Granted Patent B2

US 12,495,866 · App. 18/096,381 · Granted Dec 16, 2025

Inventors: Timothy P. Hopkins (Tustin, CA); Austin J. Orand (Portland, OR); Aaron B. Weast (Portland, OR); Peter P. Williams, II (Portland, OR)

Assignee: NIKE, Inc.

A43B21/32

Abstract

Claims (20)

1 . A method for manufacturing a footwear article, the method comprising:

coupling a lever arm of a collar elevator to a material layer of a footwear upper;

securing the footwear upper to a last with the lever arm coupled to the footwear upper;

attaching a base of the collar elevator directly to the lever arm, while the footwear upper is secured to the last;

wherein the base is directly affixed to a sole insert; and

wherein the sole insert is a lasting board.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the method further comprises securing a lower perimeter edge of the footwear upper to an underneath side of the sole insert, while the footwear upper is secured to the last.

3 . The method of claim 2 further comprising, affixing a midsole to the underneath side of the sole insert.

4 . The method of claim 2 further comprising, affixing a midsole to the lower perimeter edge of the footwear upper, such that the lower perimeter edge is layered between a footwear sole and the sole insert.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the sole insert comprises a paper board material.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the material layer is an outer material layer;

the method further comprises inserting the lever arm between the outer material layer and an inner material layer; and

the lever arm is positioned between the inner material layer and the outer material layer when the footwear upper is secured to the last.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the lever arm is a medial-side lever arm;

the method further comprises, before securing the footwear upper to the last, coupling a lateral-side lever arm to the footwear upper.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a stitch attaches the collar elevator to the footwear upper.

9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising an anchor, wherein the base is attached to the lever arm by the anchor, which fits into an anchor-shaped receptacle on the base.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (400)