Patent ID: 11910867
Assignee: NIKE, INC.
Field: Other consumer goods (Other fields)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An article of footwear comprising:
a sole structure;
a footwear upper secured to the sole structure and defining an ankle opening; the footwear upper including a front upper portion that defines a front of the ankle opening and a rear upper portion that defines a rear of the ankle opening; and
a device comprising a control bar having:
a center segment secured to the rear upper portion of the ankle opening;
a medial side arm extending downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a medial side of the footwear upper and fixed to the sole structure; and
a lateral side arm extending downwardly and forwardly from the center segment at a lateral side of the footwear upper and fixed to the sole structure;

wherein the front upper portion has at least one of a medial grab handle at the medial side of the footwear upper or a lateral grab handle at a lateral side of the footwear upper;
wherein the control bar depresses downward under an applied force to a loaded position as the medial side arm and the lateral side arm resiliently bend, storing potential energy that returns the control bar to an unloaded position upon removal of the applied force, the rear upper portion moving with the control bar;
wherein the rear upper portion extends forward to the sole structure inward of the front upper portion at the medial side and at the lateral side of the article of footwear;
wherein the front upper portion has a medial side outer wall and a lateral side outer wall, the medial side outer wall including the medial grab handle and/or the lateral side outer wall including the lateral grab handle, the front upper portion terminating at a rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall at the medial side of the article of footwear inward of the medial side arm, and terminating at a rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall at the lateral side of the article of footwear inward of the lateral side arm;
wherein the rear upper portion includes a medial side inner wall and a lateral side inner wall, the medial side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the medial side outer wall and terminating at the sole structure at a front medial edge forward of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall, and the lateral side inner wall extending forward from the rear of the ankle opening inward of the lateral side outer wall and terminating at the sole structure at a front lateral edge forward of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall;
wherein the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall is between the first segment of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall and the sole structure and further forward than the first segment of the medial side outer wall;
wherein the rear lateral edge of the later side outer wall includes a first segment and a second segment, the first segment of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall is adjacent to the ankle opening and the second segment of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall is between the first segment of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall and the sole structure and further forward than the first segment of the rear lateral edge of the later side outer wall; and
wherein the front upper portion is secured to the rear upper portion at the second segment of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall and at the second segment of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall, and is decoupled from the rear upper portion at the first segment of the rear medial edge of the medial side outer wall and at the first segment of the rear lateral edge of the lateral side outer wall.