Footwear Upper With Zonal Support Areas

Abstract

An improved article of footwear is disclosed herein. The upper of the footwear is disposed on the sole, where the upper is constructed from an inner textile layer, an outer textile layer, and a plurality of compressible segments disposed between the inner and outer textile layers. The upper may further contain numerous portions, or zones. Each zone may differ from the other zones of the upper by the number, shape, size, layout, and material of each compressible segment in that zone. The number, shape, size, layout, and material of the compressible segments in each zone gives each zone a specific degree of flexibility, support, and comfort.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a sole structure; and   an upper disposed on the sole structure, the upper comprising:
 a first textile layer serving as an interior surface of the upper, 
 a second textile layer serving as an exterior surface of the upper, and 
 a plurality of compressible segments disposed between the first textile layer and the second textile layer. 
   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of compressible segments are disposed adjacent to each other such that the plurality of compressible segments form a single layer of compressible segments between the first textile layer and the second textile layer. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of compressible segments are at least partially stacked on top of one another to form a plurality of layers of compressible segments between the first textile layer and the second textile layer. 
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein a first compressible segment of the plurality of compressible segments is constructed from a material different from that of a second compressible segment of the plurality of compressible segments. 
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , where the first compressible segment has a first shape and the second compressible segment has a second shape, the second shape being different from the first shape. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 5 , where the first compressible segment has a first degree of compressibility and the second compressible segment has a second degree of compressibility, the second degree of compressibility being greater than the first degree of compressibility. 
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of compressible segments are arranged along the upper to define different support zones having different degrees of compressibility for the upper. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein a first support zone is defined at a forefoot region of the upper that includes a plurality of compressible segments including a second compressible segment that partially overlies a first compressible segment, and the first and second compressible segments have different degrees of compressibility. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 8 , wherein a second support zone is defined at a hindfoot region of the upper that includes a plurality of compressible segments including third and fourth compressible segments arranged in a side-by-side manner, and the third and fourth compressible segments have different degrees of compressibility. 
     
     
         10 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a sole structure; and   an upper coupled to the sole structure, the upper including at least a first portion, a and a second portion, the upper further comprising:
 a first plurality of compressible segments disposed in the first portion, the first plurality of compressible segments being in an at least partially stacked orientation that forms a plurality of layers of compressible segments, and 
 a second plurality of compressible segments disposed in the second portion, the second plurality of compressible segments being in an adjacent orientation such that the second plurality of compressible segments form a single layer of compressible segments. 
   
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 10 , wherein the first portion of the upper is the toebox portion of the upper, the second portion of the upper is the heel portion of the upper, and the upper further comprising a tongue portion of the upper. 
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein the upper further comprises:
 a third plurality of compressible segments disposed in the tongue portion, the third plurality of compressible segments being in the adjacent orientation such that the third plurality of compressible segments form a single layer of compressible segments.   
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 10 , wherein the first plurality of compressible segments includes a first compressible segment and a second compressible segment, where the first compressible segment has a first degree of compressibility and a first shape, and the second compressible segment has a second degree of compressibility and a second shape, the second degree of compressibility being greater than the first degree of compressibility, and the second shape being different from the first shape. 
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 13 , wherein the second plurality of compressible segments includes a third compressible segment and a fourth compressible segment, where the third compressible segment has a third degree of compressibility and a third shape, and the fourth compressible segment has a fourth degree of compressibility and a fourth shape, the third degree of compressibility being equal to the fourth degree of compressibility, the second degree of compressibility being greater than the third and fourth degrees of compressibility, and the third and fourth degrees of compressibility being greater than the first degree of compressibility, and the third shape being different from the fourth shape, and the third and fourth shapes being different from the first and second shapes. 
     
     
         15 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a sole structure; and   an upper coupled to the sole structure, the upper comprising:
 a first compressible segment constructed from a first material, 
 a second compressible segment constructed from a second material, and 
 a third compressible segment constructed from a third material, wherein the first material differs from the second and third materials, and the second material differs from the third material. 
   
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 15 , wherein the first material has a first degree of compressibility, the second material has a second degree of compressibility, and the third material has a third degree of compressibility, the first degree of compressibility being greater than the second and third degrees of compressibility, and the second degree of compressibility being greater than the third degree of compressibility. 
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 15 , wherein the upper further comprises a forefoot region, a midfoot region, and a hindfoot region. 
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 17 , wherein the first compressible segment, the second compressible segment, and the third compressible segment are disposed in the forefoot region of the upper in an orientation where the first compressible segment, the second compressible segment, and the third compressible segment are at least partially stacked on top of one another to form a plurality of layers. 
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 17 , wherein the first compressible segment and the second compressible segment are disposed in the midfoot region of the upper in an orientation where the first compressible segment and the second compressible segment are disposed adjacent to one another to form a single layer of compressible segments. 
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of  claim 17 , wherein the first compressible segment, the second compressible segment, and the third compressible segment are disposed in the hindfoot region of the upper in an orientation where the first compressible segment, the second compressible segment, and the third compressible segment are disposed adjacent to one another to form a single layer of compressible segments.