Patents Examined by Catherine M Ferreira
  • Patent number: 11944144
    Abstract: Aspects herein include a trim piece or waistband comprising a loop structure having a pocket space usable for storing one or more items. The loop structure has an inner layer material and an outer layer material that form a pocket opening on one side of the loop structure for insertion of items into the pocket space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Alison M. Hogberg
  • Patent number: 11930887
    Abstract: An article of footwear includes an upper formed of a first material, and an armor system including a shroud covering a forefoot region of the upper. The shroud includes an articulable shroud vamp having a plurality of overlapping lames arranged in series along a ball portion of the shroud, each of the lames being formed of a second material having a greater hardness than the first material. The shroud may include a toe cap covering a toe portion of the upper and a saddle covering a mid-foot portion of the upper. The shroud vamp is disposed between the toe cap and the saddle. The saddle and the toe cap may be formed of the second material. The second material may be an up-cycled polyethylene composite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Rachael M. Noon
  • Patent number: 11930865
    Abstract: A garment is made from a material woven to have multiple stretch characteristics. The garment can be jeans and the material can be a denim. Enhanced stretch denim shaping performance is achieved through engineered placement of weave-integrated hold zones and extension zones. The hold yarns and extension yarns will have distinct stretch performance attributes, but typically have the same or similar gauge, shrinkage, tensile strength, and durability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Levi Strauss & Co.
    Inventor: Paul Dillinger
  • Patent number: 11905626
    Abstract: The present invention provides an easy settable stretch fabric comprising three types of yarns: a rigid fiber, an elastic fiber, and a low-melt fiber, wherein the low-melt fiber comprises low-melt polymer which can be fused in the temperature between 60° C. to 200° C., being higher than the temperature used for normal textile process and household laundry, but lower than the temperature used for heat setting elastic fiber. The low-melt fiber can be selected from a group of fibers made from modified polyester, nylon, and polypropylene and the copolymer from them in the form of staple or filament.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Inventors: Tianyi Liao, Geoffrey D. Hietpas, Brian Scott Alcott
  • Patent number: 11871815
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a shoe with an air pump device bellows which is arranged in the heel region, wherein an upper (2), a midsole (3), and an outsole (4) are first provided. The lower face (32) of the midsole (3) has a recess (36) for forming a cavity for the bellows and a surface which surrounds the recess on all sides and which comprises a surface profile, and the upper face (41) of the outsole (4) has a surface with a surface profile which complements the surface profile of the lower face of the midsole. The horizontal extension of the upper face (41) of the outsole (4) and of a sole section (22) of the upper (2) is greater than the horizontal extension of the midsole (3) such that the outsole (4) and the upper (2) protrude beyond the centered midsole (3) on all sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ATMOS airwalk ag
    Inventors: Wilhelm Möhlmann, Jens Schmidt
  • Patent number: 11865431
    Abstract: A glove comprises an upper surface, a lower surface, finger sheaths, a thumb sheath, and movement control members associated with the finger sheaths to prevent the finger sheaths from moving into a linear extended position, while allowing the finger sheaths to be in a curved position or a clenched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Inventor: Scott Bradley Baker
  • Patent number: 11849804
    Abstract: A shoe may include various features to improve performance, increase manufacturing efficiency, and provide environmental benefits over traditional shoes. In some cases, a shoe includes an upper portion constructed from a continuous textile that includes multiple regions having different textile properties to improve the performance of the shoe, including durability and comfort. The upper portion may define a cuff region and a flex region adapted to expand to allow a wearer to put on the shoe and to contract to retain the shoe on the wearer's foot. The shoe may further include a heel retainer adapted to conform to a shape of the wearer's foot and retain the shoe on the wearer's foot. Eyelets of the shoe may be positioned along an external surface of the upper portion to improve comfort and simplify manufacturing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ALLBIRDS, INC.
    Inventors: Lisa Halbower-Fenton, Jamie Sinclair McLellan, Thomas Jad Finck, Olivier Henrichot, James Romero, Romesh Patel
  • Patent number: 11825909
    Abstract: A customizable footwear system including a footwear having a smooth, water-impermeable washable material covering a major surface area of an upper region of the footwear, and a smooth, water-impermeable outer sole extending along a lower region of the footwear and abutted against the washable material, and a plurality of orifices passing through the outer sole in such a manner that fluid and debris is channeled downwardly from the washable material, through the outer sole and out from a bottom-most surface of the outer sole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Inventor: Lindsey Chaney
  • Patent number: 11717054
    Abstract: An article of footwear includes a sole and an upper at least partially formed of a textile element. The textile element includes a yarn matrix having a plurality of interlocked strands oriented in predetermined directions. A structural element may be captured within the matrix at selected locations. In operation, the matrix is stitched onto a temporary substrate. The substrate is removed and the article coupled to a sole structure to form the article of footwear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Under Armour, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Berns, Julian Ellis, Tom Luedecke, Thomas White
  • Patent number: 11696620
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are articles of footwear including an upper, a plate including a first polyolefin resin, and a rand are disclosed herein. The rand is coupled with the surface of the upper, the surface of the plate, or both. The rand is more flexible or less rigid than the plate. Methods of making articles of footwear are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: NIKE, INC.
    Inventors: Isaac Farr, Devon Frazier, Jeremy D. Walker, Zachary C. Wright
  • Patent number: 11622597
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides footwear with an internal metatarsal guard and a related manufacturing method. In the depicted embodiment, the metatarsal guard is internal in that it is located under the outer layer of the footwear. In the depicted embodiment, the existence of the metatarsal guard can be visually detected from the outside of the footwear being that the metatarsal guard is located in a raised area in vamp of the footwear. The footwear is constructed such that the metatarsal guard does not impinge into the foot volume of the footwear, and the metatarsal protection also is arranged and configured to maintain a high degree of flexibility in the footwear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Russell Lane Davis
  • Patent number: 11617417
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Berend, Douglas A. Beye, Tony H. Le
  • Patent number: 11617414
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are articles of footwear including an upper, a plate including a first polyolefin resin, and a rand are disclosed herein. The rand is coupled with the surface of the upper, the surface of the plate, or both. The rand is more flexible or less rigid than the plate. Methods of making articles of footwear are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: NIKE, INC.
    Inventors: Isaac Farr, Devon Frazier, Jeremy D. Walker, Zachary C. Wright
  • Patent number: 11607000
    Abstract: A fit system for a helmet can include an adjuster including a width adjustment track, and first and second pods moveably coupled to the width adjustment track with a first and second support arm, the second pod comprising a lateral offset from the first pod. The fit system can further include a dial moveably coupled to the adjustor, such that movement of the dial changes a size of the lateral offset between the first pod and the second pod. The fit system can further include a hanger flexibly coupled to both the first pod and the second pod and adapted to allow for adjustment of the lateral offset between the first pod and the second pod. The hanger can further be adapted to allow for movement of the first pod and the second pod in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lateral offset without movement of the dial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Bell Sports, Inc.
    Inventors: Ben D. Pritz, Samuel J. Shaffer
  • Patent number: 11596203
    Abstract: An article of footwear includes a sole and an upper at least partially formed of a textile element. The textile element includes a yarn matrix having a plurality of interlocked strands oriented in predetermined directions. A structural element may be captured within the matrix at selected locations. In operation, the matrix is stitched onto a temporary substrate. The substrate is removed and the article coupled to a sole structure to form the article of footwear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Under Armour, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Berns, Julian Ellis, Tom Luedecke, Thomas White
  • Patent number: 11589643
    Abstract: An athletic footwear artificial ligament device includes a flexible band securable around a lower leg above an ankle of a foot of a wearer, a ring disposable adjacent an outer side of the ankle spaced below the flexible band, and a plurality of artificial ligaments coupled to and arrayed about the ring. An upper artificial ligament is attached to the flexible band and extends downward to the ring. A lower artificial ligament is attachable to an upper of the athletic shoe, adjacent to the sole and above the heel, and extends upward to the ring. A forward artificial ligament is attachable to the athletic shoe upper forwardly of the ring, above the sole and spaced forwardly from the heel, and extends rearward to the ring such that the artificial ligaments perform as a second set of ligaments providing sprain protection of the ankle of the foot of the wearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Inventor: Brent J. Whitley
  • Patent number: 11589651
    Abstract: A shoe includes a knit upper and a sole secured to the knit upper. The knit upper is formed with a first type of knit structure knitted with a thermoplastic yarn in a first area. The first area is in at least the toe region of the knit upper. In a second area including at least the medial and lateral metatarsal regions of the knit upper, the knit upper is formed with a second type of knit structure knitted with a second yarn having a higher melting temperature than the thermoplastic yarn. A rear boundary line of the first area and a forward boundary line of the second area define a boundary line between the first and second areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: COLE HAAN LLC
    Inventors: Ryan Polgar, Mattias Verfl, Laura Greelish, Wai Ming Leung
  • Patent number: 11559093
    Abstract: Rip-stop pants include waist and leg portions formed of ripstop fabric having synthetic mechanical-stretch filament yarns interwoven into spun, staple yarns in a ripstop pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: 5.11, INC.
    Inventor: Francisco J. Morales
  • Patent number: 11559091
    Abstract: Sleeves for improving performance and control are disclosed. The sleeves are constructed for use on the fingers, wherein each sleeve is constructed in some embodiments with grip zones that match areas of the finger to ensure improved grip while maintaining flexibility, compression, protection, and material durability. Each grip zone is positioned to ensure that fingers are able to naturally bend without impeding grip performance. A spine on a rear of the sleeve ensures material durability, limits over extension, and provides padding and protection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: GRYPPERS, INC.
    Inventors: Jamelle Eugene, DaJuan Morgan
  • Patent number: 11547157
    Abstract: Disclosed is a garment, particularly a sports garment, including at least two pieces of fabric assembled to each other by a first weak seam arranged so as to give in the event of traction applied to one of the pieces of fabric so as to allow the separation of the pieces. The at least two pieces of fabric are also assembled by at least one second seam, called a strong seam, which is more solid than the first seam and arranged so as not to give in the event of traction applied to one of the pieces of fabric, and so as to become completely undone by pulling on one of the threads forming the seam so that it no longer joins the at least two pieces of fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Inventor: Edouard Stauffer