Shoe upper comprising protrusions

Abstract

An upper for a sports shoe includes a plurality of areas. The areas include a medial area, a lateral area, a toe area, an instep area, a heel area, and a collar area. The upper includes at least one protrusion in at least four of the plurality of areas. The protrusions protrude from an outer surface of the upper.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An upper for a sports shoe, the upper comprising:
 a plurality of areas comprising a medial area, a lateral area, a toe area, an instep area, a heel area, and a collar area; and   at least one protrusion in at least four of the plurality of areas, wherein the protrusions protrude from an outer surface of the upper.   
     
     
         2 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises at least one protrusion in the medial area, the lateral area, the toe area, and the instep area. 
     
     
         3 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises at least one protrusion in the medial area, the lateral area, the toe area, the instep area, and the heel area. 
     
     
         4 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion in a first of the plurality of areas differs from the at least one protrusion in a second of the plurality of areas in dimension, shape, or orientation. 
     
     
         5 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a plurality of protrusions in a first and a second of the plurality of areas, and wherein a distribution density of the protrusions in the first area differs from a distribution density of the protrusions in the second area. 
     
     
         6 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises at least two protrusions in at least one of the plurality of areas, and wherein the at least two protrusions differ in dimension, shape, or orientation. 
     
     
         7 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a plurality of protrusions in at least one of the plurality of areas, and wherein the protrusions are unevenly distributed in the at least one of the plurality of areas. 
     
     
         8 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a plurality of protrusions in at least one of the plurality of areas, and wherein two adjacent protrusions in the at least one of the plurality of areas have the same orientation. 
     
     
         9 . The upper according to  claim 8 , wherein two non-adjacent protrusions in the at least one of the plurality of areas have different orientations. 
     
     
         10 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises a base material which forms a mounting for the at least one protrusion. 
     
     
         11 . The upper according to  claim 10 , wherein the base material forms the outer surface of the upper. 
     
     
         12 . The upper according to  claim 10 , wherein the base material of the upper comprises a textile or a synthetic material. 
     
     
         13 . The upper according to  claim 10 , wherein the base material of the upper comprises a first stretchability in a first of the plurality of areas and a second stretchability in a second of the plurality of areas, and wherein the first and second stretchabilities are different. 
     
     
         14 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion comprises rubber, casting polyurethane, or silicon. 
     
     
         15 . The upper according to  claim 2 , wherein the protrusions in the lateral area, the medial area, and the toe area comprise rubber. 
     
     
         16 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises protrusions in the instep area, the heel area, and the collar area, and wherein the protrusions in the instep area, the heel area, and the collar area comprise casting polyurethane or silicon. 
     
     
         17 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion in at least one of the plurality of areas comprises a plurality of protrusions, wherein the plurality of protrusions forms a channel configured to remove moisture from the surface of the upper. 
     
     
         18 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the collar area overlaps the instep area, and wherein the collar area and instep area are separate pieces of material that are connected to each other at multiple spaced apart locations such that there is a gap between the instep area and the collar area where the instep area and the collar area overlap and are not connected. 
     
     
         19 . The upper according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion in at least four of the plurality of areas comprises a deltoid-shaped or circular base area and forms at least one peak extending from the outer surface of the upper. 
     
     
         20 . A shoe comprising:
 an upper having a plurality of areas, the plurality of areas comprising a medial area, a lateral area, a toe area, and an instep area, wherein the plurality of areas each include at least one protrusion protruding from an outer surface of the upper; and   a sole attached to the upper.