An article of footwear having an upper with enhanced transition properties is described herein. The transition properties may be incorporated in an ankle collar trim transition region, a heel stay reinforcing structure, and/or a heel padding structure. Additionally, a method for manufacturing the article of footwear with enhanced transition properties in a heel region is provided.

An upper for an article of footwear includes a first upper panel, a second upper panel, and an extruded component. The extruded component is disposed along a border between the first upper panel and the second upper panel. The extruded component joins the first upper panel to the second upper panel.

An article comprised of tape segments embroidered in place is disclosed. One embodiment includes tape segments embroidered to a self-supporting embroidered structure. Another embodiment includes tape segments embroidered together to form an embroidered lattice structure. In one embodiment, some of the tape segments may expand when exposed to heat and may be used to form cushioning regions for the article.

An upper for an article of footwear includes a first upper panel, a second upper panel, and an extruded component. The extruded component is disposed along a border between the first upper panel and the second upper panel. The extruded component joins the first upper panel to the second upper panel.

An article of footwear may include an upper incorporating a knitted component. An inlaid strand extends through the knitted component. A combination feeder may be utilized to inlay the strand within the knitted component. As an example, the combination feeder may include a feeder arm that reciprocates between a retracted position and an extended position. In manufacturing the knitted component, the feeder inlays the strand when the feeder arm is in the extended position, and the strand is absent from the knitted component when the feeder arm is in the retracted position.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shoe having excellent comfort. The present invention provides a shoe including an upper material that is partially or fully formed of a fiber sheet, wherein the fiber sheet exhibits specific tensile characteristics at least in one direction.

A stuffer for clothing articles such as bags and purses is disclosed. One embodiment the purse stuffer is a sheet of an elegant, double quilted fabric that is stitched together to form a foldable stuffer. In one embodiment, the stuffer may be folded along one or more perpendicular folding stitch lines. In another embodiment, the stuffer may be folded along one or more, preferably four, parallel folding stitch lines. The stitch lines and the folding along increases the effect of the padding so as to form stuffers of varying sizes and shapes with a single construction. The various embodiments may be manufactured in different sizes to accommodate different size purses or bags.

A vamp with loop protection eyelets and a manufacture method thereof are disclosed. The vamp comprises a vamp body including a middle part having a notch which functions as a shoe tongue part. The vamp body is one-piece knitted fabric or a sheet-splice-vamp. Strings are projectively fixed on the upper surface of the vamp body. Threads embroider and fix the strings on the vamp body along a path of the length direction of the strings. The strings not only form a pattern on the vamp body but also leave loops on the shoe tongue part. Loops protrude inwards from both side edges of the shoe tongue part. The vamp has ventilation and has good supportability and straightness, is not only esthetic but also can protect feet. Protection eyelets are connected very firmly and do not come off easily. The pattern with a stereoscopic visual effect is formed on the vamp.

An embroidered vamp process includes the following steps: (1) designing a vamp manufacture drawing by a computer; (2) according to the design drawing of step (1), cutting different pieces of cloth into base fabric of the vamp and a splice component of the vamp respectively by a laser; (3) typesetting the splice component cut in step (2) on the base fabric, then embroidering the splice component on the base fabric according to an embroidery thread pattern of the drawing by an embroidery machine; (4) cutting out the redundant base fabric of the vamp along the edge the splice component by, once again, the laser, forming the vamp of the finished product shoe model. An embroidered vamp comprises a vamp body, said vamp body comprising the base fabric and the splice component, said splice component being embroidered on the surface of base fabric by embroidery thread.

The invention relates to embroidered material portions for incorporation into an article of footwear, and systems and methods for the manufacture thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to an article of footwear having an upper with a sole structure, the upper including a first upper element including a base layer and a first structural layer including at least one first fiber embroidered onto the exterior surface of the base layer, the at least one first fiber forming a plurality of first elongate structural elements extending over the exterior surface of the base layer to provide discrete localized structural support to the base layer.