Patent Grant
11974634
The present disclosure generally includes an article of footwear, a method of manufacturing an article of footwear, and a heel structure for an article of footwear.
Traditionally, placing footwear on a foot often requires the use of one or both hands to stretch 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 footwear that does not have a heel counter.
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.
In an example, an article of footwear may comprise an upper including an inner layer and an outer layer, and defining a foot-receiving cavity inward of the inner layer. The outer layer defines at least one aperture. A heel structure is provided and has a deformable element attached to a rigid base. The deformable element is capable of movement between an uncollapsed and a collapsed configuration with respect to the base. The deformable element is also disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer and the inner layer is disposed between the deformable element and the foot-receiving cavity. At least one peg is provided and extends outward from at least one of the deformable element, and the base, and extends through the aperture in the outer layer. The peg is secured at a surface of the upper.
In one or more implementations, the upper outer layer may include a plurality of apertures and the deformable element may include a medial portion, a lateral portion, and a heel piece. A first peg may extend outward from the heel piece and may be positioned in a respective aperture in the outer layer. A second peg may extend outward from the medial portion and may be positioned in a respective aperture in the outer layer. A third peg may extend outward from the lateral portion and may be positioned in a respective aperture in the outer layer. Still further, each of the pegs can be secured at a surface of the upper.
In still further implementations, each of the pegs may include a shaft portion and a head portion of unitary, integral construction with the shaft portion. The shaft portion may extend through one of the apertures of the upper and the head portion may be bonded at the surface of the upper.
In an aspect, the head portion may depict at least one of a number, a letter, a symbol, a logo, an object, or a design, or may have a specific surface texture, or may be a specific color. Additionally, the pegs need not be the same, as one or more of the pegs may depict a different number, letter, symbol, logo, object, design, surface texture, or specific color than one or more of the other pegs.
In a further aspect, a peg may extend outward from a peripheral portion of the rigid base.
In an additional configuration, the deformable element may be disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer prior to the attachment of the deformable element to the base.
In a still further configuration, the base may include an anchor receptacle located on the medial side of the base and another anchor receptacle located on the lateral side of the base. Each of the anchor receptacles may include at least one pin. The deformable element may include an anchor located on the medial side of the element and an anchor located on the lateral side of the element. Each of the anchors may include at least one aperture for receiving a respective pin of the anchor receptacle.
In yet another configuration, the deformable element may be disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer after the attachment of the deformable element to the base.
In a further example, the outer layer may include a plurality of tabs extending from a lower edge of the outer layer and the tabs may be used to secure the upper to the rigid base.
In a further example, a method of manufacturing may be provided including placing a deformable element between an inner layer of an upper and an outer layer of the upper. The deformable element may include at least one peg extending outward toward the outer layer. The method may include inserting the at least one peg of the deformable element through the outer layer of the upper so that the at least one peg extends through the outer layer and is exposed at an exterior surface of the outer layer. The method may include attaching the deformable element to a rigid base utilizing at least one aperture on the deformable element that receives at least one pin extending from the base. The method may provide securing the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer.
In further configurations, the at least one peg may include multiple pegs, and the outer layer of the upper may include multiple apertures. The pegs may be spaced apart from one another in a first arrangement. The apertures may be spaced apart from one another in the first arrangement so that the apertures align with the pegs.
In a further implementation, the at least one peg may be bonded to the exterior surface of the outer layer.
A further aspect includes pressing a heating tool against an end of the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer to melt the end against the exterior surface of the outer layer.
An additional configuration may provide a heating tool having a mold surface that shapes a head portion of the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer. The pressing of the heating tool to melt the end creates the head. The configuration may include selecting the heating tool from a group of heating tools each having a mold surface with a different shape depicting at least one of a number, a letter, a symbol, a logo, an object, or a design, or with a different surface texture.
In additional implementations, the heating tool is selected in response to a request for a specific shape or a specific surface texture of the head; and the mold surface of the heating tool selected has the specific shape or the specific surface texture requested.
A further aspect includes placing the deformable element between the inner layer of the upper and the outer layer of the upper through an opening between the inner layer and the outer layer and closing the opening.
A still further implementation includes using a heating element on a respective pin to enhance the attachment of the deformable element to the base.
A still further aspect includes the base having one or more pegs extending from a periphery of the base and extending through the outer layer.
In an additional implementation, the pegs and the apertures are used to provide an initial bias to the deformable member when the deformable member is in an uncollapsed position.
In a still further configuration, the outer layer includes a plurality of tabs extending from a lower edge and the tabs are used to secure the base to the upper.
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.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like components,
For the sake of completeness and clarity, turning first to a description from U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,527 about certain elements and their operation that are in common with the current embodiments hereof (with continued reference to
The deformable element(s) 16 is/are coupled to the base 14, according to various embodiments. The term “base” may refer to a rigid portion or section of the shoe to which the deformable element(s) 16 is/are coupled. The base 14 refers to an anchoring connection point(s) to which the deformable element(s) 16 is/are coupled. The base 14 may refer to an outsole or portions thereof, a midsole or portions thereof, an insole or portions thereof, a wedge or portions thereof, the upper or portions thereof (e.g., a heel counter), or other suitable structure disposed between and/or adjacent to these listed parts of a shoe.
While in various embodiments the deformable element 16 is directly coupled, mounted, or attached to the base 14, in other embodiments the base 14 may optionally include one or more anchors 20. In various embodiments, the anchor 20 may be a portion of the base 14 that engages and retains the deformable element(s) 16 in place. In various embodiments, the anchor(s) 20 can be integrally formed with, coupled to and/or located within or between, or outside of an insole, midsole, outsole, upper, or other rear portion shoe in which the heel structure is positioned.
In various embodiments, for example, the anchor 20 is disposed in a block or a wedge. The anchor 20 can be located in the upper, in the heel counter 22 (with reference to
Anchor 20 is generally a structure provided to secure deformable elements 16 and/or heel pieces 18 to a shoe. For example, and with reference to
Deformable element 16, as briefly introduced above, is generally a structure provided to return heel structure 10 from a collapsed configuration to an uncollapsed configuration. Heel structure 10 can include one or more deformable elements 16, for example, one on either side of a shoe. As an example, a single deformable element 16 can travel from one side of a shoe to the other side of shoe and can be attached to one or more anchors 20.
Deformable element 16 can include one or more of a tube, a wire, a spring, a shape memory structure or material, and the like. In example embodiments, deformable element 16 includes a single, unitary piece. For instance, and according to various embodiments, a first end of deformable element 16 can be embedded in or attached to a left anchor 20 (or the left side of a unitary anchor 20), a second end of deformable element 16 can be embedded in or attached to a right anchor 20 (or the right side of a unitary anchor 20), and a middle portion of deformable element 16 can extend around the heel (or be coupled to or be embedded within a heel piece 18), according to various embodiments.
In various embodiments, the first and second ends of the deformable element 16 are disposed below the footbed of a shoe. The connection locations (e.g., anchors 20) of the base 14, to which the deformable element 16 is connected, are positioned below the footbed of the shoe. In various embodiments, the heel structure 10 may be configured so a rear portion of a shoe upper remains positioned above the footbed of the shoe at all times. Said differently, regardless of whether the heel structure 10 is in a collapsed configuration or an uncollapsed configuration, a rear portion of an upper may remain above the footbed of the shoe, according to various embodiments.
In other embodiments, deformable element 16 includes a plurality of separate and distinct components. For instance, deformable element 16 can include two separate components, with a first component having a first end embedded in or attached to a left anchor 20 (or the left side of a unitary anchor 20) and a second end embedded in or attached to the left side of heel piece 18 (or a left paddle 19 of heel piece 18), and with a second component having a first end embedded in or attached to a right anchor 20 (or the right side of a unitary anchor 20) and a second end embedded in or attached to the right side of heel piece 18 (or a right paddle 19 of heel piece 18). The plurality of separate and distinct components can be secured together, for example, with one or more of a tape wrap, woven encasing, overmold (e.g., TPU), heat shrink tube, and the like, each of which can provide different stabilities and strengths. By way of non-limiting example, and with reference to
Deformable element 16 can have variable mechanical properties along its length and/or at distinct points along its length. Such variation can be provided by deformable element 16, one or more of its plurality of separate and distinct components, and/or a securement surrounding all or a portion of deformable element(s) 16, having a variable crosssection, density, material, and/or the like along its length. A variable cross-section, in turn, can be provided by variation in thickness or shape, or twisting of deformable element 16 otherwise having a constant thickness or shape along its length. In various embodiments, the plurality of deformable elements 16 can comprise the same or different mechanical properties, for example, they can flex independent of each other.
In various embodiments, and with reference to
Deformable element 16 can further have directional biases. Such biases can be provided as described above, by deformable element 16, one or more of its plurality of separate and distinct components, and/or a securement surrounding all or a portion of deformable element(s) 16, having a variable cross-section, density, material, and/or the like along its length. By way of non-limiting example, deformable element 16 can include a first component or wire (e.g., nitinol) that is sufficiently resiliently flexible to return heel structure 10 from a collapsed configuration to an uncollapsed configuration, and can further include a second component or wire (e.g., graphite) that directs one or more desired arc(s) of curvature of deformable element 16 (e.g., an arc viewed from a side of a shoe, and an arc viewed from an end of a shoe). These two components can be covered or encased with a plastic coating or shield, as described above, as will be described in greater detail below with reference to
With reference to
An arc of curvature can originate from anchor 20, however, in example embodiments, deformable element 16 does not pivot (i.e., is non-pivoting) about the base 14 (e.g., about an insole, midsole, or outsole) of the shoe. The deformable element 16 may be non-rotatably coupled to the base 14. In various embodiments, engagement between the deformable element 16 and the base 14 (or anchor receptacle 24) is free of play, meaning that there is little or no relative movement between the two components 16, 14.
In some embodiments, an arc of curvature is constant along its length, while in other embodiments, an arc varies along its length and/or at distinct points along its length, for example, by exhibiting variable mechanical properties, as described above. In some embodiments, variation between an uncollapsed configuration and a collapsed configuration may be due to the constraints of the upper construction of the shoe.
With particular reference to
Deformable element 16 can include one or more materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, nickel titanium (nitinol) and other metals and alloys (shape memory or otherwise), polymers (shape-memory or otherwise), composite materials, foam materials, graphite, carbon fiber, fiberglass, TPC-ET, silicone, TPU, and polycarbonate. For example, deformable element 16 can include titanium or be a titanium wire. Also, one or more deformable elements 16 can be made of a first material, e.g., titanium, and one or more deformable elements 16 can be made of a second material, e.g., graphite, which advantageously allow easier deformation of heel structure 10 while at the same time providing faster rebounding of heel structure 10 to its original position (i.e., the uncollapsed configuration).
In various embodiments, and with reference to
At least a portion of the deformable element 16 may be connected to the rear portion of the shoe. For example, the deformable element 16 may be coupled to the shoe in proximity to the top line of the shoe opening so that the rear portion of the shoe collapses in response to the heel structure 10 changing to the collapsed configuration and the rear portion of the shoe rebounds in response to the heel structure 10 reverting back to the uncollapsed configuration. In various embodiments, portions of the deformable element 16 may move within the rear portion (e.g., the quarter) of the shoe. For example, the deformable element 16 may be disposed between an inner surface and an outer surface of the quarter or heel counter of the shoe and, in response to deformation of the deformable element 16, may move relative to the inner and outer surfaces of the shoe. In example embodiments, the deformable element 16 or heel piece 18 can be completely contained within the rear portion of the shoe. While the deformable element 16 is visible by a user in some embodiments, in other embodiments, the deformable element 16 is not visible by a user.
In various embodiments, and with reference to
In various embodiments, as mentioned above, the base 14 may include an anchor 20 and an anchor receptacle 24. The anchor 20 may be able to be installed/coupled to the anchor receptacle 24, for example, via a resistance fit, compression fit, a snap fit, or via an interlocking mechanism/configuration. In such embodiments, the deformable element 16 may be first coupled to the anchor 20 and then the anchor 20 may be installed/coupled to the anchor receptacle 24. Referring to
Optional heel piece 18 is generally a structure provided to secure a rear portion of shoe about a user's heel when heel structure 10 is in an uncollapsed configuration, and direct a user's foot into, or otherwise accommodate a user's foot with respect to, a shoe opening when heel structure 10 is in a collapsed configuration. Heel structure 10 can include a plurality of heel pieces 18.
Turning now from the detailed description from U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,527, the improvement to the embodiments of U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,527 will now be described. The improvements include the provision of the pegs 12 along any number of the portions of the elements disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,820,527.
The pegs 12 are spaced apart from one another in a first arrangement on the heel structure 10. The first arrangement is the relative spacing of the pegs 12 (e.g., the distances between the different pegs 12) as shown in
In
The material of heads of the pegs 12, which may be the same material as the deformable element and/or the base, is selected to provide a melt temperature lower than a melt temperature of a footwear layer at which the heads of the pegs are disposed, or at least the head of one of the pegs is disposed, as discussed herein. Example materials for the pegs 12 include plastics (such as thermoplastics), composites, and nylon. Another example material for the pegs 12 is a polyether block amide such as PEBAX® available from Arkema, Inc. in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania USA. Another example material for the pegs 12 is a fiberglass reinforced polyamide. An example fiberglass reinforced polyamide is RISLAN® BZM 7 0 TL available from Arkema, Inc. in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania USA. Such a fiberglass reinforced polyamide may have a density of 1.07 grams per cubic centimeter under ISO 1183 test method, an instantaneous hardness of 75 on a Shore D scale under ISO 868 test method, a tensile modulus of 1800 MPa under ISO 527 test method (with samples conditioned 15 days at 23 degrees Celsius with 50% relative humidity), and a flexural modulus of 1500 MPa under ISO 178 test method (with samples conditioned 15 days at 23 degrees Celsius with 50% relative humidity). Another example material for the pegs 12 is Nylon 12 (with or without glass fiber), such as RTP 200F or RTP 201F available from RTP Company of Winona, Minnesota USA. Another example material for the pegs 12 is rigid thermoplastic polyurethane (with or without glass fiber), such as RTP 2300 or RTP 2301 available from RTP Company of Winona, Minnesota USA. Still another example material for the pegs 12 is Acetal (Polyoxymethylene (POM)) (with or without glass fiber), such as RTP 800 or RTP 801 available from RTP Company of Winona, Minnesota USA.
The upper 42 includes an inner layer 42A and an outer layer 42B. The upper 42 defines a foot-receiving cavity 46 inward of the inner layer 42A, and an ankle opening 48 for access to the cavity 46. The inner layer 42A is disposed between the foot-receiving cavity 46 and the outer layer 42B (e.g., closer to a foot disposed within the foot-receiving cavity 46). The upper 42 may be a variety of materials or combination of materials, such as a 4-way stretch nylon fabric, a knit construction, or other material. The material of the upper 42 may be flexible to allow movement of the upper 42 with the heel structure 10 during easy access foot entry into the article of footwear 40 as described herein. The outer layer 42B may be referred to as a first layer of the upper 42, and is comprised of a first material having a first melt temperature and a first burn temperature.
The article of footwear 40 includes a heel region 50, a midfoot region 52, and a forefoot region 54. With reference to
The sole structure 44 includes one or more sole components that may be sole layers, such as an outsole, a midsole, or a unitary combination of an outsole and a midsole that may be referred to as a unisole. A lower portion of the footwear upper 42 may be secured to the sole structure 44, such as by adhesive or otherwise and/or may be stitched or otherwise secured to a strobel that is in turn secured to the sole layer. Still further, the outer layer 42B can include a plurality of attachment tabs 56 extending along a lower edge 58 of the outer layer 42B. These tabs 56 can be used to attach the upper 42 to the base 14 of the heel structure as will be more fully described below.
The outer layer 42B of the upper 42 has apertures 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D arranged in the same first arrangement relative to one another as the pegs 12 of the deformable element 10 and the base 14 and can therefore serve as complementary locating features for the pegs 12. Aperture 60A is at a rear of the heel region 50, relatively high on the upper 42. Aperture 60B is at a medial side 62 of the article of footwear 40. Aperture 60C is at a lateral side 64 of the article of footwear 40. Aperture 60D is at the rear of the heel region 50, relatively low on the upper 42 such that it is closer to the sole structure 44 than aperture 60A, and generally vertically aligned with (e.g., falling directly below) aperture 60A. Apertures 60A and 60D can be spaced apart from one another with the same spacing (e.g., distance between the apertures 60A, 60D) as pegs 12A and 12D. Still further, the apertures 60A and 60D can be spaced in such a way that the apertures secure an initial bias within deformable element 16 when the deformable element 16 and base 14 are deployed in a footwear 40. The apertures 60B and 60C can be spaced apart from one another with the same spacing (e.g., distance between the apertures 60B, 60C) as pegs 12B, 12C. Apertures 60B and 60C can also be spaced apart from apertures 60A and 60D with the same spacing as pegs 12B and 12C are spaced relative to pegs 12A and 12D. The apertures 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D extend through the outer layer 42B as through holes. The inner layer 42A need not have apertures for connection of the device 10 within the article of footwear 50. However, the inner layer can have apertures therein to match pegs that extend inwardly in accordance with an aspect hereof as will be more fully explained below.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The opening 68 can then be closed by securing the lower edge 66 of the inner layer 42A to the outer layer 42B, or to a strobel or to the upper side of the base 14 near the tabs 56. With the inner layer 42A secured, the deformable element 16 (with the heel piece 18) is disposed between the inner layer 42A and the outer layer 42B. The inner layer 42A is disposed inward of the heel structure 10, between the heel structure 10 and the foot-receiving cavity 46. The heel structure 10 is configured to surround a portion of a foot-receiving cavity 46 at the heel region 50.
In
The tool 80 has an end 82 forming a mold cavity with a mold surface 86. As shown in
The outer layer 42B is a first material having a first melt temperature, and the peg 12, or at least the material at the distal end 95 of the peg 12 that is melted to form the head portion 76, is a second material having a second melt temperature lower than the first melt temperature. The burn temperature of the first material of the outer layer 42B is also higher than the melt temperature of the second material of the peg 12. Accordingly, melting the material of the peg 12 at the distal end 95 to form the head portion 76 with the tool 80 will not cause the outer layer 42B to either melt or burn, even if the head portion 76 bonds to the outer layer 42B.
The head portion 76 may have various shapes or textures in order to achieve structural integrity of the bond to the outer layer 42B, to achieve a particular aesthetic, or both. For example, the mold cavity 84 and mold surface 86 affect the final shape of the head portion 76. Providing a circular opening enables bonding of the melted material around the entire perimeter of the aperture 60C. The opening 89 could have other shapes, such as a square, a triangle, a star, etc. The mold cavity and mold surface provide a generally hemispherical shape of the head portion 76. In other embodiments, the outer surface of the head portion 76 furthest from the exterior surface 74 could be generally flat, such as head portion shaped as a flat nail head. Additionally, the mold surface 86 can have protrusions or recessions that create a shape on the surface of the head portion 76.
According to the method of manufacturing the article of footwear 40, the heating tool 80 may be selected from a group of tools each having a mold surface 86 with a different shape depicting at least one of a number, a letter, a symbol, a logo, an object, a design, and/or each having a different surface texture, examples of which are shown in
In some embodiments, the upper may have multiple outer layers (e.g., layers outward of the heel structure 10), and the pegs 12 may extend through some or all of these outer layers. For example,
With reference to
A still further aspect hereof is depicted in
With reference to
Further, the method of manufacturing 200 may include a step 205 of inserting the pins 38 of the anchor receptacles 24 into the apertures 36 of the anchors 20 to secure the deformable element 16 to the base 14.
Still further, the method 200 includes the step 207 of inserting a peg 12D of the base 14 of the heel structure 10 within the aperture 60D of the outer layer 42B.
Additionally, the method of manufacturing 200 may enable the head portions 76 of the pegs 12 to be customized. For example, in step 206, the manufacturer may receive a request for a heel support device with one or more head portions having a specific shape, a specific surface texture, and/or a specific color. The request may be for a specific shape of one or more of the head portions 76 of the heel support device 10, such as a shape depicting at least one of a number, a letter, a symbol, a logo, an object, a design, or for a head portion 76 with a specific surface texture, or for a head portion 76 with a specific color, as discussed herein. The request may be received directly from a consumer purchasing the article of footwear 50, or may be received from an entity who will sell the footwear 50 to the customer. Under step 208, in response to the request received in step 206, the manufacturer may then select a specific heating tool that has a mold surface with the requested specific shape or surface texture such as by selecting a specific heating tool 80 for the heel support device 10, and if a specific color is requested, may use a material of the specific color for the heel support device.
Either following step 208 or, in the absence of steps 206 and 208, then directly following step 204, the method of manufacturing 200 moves to step 210, in which the head portions 76 of the pegs 12 are formed at the exterior surface of the outer layer. For example, step 210 may be accomplished according to sub-step 212, in which a heating tool 80 is pressed against a distal end 95 of each of the pegs 12 at the exterior surface 74 to melt the distal end 95, forming the head portion 76. The melted end (e.g., the head portion 76) may also bond to the exterior surface 74 of the outer layer 42B when it melts, thereby bonding the pegs 12 to the exterior surface 74 of the outer layer 42B.
The method of manufacturing 200 may also include step 214, closing an opening between the inner layer and the outer layer through which the heel support device was inserted in step 202, such as by closing opening 68 between inner layer 42A and outer layer 42B. Step 214 occurs after steps 202 and 204, and may occur either before or after steps 206 and 208.
The following clauses provide example configurations of an article of footwear, heel structure, and a method of manufacturing disclosed herein.
Clause 1. An article of footwear comprising: an upper including an inner layer and an outer layer, and defining a foot-receiving cavity inward of the inner layer, wherein the outer layer defines at least one aperture; a heel structure having a deformable element attached to a rigid base, wherein the deformable element is capable of movement between an uncollapsed configuration and a collapsed configuration with respect to the base, wherein the deformable element is disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer and the inner layer is disposed between the deformable element and the foot-receiving cavity; and at least one peg extending outward from at least one of the deformable element, and the base, and extending through the aperture in the outer layer, wherein the peg is secured at a surface of the upper.
Clause 2. The article of footwear of clause 1, wherein: the outer layer includes a plurality of apertures; the deformable element includes a medial portion, a lateral portion, and a heel piece; a first peg extends outward from the heel piece and is positioned in a respective aperture in the outer layer; a second peg extends outward from the medial portion and is positioned in a respective aperture in the outer layer; a third peg extends outward from the lateral portion and is positioned in a respective aperture in the outer layer; and each of the pegs is secured at a surface of the upper.
Clause 3. The article of footwear of clause 1 or clause 2, wherein: each of the pegs includes a shaft portion and a head portion of unitary, integral construction with the shaft portion; the shaft portion extends through one of the apertures of the upper; and the head portion is bonded at the surface of the upper.
Clause 4. The article of footwear of clause 3, wherein the head portion depicts at least one of a number, a letter, a symbol, a logo, an object, or a design.
Clause 5. The article of footwear of clause 1, wherein a peg extends outward from a peripheral portion of the rigid base.
Clause 6. The article of footwear of clause 1, clause 2 or clause 5, wherein the deformable element is disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer prior to the attachment of the deformable element to the base.
Clause 7. The article of footwear of clause 1, clause 2, clause 5, or clause 6, wherein: the base includes an anchor receptacle located on the medial side of the base and another anchor receptacle located on the lateral side of the base; each of the anchor receptacles includes at least one pin; the deformable element includes an anchor located on the medial side of the element and an anchor located on the lateral side of the element; and each of the anchors includes at least one aperture for receiving a respective pin of the anchor receptacle.
Clause 8. The article of footwear of clause 1, clause 2, or clause 5, wherein the deformable element is disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer after the attachment of the deformable element to the base.
Clause 9. The article of footwear of clause 6 or clause 8, wherein the outer layer includes a plurality of tabs extending from a lower edge of the outer layer and wherein the tabs are used to secure the upper to the rigid base.
Clause 10. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method of manufacturing comprising: placing a deformable element between an inner layer of an upper and an outer layer of the upper; wherein the deformable element includes at least one peg extending outward toward the outer layer; inserting the at least one peg of the deformable element through the outer layer of the upper so that the at least one peg extends through the outer layer and is exposed at an exterior surface of the outer layer; attaching the deformable element to a rigid base utilizing at least one aperture on the deformable element that receives at least one pin extending from the base; and securing the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer.
Clause 11. The method of manufacturing of clause 10, wherein: the at least one peg includes multiple pegs, and the outer layer of the upper includes multiple apertures; the pegs are spaced apart from one another in a first arrangement; and the apertures are spaced apart from one another in the first arrangement so that the apertures align with the pegs.
Clause 12. The method of manufacturing of clause 10, wherein securing the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer comprises bonding the at least one peg to the exterior surface of the outer layer.
Clause 13. The method of manufacturing of clause 12, wherein bonding the at least one peg to the exterior surface of the outer layer comprises: pressing a heating tool against an end of the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer to melt the end against the exterior surface of the outer layer.
Clause 14. The method of manufacturing of clause 13, wherein the heating tool has a mold surface that shapes a head portion of the at least one peg at the exterior surface of the outer layer, the pressing the heating tool to melt the end creates the head; and the method of manufacturing further comprising: selecting the heating tool from a group of heating tools each having a mold surface with a different shape depicting at least one of a number, a letter, a symbol, a logo, an object, or a design, or with a different surface texture.
Clause 15. The method of manufacturing of clause 14, wherein selecting the heating tool is in response to a request for a specific shape or a specific surface texture of the head; and wherein the mold surface of the heating tool selected has the specific shape or the specific surface texture requested.
Clause 16. The method of manufacturing of any of clauses 10-15, wherein placing the deformable element between the inner layer of the upper and the outer layer of the upper is through an opening between the inner layer and the outer layer; and the method of manufacturing further comprising: after placing the footwear element between the inner layer and the outer layer, closing the opening.
Clause 17. The method of manufacturing of any of clause 13-15, wherein the attaching the deformable element to a base utilizing at least one aperture on the deformable element that receives at least one pin extending from the base includes using a heating element on a respective pin to enhance the attachment of the deformable element to the base.
Clause 18. The method of manufacturing of any of clauses 10-12 wherein the base has one or more pegs extending from a periphery of the base and extending through the outer layer.
Clause 19. The method of manufacturing of clause 10, clause 11 or clause 18, wherein the pegs and the apertures are used to provide an initial bias to the deformable member when the deformable member is in an uncollapsed configuration.
Clause 20. The method of manufacturing of clause 10 or clause 18, wherein the outer layer includes a plurality of tabs extending from a lower edge and the tabs are used to secure the base to the upper.
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. As used in the description and the accompanying claims, a value is considered to be “approximately” equal to a stated value if it is neither more than 5 percent greater than nor more than 5 percent less than the stated value. 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” 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 refer to the general direction from a heel region toward a forefoot region, and the term “rearward” or “posterior” is used to 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” 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” 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” 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” 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, 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 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 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” refer to the direction toward the interior of the component or article of footwear, such as a shoe, and the terms “outward” and “outwardly” refer to the direction toward the exterior of the component or article of footwear, such as the shoe. In addition, the term “proximal” 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” 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.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/894,266 (filed Jun. 5, 2020), which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/235,377 (filed Dec. 28, 2018), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20220400816 A1 | Dec 2022 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Child | 16894266 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16894266 | Jun 2020 | US |
| Child | 17895188 | US |
