Patent ID: 11857028
Assignee: UNDER ARMOUR, INC.
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC A  D | IPC A  D

Claim 0:
1. An article of footwear defining a forefoot region, a hindfoot region, a midfoot region disposed between the forefoot region and the hindfoot region, a lateral side, and a medial side, wherein the lateral and medial sides extend along each of the forefoot region, hindfoot region and midfoot region, the article of footwear including a foot cavity configured to house a foot, the article of footwear comprising:
a sole structure;
an upper coupled to the sole structure, the upper comprising a knit textile formed of a plurality of interlocked strands, the knit textile extending upward from the sole structure to define a proximal quarter section and a distal instep cover formed integrally with the proximal quarter section, the distal instep cover configured to span an instep of the foot, the knit textile further including a lace fastener comprising a first opening separated from a second opening by a knit segment of the knit textile capable of moving from a first, in-plane configuration, in which the knit segment is in plane with a surface of the knit textile, to a second, out-of-plane configuration, in which the knit segment is out of plane with the surface of the knit textile, wherein each of the first opening and the second opening comprises an elongated slot oriented in a direction transverse a lengthwise direction of the upper; and
a lace operable to fasten the upper to the foot in the foot cavity, the lace extending over portions of the distal instep cover between the lateral side and the medial side, and the lace further extending over the surface of the knit textile and through each of the first opening and the second opening such that the lace is positioned under the knit segment to orient the knit segment in the second, out-of-plane configuration and the knit segment protrudes from the surface of the knit textile.