ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 26 -- United States Patent no. 12,232,561, issued on Feb. 25, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Articles of footwear and upper and/or sole components therefor" was invented by Tobie D. Hatfield (Lake Oswego, Ore.), Katelyn Ricciardi (Hillsboro, Ore.) and George A. Xanthos (Beaverton, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Articles of footwear include upper components and/or sole components. In some examples, the articles of footwear and/or sole structures may include features making them well suited for obstacle course type athletic events (e.g., by providing enhanced traction for various obstacle course events, such as wall climb events, rope climb events, etc....