Patent Application
20210368941
The present disclosure relates generally to articles of footwear, and more particularly, to uppers for articles of footwear.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Articles of footwear conventionally include an upper and a sole structure. The upper may be formed from any suitable material(s) to receive, secure and support a foot on the sole structure. The upper may cooperate with laces, straps, or other fasteners to adjust the fit of the upper around the foot. For instance, laces may be tightened to close the upper around the foot. A bottom portion of the upper, proximate to a bottom surface of the foot, attaches to the sole structure.
Sole structures generally include a layered arrangement extending between an outsole providing abrasion-resistance and traction with a ground surface and a midsole disposed between the outsole and the upper for providing cushioning for the foot. In some configurations, the outsole includes traction elements such as cleats for enhancing traction on a turf surface. Such cleats are often incorporated in articles of footwear intended for use during athletic activities such as soccer, football, and/or lacrosse.
While conventional articles of footwear include an upper that secures and supports a foot of a wearer and an outsole that provides traction with a ground surface, such articles of footwear may not include elements that aid a wearer during a specific athletic activity. For example, conventional uppers may lack a ball-control feature designed specifically for use in controlling a ball while playing soccer. Further, even if such articles include a ball-control feature, such feature(s) do not typically aid in further protecting the wearer's foot but, rather, are only concerned with contacting and controlling a soccer ball during use.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.
In one configuration, an upper for an article of footwear includes an inner boot having an ankle opening and an instep region formed between the ankle opening and an anterior end of the upper and a cushioning member disposed over the instep region of the inner boot and including a first side fixed to a medial side of the upper and a second side tethered to a lateral side of the upper.
The upper may include one or more of the following optional features. Namely, the cushioning member may include one or more compressible pads. Each of the compressible pads may include a chamber having a compressible material disposed therein. Further, one or more of the compressible pads may include a central pad and a pair of secondary pads disposed at opposite ends of the central pad. In one configuration, the central pad may be X-shaped.
The inner boot may include a knitted mesh material. Additionally or alternatively, a shroud may be attached to the inner boot and may at least partially cover the cushioning member. The shroud may include a plurality of perforations through which the cushioning member is exposed.
The second side of the cushioning member may be detached from the inner boot. Additionally or alternatively, the second side of the cushioning member may be tethered to the lateral side of the upper by a plurality of connecting strands.
In another configuration, an upper for an article of footwear includes an inner boot having an ankle opening and an instep region formed between the ankle opening and an anterior end of the upper and a cushioning member disposed over the instep region of the inner boot and including a peripheral portion attached to one of a medial side and a lateral side of the inner boot and an interior portion detached from the inner boot.
The upper may include one or more of the following optional features. Namely, the cushioning member may include one or more compressible pads. Each of the compressible pads may include a chamber having a compressible material disposed therein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more compressible pads may include a central pad and a pair of secondary pads disposed at opposite ends of the central pad. In one configuration, the central pad may be X-shaped.
The inner boot may include a knitted mesh material. Further, a shroud may be attached to the inner boot and may at least partially cover the cushioning member. The shroud may include a plurality of perforations through which the cushioning member is exposed.
In one configuration, a first portion of the peripheral portion may be detached from the inner boot. Additionally or alternatively, a first portion of the peripheral portion may be tethered to the upper by a plurality of connecting strands.
The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other aspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Referring to
With reference to
With reference to
Unlike conventional uppers 100, which may include several distinct components forming each of the elements or regions, the upper 100 of the present disclosure may include one or more continuous pieces of material forming various layers of the upper 100. For example, the inner boot 102 of the upper 100 may be formed as one or more pieces of knitted material formed to define the various regions of the upper 100. Accordingly, the toe cap 112, the quarter panels 114a, 114b, the instep region 116, and the heel side panels 118a, 118b may be integrally formed of one or more continuous pieces of material. However, for the sake of describing the configurations and relative arrangements of the elements of the upper 100, conventional terminology will be used herein.
With reference to
With reference to
The cushioning member 104 may be further described as including an inner surface 142 configured to face inwardly (e.g., towards the foot) and an exterior surface 144 formed on an opposite side of the cushioning member 104 from the inner surface 142. The exterior surface 144 is configured to face outwardly (e.g., away from the foot) and may define at least a portion of a ball-control surface 26 of the article of footwear 10. As discussed below, distances between the inner surface 142 and the exterior surface 144 define respective thicknesses T104 of the cushioning member 104.
With continued reference to
While the entire cushioning element 150 may be continuously formed as a single, unitary cushioning element 150 within the interior region 138, in the illustrated example, the cushioning element 150 includes a plurality of discrete pads 154a-154c connected to each other by a web area 156 within the interior region 138 of the cushioning member 104. Here, each of the pads 154a-154c defines a maximum thickness T104 (i.e., greater than a thickness of the web area 156) of the interior region 138 to provide discrete impact attenuation zones within the interior region 138. As discussed in greater detail below, each of the pads 154a-154c may be configured with a different shape, hardness, thickness, and/or surface feature.
The interior region 138 may also include one or more articulation joints 156, 158 configured to allow the cushioning member 104 to flex and conform during use. For example, the web area 156 includes one or more segments extending between adjacent ones of the pads 154a-154c, where the web area 156 defines a minimum thickness T104 (i.e., less than the thickness of the adjacent pads 154a-154c) of the interior region 138 to provide primary articulation joints between adjacent ones of the pads 154a-154c. Optionally, one or more of the pads 154a-154c may also include flexions 158 formed in or along an intermediate portion of the pad 154a-154c, where the pad 154a-154c includes a line or area having a reduced thickness T104 (i.e., less than the maximum thickness of the pad 154a-154c and greater than the minimum thickness T104 of the web area 156) to allow each of the pads 154 to flex or articulate.
In the illustrated example, the cushioning element 150 includes a plurality of the pads 154a-154c formed in the interior region 138. Here, each of the pads 154a-154c is separated by the web area 156, whereby the pads 154a-154c are able to articulate relative to one another. The plurality of the pads 154a-154c includes a central pad 154a interposed between a pair of end pads 154b, 154c formed at each end 130, 132 of the cushioning member 104. The central pad 154a may form a larger portion of the exterior surface 144 than either of the end pads 154b, 154c, such that the central pad 154a provides a primary contact surface of the cushioning member 104.
With reference to
With continued reference to
In the illustrated example, the central pad 154a includes a longitudinal flexion 158 extending along a direction of the longitudinal axis A104. As discussed above, the flexion 158 may be formed in a portion of the central pad 154a having a partially reduced thickness. Here, the flexion 158 separates the first and second legs 160a, 160b from the third and fourth legs 160c, 160d to allow the first and second sides 134, 134 of the central pad 154a to articulate along the longitudinal axis A104. In other examples, the longitudinal flexion 158 may be replaced by a portion of the web area 156 such that the first side 134 (e.g., first and second legs 160a, 160b) is separated from the second side 136 (e.g., third and fourth legs 160c, 160d) by a portion of the web area 156 extending along the longitudinal axis A104. Optionally, the central pad 154a may include other flexions, such as a lateral flexion extending from the third notch 162c to the fourth notch 162d, or radial flexions extending along one or more of the legs 160a-160d.
In addition to the central pad 154a, the cushioning element 150 includes a first end pad 154b disposed at the first end 130 of the cushioning member 104. As shown, the first end pad 154b is at least partially received within the first end notch 162a of the central pad 154a, such that the first end pad 154b is overlapped by the central pad 154a at the first end 130. Here, the first end pad 154a may have a polygonal outer profile including a plurality of sides and vertices. The sides of the first end pad 154b may be adjacent and parallel to the sides of the central pad 154a defining the first end notch 162a such that a portion of the web area 156 extending between the first end pad 154b and the central pad 154a has a substantially constant width.
The cushioning element 150 also includes a second end pad 154c disposed at the second end 132 of the cushioning member 104. As shown, the second end pad 154c is at least partially received within the second end notch 162b of the central pad 154a, such that the second end pad 154c is overlapped by the central pad 154a at the second end 132. Here, the second end pad 154c may have a polygonal outer profile including a plurality of sides and vertices. Sides of the second end pad 154c may be adjacent and parallel to the sides of the central pad 154a defining the second end notch 162b such that a portion of the web area 156 extending between the second end pad 154c and the central pad 154c has a substantially constant width.
As provided above, the peripheral flange 152 extends around an outer periphery of the cushioning element 150 and provides an attachment interface for securing the cushioning member 104 to the upper 100. The peripheral flange 152 may define a portion of the cushioning member 104 having a minimum thickness T104. Optionally, the peripheral flange 152 may include one or more conduits 164a-164d for securing the cushioning member 104 to the upper 100 as discussed below. In the illustrated example, the conduits 164a-164d are formed as fabric loops 164 attached to the peripheral flange 152 along the first side 134 of the cushioning member 104. In other examples, the conduits 164a-164d may be formed integrally with or through the peripheral flange 152.
In the illustrated example, the cushioning member 104 is formed as bladder 104 having an opposing pair of barrier layers 166a, 166b joined to each other at discrete locations to define the geometries (e.g., thicknesses, width, and lengths) of the cushioning member 104. For example, the barrier layers 166a, 166b may be joined together to form the web area 156 and the peripheral flange 152, which cooperate to bound and extend around the pads 154a-154c. Thus, each of the pads 154a-154c is associated with an area of the cushioning member 104 where interior surfaces of the upper and lower barrier layers 166a, 166b are not joined together and, thus, are separated from one another.
As shown in
When filled with a pressurized fluid, the chambers 168a-168c of the pads 154a-154c may receive a tensile element 170a-170c therein. Each tensile element 170a-170c may include a series of tensile strands 172 extending between upper and lower tensile layers 174a, 174b. The upper tensile layer 174a may be attached to the upper barrier layer 166a while the lower tensile layer 174b may be attached to the lower barrier layer 166b. In this manner, when each of the chambers 168a-168c receives a pressurized fluid, the tensile strands 172 of the tensile elements 170a, 170b are placed in tension. Because the upper tensile layer 174a is attached to the first barrier layer 166a and the lower tensile layer 174b is attached to the lower barrier layer 166a, 166b, the tensile strands 172 retain a desired shape of each of the pads 154a-154c when the pressurized fluid is injected into the chamber 168a-168c.
As used herein, the term “barrier layer” (e.g., barrier layers 166a, 166b) encompasses both monolayer and multilayer films. In some embodiments, one or both of barrier layers 166a, 166b are each produced (e.g., thermoformed or blow molded) from a monolayer film (a single layer). In other embodiments, one or both of the barrier layers 166a, 166b are each produced (e.g., thermoformed or blow molded) from a multilayer film (multiple sublayers). In either aspect, each layer or sublayer can have a film thickness ranging from about 0.2 micrometers to about be about 1 millimeter. In further embodiments, the film thickness for each layer or sublayer can range from about 0.5 micrometers to about 500 micrometers. In yet further embodiments, the film thickness for each layer or sublayer can range from about 1 micrometer to about 100 micrometers.
One or both of the barrier layers 166a, 166b can independently be transparent, translucent, and/or opaque. As used herein, the term “transparent” for a barrier layer and/or a fluid-filled chamber means that light passes through the barrier layer in substantially straight lines and a viewer can see through the barrier layer. In comparison, for an opaque barrier layer, light does not pass through the barrier layer and one cannot see clearly through the barrier layer at all. A translucent barrier layer falls between a transparent barrier layer and an opaque barrier layer, in that light passes through a translucent layer but some of the light is scattered so that a viewer cannot see clearly through the layer.
The barrier layers 166a, 166b can each be produced from an elastomeric material that includes one or more thermoplastic polymers and/or one or more cross-linkable polymers. In an aspect, the elastomeric material can include one or more thermoplastic elastomeric materials, such as one or more thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) copolymers, one or more ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymers, and the like.
As used herein, “polyurethane” refers to a copolymer (including oligomers) that contains a urethane group (—N(C═O)O—). These polyurethanes can contain additional groups such as ester, ether, urea, allophanate, biuret, carbodiimide, oxazolidinyl, isocynaurate, uretdione, carbonate, and the like, in addition to urethane groups. In an aspect, one or more of the polyurethanes can be produced by polymerizing one or more isocyanates with one or more polyols to produce copolymer chains having (—N(C═O)O—) linkages.
Examples of suitable isocyanates for producing the polyurethane copolymer chains include diisocyanates, such as aromatic diisocyanates, aliphatic diisocyanates, and combinations thereof. Examples of suitable aromatic diisocyanates include toluene diisocyanate (TDI), TDI adducts with trimethyloylpropane (TMP), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), xylene diisocyanate (XDI), tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), hydrogenated xylene diisocyanate (HXDI), naphthalene 1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), 1,5-tetrahydronaphthalene diisocyanate, para-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI), 3,3′-dimethyldiphenyl-4, 4′-diisocyanate (DDDI), 4,4′-dibenzyl diisocyanate (DBDI), 4-chloro-1,3-phenylene diisocyanate, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the copolymer chains are substantially free of aromatic groups.
In particular aspects, the polyurethane polymer chains are produced from diisocynates including HMDI, TDI, MDI, H12 aliphatics, and combinations thereof. In an aspect, the thermoplastic TPU can include polyester-based TPU, polyether-based TPU, polycaprolactone-based TPU, polycarbonate-based TPU, polysiloxane-based TPU, or combinations thereof.
In another aspect, the polymeric layer can be formed of one or more of the following: EVOH copolymers, poly(vinyl chloride), polyvinylidene polymers and copolymers (e.g., polyvinylidene chloride), polyamides (e.g., amorphous polyamides), amide-based copolymers, acrylonitrile polymers (e.g., acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers), polyethylene terephthalate, polyether imides, polyacrylic imides, and other polymeric materials known to have relatively low gas transmission rates. Blends of these materials as well as with the TPU copolymers described herein and optionally including combinations of polyimides and crystalline polymers, are also suitable.
The barrier layers 166a, 166b may include two or more sublayers (multilayer film) such as shown in Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,141 and Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,065, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In embodiments where the barrier layers 166a, 166b include two or more sublayers, examples of suitable multilayer films include microlayer films, such as those disclosed in Bonk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,786, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. In further embodiments, the barrier layers 166a, 166b may each independently include alternating sublayers of one or more TPU copolymer materials and one or more EVOH copolymer materials, where the total number of sublayers in each of the barrier layers 166a, 166b includes at least four (4) sublayers, at least ten (10) sublayers, at least twenty (20) sublayers, at least forty (40) sublayers, and/or at least sixty (60) sublayers.
The member 104 can be produced from barrier layers 166a, 166b using any suitable technique, such as thermoforming (e.g. vacuum thermoforming), blow molding, extrusion, injection molding, vacuum molding, rotary molding, transfer molding, pressure forming, heat sealing, casting, low-pressure casting, spin casting, reaction injection molding, radio frequency (RF) welding, and the like. In an aspect, barrier layers 166a, 166b can be produced by co-extrusion followed by vacuum thermoforming to produce an inflatable chamber, which can optionally include one or more valves (e.g., one way valves) that allows the chambers to be filled with the fluid (e.g., gas).
The barrier layers 166a, 166b desirably have a low gas transmission rate to preserve its retained gas pressure. In some embodiments, barrier layers 166a, 166b have a gas transmission rate for nitrogen gas that is at least about ten (10) times lower than a nitrogen gas transmission rate for a butyl rubber layer of substantially the same dimensions. In an aspect, fluid-filled chamber 220 has a nitrogen gas transmission rate of 15 cubic-centimeter/square-meter·atmosphere·day (cm3/m2·atm·day) or less for an average film thickness of 500 micrometers (based on thicknesses of barrier layers 166a, 166b). In further aspects, the transmission rate is 10 cm3/m2·atm·day or less, 5 cm3/m2·atm·day or less, or 1 cm3/m2·atm·day or less.
While the illustrated example of the cushioning member 104 is formed as a unitary bladder, in some examples, the cushioning member 104 may be formed as a composite structure having various components and materials joined together to form the elements of the cushioning member 104. For example, the cushioning member 104 may be formed by attaching one or more of the pads 154a-154c to a flexible substrate defining the peripheral flange 152 and/or the web area 156. Here, one or more of the pads 154a-154c may include a compressible chamber, similar to those described above. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the pads 154a-154c may be formed of a resilient material, such as a foam material. In other examples, the cushioning element 150 and the peripheral flange 152 may be formed as a homogenous structure (i.e., of a single material). For instance, the cushioning element 150 and the peripheral flange 152 may be integrally molded from a single piece of an elastomeric material, such as a rubber or foamed rubber material.
With continued reference to
As shown in
With reference to
Turning to
In the illustrated example, the tethers 178a-178h are formed as segments of a continuous, unitary strand 180 alternatingly routed between the cushioning member 104 and various attachment points on the article of footwear 10. As shown, the article of footwear 10 may include a plurality of anchors 182a-182d attached at the bite line 28 and/or along the inner boot 102 for securing the tethers 178a-178h. Where the tethers 178a-178h are formed as part of a single strand 180, the anchors 182a-182d may be formed as loops or guides through which the strand 180 is routed. However, in other examples, where the tethers 178a-178h are independently formed, the anchors 182a-182d may be distinct attachment points for respective ends of each of the tethers 178a-178h.
With continued reference to
With continued reference to
The shroud 106 includes an elastic material configured to stretch with the inner boot 102, and may include a plurality of perforations 190a, 190b formed through a thickness of the shroud 106 for at least partially exposing the inner boot 102 and/or the cushioning member 104. Accordingly, the shroud 106 may cooperate with the exterior surface 144 of the cushioning member 104 and the inner boot 102 to form the ball-control surface 26 of the article of footwear 10. Furthermore, the perforations 190a, 190b may vary in size and shape along the shroud 106 to provide more or less exposure to the inner boot 102 and/or the cushioning member 104. For instance, the perforations 190b configured to overlay the cushioning member 104 may be larger than perforations 190a surrounding the cushioning member 104. The larger perforations 190b overlying the cushioning member 104 maximize an area of the exterior surface 144 of the cushioning member 104 that is exposed, thereby providing improved ball control properties along the instep region 116.
In some examples, the shroud 106 may be a knitted material having a desired degree of elasticity. As shown in
With reference to
The following Clauses provide an exemplary configuration for an article of footwear described above.
Clause 1. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising an inner boot including an ankle opening and an instep region formed between the ankle opening and an anterior end of the upper and a cushioning member disposed over the instep region of the inner boot and including a first side fixed to a medial side of the upper and a second side tethered to a lateral side of the upper.
Clause 2. The upper of Clause 1, wherein the cushioning member includes one or more compressible pads.
Clause 3. The upper of Clause 2, wherein each of the compressible pads includes a chamber having a compressible material disposed therein.
Clause 4. The upper of Clause 2, wherein the one or more compressible pads includes a central pad and a pair of secondary pads disposed at opposite ends of the central pad.
Clause 5. The upper of Clause 4, wherein the central pad is X-shaped.
Clause 6. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein the inner boot includes a knitted mesh material.
Clause 7. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, further comprising a shroud attached to the inner boot and at least partially covering the cushioning member.
Clause 8. The upper of Clause 7, wherein the shroud includes a plurality of perforations through which the cushioning member is exposed.
Clause 9. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein the second side of the cushioning member is detached from the inner boot.
Clause 10. The upper of Clause 9, wherein the second side of the cushioning member is tethered to the lateral side of the upper by a plurality of connecting strands.
Clause 11. An upper for an article of footwear, the upper comprising an inner boot including an ankle opening and an instep region formed between the ankle opening and an anterior end of the upper and a cushioning member disposed over the instep region of the inner boot and including a peripheral portion attached to one of a medial side and a lateral side of the inner boot and an interior portion detached from the inner boot.
Clause 12. The upper of Clause 11, wherein the cushioning member includes one or more compressible pads.
Clause 13. The upper of Clause 12, wherein each of the compressible pads includes a chamber having a compressible material disposed therein.
Clause 14. The upper of Clause 12, wherein the one or more compressible pads includes a central pad and a pair of secondary pads disposed at opposite ends of the central pad.
Clause 15. The upper of Clause 14, wherein the central pad is X-shaped.
Clause 16. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein the inner boot includes a knitted mesh material.
Clause 17. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, further comprising a shroud attached to the inner boot and at least partially covering the cushioning member.
Clause 18. The upper of Clause 17, wherein the shroud includes a plurality of perforations through which the cushioning member is exposed.
Clause 19. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein a first portion of the peripheral portion is detached from the inner boot.
Clause 20. The upper of any of the preceding Clauses, wherein a first portion of the peripheral portion is tethered to the upper by a plurality of connecting strands.
The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/032,146, filed on May 29, 2020. The disclosure of this prior application is considered part of the disclosure of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63032146 | May 2020 | US |
