Nike, Inc.

Nike Innovate C.v.

Douglas Alan Beye

Lysandre Follet

Benjamin J Monfils

Eric Joseph Marshall

Thomas Berend

Tony H Le

Daniel A Podhajny

Bruce J Kilgore

Kassio Figur

Sara Kilgore

Kevin J Rucier

Daniel B DeHaven

Jessica Anne Junkins

Charles R Edwards

Benjamin Joseph Monfils

Dylan S Vanatta

An article of footwear may include an upper with an outer layer, an inner layer, and a chamber element positioned at least partially between the outer layer and the upper layer. The chamber element may be formed of two layers of a transparent colored polymer material and may be sealed to enclose a fluid. The chamber element may also have a plurality of subchambers. The outer layer may have a plurality of apertures. Each subchamber may protrude at least partially through a corresponding one of the apertures.

Articles of footwear with upper incorporating chamber element

A shoe having a shoe upper including multiple welds in selected locations on the shoe upper. The welds may be selectively located on the upper to provide structure and support to the specific portions of a shoe upper.

Shoe upper having multiple weld zones

An article of footwear formed from a flat pattern to include a side seam and/or utilizing aperture alignment of multiple flat pattern pieces is disclosed. In aspects, an article of footwear, such as an upper, is formed from a flat pattern and modified into a dimensional article of footwear that includes a side closing. The side closing may comprise adjoined side edges of the flat pattern upper that are secured to each other with a securing element to maintain the dimensional article of footwear in its shape. Alignment of the parts may be provided through at least partial alignment of apertures in the flat pattern upper and apertures in a securing element and/or other flat pattern pieces, including using multi-purpose apertures, allowing streamlined processing and manufacturing of footwear.

Functional apertures for manufacturing registration

A fluid-filled chamber may include an upper barrier portion, a lower barrier portion, and a tensile member. An upper tensile layer of the tensile member may be secured to the upper barrier portion, and a lower tensile layer of the tensile member may be secured to the lower barrier portion. The upper barrier portion and the lower barrier portion may have first areas and second areas. The first areas may be indentations extending into the chamber, and the second areas may be protrusions extending outward from the chamber. At least a portion of the first areas may be unbonded with the upper barrier portion and the lower barrier portion. Accordingly, one or more properties of the chamber, such as a flexibility, stiffness, rigidity, tensile response, compressibility, or force attenuation property, may be altered.

Method of manufacturing a contoured fluid-filled chamber with a tensile member

An article of footwear includes a structural harness and impact-attenuating structure arrangement that includes a fluid-filled chamber. The article includes an upper, a sole secured to the upper having an impact-attenuating structure including a fluid-filled chamber and a structural harness. The structural harness may extend between the upper and fluid-filled chamber in a tensile arrangement that biases the fluid-filled chamber toward the upper and compresses the chamber. The structural harness may include a first layer, a thread layer bonded to the first layer and a second layer bonded to the thread layer on an opposite side of the thread layer. The thread layer may include threads configured to transmit tensile forces and restrict stretch in a longitudinal direction of the threads.

Article of footwear with a harness and fluid-filled chamber arrangement

A spacer textile material has at least a portion of a tensile strand located between a first layer and a second layer of the spacer textile material where the first layer and second layer have been joined together to form channels in which the tensile strand moves freely. The tensile strand travels through the spacer textile material in a non-linear direction. Further, the channels may be formed in the spacer textile material in non-linear directions. The spacer textile material with a tensile strand may be incorporated into an article of footwear.

Spacer textile material with tensile strands in non-linear arrangements

A spacer textile material has at least a portion of multiple tensile strands located between a first layer and a second layer of the spacer textile material where the first layer and second layer have been joined together to form channels in which the tensile strands move freely. In one or more locations, a first tensile strand and a second tensile overlap at an intersection region. Further, the spacer textile material may be incorporated into an article of footwear.

Spacer textile material with tensile strands that intersect

An article of footwear is disclosed having a structural harness and impact-attenuating structure arrangement that includes a fluid-filled chamber. The article includes an upper, a sole secured to the upper having an impact-attenuating structure including a fluid-filled chamber and a structural harness. The structural harness may extend between the upper and fluid-filled chamber in a tensile arrangement that biases the fluid-filled chamber toward the upper and compresses the chamber. The structural harness may include a first layer, a thread layer bonded to the first layer and a second layer bonded to the thread layer on an opposite side of the thread layer. The thread layer may include threads configured to transmit tensile forces and restrict stretch in a longitudinal direction of the threads.

A spacer textile material having at least a portion of multiple tensile strands located together between a first layer and a second layer of the spacer textile material, where the first layer and second layer have been joined together to form channels in which the tensile strands move freely. The tensile strands may be disposed in the spacer textile material together or they may separate into different portions of the spacer textile. Further, the spacer textile material having channels with multiple tensile strands may be incorporated into an article of footwear.

Spacer textile material with channels having multiple tensile strands

A spacer textile material has at least a portion of a tensile strand located between a first layer and a second layer of the spacer textile material where the first layer and second layer have been joined together to form channels in which the tensile strand moves freely. The tensile strand may be disposed within or about the spacer textile material in any location on the material. The spacer textile material with a tensile strand may be incorporated into an article of footwear and/or article of apparel.

Growing community of inventors

Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Douglas Alan Beye