Nike, Inc.

Christopher J Lyke

Michael A Aveni

Bryan N Farris

Pamela Susan Greene

Lai Wa C Ho

Nate Durflinger

Michael Hochdoerffer

Atikom Tappatarnpornsuk

Hanmi Hubbard

A sole structure for an article of footwear comprises a cushioning element including a first material and a cradle including a second material. The cradle is attached to the cushioning element and includes a first plate disposed against the cushioning element and a second plate spaced apart from the cushioning element, the second plate including an aperture. The sole structure additionally includes a bladder disposed within the cradle and including a first portion contacting the first plate and a second portion extending through the aperture of the second plate.

Sole structure for article of footwear

An article of footwear includes a sole structure having a chassis, an outsole, and a cushioning element. The chassis extending from an anterior end to a posterior end and includes a dock formed between the anterior end and the posterior end. The outsole extends from a first end removably coupled to the anterior end of the chassis to a second end removably coupled to the posterior end of the chassis. The cushioning element is disposed between the chassis and the outsole and includes a first portion removably engaged with the dock of the chassis. The sole structure may include a carriage removably disposed between the chassis and the outsole adjacent to the cushioning element. The carriage includes an upper frame receiving and surrounding the dock and a lower frame receiving and surrounding a portion of the outsole.

An upper for an article of footwear includes a first material defining a void operable to selectively receive a foot. The first material includes an outer surface. The upper also includes a first edge at least partially circumscribing the void at an uppermost extremity of the upper and a second edge disposed at a lowermost extremity of the upper. The upper further includes a first biasing member (i) disposed at the outer surface of the upper, (ii) attached to the first material, and (iii) spaced apart from the first edge and the second edge. The first biasing member is operable to exert a biasing force on the first material to bias the first edge away from the second edge.

Upper structure for article of footwear and article of footwear

An article of footwear comprises a sole structure and an upper. The upper is connected to the sole structure to form an enclosure to at least partially receive a foot. The upper comprises a first panel forming a first portion of the upper and having a first texture, a second panel forming a second portion of the upper and having a second texture, and an embroidery area extending across portions of the first panel and the second panel and having an appearance that replicates the first texture extending into the second texture.

Footwear with embroidery transition between materials

An upper shell panel may be placed between first and second sections of a mold. The first section may include one or more expansion cavities and the second section may include one or more pour cavities. A foam-producing chemical mixture may be delivered into the one or more pour cavities and the mold may be closed. The delivered foam-producing chemical mixture may be allowed to expand within the closed mold and to force regions of the upper shell panel into the one or more expansion cavities. The upper shell panel may then be removed from the mold subsequent to the expansion of the delivered mixture.

Footwear upper components having contoured foam regions and methods of forming such components

A method of manufacturing a collar element for an article of footwear is disclosed. The method comprises knitting the collar element comprising a tubular structure defining an interior cavity and a plurality of floating yarns within the cavity. The method further comprises securing the collar element to an upper of the article of footwear. A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear having a collar element is also disclosed.

Article of footwear having an upper with knitted elements

An article of footwear may incorporate various elements that are at least partially formed through a knitting process, such as a circular knitting process or a flat knitting process. Examples of the elements include tongue elements, collar elements, and collar-throat elements. In some configurations, the elements include compressible areas and flange areas. The compressible areas may include foam cores or floating yarns that impart compressibility, and the flange areas may be utilized to join the components to the article of footwear.

Foot-receiving devices, such as articles of footwear, include a foot-covering member and a foot-supporting member defining a foot-receiving chamber. One or more strap members may be provided for securing the device to a user's foot. At least one strap member may wrap at least one time around the top of the foot-receiving chamber and at least one time around the bottom of the foot-receiving chamber. Methods for providing such foot-receiving devices also are described.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Christopher J Lyke