US 11,986,043 B2
Shoe, especially sports shoe
Patrick Donovan, Fuerth (DE); Andreas Siegismund, Rueckersdorf (DE); and Erwin Rammig, Hezogenaurach (DE)
Assigned to PUMA SE, Herzogenaurach (DE)
Appl. No. 17/046,689
Filed by PUMA SE, Herzogenaurach (DE)
PCT Filed Apr. 26, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/060819
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 9, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/206423, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 31, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0120906 A1, Apr. 29, 2021
Int. Cl. A43B 1/04 (2022.01); A43B 5/02 (2006.01); A43B 23/02 (2006.01)
CPC A43B 1/04 (2013.01) [A43B 5/02 (2013.01); A43B 23/022 (2013.01); A43B 23/0235 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A shoe comprising a shoe upper and a sole which is connected with the shoe upper, wherein the shoe upper comprises a first knitted structure comprising a knitted base material with a first plurality of meshes, the first plurality of meshes having a first density, wherein the first knitted structure at least partially surrounds a foot of a wearer during intended use of the shoe,
wherein the first knitted structure comprises a first set of openings arranged side by side along a longitudinal extension (L) of the shoe upper at a lateral side of the shoe upper and a first set of openings arranged side by side along the longitudinal extension (L) of the shoe upper at a medial side of the shoe upper, wherein both sets of first openings are arranged in a defined first height level (h1) of the shoe upper measured from a bottom of the sole,
wherein the first knitted structure comprises a second set of openings arranged side by side along the longitudinal extension (L) of the shoe upper at the lateral side of the shoe upper and a second set of openings arranged side by side along the longitudinal extension (L) of the shoe upper at the medial side of the shoe upper, wherein both sets of second openings are arranged in a defined second height level (h2) of the shoe upper measured from the bottom of the sole, wherein the second height level (h2) is different from the first height level (h1),
wherein the openings of both sets of first openings and both sets of second openings are adapted to thread a lace therethrough,
wherein a semi-permeable membrane is arranged between the foot of the wearer and the first knitted structure which covers the openings of both sets of first openings and both sets of second openings of the first knitted structure, and
wherein the shoe upper comprises a knitted reinforced structure including a portion of the first knitted structure and a second knitted structure added to the portion of the first knitted structure, the second knitted structure having a second plurality of meshes, and the knitted reinforced structure having a second density, wherein the knitted reinforced structure encloses at least a part of the openings of both sets of first openings and both sets of second openings,
wherein the knitted reinforced structure includes a portion of the first plurality of meshes and a portion of the second plurality of meshes such that that the knitted base material of the shoe upper has a base thickness (t) and that the kitted reinforced structure has an increased thickness (T),
wherein the increased thickness (T) of the knitted reinforced structure, is arranged along a circumference of at least one opening, and
wherein the semi-permeable membrane is connected with the shoe upper in a bottom region and in a top region and is not connected with the shoe upper in the region of the openings of both sets of first openings, and both sets of second openings.