An article of footwear may include a knitted component formed of multiple knitted component portions. The knitted component includes a body portion and a heel portion. The body portion is formed of unitary knit construction and extends through a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and at least partially into a heel region of the article of footwear. The heel portion is formed of unitary knit construction and extends through the heel region and includes a cuff that defines a throat opening of the upper for receiving a foot. The body portion and the heel portion are joined along adjacent edges to form the knitted component. Knitting directions of the knitted component portions vary along the adjacent edges. An overlay element may also be provided to cover a seam attaching the adjacent edges of the knitted component portions.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure, an upper, a slotted eyelet, an opening, and a tensile strand. The upper is coupled to the sole structure and has a medial portion and a lateral portion. The slotted eyelet is formed in the medial portion or the lateral portion and has a major axis and a minor axis. A length of the slotted eyelet along the major axis is larger than a width of the slotted eyelet along the minor axis. The opening is formed in the medial portion or the lateral portion, and the opening is spaced apart from the slotted eyelet. The tensile strand has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion extends through the opening and defines an aperture adjacent the slotted eyelet, and the second portion extends from the first portion toward the sole structure.

The present invention provides a modular shoe adapted to be configured by a wearer comprises: a sole capable of receiving a shoe upper for arrangement over a wearer's foot by at least one channel. In this way the wearer is able to configure multiple shoe arrangements by use of modular parts that are interchangeable to create customised shoes that are lighter and can be packed away smaller than traditional shoes.

An article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper has a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction that includes at least one gore region located in a heel region of the article of footwear. The gore region provides a contoured configuration to the knitted component. In a method of manufacturing, a knitted component may include a first gore region and a plurality of second gore regions, with the first gore region being located in a heel area of the article of footwear and the second gore regions being located adjacent to the sole structure.

Systems and apparatus related to footwear including a modular lacing engine are discussed. In this example, the lace guide is deformable to assist in facilitating automated lace tightening. The lace guide can include a middle section, a first extension and a second extension. In this example, the lace guide can be configured to define a first route for a lace cable, the first route including receiving the lace cable along the first incoming lace axis and expelling the lace cable along the first outgoing lace axis. In this example, the lace guide can also deflect, in response to tension on the lace cable, resulting in defining a second route for the lace cable, the second route including receiving the lace cable along a second incoming lace axis and expelling the lace cable along a second outgoing lace axis.

An article of footwear flat pattern upper having an upper portion and a footbed portion is provided. The upper portion and the footbed portion are integrally continuous, such that the upper portion lateral side converges with the footbed lateral side. The flat pattern includes nested same-sided article of footwear with a reduced surplus portion there between. The articles of footwear include the following continuous portions: the first medial side with a toe end, the toe end with a lateral side, the lateral side with a heel end, and the heel end with the second medial side. The first medial side and the second medial side are joined to form a dimensional article of footwear.

An article of footwear formed from a flat pattern. The article of footwear has a reduced seam construction to reduce manufacturing operations. A toe-end seam extending from a throat on a medial side of the article of footwear provides a seaming option. An acute-angle indentation on a lateral side of the throat allows the article of footwear to conform to a wearer's traditional foot. A heel-end seam having adjacent inner surfaces of medial and lateral portions of the upper may also be included to convert the flat pattern upper to a dimensional article of footwear that conforms to the wearer's traditional foot.

The present invention is directed to an adjustable footwear system to provide varying degrees of tightness in different areas of the footwear before and after the footwear is received on the foot. An extensor system is activated to open or close a cavity of the footwear between the upper and an insole. The extensor system can provide loosen the footwear to the foot.

The present invention is directed to an adjustable footwear system to provide varying degrees of tightness in different areas of the footwear before and after the footwear is received on the foot. The footwear is, in its initial form, tightest on the inner cavity with an upper comprised of one or more elastic materials. An extensor system is activated to create a rigid infra-structure to open a cavity of the footwear between the upper and an insole. A decrease of pressure in the extensor system decreases the cavity volume and allows for the elastic upper to apply pressure to the foot.

There is provided a footwear having a three-dimensional shape that fits a foot of a wearer regardless of a stretchability of a knitted fabric. A seamless footwear (1) including an instep cover section (3) and a sole cover section (2) is provided. The sole cover section (2) is divided to a heel portion (20) and a sole main body portion (21). A setup portion (1S) or a knitting end portion is formed at a heel side end of the footwear (1), and such setup portion (1S) or the knitting end portion is extended in a height direction of the footwear (1) and also connected to the heel portion (20). The heel portion (20) is formed by a knitting of stacking a stitch row for plural tiers in a wale direction, and gradually differing the number of stitches in a knitting width direction of the stitch row when stacking tiers of the stitch row. The heel portion (20) is formed to a tongue shape in which a width gradually becomes narrower toward a heel side of the footwear (1) according to the change in the number of stitches.