Offset Knit Tongue and Heel Tab for Footwear Upper

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional articles of footwear with aligned tongue and heel tabs face difficulties in donning, especially with close-fitting shoes, and are prone to detachment or tearing due to post-processing additions like stitching or bonding.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating offset knit tongue and heel tabs that are integrally knit with the collar, positioning the tongue tab medially and heel tab laterally to align with natural donning movements, enhancing stability and durability by reducing seams and manufacturing steps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If tongue tabs and heel tabs are aligned with the longitudinal midline reference plane, then the structure is simple and symmetric, but it makes it more difficult for the wearer to apply necessary traction or tension to the tabs when donning the footwear

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of donningVSAvoidtab alignment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry by offsetting the tongue tab and heel tab from the longitudinal midline reference plane. The tongue tab is positioned to extend toward the medial side while the heel tab extends toward the lateral side, creating an asymmetric configuration that facilitates natural donning movements and allows the wearer to more easily apply traction to the tabs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by positioning the tabs at specific locations offset from the midline - the tongue tab medially and the heel tab laterally. This localized positioning optimizes the tabs' functionality for donning operations while maintaining overall structural integrity of the footwear upper.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If tongue tabs and heel tabs are added in post-processing steps by stitching or bonding, then the tabs can be added after main construction, but the tabs become prone to detachment or tearing with repeated use

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedurability of tabsVSAvoidmanufacturing process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies merging by integrating the tongue tab and heel tab into the collar as a single integrally knit component. This eliminates separate stitching or bonding operations, creating a seamless structure where the tabs are inherently part of the collar fabric, thereby preventing detachment or tearing while simplifying the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies segmentation by forming the collar, tongue tab, and heel tab as distinct but integrally connected regions within a single knit component. This allows each region to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining structural unity through the integral construction, eliminating weak points at attachment zones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20230301401A1Offset knit tongue TAB and knit heel tab

Publication Date: 2023.09.28 NIKE INC

AI summary

Aspects herein are directed to an upper, an article of footwear incorporating the same, and methods of forming the upper, where the upper includes a knit collar, a knit tongue tab that is integrally knit with the collar, and a knit heel tab that is integrally knit with the collar. At least a distal-most extent of the knit tongue tab extends away from a longitudinal midline reference plane of the upper toward a first side of the upper, and at least a distal-most extent of the knit heel tab extends away from the longitudinal midline reference plane of the upper toward a second side of the upper, where the second side is opposite the first side.