Article of footwear having an upper with thread structural elements

(54) ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR HAVING AN UPPER WITH THREAD STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

(75) Inventor: James Meschter, Portland, OR

(US)

Correspondence Address:

PLUMSEA LAW GROUP, LLC

10411 MOTOR CITY DRIVE, SUITE 320

BETHESDA, MD 20817

(73) Assignee: NIKE, Inc., Beaverton, OR (US)

(21) Appl. No.: 11/442,669

(22) Filed: May 25, 2006

Publication Classification

(51) Int. CI.

A43B 23/00 (2006.01)
A43D 9/00 (2006.01)

(52) U.S. CI 36/45; 36/47; 12/142 R

(57) ABSTRACT

An article of footwear includes an upper that is at least partially formed from a base layer and thread sections that lie adjacent a surface of the base layer. The thread sections are positioned to provide structural elements that, for example, restrain stretch in directions corresponding with longitudinal axes of the thread sections. In some configurations of the footwear, a first portion of the thread sections may extend between forefoot and heel regions of the footwear, and a second portion of the thread sections may extend vertically. An embroidering process may be utilized to position the thread sections on the base layer.