Patents Examined by Jila M. Mohandesi
  • Patent number: 11523661
    Abstract: An article of cleated footwear includes an outsole plate and an upper. The outsole plate includes a rigid first member and a second rigid member. The first rigid member extends substantially along the length of the outsole, and the rigid second member is attached to the first member. The first member and/or the second member has a ground-engaging profile. The upper is attached to the first member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: ADIDAS AG
    Inventors: Nicholas Karl Schiller, Florian Fleischer, Stefan Jürgen Schneider, David Artner, Adrien Francois Michel Noirhomme, Richard Ward, Philipp Alexander Hagel
  • Patent number: 11503876
    Abstract: Devices with internal flexibility sipes, such as slits, provide improved flexibility, improved cushioning to absorb shock and/or shear forces, and improved stability of support. Siped devices can be used in any existing product that provides or utilizes cushioning and stability. These products include human and other footwear, both soles and uppers, as well as orthotics; athletic, occupational and medical equipment and apparel; padding or cushioning, such as for equipment or tool handles, as well as furniture; balls; tires; and any other structural or support elements in a mechanical, architectural, or any other product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Inventor: Frampton E. Ellis
  • Patent number: 11492730
    Abstract: In one aspect, a textile component including bulking yarn is disclosed. In embodiments, the textile component is a knitted component. In one embodiment, an article of footwear includes a knitted component arch support configured to reduce the rate of pronation. A support structure may include a fusible yarn adjacent to an external surface of the arch support, a bulking yarn, and a nonfusible yarn. In certain embodiments, an arch support includes compartments and flex lines. In another aspect, an article having a knitted component includes a rigid material, a bulking yarn, and a flexible material. The rigid material may be fusible yarn. Methods for forming a textile component are provided. One embodiment involves knitting a first section comprising a fusible yarn, a second section comprising a bulking yarn, and a third section comprising a nonfusible yarn, and heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Fabricio da Costa Pereira Machado, Kristen Orme
  • Patent number: 11484092
    Abstract: A shoe includes a first plate, a second plate, a third plate, filler material, springs, an insole, and a midsole. The first plate and the second plate are hingedly connected to each other. The filler material is located between the first plate and the second plate. The springs are located within openings in the filler material. The third plate is affixed to a top surface of the first plate. The insole is located above the third plate. The first plate is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, and the third plate is made of carbon fiber. Another shoe includes a midsole, a plate located above the midsole, springs located at least partially within openings in the midsole, and a spring holding unit located below the midsole for holding the springs. The spring holding unit includes spring holding members and branches connecting corresponding spring holding members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Athletic Propulsion Labs LLC
    Inventors: Mark R. Goldston, Ryan Goldston, Adam Goldston, Cody Harris
  • Patent number: 11478044
    Abstract: An article of footwear comprises a sole, and an upper that has a medial side portion extending from the medial side of the sole with a first distal end remote from the medial side. The upper has a lateral side portion extending from the lateral side of the sole with a second distal end remote from the lateral side. The upper may include a support member extending at least partially across the foot-receiving surface with a first end remote from the medial side. The medial and lateral side portions wrap at least partially around a foot with the first distal end securable proximal to the lateral side, and the second distal end separately securable proximal to the medial side. An article of footwear has cables with proximal ends fixed to one side of the upper and that extend through looped cables on an opposite side of the upper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas G. Bell, Paul J. Francis, Claudio Innocente
  • Patent number: 11478045
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method. The method may include placing an upper on a last, where the upper includes a lower perimeter edge secured to a lasting element, and where the last includes an opening for receiving the lasting element. The method may further include feeding the lasting element at least partially through an opening of the last and tensioning the lasting element to tighten the upper around the last by pulling the tensioning element at least partially through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan N. Farris, Adrian Meir, Noah Murphy-Reinhertz
  • Patent number: 11470916
    Abstract: The implementation improves in the best possible way the integration between the insole and a modified sock, different than those currently known. The present implementation describes an insole-sock type insert for shoes, which presents a novel configuration that consists of an insole, which has a short, medium, or modified sock attached to it, totally or partially, within the extension of the insole; a short, medium, or modified sock, partially attached to the insole, remaining loose or free in the front part where the toes go and/or part of the instep as well as the front part of the foot, and; an attachment mechanism between the insole and the short, medium, or modified sock, which allows for their attachment, where such mechanism is a seam, Velcro, adhesive, or any other type of method that has the same function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Inventor: Horacio Dávila Moreno
  • Patent number: 11470917
    Abstract: A system and method directed for a footwear insert whereby the insert provides a more efficient and durable method for providing cushioning in footwear and utilizes a cushioning method that uses deflection as a way to provide cushioning similar to a trampoline that is durable, retains its shape over time, and has very little energy loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: OPVET Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel E. Norton
  • Patent number: 11464280
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a shoe, the shoe including: a first outsole comprising a bottom portion which contacts the ground, and a plurality of first protruding portions each of which has a dome shape and protrudes upward from the bottom portion, and a second outsole comprising a support portion disposed on the bottom portion, and a plurality of second protruding portions each of which has a dome shape and protrudes downward from the support portion. Protruding end portions of the plurality of second protruding portions are bonded to protruding end portions of the plurality of first protruding portions, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Inventor: Ho Dong Sung
  • Patent number: 11464274
    Abstract: An insole including a base; an electronic element provided to the base; a connection line configured to extend from the electronic element and to pass through the base; and a cover provided on a top surface of the base to cover the electronic element and configured to be separable from the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Se-Gon Roh, Haewook Ahn, Yeji Bae, Minho Choi, Chang Hyun Roh, Youngbo Shim
  • Patent number: 11464287
    Abstract: An article of footwear includes an upper defining apertures spaced apart from one another in a first arrangement. A footwear element has pegs spaced apart from one another in the first arrangement and extending through the apertures in the upper. The pegs are secured at a surface of the upper. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes placing a footwear element between an inner layer of an upper and an outer layer of the upper. The footwear element includes at least one peg extending outward toward the outer layer. The method includes inserting the peg through the outer layer so that the peg extends through the outer layer and is exposed at an exterior surface of the outer layer. After inserting the peg of the footwear element through the outer layer of the upper, the peg is secured at the exterior surface of the outer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Elizabeth A. Kilgore
  • Patent number: 11452339
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventors: Summer L. Schneider, Narissa Chang, Daniel A. Johnson, Peter R. Savage, Travis J. Berrian, Fanny Yung Ho, Eric P. Avar, Elizabeth A. Kilgore, Katelyn Ricciardi
  • Patent number: 11452332
    Abstract: A shoe sole, to which an upper member is joined, the shoe sole including a bottom receiving part corresponding to a bottom of the upper member, and a rising part that is formed to rise upwardly from an upper side of the bottom receiving part so as to cover an outer surface of a side of the upper member, wherein the bottom receiving part is formed with vent grooves each recessed in a thickness direction from the upper surface of the bottom receiving part, wherein the rising part is formed with vent holes each penetrating therethrough in a thickness direction of the rising part, and wherein the vent hole is formed to have a vertically elongated shape extending from an upper end side to a lower end side of the rising part, and to be in communication with the vent groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: ASICS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hisanori Fujita
  • Patent number: 11425963
    Abstract: An article of footwear includes an upper, a midsole connected to the upper, and an outsole connected to the midsole. The midsole includes a lattice structure comprising a network of laths forming a plurality of cell units, the plurality of cell units arranged in a plurality of layers on the midsole. The cell units in an upper layer are stacked upon the cell units in a lower layer and separated by a set of vertices common to cell units in both the upper layer and the lower layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Under Armour, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Guyan, Jason Berns, Kevin Fallon
  • Patent number: 11412816
    Abstract: A shoe, particularly a high-heeled shoe, containing a convex midfoot support structure formed of a cushioning material that is sized and shaped to have a height (h1) sufficient to contact and to support at least a portion of the midfoot area of the wearer's foot. The midfoot support may be constructed of an elastomeric material with a maximum thickness of between 10 mm and 22 mm, and includes a support platform and side walls. Preferably, a forefoot support may also be provided on the upper surface of the insole in the forefoot portion of the insole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Inventor: Angela Singleton
  • Patent number: 11412817
    Abstract: In example aspects, materials are repurposed for footwear manufacturing. That is, in some instances, materials in the footwear manufacturing supply chain are potentially subject to disposal. However, aspects of this disclosure sustainably repurpose those materials (that might otherwise be disposed of) to be used in footwear articles. In some aspects, the repurposed materials may be obscured with a concealing layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: NIKE, Inc.
    Inventor: Kim Kovel
  • Patent number: 11406156
    Abstract: A protector for protecting a skate (e.g., an ice skate) and a foot of a user (e.g., a hockey player) against impacts, such as from pucks (e.g., during shots, which can be powerful), to reduce risks of pain or injury from such impacts, in which the protector is fastenable to the skate, is configured to cover at least part of a skate boot of the skate, and may be designed to facilitate its use, including by facilitating the user donning (i.e., putting on) and doffing (i.e., removing) the skate (e.g., while the protector is fastened to the skate boot), and/or to look like the skate boot (e.g., so as to be relatively unnoticeable such that it can seem as if it is not there).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: BAUER HOCKEY LLC
    Inventors: Gaetan Champagne, Jean-Francois Corbeil
  • Patent number: 11399591
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a custom article of footwear, a method of making the same, and a method of conducting retail and Internet business. In particular, the components of the custom article of footwear can be selected from a range of alternative options, and the selected components can be easily removed, replaced, and recycled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Inventor: Robert Lyden
  • Patent number: 11395526
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of a shoe insert are disclosed. A shoe insert includes a body sized and arranged to fit in the toe box of a shoe while not preventing a foot of a wearer from being inserted into the toe box of the shoe if the body is inserted in the toe box of the shoe. The body may include a top portion and side portions. The top portion may extend primarily horizontally. The side portions may extend primarily vertically. The side portions may include a left side portion and a right side portion with the top portion between the left side portion and the right side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Inventor: Telfair W. Houston, III
  • Patent number: 11388951
    Abstract: A damping sole includes support zones with a main surface that have a relative stiffness or hardness lower than that of the other zones, the support zones being positioned under the load-bearing protuberances of the foot. The support zones are delimited by oblique lateral faces that are inclined towards the lower main surface of the sole at an inclination angle (A) and are disposed such that, at rest, they come to bear obliquely against the peripheral surface of the dermal part of the corresponding load-bearing protuberance of the foot. In this way, a compromise is reached between the need for impact damping and the need for foot stability in a shoe, while ensuring satisfactory comfort.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Inventor: Jean-Luc Rhenter