Patent ID: 8595878

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, the method comprising: assembling at least a portion of an upper of the article of footwear, the upper having a lower perimeter edge; providing a lasting element that has been previously formed separately from the upper, the lasting element comprising: (a) a first strip, (b) a second strip spaced apart from the first strip, and (c) at least one strand extending through the first strip and the second strip; securing the lasting element to the upper, wherein securing the lasting element further comprises: (a) joining the first strip to a lateral side of the upper adjacent to the lower perimeter edge, (b) joining the second strip to a medial side of the upper adjacent to the lower perimeter edge, and (c) wherein the at least one strand is disposed through the first strip and the second strip so as to extend between the lateral side of the upper and the medial side of the upper; tensioning the at least one strand; and joining a sole structure of the article of footwear to the upper.