Nike, Inc.

Nike International Ltd.

Fuerst Group, Inc.

Nike, Inc. and Nike International Ltd.

Michael A Aveni

Fred G Fagergren

Patricia Louise Smaldone

Bruce E Rogers

Tinker L Hatfield

Rory W Fuerst

John C Tawney

Joel L Passke

Daniel R Potter

Robert Michael Lyden

William J Cass

Anthony Carl Dean

Martine I V Mientjes

Kurt Joseph Stockbridge

Randall Wyszynski

Kelly McKean

Bryan N Farris

Pamela Susan Greene

Christopher J Lyke

Perry W Auger

Michael R Friton

Danielle Lynn Taylor

Edward Colby

Marni L Gerber

David B Herridge

Julian Scarfe

Kristopher Ryan Okelberry

Alaric Naiman

Thomas McGuirk

Shane Chistopher Dittrich

Colin D Ager

Oscar Williamson

Alastair R MacGregor

David Grelewicz

Elizabeth Langvin

Bruce J Kilgore

Troy C Lindner

Kevin Patrick Fallon

Steven C McDonald

Scott C Holt

Robert W Dolan

Mark Goodwin Parker

David M Forland

Bradford A Johnson

Nuria Hansen

S H Park

Kanae H Koh

Cassandra Dunster

Micheal R Friton

Fred O Fagergren

A footwear article is provided herein. The footwear article may include a sole coupled to a cord structure. The cord structure may include interconnected bights in a vamp cord and a rand cord forming a loop line extending along at least a portion of the footwear article.

Footwear article having cord structure

Systems and methods for automatically producing a cord structure are provided herein. In one embodiment, a method comprises automatically forming, with at least one robotic arm, a first plurality of loops in a first plane, and automatically forming, with the at least one robotic arm, a second plurality of loops in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane, the second plurality of loops slippably engaged with the first plurality of loops. In this way, cord structures may be quickly constructed, thereby reducing labor input and expense.

Systems and methods for automatic production of a cord structure

An article of footwear may be constructed of a matrix of beads. For example, by preconfiguring the row length and the number of beads in a given row, the bead matrix may be configured to form a three dimensional shape that pulls towards a centerline or is concave.

Footwear article comprising links

An article of footwear includes a tongue. The tongue includes a medial portion, a lateral portion, a central portion, a top portion and an upper perimeter portion. The medial portion and the top portion have similar thicknesses, which are greater than the thicknesses of the lateral portion, the central portion and the upper perimeter portion. The central portion is the thinnest portion of the tongue. Each portion of the tongue corresponds to a different pressure zone along a foot in order to provide differential cushioning and support against pressure applied by a fastening system.

Article of footwear with tongue of varying thickness

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

Footwear article

A method of making an article including links includes a step of generating a link pattern according to a pre-selected portion of the article. The link pattern includes a plurality of link indicia that correspond to a plurality of links. After associating each link from the plurality of links with a link indicia from the plurality of link indicia, a plurality of threads may be threaded through the plurality of links to form a link matrix. The link matrix may be associated with the pre-selected portion of an article to make an article including links.

Method of making an article comprising links

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.

Linked articles and a method for customizing the linked articles are disclosed. The linked articles comprise a first link matrix and a second link matrix comprising a first portion of the article and a second portion of the article, respectively. The first link matrix consists essentially of links of a first material and the second link matrix consists essentially of links of a second material.

Linked articles

An article of footwear with straps is disclosed. The article includes provisions for releasably securing the straps to a sole structure of the article. End portions of the straps are provided with separable portions that can be individually inserted through apertures in the sole structure. In addition, a thong portion includes separable portions that can be individually inserted through an aperture in the sole structure.

Article of footwear with straps

Growing community of inventors

Lake Oswego, OR, United States of America

Michael A Aveni