Nike, Inc.

Travis J Berrian

Peter R Savage

Eric P Avar

Summer L Schneider

Bryan N Farris

Fanny Yung Ho

Daniel Akey Johnson

Narissa Y Chang

Elizabeth A Kilgore

John S MacGilbert

Katelyn Ricciardi

Adrian Meir

Noah Murphy-Reinhertz

Rory S Blanche

Weibing Gong

Colin M Runkle

Margaret P St Clair

William C McFarland, Ii

Timothy K Liles

Stephen J Hipp

Yang Zhao

Stuart Reinhardt

Mark Bruce

Katelyn Bruce

Ajay Chadha

Hirotaka Usui

Footwear with integrally knit uppers having features for increasing containment around a wearer's foot, improving strength and durability, and incorporating touch feedback through increased coefficient of friction while removing weight due to traditional additional components. The knitted component may be radially knitted so that courses converge towards a common area, like the throat region of the upper. Additionally, a fusible yarn may be knit on at least the exterior-facing surface of a containment area of the knitted component to create additional lock-down along lines of containment. Further, tensile elements may be incorporated within the containment area to provide strength and lock-down along desired lines of containment. Additionally, the fusible yarn may be a grip yarn that creates areas with greater coefficients of friction.

Articles of footwear with knitted components and methods of manufacturing the same

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a knitted component. The knitted component may have a forefoot portion with a top layer and a bottom layer, where a void is formed between the top layer and the bottom layer, and where the top layer is secured to the bottom layer via at least one common knit structure. A heel area may extend from the bottom layer of the forefoot portion in a longitudinal direction and may be secured to the bottom layer of the forefoot portion via at least one common knit structure. At least one extension may extend from the heel area in a second direction, the second direction being different than the longitudinal direction.

Article of footwear having a knitted component with a forefoot portion and a heel portion

Systems and apparatus related to footwear including a modular lacing engine are discussed. In this example, the lace guide is deformable to assist in facilitating automated lace tightening. The lace guide can include a middle section, a first extension and a second extension. In this example, the lace guide can be configured to define a first route for a lace cable, the first route including receiving the lace cable along the first incoming lace axis and expelling the lace cable along the first outgoing lace axis. In this example, the lace guide can also deflect, in response to tension on the lace cable, resulting in defining a second route for the lace cable, the second route including receiving the lace cable along a second incoming lace axis and expelling the lace cable along a second outgoing lace axis.

Deformable lace guides for automated footwear platform

Systems and apparatus related to footwear including a modular lacing engine are discussed. In this example, the footwear assembly can include a footwear upper and a lace cable running through a plurality of lace guides. The plurality of lace guides can be distributed along the medial side and the lateral side, and each lace guide of the plurality of lace guides can be adapted to receive a length of the lace cable. The lace cable can extend through each of the plurality of lace guides to form a pattern along each of the medial side and lateral side of the footwear upper. The footwear assembly can also include a medial proximal lace guide routing the lace cable into a lacing engine disposed within a mid-sole portion. Finally, the footwear assembly includes a lateral proximal lace guide to route the lace cable out of the lacing engine.

Lacing architecture for automated footwear platform

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an article of footwear comprising a forefoot portion with a top layer and a bottom layer, where a void is formed between the top layer and the bottom layer. A heel portion is secured to the bottom layer of the forefoot portion and indirectly secured to the top layer through the bottom layer of the forefoot portion, the heel area forming a first portion of a collar. There is at least one extension extending from the heel portion that is secured to an edge of the top layer of the forefoot portion, and the extension forms at least a second portion of the collar.

An upper for an article of footwear may include a knitted component that includes a first zone, a second zone, and a third zone. Each of the first zone, the second zone, and the third zone may extend toward a collar area of the upper at least partially in a heel area of the upper. The second zone is located between the first zone and the third zone such that the second zone is located in a substantially central portion of the heel area. The second zone may include an elasticity that is greater than an elasticity of the first zone and also greater than an elasticity of the third zone.

Upper including a knitted component

An upper may include a knitted component having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The knitted component may include at least one integrally knitted cushion region located on the interior surface in the rearfoot region. The cushion region may include a plurality of tubular rib structures that project away from the second surface of the knitted component, and within the rearfoot region, the plurality of tubular rib structures may extend vertically and parallel to a heel centerline of the upper.

Knitted cushion regions

A lightweight, breathable, translucent and high-strength upper formed from a half-gauge knit, at least in part from a high tenacity yarn and a fusible yarn, is described. The upper may include a knit heel structure. Methods of manufacture, including exposing the upper to steam while in a tensioned state to at least partially melt the fusible yarn to adjacent yarns is also described. Subsequent cooling of the fusible yarn retains the upper in a stretched condition.

Lightweight knitted upper and methods of manufacture

An upper for an article of footwear may include a knitted component that includes a first knitted zone, a second knitted zone, and a third knitted zone. Each of the first knitted zone, the second knitted zone, and the third knitted zone may extend from a collar area of the upper to a biteline of the upper, where the first knitted zone, the second knitted zone, and the third knitted zone are each located at least partially in a heel area of the upper, and where the second knitted zone is located between the first knitted zone and the third knitted zone such that the second knitted zone is located in a central portion of the heel area. The second knitted zone may include an elasticity that is greater than an elasticity of the first knitted zone and also greater than an elasticity of the third knitted zone.

Upper including a knitted component and a tab element

An upper may include a knitted component having a first surface and a second surface. The knitted component may include at least one integrally knitted cushion region located on the second surface. The cushion region may include a plurality of non-planar structures that project away from the second surface of the knitted component by at least 1 mm, and the cushion region may be located in a rearfoot region of the upper.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an article, which may be an upper for an article of footwear in some embodiments. The article may include a knitted component with a first zone and a second zone adjacent to the first zone. The knitted component may include a tab element extending from the first zone, where the tab element and the first zone include a common yarn. The first zone may include a first elasticity and the second zone may include a second elasticity, where the first elasticity is less than the second elasticity.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Travis J Berrian