Athletic shoe having a segmented upper
An athletic shoe having an improved upper, and method of manufacture are presented herein. The upper is generally comprised of a forefoot panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a forward area of a wearer's foot, a mid-section panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a midfoot area of the wearer's foot, and a rear panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a rearfoot area of the wearer's foot. The upper further comprises a first expansion joint joining the forefoot panel to the mid-section panel, and a second expansion joint joining the mid-section panel to the rearfoot panel.
1 . An article of footwear having a sole and an upper attached to the sole, wherein the upper is comprised of:
a forefoot panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a forward area of a wearer's foot;
a mid-section panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a midfoot area of the wearer's foot;
a first expansion joint joining the forefoot panel to the mid-section panel;
a rearfoot panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a rear area of the wearer's foot; and
a second expansion joint joining the mid-section panel to the rearfoot panel;
wherein the first expansion joint and the second expansion joint are formed of a material with a greater stretch characteristic than that of the forefoot panel, mid-section panel, and rearfoot panel.
2 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints comprises a two-way expandable material.
3 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints comprises a four-way expandable material.
4 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints comprises a spandex material.
5 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints comprises a spandex material having a polyurethane coating.
6 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein an end of the forefoot panel is spaced about 3 to 4 millimeters from a first end of the mid-section panel and a second end of the mid-section panel is spaced about three to four millimeters from an end of the rearfoot panel.
7 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints is comprised of a material having a stretch retention of less than about 15%.
8 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints is comprised of a material having a stretch retention of less than about 5%.
9 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints is entirely on a medial side of the article of footwear.
10 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints is entirely on a lateral side of the article of footwear.
11 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 1 , wherein one of the expansion joints extends from a medial side of the article of footwear to a lateral side of the article of footwear.
12 . An article of footwear having a sole and an upper attached to the sole, wherein the upper is comprised of:
a first panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a forward area of the wearer's foot;
a second panel extending over a portion of the sole corresponding to a rear area of the wearer's foot with respect to the first panel, wherein the first and second panels are formed of a material having a stretch retention of greater than about 15%; and
an expansion joint joining the first panel and second panel, wherein the expansion joint is formed of a material having a stretch retention of less than about 15%.
13 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 12 , wherein the expansion joint comprises a two-way expandable material.
14 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 12 , wherein the expansion joint comprises a four-way expandable material.
15 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 12 , wherein the expansion joint comprises a spandex material.
16 . An article of footwear having a sole and an upper attached to the sole, wherein the upper is comprised of:
a stretch material having a stretch retention of less than about 15%; and
a non-stretch material overlaying the stretch material, wherein the non-stretch material has a stretch retention of greater than about 15%.
17 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 16 , wherein the stretch material is a two-way expandable material.
18 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 16 , wherein the stretch material is a four-way expandable material.
19 . An article of footwear as defined in claim 16 , wherein the stretch material is a spandex material.
20 . A method for manufacture of an upper for an article of footwear, comprising:
securing a portion of a first expansion joint to a portion of a forefoot panel;
securing a mid-section panel to a portion of the first expansion joint and a first portion of a second expansion joint; and
securing a second expansion joint to a portion of the mid-section panel; and
securing a rearfoot panel to a second portion of the second expansion.
21 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein the panels are secured respectively by being sewn together.
22 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein the panels are secured respectively by an RF welding technique.
23 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein the panels are secured respectively using a zig-zag stitch technique.
24 . A method according to claim 20 , further comprising attaching the upper to a sole.
25 . A method according to claim 20 , wherein a portion of an end of the forefoot panel is spaced about three to four millimeters from a portion of a first end of the mid-section panel, and a portion of a second end of the mid-section panel is spaced about three to four millimeters from a portion of an end of the rearfoot panel.