权利要求：
We claim:
1 . An upper for an article of footwear comprising a traced element including:
a first polymer layer;
a second polymer layer; and
a strand layer,
wherein the first polymer layer defines a polymer-trace path;
wherein the strand layer comprises a material strand disposed along a strand-trace path and over the first polymer layer;
wherein the second polymer layer is disposed along at least a portion of the polymer-trace path and overlaps both the first polymer layer and the strand layer for at least the portion of the polymer-trace path; and
wherein the traced element includes a plurality of openings surrounded by the first polymer layer, the strand layer, and the second polymer layer.
2. The upper of claim 1 , wherein the strand-trace path extends at least partially along the polymer-trace path.
3. The upper of either of claim 1 or 2, wherein the polymer-trace path and the strand- trace path intersect at an angle in a plurality of positions on the traced element.
4. The upper of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polymer-trace path comprises a plurality of curvilinear portions.
5. The upper of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein an average width of the material strand is at least 5 percent of an average width of the first polymer layer.
6. The upper of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first polymer layer is polymer-bonded to the second polymer layer adjacent to the material strand.
7. The upper of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the traced element forms at least one lace aperture loop.
8. The upper of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least a portion of the material strand is unattached to the first polymer layer.
9. The upper of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the material strand is at least partially formed from a polytetrafluoroethylene material.
10. The upper of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper further comprises a base layer, and the traced element is positioned on and secured to at least a portion of an outer surface of the base layer.
1 1 . The upper of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper consists of the traced element.
12. The upper of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the strand layer further comprises at least one additional material strand.
13. The upper of claim 1 , wherein the first polymer layer further defines at least one additional polymer-trace path.
14. An upper for an article of footwear having a traced element comprising:
a textile strand;
a first portion of polymer material facing inward toward an interior of the upper; and a second portion of polymer material facing outward toward an exterior of the upper;
wherein the textile strand is disposed along and defines a strand-trace path having a plurality of curvilinear portions,
wherein the first portion of polymer material and the second portion of polymer material are disposed along a first polymer-trace path and a second polymer-trace path, respectively, each having a plurality of curvilinear portions,
wherein an average width of the textile strand is at least 5 percent of an average width of the first portion of polymer material,
wherein the traced element extends over at least 50 percent of a horizontal extent of the upper, the horizontal extent being a distance between a foremost portion of the upper and a rearmost portion of the upper;
wherein the traced element extends over at least 50 percent of a vertical extent of the upper, the vertical extent being a distance between a bottommost portion of the upper and a topmost portion of the upper; and
wherein the traced element includes a plurality of openings surrounded by one or more portions of the textile strand, the first portion of polymer material, and the second portion of polymer material.
15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the strand-trace path and one or both of the first polymer-trace path and the second polymer-trace path intersect at an angle in a plurality of positions on the traced element.
16. The article of footwear of either of claims 14 or 15, wherein the first portion of polymer material and the second portion of polymer material form a casing surrounding the textile strand.
17. The article of footwear of any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the textile strand is at least partially formed from a polytetrafluoroethylene material.
18. The article of footwear of any of claims 14 to 17, wherein the traced element forms at least one lace aperture loop.
19. The article of footwear of any of claims 14 to 18, wherein at least a portion of the textile strand is unattached to the first portion of polymer material.
20. The article of footwear any of claims 14 to 19, wherein the first portion of polymer material is a thermoplastic polymer material.
21 . An article of footwear including an upper and a sole structure, the upper
comprising:
a traced element including
a textile strand,
a first polymer layer, and
a second polymer layer,
wherein the textile strand is disposed along a strand-trace path,
wherein the first polymer layer and the second polymer layer comprise a first polymer-trace path and a second polymer-trace path, respectively,
wherein the traced element defines a plurality of openings surrounded by one or more of the textile strand, the first polymer layer, and the second polymer layer,
wherein the traced element extends over at least 50 percent of a horizontal extent of the upper, and
wherein the traced element extends over at least 50 percent of a vertical extent of the upper; and
wherein the sole structure is secured to the upper and at least partially secured to the traced element and forms at least part of a ground-contacting surface of the article of footwear.
22. The upper of claim 21 , wherein the second polymer-trace path extends at least partially along the strand-trace path.
23. The upper of either of claims 21 or 22, wherein the strand-trace path and the first polymer-trace path intersect at an angle in a plurality of positions on the traced element.
24. The article of footwear of any of claims 21 to 23, wherein the strand-trace path has a plurality of curvilinear portions.
25. The article of footwear of any of claims 21 to 24,
wherein the traced element includes an inner portion and an outer portion, the inner portion being formed from at least the first polymer layer, the outer portion being formed from at least the second polymer layer, and
wherein the inner portion and the outer portion encase at least a portion of the textile strand.
26. The article of footwear of any of claims 21 to 25, wherein the upper consists of the traced element.
27. A method of manufacturing an upper for an article of footwear, the method including the steps of:
depositing a first layer of polymer material on a receiving layer and along a polymer-trace path;
positioning a strand along a strand-trace path and over the first layer of polymer material; and
depositing a second layer of polymer material along the polymer-trace path and over both the first layer of polymer material and the strand,
wherein the first layer of polymer material, the strand, and the second layer of polymer material surround a plurality of openings.
28. The method of manufacturing of claim 27, wherein the strand-trace path extends at least partially along the polymer-trace path.
29. The method of manufacturing of either of claim 27 or 28, wherein the polymer-trace path and the strand-trace path intersect at an angle in a plurality of positions.
30. The method of manufacturing of any of claims 27-29, further comprising the step of bonding the first layer of polymer material to the second layer of polymer material adjacent to the strand.
31 . The method of manufacturing any of claims 27-30, further comprising the step of selecting the strand to have an average width that is at least 5 percent of an average width of the first layer of polymer material.
32. The method of manufacturing of any of claims 27-31 , wherein the polymer-trace path comprises a plurality of curvilinear portions.
33. The method of manufacturing of any of claims 27-32, wherein the strand is unattached to the first layer of polymer material and the strand is unattached to the second layer of polymer material.
34. The method of manufacturing of any of claims 27-33, further comprising depositing the first layer of polymer material through fused deposition modeling printing.
35. The method of manufacturing of any of claims 27-34, further comprising the step of removing the first layer of polymer material, the strand, and the second layer of polymer material from the receiving layer to form a traced element.
36. The method of manufacturing of any of claims 27-35, further comprising the step of forming the upper from the first layer of polymer material, the strand, the second layer of polymer material, and at least a portion of the receiving layer.