Nike patents shoe uppers with tiny printed bumps for texture
Nike has filed a patent for shoe uppers featuring small, distinct bumps printed directly onto the exterior surface. The design specifies that at least half of these protrusions are very small, with a volume under 150 cubic millimeters, and some are taller than they are wide.
In the filing’s own words
A footwear upper includes: (A) an upper base member formed from one or more upper component parts and having an exterior surface; and (B) a plurality of discrete printed protrusions fixed to and extending outward from the exterior surface, wherein at least 50% of the discrete printed protrusions provided on the upper base member define a volume of less than 150 mm 3. In at least some examples, each discrete printed protrusion of at least 25% of the discrete printed protrusions provided on the upper base member includes: (i) a largest base dimension D of the discrete printed protrusion located at the exterior surface of the upper base member, (ii) a height dimension H from the exterior surface to an outermost free end of the discrete printed protrusion, and (iii) an aspect ratio H/D of at least 1.25 (and in some examples, an aspect ratio of at least 1.75).
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A footwear upper, comprising: an upper base member formed from one or more upper component parts and having an exterior surface; and a plurality of discrete printed protrusions fixed to and extending outward from the exterior surface, wherein at least 50% of the discrete printed protrusions provided on the upper base member define a volume of less than 150 mm 3.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- Textile Components and/or Other Articles Including Printed Structures, Methods of Making These Articles, and Products Including Such Articles
- Publication number
- US20260256244A1
- Application number
- 19555259
- Filed
- Mar 3, 2026
- Published
- Sep 3, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 22
Classified under
A43B 23/0245 Human necessitiesA43B 1/0027 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Clothing & sport
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.