CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to articles of footwear having a floating layer forming at least a portion of an upper portion of the article of footwear.

BACKGROUND

A shoe may be comprised of an upper and a sole. The upper is coupled with the sole to form a foot-receiving cavity. A wearer may don the shoe by inserting his/her foot into the foot-receiving cavity. The upper may then be secured to the wearer's foot, such as through a lacing system that tightens the upper on the wearer's foot. The upper may aid in transferring a force from the wearer through the sole to the ground. A reciprocating force may also be transferred from the ground through the sole and to the wearer.

When a wearer of a shoe engages in locomotion, a tensile force is transferred around the wearer's foot between the sole of the shoe and the upper of the shoe. For example, when the wearer is running in a first direction and changes direction to a second direction (e.g., a cut), the wearer plants his/her foot and pushes against a ground surface at a vector that causes the wearer to move in the second direction. By planting his/her foot, the wearer imparts a force necessary to change direction, and in some cases speeds up or slows down.

Focusing on the shoe, when the wearer plants his/her foot to change direction, the shoe will either maintain traction (i.e., the condition where the force imparted by the wearer does not overcome the frictional force resisting sliding along the surface) or lose traction (i.e., the condition where the force imparted by the wearer overcomes the frictional force resisting sliding along the surface). In addition to the possibility of a two-dimensional movement of the shoe relative to the surface (i.e., sliding) when the wearer plants their foot to change direction, movement in a third dimension relative to the surface is possible (i.e., tipping, roll over, etc.). For example, when the wearer plants their foot to change direction the wearer will either maintain balance (i.e., the condition where the wearer's line of gravity extended to the surface intersects their base of support) or lose balance (i.e., the condition where the wearer's line of gravity extended to the surface does not intersect their base of support) and tip over.

