Knitted upper material for a sports shoe

Abstract

Knitted upper (1) for a shoe, comprising: a knitted inner collar (2) defining a circumferential first free edge (3) of the upper (1) and designed to completely surround a section of a leg of a wearer of the shoe; at least a knitted outer collar (4) at least partially surrounding the inner collar (2) and defining a second free edge (5) of the upper (1), wherein the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) are a one-piece knitted construction.

Description

1. Technical FieldThe present invention relates to a knitted upper for a sports shoe, a shoe comprising such a knitted upper and a method for producing such a knitted upper.2. Prior ArtAn article of footwear typically includes two main elements, an upper and a sole element. Knitting is frequently used for the production of shoe uppers, in particular for sports shoes. Knitted uppers offer high comfort, high flexibility and high breathability. A particular design center of shoe uppers for sports shoes in general is the collar portion of the upper. Since the collar portion is usually located at or near the Achilles tendon, which is rather pressure sensitive, the collar of a shoe upper, in particular for a sports shoe, must be carefully designed. On the other hand, the collar portion complements the fit of the shoe and must provide some support for the ankle portion to prevent the foot from slipping within the shoe. Finally, the collar portion must provide sufficient grip for the fingers to assist in walking into the shoe.DE 10 2017 223 746 A1 relates to a shoe upper, in particular a shoe upper knitted on a circular knitting machine, comprising an elongate hollow knitting structure. The upper may further comprise a first region, a second region and a folding region, wherein at the folding region the elongate hollow knitting structure is folded such that the first region and the second region at least partially overlap. The first region may comprise an inner layer of the upper and the second region an outer layer of the upper. The first region and the second region may be connected at a first location using at least some stitches on the folding region.DE 10 2014 220 093 A1 relates to a shoe, in particular a hiking shoe, having a rigid heel section and a collar arranged above the rigid heel section. The collar includes a first collar portion and a second collar portion. The first collar portion and the second collar portion comprise a foot of a wearer of the shoe on the lateral side, the medial side and the back side of the foot. The first collar portion is more flexible than the rigid heel portion. The second collar portion is more flexible than the first collar portion.Thus, known knitted uppers leave room for improvements, particularly with respect to the design of the collar portion, to meet the above-mentioned needs.3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe above objects are at least partially achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are subject of the dependent claims and other suitable aspects of the present invention are described by the overall disclosure of the present application.In one aspect, these objects are achieved by a knitted upper for a shoe, comprising: a knitted inner collar defining a circumferential first free edge of the upper and configured to fully surround a portion of a leg of a wearer of the shoe; at least one knitted outer collar at least partially surrounding the inner collar and defining a second free edge of the upper, wherein the inner collar and the outer collar are an integral knitted construction.The knitted upper according to the invention comprises a knitted inner collar and a knitted outer collar. "Inner" and "outer" are to be understood in relation to the position of the collars relative to a foot or leg of a wearer who would wear a shoe comprising the knitted upper in a conventional manner. Thus, the inner collar would be near a leg portion, e.g., an ankle, a lower leg, or even a knee, while the outer collar would be further distal to the portion of the leg. Depending on the tension and / or diameter and / or height and / or vertical extent of the inner collar, it could at least partially contact a wearer's foot, leg or sock.According to the invention, both collars are knitted, which usually means they are knitted on a conventional knitting machine, as is the rest of the knitted upper. The inner collar defines a circumferential free edge of the upper. "Circumferential" is again to be understood with respect to a foot or leg of a wearer and means that the edge defined by the inner collar completely surrounds the foot or leg. The edge is further "free" in the sense that it is not directly connected to other portions of the upper. For example, it would be possible to grasp the free edge and hold it between two fingers.Also the outer collar defines a free edge in the sense explained with respect to the inner collar. Thus, the free edge of the inner collar is in particular not directly connected to portions of the outer collar and the free edge of the outer collar is in particular not connected to portions of the inner collar.The inner collar and the outer collar are an integral knitted construction, which means that they are not knitted in separate processes and then connected, for example, by gluing, welding or sewing. Instead, both the inner collar and the outer collar are obtained in a single knitting operation. This is readily visible through the lack of additional bonding means such as adhesive, fused material or sutures. Rather, some loops forming the outer collar are joined by knitting to some loops forming the inner collar. A corresponding exemplary technique is explained in more detail below.A knitted upper according to the invention having an inner collar and an outer collar provides an additional grip to assist in walking into a shoe. To this end, a wearer may grasp the inner collar with his / her fingers and pull the heel portion of the shoe comprising the upper to place the shoe over the foot. Thus, the inner collar acts as a type of handle. Generally, the inner collar may be configured to target various functions. For example, the inner collar could be configured to securely fit an ankle or shaft portion of a wearer to provide support. In addition, the inner collar may be provided with additional cushioning or cushioning to protect the sensitive Achilles tendon and / or ankle (ankle bone). Moreover, the height of the inner collar can be selected independently of the position of the outer collar. Thus, the inner collar could terminate much higher on a wearer's foot or leg than the outer collar. Thus, the inner collar could provide a better fit of the shoe, while the outer collar could act as a handle or additional grip as described above, which would not be possible with only a single collar. A higher inner collar would also reduce the pressure, as it would have a much larger contact area compared to a lower collar. Similarly, the inner collar could be designed to be much thicker than the outer collar to reduce the pressure and provide a means to grasp and pull the shoe. Generally, the function of the inner collar may be configured independently of the function of the outer collar. However, since the collars can be manufactured together with the remainder of the upper in a single knitting operation, no additional parts are required to achieve such decoupled functions, which saves knitting time and manufacturing costs. The outer collar may act as an additional stabilizing element and may also ensure that the entire collar unit does not slip. The outer collar also increases the compression on the foot and ensures that it is more constant throughout the wearing time.The inner collar and the outer collar may have been knitted in a single knitting operation. As mentioned above, this allows to provide two different functionalities of the collar portion of the upper without additional parts, which saves manufacturing time and costs.The outer collar may be in the form of a tab or a slat. In this way, the outer collar can be used as a handle to grasp a shoe comprising the upper or to pull the shoe over a foot as it enters the shoe.The inner collar and the outer collar may overlap in a heel region of the upper. Thus, the outer collar may provide an additional function in the heel region. For example, the inner collar may be sufficiently thick and high to protect the Achilles tendon and / or ankle. In addition, it could act as a handle in the heel area. The outer collar may act as an additional stabilizing element.The inner collar may comprise a first yarn and the outer collar may comprise a second yarn, wherein the first yarn may be different from the second yarn. In this way, the inner and outer collars can be provided with various functions by appropriately selecting the yarns.The first yarn may be more moisture permeable than the second yarn. Thus, the inner collar may suck moisture away from a foot, whereas the outer collar may provide a different function.The second yarn may be more abrasion resistant than the first yarn. In this way, the outer collar may protect the inner collar, which in turn may comprise a more sensitive yarn providing another function such as moisture permeability, as discussed above.The inner collar may be disposed proximal to a foot of a wearer wearing a shoe comprising the knitted upper, and wherein the outer collar is disposed distal to the foot. Thus, as discussed above, the inner collar may provide functions such as cushioning, cushioning, and protection, while the outer collar, which is further distal to the foot, may provide functions such as additional grip.The inner collar and / or the outer collar may comprise an elastic yarn. In this way, the insertion of a foot into the shoe comprising the upper is facilitated, since both collars can expand sufficiently.At least one of the first collar and the second collar may be obtained by partial knitting. Partial knitting is a technique that allows only a certain needle area of a row of needles to be used for stitch formation. Thus, no knitting operation takes place over the entire row of needles. Partial knitting allows to obtain collars with almost any shapes instead of just uniform circumferential collars.The yarn tension in the inner collar may be different from the yarn tension in the outer collar. This allows the inner collar to be formed in a different manner than the outer collar, since the yarn tension affects the shape of the knitted structure. Moreover, the yarn tension determines the extensibility of a knitted structure to some extent, so that the inner collar and the outer collar can be provided with different extensibility.The knitting structure of the inner collar may be different from the knitting structure of the outer collar. In this way, the functions provided by the inner collar and the outer collar may differ. For example, the knit structure of the outer collar may be coarser than the knit structure of the inner collar. In this way, the outer collar can be more easily gripped to, for example, pull the shoe, whereas the inner collar provides a more comfortable feel. A coarser outer collar would provide better thermal insulation and allow to absorb higher forces, for example when tightening the shoe.The shape of the inner collar may be different from the shape of the outer collar. In this way, the collars can be provided with targeted functions. For example, the outer collar may be shaped like a flap to allow for grasping of a shoe comprising the shoe upper.The outer collar may define a circumferential second free edge of the upper configured to surround a portion of a leg of a wearer of the shoe. Thus, the outer collar may surround the foot as well as the inner collar. The outer collar may protect the underlying inner collar. In another example, the outer collar acts as a circumferential flap for grasping and / or pulling a shoe comprising the upper.The inner collar and the outer collar may each be formed by a single knitted layer folded on itself. This enables both the inner and outer collars to be knitted in a single knitting operation.The distance between the free edge of the inner collar and a location where the inner collar and the outer collar are connected may be greater than a distance between the free edge of the outer collar and the location where the inner collar and the outer collar are connected. In other words, the inner collar extends higher on the leg of the wearer with respect to the outer collar when the shoe is worn. Thus, for example, the inner collar may be higher than the outer collar to reduce the pressure on the foot or leg while still providing sufficient support.The inner collar may be thicker than the outer collar. As explained, this allows the inner collar to protect, for example, the Achilles tendon, while the outer collar could act like a flap to grasp and / or pull a shoe comprising the upper.The inner collar and the outer collar may have been manufactured on a circular knitting machine, preferably a small circular knitting machine and most preferably a small Intarsia circular knitting machine. An Intarsia knitting machine includes a cylinder capable of reciprocating motion to process Intarsia sequences. A circular knitting machine allows the knitted upper to be formed into a tubular structure corresponding to the natural shape of an upper. Unlike knitting on a flat knitting machine, no or only a few additional steps are required to bring the upper to its final shape. According to ISO 8117:2003, a small circular knitting machine has a diameter between 2 1 / 4 and 6 1 / 2 inches, which corresponds to 57.15 mm to 165.1 mm.The inner collar and / or the outer collar may be filled with padding. In this way, the ankle section, in particular the Achilles tendon, can be protected and the wearing comfort of a shoe comprising the upper is increased. Cushioning is particularly advantageous in the rear of the collar and on the left and right sides under the ankle. In this case, the padding may be introduced directly during knitting or a corresponding foam element may subsequently be introduced with suitable preparation, for example by creating an opening and / or pocket.The knitted upper may include a plurality of outer collars. The additional outer collars may comprise the same features as described herein with respect to the (single) outer collar. Thus, what is described herein with respect to the (single) outer collar is also applicable to multiple outer collars, in particular with respect to the functions, features, embodiments and advantages of the (single) outer collar. Moreover, additional outer collars may provide additional functions for the upper. For example, the inner collar could be moisture permeable and provide a soft feel, a first outer collar disposed on the inner collar could comprise abrasion resistant yarn to protect the inner collar, and a second outer collar disposed on the first outer collar could comprise highly abrasive reflective yarns to meet safety issues. This would not be possible with a single collar, as the abrasive yarn would contact the wearer's skin or sock, which would be felt unpleasant.The knitted upper may further comprise an inner sock and an outer sock integrally knitted with the inner sock. By folding the inner sock in the outer sock a complete upper is obtained. The inner sock and the outer sock may provide different functions for the upper. For example, the inner sock may be softer than the outer sock and / or moisture permeable. The outer sock may be more abrasion resistant and / or stiffer than the inner sock.The knitted upper may further comprise a knitted tongue integrally knitted with the inner sock and having a double layer construction. The knitted tongue may be knitted similarly to the inner collar and the outer collar. Thus, the number of additional components of the knitted upper is substantially reduced, as is the manufacturing cost and time.The knitted tongue may be formed by a single knitted layer which is folded on itself to obtain the double-layer construction. This enables the tongue and inner sock to be knitted in a single knitting operation similar to the inner collar and outer collar.The invention also relates to a shoe comprising a knitted upper according to the kind described herein and a sole structure. It is to be understood that what is described herein with respect to the knitted upper is also applicable to the shoe comprising such an upper, in particular with respect to the functions, features, embodiments and advantages of the knitted upper.The invention also relates to a method of making a knitted upper according to the type described herein. the method comprising the steps of: (a) knitting a first portion of the upper onto a row of needles; (b) transferring at least a portion of a knitting row from the row of needles onto retaining means; (c) knitting the inner collar or the outer collar; (d) transferring the portion of the knitting row retained on the retaining means back onto the row of needles; (e) knitting at least a row or a portion thereof; (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) to obtain the other of the outer collar or the inner collar.It will be understood that in step (c) either the inner collar or the outer collar is knitted and that in step (f) the outer collar is knitted if in step (c) the inner collar has been knitted and vice versa. It is also to be understood that what is described herein with respect to the knitted upper is also applicable to the method of manufacturing the knitted upper, particularly with respect to the functions, features, embodiments and advantages of the knitted upper. The row of needles can be, for example, a needle bed of a flat knitting machine or a round needle carrier such as a cylinder of a circular knitting machine. In general, the invention is not limited to any particular type of knitting.In one embodiment, a circular knitting machine is used to perform the method. Preferably, a small circular knitting machine and most preferably a small Intarsia circular knitting machine is used. In step (e), 1-10 courses can be knitted, more preferably 2-6, and most preferably 4-5.4. Brief Description of the FiguresThe invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the following figures: FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention by means of a knitted upper comprising an inner collar and an outer collar; FIG. 2 shows a small Intarsia circular knitting machine that can be used in the context of the present invention; FIGS. 3A-J show further embodiments of a knitted upper according to the invention; FIG. 4 illustrates a knitting program for a knitting machine that results in a knitted upper according to the invention; FIG. 5 illustrates a knitting program similar to FIG. 4 with reference to a knitted upper having an integrally knitted tongue; FIG. 6 shows an exemplary knitted upper resulting from a knitting program similar to FIG. 5 ; and FIGS. 7A-C show various embodiments of a knitted upper resulting from a knitting program similar to FIG. 5.5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSOnly some possible embodiments of the invention are described in detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and a variety of other embodiments are applicable without departing from the scope of the invention. The illustrated embodiments may be modified and combined in a number of ways whenever compatible, and certain features may be omitted as they appear to be dispensible. In particular, the disclosed embodiments may be modified by combining certain features of one embodiment with one or more features of another embodiment.It is to be understood that not all features of the described aspects / embodiments need be present to realize the technical advantages provided by the present disclosure, which is defined by the subject matter of the claims. The disclosed aspects / embodiments may be modified by combining certain features of one aspect / embodiment with one or more features of another aspect / embodiment. In particular, those skilled in the art will understand that features and / or functional elements of one aspect / embodiment can be combined with technically compatible features and / or functional elements of any other aspect / embodiment of the present disclosure, provided that the resulting combination falls within the definition of the present disclosure.While the following embodiments are described mainly with reference to a knitted upper for a shoe, in particular for a sports shoe, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosure according to the invention can be applied equally to a variety of different technical fields and / or application cases.In the present figures and the description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. For clarity and brevity, certain aspects of components or steps of certain embodiments will be presented without undue detail if such details would be apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein and / or if such details would obscure an understanding of more relevant aspects of the embodiments.As understood by the skilled person and / or in order to avoid redundancies, reference is also made to the explanations in the preceding sections, which also apply to the following detailed description. Furthermore, not all features, parts, elements, aspects, components, and / or steps are expressly denoted by reference numerals for brevity and clarity. This applies in particular when the skilled person recognizes that such features, parts, elements, aspects, components and / or steps are present in a multiplicity.Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention by using a knitted upper 1, and since the present invention concentrates on the collar portion of the knitted upper 1, only the collar portion is shown in Fig. 1. The upper according to the invention is a knitted upper, which means that it is knitted on a knitting machine. In the example of Fig. 1, the upper material has been knitted on a circular knitting machine, more precisely a so-called small circular knitting machine, comprising a circular row of needles having a diameter suitable for knitting sock and shoe uppers. Common diameters include 3, 3.5, 4 and 4.5 inches (corresponding to 76.2, 88.9, 101.6 and 114.3 mm, respectively). In other embodiments, a knitted upper according to the invention could be knitted on a flat knitting machine. Also, the embodiment of Fig. 1 has been obtained on a circular knitting machine having a single row of needles, so that a single knitted layer is obtained at a time (which can be folded as explained below). In other embodiments, a machine with more than a single row of needles may be used so that more than a single layer is obtained at a time.The knitted upper 1 comprises an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3. This means that the free edge 3 would completely surround a foot or leg of a wearer of a shoe comprising the knitted upper 1. The knitted upper 1 also comprises an outer collar 4 which also comprises a free edge 5. In the example of Fig. 1, the free edge 5 of the outer collar 4 is also circumferential, but this is not a requirement according to the invention. As can be seen, in other embodiments, the free edge 5 of the outer collar 4 is not circumferential.The inner collar 2 and the outer collar 4 are knitted as one piece in a single knitting operation, which means that in particular the entire upper material 1 shown in Fig. 1 or at least a portion thereof has been obtained in only a single operation. To illustrate this operation, Fig. 2 shows a small Intarsia circular knitting machine 10 having a plurality of needles 11 and a plurality of hold-downs 12 disposed in a cylinder 13. The knitted upper 1 of Fig. 1 is formed on such a knitting machine substantially as a tubular structure. The exemplary knitting machine of Fig. 1 has electronic sinkers which allow the stitch tension to be adjusted in the collar region, since they allow the applied tension to be adjusted and different voltages to be applied in different needle portions. The machine can handle thicker materials due to the additional hold downs 12 to push down the knitted material after it has been produced. All hold-downs 12 can be considered a manual extraction device. Unlike other machines, no rubber rollers or combs with hooks that pull are required. The hold-downs 12 push each loop downward after they have been formed in the stitch forming zone. Other machines have a vacuum system that pulls down the knitted material after it is formed. The machine shown in Fig. 2 allows partial knitting / sequential knitting so that besides full collars a part of collars or shaped collars can be produced and collars comprising different block colours can also be produced.As the knitting operation approaches the collar portion of the knitted upper 1, the last row or portion thereof is picked up by the hold-downs 12. The hold-downs 12 essentially form a horizontal rear row of needles comprising hooks which are not capable of producing loops / stitches but are used only to hold the yarns and / or transfer loops / stitches. The knitting operation is then continued on the needles 11 and forms the inner collar 2. When the inner collar 2 is finished, the threads that have been held on the hold-downs 12 are moved back to the cylinder 13 and several courses (e.g. 4-5) are knitted to secure the collar just formed to the rest of the material. This process is then repeated to form the other collar, i.e. when the inner collar 2 has been formed first, the outer collar 4 is now knitted, and when the outer collar 4 has been formed first, the inner collar 2 is now knitted.As can be seen, although the collars 2 and 4 are formed by a single knitted layer (because the knitting machine shown in Figure 2 comprises only a single row of needles), this single layer is folded upon itself to form the inner collar 2 and the outer collar 4. Thus, a two-ply knitted structure is obtained for each collar. In some embodiments, the cavity thus obtained may be filled with padding. For this purpose, an opening could be left in the knitted fabric, through which a padding can be introduced later, and the opening could then be closed. Cushioning could also be created during knitting, for example by creating a quantity of floating yarns.Suitable yarns for knitting a knitted face material 1 according to the invention include polyester, spandex and TPU yarns, but other yarns could also be used. In particular, the yarns of the inner collar 2 and of the outer collar 4 may be different. Generally, an elastic yarn such as elastane may be used for the inner collar 2 and / or the outer collar 4. Elastane creates a more comfortable collar area and is also smoother towards the skin.Figures 3A-J show further embodiments of a knitted upper 1 according to the invention. Figure 3A shows a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3, a first outer collar 4 with a circumferential free edge 5 and a second outer collar 6 with a circumferential free edge 7. the second outer collar 6 is obtained in the same manner as the first outer collar 4 as described above.Figure 3B shows a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3 and an outer collar 4 with a circumferential free edge 5. Such an embodiment could be used for a football shoe and the inner collar would act as an integral sock. Tibial shield could be placed in the cavity of the inner collar. An opening should be left for this purpose.Figure 3C shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3, a first outer collar 4 with a circumferential free edge 5 and a second outer collar 6 with a circumferential free edge 7. The second outer collar 6 is obtained in the same manner as the first outer collar 4 as described above. In this example, the first and second outer collars 4 and 6 are disposed on the front side of the collar portion of the knitted upper 1 facing the instep region.Figure 3D shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a free edge 3, a first outer collar 4 with a free edge 5 and a second outer collar 6 with a free edge 7. In particular, partial knitting can be used to obtain the collars. In this example, the first and second outer collars 4 and 6 are disposed on the rear side of the collar portion of the knitted upper 1 facing the region of the Achilles tendon. In this way, the outer collars provide a cushioning effect on a sensitive area.Figure 3E shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3 and an outer collar 4 with a free edge 5. In this way, a constriction at the transition from the collar to the rest of the shoe is reduced, as the collar keeps the opening wider.Figure 3F shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3 and an outer collar 4 with a free edge 5. The rear portion is formed as two flaps, flaps or sipes to allow the upper to be grasped or pulled at the heel portion. The outer collar 4 is obtained by a partial knitting technique. Moreover, both collars comprise two differently coloured yarns, the inner collar 2 comprising a stripe pattern and the outer collar 4 comprising two different areas with different colours. The stripe pattern is achieved by using two yarns of different colors. In addition, the yarns could also have different functions. For example, one yarn could be an elastane yarn and the other yarn could be a polyester yarn. The elasticity of the yarns could be different.Figure 3G shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3 and an outer collar 4 with a circumferential free edge 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the inner collar 2 is substantially higher than the outer collar 4. the inner and outer collars are made of polyester and elastane yarns, the outer collar 4 additionally comprising a TPU yarn. TPU may contribute to the abrasion resistance of the collar. It is also possible that a reflective yarn in the outer collar 4 increases visibility at night.Figure 3H shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3 and an outer collar 4 with a circumferential free edge 5. On the lateral side of the collar portion, the inner collar 2 is higher than the outer collar 4 and forms a tab on the lateral side. In other embodiments, a similar tab could be located on the medial side. The straps generally increase wear comfort.Figure 31 shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3, a first outer collar 4 with a free edge 5 and a second outer collar 6 with a circumferential free edge 7. the second outer collar 6 is obtained in the same manner as the first outer collar 4 as described above. In this example, the inner collar 2 is the highest. At the front side of the collar portion, the first outer collar 4 has a height between the heights of the inner collar 2 and the second outer collar 6, whereas at the rear side of the collar portion the height of the second outer collar 6 lies between the heights of the inner collar 2 and the first outer collar 4. This embodiment provides a soft wearing experience.Figure 3J shows a portion of a knitted upper 1 having an inner collar 2 with a circumferential free edge 3 and an outer collar 4 with a circumferential free edge 5. At the lateral sides of the collar portion, the inner collar 2 is higher than the outer collar 4. the outer collar 4 comprises a rather thick padding at the front of the collar portion. This is due to a knitted texture change that adds more material and thickens this area.Figure 4 illustrates a knitting program 20 for a knitting machine that results in a knitted upper according to the invention. The knitting direction is generally indicated by the arrow 21. The diagram illustrates the operation of each needle of the knitting machine along the knitting direction. The needles are arranged in a horizontal direction of the diagram. As color, each point of the diagram shows which needle receives which yarn from a respective yarn feeder. At a point that is not colored (white), no operation is performed by the corresponding needle.The knitted upper obtained by the knitting program 20 of Fig. 4 comprises an inner sock 22 and an outer sock 23. in the final upper, the outer sock 23 is pulled or twisted over the inner sock 22. Generally, however, according to the invention, the upper 1 may comprise only a single layer or "sock". As shown in Fig. 4, knitting begins with the inner sock 22, after which the inner collar 2 is knitted as described above, i.e. using hold-downs to park a knitting row or a portion of a knitting row. As soon as the inner collar 2 is connected to the knitted fabric by one or more rows, the outer collar 4 is knitted using the hold-downs again. The outer collar 4 is then connected to the knitted fabric by one or more rows and the outer sock 23 is finally knitted.With the knitting technique thus described, an integrally knitted tongue can be integrated into a knitted upper. Such a knitted upper could be the knitted upper 1 described above having an inner collar 2 and an outer collar 4, but could be another knitted upper having no inner collar 2 and no outer collar 4. The method will be described with reference to Figure 5 which shows a knitting program 30 similar to Figure 4, but this time with reference to a knitted upper 40 having an integrally knitted tongue 41 Figure 6 shows a knitted upper 40 resulting from a knitting program similar to Figure 5 before the outer sock 43 is pulled or rotated over the inner sock 42. Figures 7A, 7B and 7C show various embodiments of a knitted upper 40 after the outer sock 43 is placed over the inner sock 42.For the sake of illustration, the knitting program in Fig. 5 is divided into two parts, the first part on the left side of Fig. 5 being performed first and corresponding to the tongue 41 and the inner sock 42. Subsequently, the second part of the program on the right side of Fig. 5 corresponding to the outer sock 43 is performed. This does not mean that the knitting program is interrupted, but only for reasons of illustration.The program 30 begins knitting a toe cap portion 31 of the inner sock 42 and continues with the tongue portion 32 corresponding to the tongue 41 of the resulting knitted upper of Fig. 6. The tongue portion 32 is knitted in a similar manner to the inner collar 2 or the outer collar 4 of the knitted upper 1 described above. For this purpose, a knitting row or a portion thereof is held on hold-downs of a knitting machine, such as the machine shown in and described with reference to Fig. 2. The hold-downs pick up the loops from the row of needles and move them away from the row of needles. The tongue 41 is then knitted as shown in the corresponding tongue portion 32 of the knitting program 30. Thereafter, the tongue 41 is connected to the knitting row or a portion thereof held on the hold-downs by knitting one row or some rows. For this purpose, the hold-downs are moved back to the row of needles. Subsequently, a quarter 33 of the inner sock is knitted with integrally knitted lace loops 38. An inner heel portion 34 is then knitted.The knitting program 30 is then continued with the outer sock 43, namely with an outer heel portion 35, and is continued with a quarter 36 of the outer sock having lace loops 38 corresponding to the lace loop 38 of the quarter portion 33 of the inner sock. Finally, an outer toe cap portion 37 is knitted.Figure 6 shows a knitted upper 40 resulting from a knitting program similar to Figure 5 which includes an integrally knitted tongue 41, an inner sock 42 and an outer sock 43. As shown in Fig. 6, the tongue 41 is a double-layer knitted construction while being folded on itself, just like the inner collar 2 and the outer collar 4 described above. The tongue comprises so-called "break edges" or "fictive seam" in order to allow a better folding. This is achieved by changing the knitted structure on two needles in the edge region.Figures 7A, 7B and 7C show various embodiments of a knitted upper 40 after the outer sock 43 is placed over the inner sock 42. Accordingly, the inner sock is not visible in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C.The following defines further embodiments of a knitted upper with an integrally knitted tongue: 1. knitted upper for a shoe comprising:an inner sock;an outer sock integrally knitted with the inner sock;a knitted tongue integrally knitted with the inner sock and having a double layer construction.2. The knitted upper of Embodiment 2, wherein the knitted upper has been knitted on a circular knitting machine, preferably a small circular knitting machine, and most preferably a small Intarsia circular knitting machine. 3. knitted upper according to any one of the embodiments 1-2, wherein the knitted tongue is formed by a single knitted layer which is folded on itself to obtain the double-layer construction. 4. knitted upper according to any one of embodiments 1-3, wherein the knitted tongue comprises a different yarn than the inner sock and / or the outer sock. 5. knitted upper according to any of the embodiments 1-4, comprising:a knitted inner collar defining a circumferential first free edge of the upper and configured to completely surround a portion of a leg of a wearer of the shoe;at least one knitted outer collar at least partially surrounding the inner collar and defining a second free edge of the upper,wherein the inner collar and the outer collar are an integral knitted construction.6. The knitted upper of Embodiment 5, wherein the inner collar and the outer collar are integrally knitted with the inner sock and / or the outer sock. 7. shoe comprising a knitted upper according to any of the embodiments 1-6; and a sole structure. 8 A method of making a knitted upper according to any of the embodiments 1-7, comprising the steps of: (a) knitting a first portion of the inner sock onto a row of needles; (b) transferring at least a portion of a knitting row from the row of needles onto retaining means; (c) knitting the tongue; (d) transferring the portion of the knitting row retained on the retaining means back onto the row of needles; (e) knitting a second portion of the inner sock; and (f) knitting the outer sock.Thus, it should be appreciated that the embodiments of the knitted upper comprising an integrally knitted tongue may be combined with the embodiments of the knitted upper comprising an inner collar and an outer collar as described herein. Thus, by combination, an embodiment can be obtained which comprises features of one or more embodiments of the knitted upper comprising an integrally knitted tongue and of one or more embodiments of the knitted upper comprising an inner collar and an outer collar.List of Reference Numerals1 Knitted upper 2 inner collar 3 edge of inner collar 4 outer collar 5 edge of outer collar 6 second outer collar 7 free edge of second outer collar 10 knitting machine 11 needles 12 hold-down 13 cylinder 20 knitting program for knitted upper with inner and outer collar 21 knitting direction 22 inner sock 23 outer sock 30 knitting program for knitted upper with integral tongue 31 toe cap portion 32 tongue portion 33 quarters of inner sock 34 inner heel portion 35 outer heel portion 36 quarters of outer sock 37 outer toe cap portion 38 lace loops 40 knitted upper with integral tongue 41 knitted tongue 42 inner sock 43 outer sock

Claims

A knitted upper (1) for a shoe, comprising: a knitted inner collar (2) defining a circumferential first free edge (3) of the upper (1) and configured to completely surround a portion of a leg of a wearer of the shoe; at least one knitted outer collar (4) at least partially surrounding the inner collar (2) and defining a second free edge (5) of the upper (1), wherein the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) are an integral knitted construction.The knitted upper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) have been knitted in a single knitting operation.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the outer collar (4) is formed in the shape of a flap or a lamella.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) overlap in a heel area of the upper (1).The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the inner collar (2) comprises a first yarn and the outer collar (4) comprises a second yarn, wherein the first yarn is different from the second yarn.The knitted upper (1) of claim 5, wherein the first yarn is more moisture permeable than the second yarn.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 5-6, wherein the second yarn is more abrasion resistant than the first yarn.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the inner collar (2) is arranged proximal to a foot of a wearer wearing a shoe comprising the knitted upper (1), and wherein the outer collar (4) is arranged distal to the foot.Knitted upper (1) according to any of claims 1-8, wherein the inner collar (2) and / or the outer collar (4) comprise an elastic yarn.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein at least one of the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) has been obtained by partial knitting.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the yarn tension in the inner collar (2) is different from the yarn tension in the outer collar (4).The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein the knitting structure of the inner collar (2) is different from the knitting structure of the outer collar (4).The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the shape of the inner collar (2) is different from the shape of the outer collar (4).The knitted upper (1) according to any of claims 1-13, wherein the outer collar (4) defines a circumferential second free edge (5) of the upper (1) adapted to surround a portion of a leg of a wearer of the shoe.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-14, wherein the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) are each formed by a single knitted layer folded on itself.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein the distance between the free edge of the inner collar (2) and a location where the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) are connected is greater than a distance between the free edge of the outer collar (4) and the location where the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) are connected.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein the inner collar (2) is thicker than the outer collar (4).The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein the inner collar (2) and the outer collar (4) have been manufactured on a circular knitting machine, preferably a small circular knitting machine and most preferably a small Intarsia circular knitting machine.Knitted upper (1) according to any of claims 1-18, wherein the inner collar (2) and / or the outer collar (4) are filled with padding.The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-19, comprising a plurality of outer collars (4).The knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-20, further comprising: an inner sock; an outer sock integrally knitted with the inner sock.The knitted upper (1) according to claim 21, further comprising: a knitted tongue integrally knitted with the inner sock and having a double-layer construction.The knitted upper (1) according to claim 22, wherein the knitted tongue is formed by a single knitted layer which is folded on itself to obtain the double-layer construction.A shoe comprising: a knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-23 ; and a sole structure.A method of making a knitted upper (1) according to any one of claims 1-23, comprising the steps of: (a) knitting a first portion of the upper (1) onto a row of needles; (b) transferring at least a portion of a knitting row from the row of needles onto retaining means; (c) knitting the inner collar (2) or the outer collar (4); (d) transferring the portion of the knitting row retained on the retaining means back onto the row of needles; (e) knitting at least a row or a portion thereof; (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) to obtain the other of the outer collar (4) or the inner collar (2).

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