastening region associated with the opening. The article of footwear also includes a tongue, the tongue including a central portion and an outer portion extending between the central portion and an edge of the tongue. The central portion includes a first set of holes having a first size and the outer portion includes a second set of holes having a second size. The first size is substantially different from the second size.
In another embodiment, an article of footwear includes an upper, the upper including an opening and a fastening region associated with the opening. The article of footwear also includes a tongue, the tongue including a central portion, a lateral portion and an upper perimeter portion. The tongue further includes a top portion disposed between the central portion and the upper perimeter portion. The central portion includes a first set of holes having a first size. The lateral portion includes a second set of holes having a second size. The upper perimeter portion includes a third set of holes having a third size. The first size is substantially different from the second size.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. 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 embodiments, and be protected by the following claims.
The embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
Referring to
It will be understood that forefoot portion 10, midfoot portion 12 and heel portion 14 are only intended for purposes of description and are not intended to demarcate precise regions of article 100. Likewise, lateral side 16 and medial side 18 are intended to represent generally two sides of an article, rather than precisely demarcating article 100 into two halves. In addition, forefoot portion 10, midfoot portion 12 and heel portion 14, as well as lateral side 16 and medial side 18, can also be applied to individual components of an article, such as a sole structure and/or an upper.
For consistency and convenience, directional adjectives are employed throughout this detailed description corresponding to the illustrated embodiments. The term “longitudinal” as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims refers to a direction extending a length of an article. In some cases, the longitudinal direction may extend from a forefoot portion to a heel portion of the article. Also, the term “lateral” as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims refers to a direction extending a width of an article. In other words, the lateral direction may extend between a medial side and a lateral side of an article. Furthermore, the term “vertical” as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims refers to a direction generally perpendicular to a lateral and longitudinal direction. For example, in cases where an article is planted flat on a ground surface, the vertical direction may extend from the ground surface upward. In addition, the term “proximal” refers to a portion of a footwear component that is closer to a portion of a foot when an article of footwear is worn. Likewise, the term “distal” refers to a portion of a footwear component that is further from a portion of a foot when an article of footwear is worn. It will be understood that each of these directional adjectives may be applied to individual components of an article, such as an upper and/or a sole structure.
Article 100 can include upper 102 and sole structure 110. Generally, upper 102 may be any type of upper. In particular, upper 102 may have any design, shape, size and/or color. For example, in embodiments where article 100 is a basketball shoe, upper 102 could be a high top upper that is shaped to provide high support on an ankle. In embodiments where article 100 is a running shoe, upper 102 could be a low top upper.
In some embodiments, sole structure 110 may be configured to provide traction for article 100. In addition to providing traction, sole structure 110 may attenuate ground reaction forces when compressed between the foot and the ground during walking, running or other ambulatory activities. The configuration of sole structure 110 may vary significantly in different embodiments to include a variety of conventional or non-conventional structures. In some cases, the configuration of sole structure 110 can be configured according to one or more types of ground surfaces on which sole structure 110 may be used. Examples of ground surfaces include, but are not limited to: natural turf, synthetic turf, dirt, as well as other surfaces.
Sole structure 110 is secured to upper 102 and extends between the foot and the ground when article 100 is worn. In different embodiments, sole structure 110 may include different components. For example, sole structure 110 may include an outsole, a midsole, and/or an insole. In some cases, one or more of these components may be optional. In an exemplary embodiment, sole structure 110 may include midsole 112.
In some cases, midsole 112 may be attached directly to upper 102. In other cases, midsole 112 may be attached to a sockliner associated with upper 102. In different embodiments, midsole 112 may have different material characteristics to provide various levels of comfort, cushioning and/or shock absorption. Examples of different materials that could be used for midsole 112 include, but are not limited to: foam, rubber, plastic, polymers, as well as any other kinds of materials.
In some cases, sole structure 110 can also include an outsole. The outsole may be configured to provide traction for sole structure 110 and article 100. An outsole can include one or more tread elements and/or ground penetrating members such as cleats. The outsole can have different material characteristics to provide varying levels of traction with a ground surface. Examples of different materials that could be used for an outsole include, but are not limited to: plastic, rubber, polymers as well as any other kinds of materials that are both durable and wear resistant.
In some embodiments, upper 102 further includes an opening 120 at the heel portion 14 for inserting a wearer's foot into article 100, and a fastening region 122. Opening 120 may be limited to the heel portion 14 of article 100 or may extend along the top of upper 102 into, and include, fastening region 122. Thus, in one embodiment upper 102 may be integrated with fastening region 122. In another embodiment fastening region 122 may be separately affixed to upper 102. Fastening region 122 may be situated along the midfoot portion 12 of upper 102 as shown in
In some embodiments, fastening region 122 may further include lateral fastening portion 132 and medial fastening portion 134. Lateral fastening portion 132 may be disposed along a lateral edge of fastening region 122. Medial fastening portion 134 may be disposed along a medial edge of fastening region 122. Moreover, lateral fastening portion 132 may include first set of eyelets 136 for receiving portions of a lace or other fastener. Likewise, medial fastening portion 134 may include second set of eyelets 138 for receiving portions of a lace or other fastener.
Fastening region 122 may include a fastening system for tightening article 100 around a wearer's foot. Examples of different fastening systems that could be used with fastening region 122 include, but are not limited to: lacing systems, strap systems as well as any other kinds of systems. Thus, fastening region 122 may be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate different types of fastening systems. In some embodiments, fastening region 122 may be provided with laces 140. Laces 140 could be any type of laces configured for use with an article of footwear.
In one embodiment, laces 140 may be configured to engage with fastening region 122. In some cases, laces 140 may be inserted through first set of eyelets 136 and second set of eyelets 138 in an alternating manner. This arrangement allows fastening region 122, and upper 102, to be tightened by pulling on laces 140.
Upper 102 may further include a separate provision, such as tongue 124, which may be attached to upper 102 under fastening region 122. In some cases, tongue 124 may be rigidly attached only at the toe end 104 of upper 102. In other cases, tongue 124 may be additionally rigidly attached along a portion of the fastening region 122. In still other cases, tongue 124 may be attached at the toe end 104 and along the entirety of fastening region 122. Depending on how tongue 124 is attached to upper 102, opening 120 may be of varying sizes when tongue 124 is lifted up from fastening region 122. In addition, tongue 124 may be configured as a portion of upper 102.
Tongue 124 may comprise outer layer 198 and inner layer 199. Outer layer 198 may act as a cover for inner layer 199. Inner layer 199 may function as a cushioning layer in some cases, in order to provide cushioning along the top of a foot. In some embodiments, outer layer 198 cover could comprise a substantially similar material to the material used in constructing the upper. Moreover, outer layer 198 and inner layer 199 could be joined using any methods including, but not limited to: stitching, adhesives as well as any other methods of joining a cover to a component.
For purposes of clarity, outer layer 198 is only shown in
As a fastening region is tightened by a fastening system, different portions of the fastening system may apply pressure to regions of a foot. For example, in embodiments where laces are used, as the laces are tightened, the tension applied to the lateral and medial edges of the fastening region may cause increased pressure along portions of a foot. In some cases, the pressure may vary along different portions of a foot, including portions directly adjacent to the fastening region. A particular example of pressure distribution over various portions of a foot are shown in
An article of footwear can include provisions for reducing pressure that occurs along a fastening region when the upper is tightened. In some embodiments, a tongue may be used to cushion portions of a foot that may experience pressure that occurs along the fastening region. In embodiments where different amounts of pressure occur over different parts of a foot, a tongue can provide differential cushioning in order to provide the most cushioning in regions where the greatest pressure occurs, and to provide the least cushioning in regions where the least pressure occurs. This allows the tongue to facilitate comfort and also maintain flexibility along portions that are not associated with high pressure regions.
In order to achieve different cushioning properties along different portions of tongue 124, the volume or density of various portions can be varied. In some embodiments, material can be removed from various portions to lower the volume or density of the corresponding portions. Portions of a tongue with different material volumes or densities may then have substantially different cushioning properties. In particular, portions with high material volumes or densities may have high rigidities. These high rigidity portions may not deform under pressure applied by a fastening system, which helps cushion the underlying region of the foot from the pressure of the fastening system. In contrast, portions of a tongue with low material volumes or densities may have low rigidities. These regions of lower rigidity may deform more easily and therefore provide increased flexibility.
In some embodiments, the material volume or density of a portion may be reduced by incorporating one or more holes into the portion. Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, the shapes of holes in first set of holes 402, second set of holes 404 and third set of holes 406 may be substantially similar. In particular, each hole may have a shape that is square-like. Moreover, the corners of each hole may be rounded. In other embodiments, however, the holes in tongue 124 could have any other shapes including, but not limited to: rounded, circular, rectangular, triangular, pentagon-like, hexagon-like, polygonal, regular, irregular as well as any other kinds of shapes. In still other embodiments, the shape of a hole may vary from one portion to another. Also, in some cases, the shapes of holes within the same portion could be varied.
In order to achieve different material volumes for different portions of tongue 124, the sizes of holes could be varied. In some embodiments, the sizes of holes within a particular portion of tongue 124 may be approximately constant. In other embodiments, the sizes of holes within a particular portion of tongue 124 could vary. In addition, in some embodiments, the sizes of holes may vary between different portions of tongue 124. In still other embodiments, the sizes of holes in different portions of tongue 124 may be substantially similar.
In one embodiment, the sizes of holes within first set of holes 402 may be approximately similar. For example, hole 502 of first set of holes 402 has a size characterized by length L1, which is the length of a side of hole 502. In some cases, each of the remaining holes of first set of holes 402 may be substantially similar in size to hole 502. Likewise, hole 504 of second set of holes 404 has a size characterized by length L2, which is the length of a side of hole 504. In some cases, each of the remaining holes of second set of holes 404 may be substantially similar in size to hole 504. Additionally, hole 506 of third set of holes 406 also has a size characterized by length L2, which is the length of a side of hole 506. In some cases, each of the remaining holes of third set of holes 406 may be substantially similar in size to hole 506.
In some embodiments, the relative sizes of length L1 and length L2 can vary. In some cases, length L1 could be greater than length L2. In other cases, length L2 could be greater than length L1. In one embodiment, length L1 is substantially greater than length L2. In other words, first set of holes 402 may be substantially larger in size than second set of holes 404. Moreover, since third set of holes 406 also has length L2, first set of holes 402 may be substantially larger in size than third set of holes 406.
In some embodiments, holes can be applied to tongue 124 in a manner that achieves a particular reduction in material volume. For example, in some embodiments, first set of holes 402 may be applied in a manner that achieves a reduction of material volume in the range between 40% and 80% of the potential material volume of central portion 216. In other words, first set of holes 402 reduces the material volume of central portion 216 by between 40% and 80% of what the volume of central portion 216 would be without any holes. In other embodiments, first set of holes 402 could be applied in any manner to achieve any other desired reduction in material volume. In one embodiment, first set of holes 402 may be applied in a manner that achieves an approximately 60% reduction in material volume for central portion 216. In some embodiments, second set of holes 404 may be applied in a manner that achieves a reduction of material volume in the range between 5% and 50% for lateral portion 212. In other embodiments, second set of holes 402 could be applied in any manner to achieve any other desired reduction in material volume for lateral portion 212. In one embodiment, second set of holes 404 may be applied in a manner that achieves approximately a 30% reduction in material volume for lateral portion 212. Likewise, in some embodiments, third set of holes 406 could be applied in a manner that achieves a reduction of material volume in the range between 5% and 50% of upper perimeter portion 215. In other embodiments, third set of holes 406 could be applied in any manner to achieve any other desired reduction in material volume for upper perimeter portion 215. In one embodiment, third set of holes 406 could be applied in a manner that achieves approximately a 30% reduction in material volume for upper perimeter portion 215.
Using this particular arrangement of sizes for holes on tongue 124 provides differential cushioning across tongue 124. In particular, portions with the largest holes have the greatest reductions in material volume, and therefore provide the least amount of support or cushioning. In contrast, portions with no holes have the largest material volume or density, and therefore provide the greatest amount of support of cushioning. In this case, since top portion 214 and medial portion 210 have no holes, these portions are the most rigid and may provide the greatest support against pressure applied by a fastening system. Central portion 216, which has the largest holes, is the most flexible portion, and central portion 216 may be associated with the lowest amount of pressure applied by a fastening system. Lateral portion 212 and upper perimeter portion 215 have holes that are smaller than the holes in central portion 216, and therefore lateral portion 212 and upper perimeter portion 215 may provide more support against fastening pressure than central portion 216, but less support than top portion 214 and medial portion 210.
In different embodiments, the number of holes associated with each portion of tongue 124 could vary. In some cases, each set of holes may comprise one or more holes. Moreover, the number of holes in a portion may vary according to the size of the portion. For example, central portion 216, which has the greatest area, may have more holes than lateral portion 212, which has less area than central portion 216. In some cases, the number of holes in a given portion may be selected to achieve a desired material volume or density of the portion. It will be understood that the embodiments are not limited to a certain number of holes in each portion and in other embodiments the number of holes in different portions could vary.
Generally, the configuration or arrangement of holes in different portions of tongue 124 could vary. In some embodiments, holes could be regularly arranged throughout each portion. For example, in the current embodiment, first set of holes 402, second set of holes 404 and third set of holes 406 may be approximately evenly distributed throughout central portion 216, lateral portion 212 and upper perimeter portion 215, respectively. However, in other embodiments, holes could be irregularly distributed throughout any of the portions of tongue 124. In some cases, holes could be distributed or arranged in various different patterns. In some cases, holes could be arranged in a particular design, to improve the aesthetic quality of tongue 124.
In different embodiments, the depths of each hole could vary. In some cases, including the embodiments illustrated in the Figures, each hole may extend through the entire thickness of tongue 124. However, in other embodiments, holes may only extend through a portion of tongue 124. In some cases, some holes could extend through the entire thickness of tongue 124, while others may only extend partially through the thickness of tongue 124.
In still other embodiments, it may be possible to reduce the material volume or density of various portions in various different ways. For example, in some cases, some portions of a tongue could be hollowed out to achieve reduced material volume. In other cases, different portions could be made of different materials that are characterized by different rigidities, weights, elasticity as well as other material properties.
Each zone may be associated with different amounts of pressure when a fastening system is tightened. In some cases, first pressure zone 701 and second pressure zone 702 are the highest pressure zones, due to the pressure applied along medial fastening portion 134 of fastening region 122 (see
In some cases, fourth pressure zone 704 may be associated with the lowest pressures. This may occur since a fastener, such as lace 140, may extend over, but not apply pressure across, fourth pressure zone 704. Finally, third pressure zone 703 may be associated with intermediate pressures that are between the highest pressures (along first pressure zone 701 and second pressure zone 702) and the lowest pressures (along fourth pressure zone 704). The pressure in third pressure zone 703 may occur as lateral fastening portion 132 of fastening region 122 is pulled against foot 700 as lace 140 is tightened.
In order to alleviate the pressure applied in pressure zones 710, tongue 124 may provide cushioning between top portion 720 of foot 700 and a fastening system. In some embodiments, tongue 124 is configured to provide differential cushioning using portions of varying material volume or density. In the current embodiment, medial portion 210 is configured to be aligned with first pressure zone 701 when foot 700 is inserted into article 100 (see
The previous embodiments discuss exemplary configurations for a tongue. In other embodiments, the material volumes of one or more portions of a tongue could be varied in any other manner. For example, in some cases, holes could be applied to both a lateral portion and a medial portion. In other cases, holes could be applied to a top portion.
In some embodiments, the size of fourth set of holes 926 may be less than the sizes of first set of holes 920, second set of holes 922 and third set of holes 924. This allows the rigidity of medial portion 910 to remain greater than the rigidity of lateral portion 912, central portion 916 and upper perimeter portion 915. However, since top portion 914 does not include any holes, top portion 914 may retain a greater rigidity than medial portion 910. This type of configuration may be useful in situations where pressure from a fastening system is greatest in zone 802 (see
In some embodiments, the sizes of holes in a central portion and a lateral portion could be substantially similar. Referring to
In some embodiments, the sizes of holes along an upper perimeter portion and a lateral portion could be substantially different. Referring to
Generally, a tongue with holes of varying sizes could be manufactured in any manner. In some embodiments, a tongue could be molded with holes of different sizes. In other embodiments, a tongue could be created as a solid piece and then holes could be applied to the tongue using a drill, knife, laser, cutting press or any other method known in the art for applying holes.
Generally, any materials known in the art for use with footwear can be used with the tongues discussed above. Examples of materials include, but are not limited to: plastic, foam, fabric, canvas, leather, wood, rubber, metal as well as any other materials known in the art. In some embodiments, a tongue could be made using a knit material (such as various yarns or threads). In some cases, a tongue with holes could be formed using a knitting process. An example of such a knitting process for forming tongues and other knitted elements is disclosed in Greene et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/574,876, filed Oct. 7, 2009, now U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2011/0078921 A1, published on Apr. 7, 2011, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In cases where a tongue is formed using a knitting process, any suitable knitting materials could be used.
Although the current embodiment discusses a tongue used with a lacing system, it will be understood that in other embodiments, a tongue with holes of varying sizes could be used with any type of fastening system that can create pressure. Examples of different fastening systems that could be used with a tongue having holes of varying sizes include, but are not limited to: laces, straps, buttons, snaps, zippers as well as any other kinds of fastening systems.
In some embodiments, a cover or outer layer could be applied to a tongue. The cover could comprise any kind of material and may improve the aesthetic design of the tongue by covering holes. In some embodiments, a cover could comprise a substantially similar material to the material used in constructing the upper. Moreover, a cover could be applied to a tongue using any methods including, but not limited to: stitching, adhesives as well as any other methods of joining a cover to a component.
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. Accordingly, the invention is 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.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/949,100 filed Nov. 18, 2010, corresponding to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0124863, published on May 5, 2012, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12949100 | Nov 2010 | US |
Child | 14164669 | US |