Patent Application
20200260817
It is believed that the first shoes were first worn by hominids around 40,000 years ago. Sandals throughout the history of mankind have probably been the most common type of shoe. However, the first shoes consistently worn by Homo sapiens were in Mesopotamia between the years of 1200-1600 BC. These shoes were soft shoes made of wrap around leather, and were similar to moccasins. Early shoes in this period were worn by those people who were of the upper class while the poor and slaves tended to go barefoot.
Foot bound shoes were popular in some of the Asian countries around 1100 and rounded toes were commonly found on shoes around 1450. In around 1500, square-toed shoes were popular with the elite during the Renaissance period in Europe, which was a signifier of both wealth and power.
As time progressed in the European baroque period, the upper class tended to wear shoes that had heels that were made of wood whereas the working class had heavy black leather heels
In the 18th century, fabric shoes were all the rage. Shoe laces and eyelets to contain the shoe laces were added to shoes around 1790 in England. It was discovered that with the addition of shoe laces that in order to protect the feet, tongues were added to shoes. Tongues also made the shoes easier to put on and take off as the tongue is attached at the throatline of the quarter and/or vamp of the shoe but is not attached to the quarter and/or vamp where eyelets typically reside. That is the tongue is attached to the shoe at the bottom of the tongue but at no other place. With most shoes, when the laces are loosened, the tongue's design allows the shoe opening to be sufficiently large so that a foot can fit easily into (or alternatively, be easily removed from) a shoe. In the early 1800s, shoemakers began to differentiate between men's and women's shoes. Boots and cloth topped shoes also were popular during this period.
Until around 1850, shoes were made straight as that there was no differentiation between a left shoe and a right shoe. It was found that by differentiating between a right footed shoe and a left footed shoe, the shoes became more comfortable as they were designed to fit on the respective foot for which the shoe was designed.
In 1851, Elias Howe received a US Patent on an Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure, which was one of the forerunners to the zipper. However, Howe did not use it because he was focused more on his lockstitch sewing machine. Accordingly, it wasn't until 1893 that a forerunner to the zipper made its product debut at the World's fair in Chicago. Being familiar with the work of his predecessors, the modern day zipper was really developed by Swede Gideon Sundback in 1913.
Zippers have been periodically added to shoes allowing the shoe wearer to more easily get into and out of these shoes when the zipper is unzipped. To the inventor's knowledge, no shoe has ever contained more than one zipper per shoe.
Technological changes in the 20th century meant the shoes could be made more easily and mass produced, thereby leading to drastic changes in shoe design. After World War 2, women's shoes were made to highlight the foot by adding arches to the shoe and by adding narrower heels.
The present invention relates to a shoe that contains at least two zippers or at least two hook and loop strips and at least two tongues. In one embodiment, the shoe has two zippers and two tongues. In another embodiment, the shoe has two hook and loop (e.g., VELCRO, London, United Kingdom) strips and two tongues. The two zippers or the two hook and loop strips are positioned on the shoe at the forward most position of the shoe quarter and/or vamp, where eyelets typically reside. In an embodiment, each of the zippers or hook and loop strips is positioned vertically a) where the eyelets for the inside of each shoe typically are found and b) where the eyelets for the outside of each shoe are typically found. For the sake of explanation, the zippers will be referred to as the inner zipper and the outer zipper, and the hook and loop strips will be referred to as the inner hook and loop strip and the outer hook and loop strip, respectively. The two tongues are positioned so that an inner tongue resides close to and abuts the foot of a shoe wearer and an outer tongue resides over the front portion of the shoe quarter and/or vamp and essentially on top of the inner tongue. In an embodiment, the outer tongue is attached to the shoe by the inner zipper and outer zipper, or alternatively by the inner hook and loop strip and the outer hook and loop strip.
The present invention relates to a shoe that contains at least two zippers or at least two hook and loop strips and at least two tongues. In one embodiment, the shoe has two zippers and two tongues. In another embodiment, the shoe has two series of hook and loop (e.g., VELCRO, London, United Kingdom) strips and two tongues. In an embodiment, the two zippers or the two series of hook and loop strips are positioned on the shoe at the forward most position of the shoe quarter and/or vamp, where eyelets typically reside. In an embodiment, each of the zippers or the series of hook and loop strips is positioned vertically a) where the eyelets for the inside of each shoe typically are found and b) where the eyelets for the outside of each shoe are typically found. For the sake of explanation, the zippers will be referred to as the inner zipper and the outer zipper, and the series of hook and loop strips will be referred to as the series of inner hook and loop strip and the series of outer hook and loop strip, respectively. The inner zipper is positioned on the side of the shoe where the instep is positioned and the series of inner hook and loop strips are also found on the side of the shoe where the instep is positioned. The outer zipper and the series of outer hook and loop strips are on the other side of the shoe (away from the instep). The two tongues are positioned so that an inner tongue resides close to and abuts the foot of a shoe wearer and an outer tongue resides over the front portion of the shoe quarter and/or vamp and essentially on top of the inner tongue. In an embodiment, the outer tongue is at least partially attached to the shoe by the inner zipper and outer zipper, or alternatively by the series of inner hook and loop strips and the series of outer hook and loop strips.
A series of hook and loop strips refers to two strips, a first strip that is positioned on a surface of a shoe and a second strip that is positioned on a complementary surface of a shoe. For example, the first hook and loop strip may be positioned on the inner surface of an outer tongue and the complementary second hook and loop strip may be positioned on the outer surface of a vamp and/or quarter that is positioned so that the first strip and the second strip can be attached to each other.
It has been found that having two zippers or a series of two hook and loop strips as well as two tongues provides the shoes with advantages over shoes that may have only one zipper, one hook and loop strip and/or one tongue. The two zippers and two hook and loops strips allow the shoe to be “opened” more than a shoe that has merely one zipper or one hook and loop strip, thereby providing a wearer with easier access to put on the shoe. When the two zippers are zipped up or the hook and loop strips are connected together the shoe will fit snugly on the wearer's foot. Two tongues are advantageous over a shoe that has one for several reasons. One advantage is that there is better comfort for the wearer as the inner tongue (the one closer to the foot) cushions the wearer's foot so that any zipper is not felt on the user's foot. The outer tongue may in one embodiment be used for aesthetic purposes so that the shoe has a more pleasing look to it. In this variation, the outer tongue may hide the zippers and or series of hook and loop strips so that the zippers and/or series of hook and loop strips are not visible to an observer. This gives the shoes an aesthetically pleasing streamlined look.
In general, the series of hook and loop strips are distinct strips that are positioned so that one of a hook and loop strips can contact another hook and loop strip so that the two strips can attach to each other when they are pressed against each other. It should be noted that when two series of hook and loop strips are referenced, that means that there are four individual distinct strips, wherein two of the strips are positioned so that they can contact and attach to each other and the other two strips are positioned so that they can contact and attach to each other. Thus, a first strip may be positioned on the inside surface of an outer tongue and the complementary second strip (i.e., the first strip binds the second strip) may be positioned on an outer surface of a vamp and/or quarter of the shoe or alternatively on the outside of another surface on a part of a shoe that allows the first strip and the second strip to attach to each other.
The invention will be described now with reference to the drawings. In
The hook and loop strips can be added to a shoe by any of a number of ways. The strips may be sewed to the shoe. Alternatively, they may be glued to the shoe. If the hook and loop is glued to the shoe, a heat bonded glue is a preferred method of attaching the hook and loop strips to the shoes. Alternatively, in an embodiment, the strips may be both sewed and glued to the shoe. Although the hook and loop strips are shown in
In addition to the series of hook and loop strips that are shown in
In an embodiment, the shoe may have one or more zippers in addition to one and more hook and loop strips. For example, the shoe may have an inner zipper and an outer hook and loop series of strips. Alternatively, the shoe may have an outer zipper and an inner hook and loop series of strips. In an alternative embodiment, the shoe may have both and inner and outer zipper and a series of hook and loop strips on a different location on the shoe. Alternatively, the shoe may have an inner and outer series of hook and loop strips and a zipper that is somewhere else on the shoe.
In another embodiment, the shoe that comprises two or more zippers and/or the two or more series of hook and loop strips may in one embodiment also contain eyelets and laces that allow the shoe to be tightened more by the laces. The laces in an embodiment may be present on these shoes under an outer tongue so that the laces cannot be seen by an observer.
In an embodiment, the shoe that comprises two or more zippers or the two or more series of hook and loop strips may be made of any material that shoes are typically made of including leather, canvas, fake leather, suede, plastic, rubber, or some other petrochemical derived material. The zippers may be made of plastic or metal or any other material of which zippers are typically made.
In an embodiment, the present invention relates to a shoe that comprises at least two tongues and at least two means of closing the shoe, said two means of closing the shoe comprising at least two zippers or at least two series of hook and loop strips. In a variation, the at least two zippers comprise an inner zipper and an outer zipper, the inner zipper are positioned on an inner side of a quarter and/or vamp of a shoe and the outer zipper being positioned on the outer side of the quarter and/or vamp of the shoe, with both the inner zipper and the outer zipper being positioned in a direction where eyelets on a shoe typically reside.
In an embodiment, the first series of hook and loop strips are positioned on an inner side of the shoe and a second series of hook and loop strips being positioned on an outer side of the shoe, the inner side of the shoe being on a side that is a side where an instep of a wearer is and the outer side of the shoe being on a side of the shoe where an outside of a foot is each of the first series of hook and loops strips and the second series of hook and loop strips being positioned in a location and direction where eyelets on a shoe typically reside.
In an embodiment, the inner zipper and the outer zipper are positioned substantially vertically. By positioned substantially vertically, it means that the inner zipper and outer zipper are in the direction of and would overlay eyelets in shoes were they to have eyelets (with laces that go through the eyelets).
In an embodiment, the inner zipper and the outer zipper each have a slider, elements, and a tape and when the inner zipper and outer zipper are zipped, the slider is near a top of the shoe. In a variation, the inner zipper and the outer zipper have a slider, elements, and a tape and when the inner zipper and outer zipper are zipped, the slider is near a bottom of the shoe.
In an embodiment, the shoe further comprises an additional zipper, which is at a back of the shoe.
In an embodiment, the hooks are present on a first hook and loop strip and loops are present on a second hook and loop strip, the first hook and loop strip and the second hook and loop strip positioned so that the first hook and loop strip and the second hook and loop strip attach to each other when pressed together.
In an embodiment, the first series of hook and loop strips comprise a first hook and loop strip and a second hook and loop strip wherein the first hook and loop strip is on an inner surface of an outer tongue and the second hook and loop strip is on an outer surface of a vamp and/or quarter of the shoe.
In an embodiment, the slider and elements are made of metal or plastic.
In an embodiment, the shoe comprises an additional zipper or an additional series of hook and loop strips. In an embodiment, the shoe further comprises the additional zipper.
In an embodiment, the additional zipper is positioned at a back of the shoe. In an embodiment, the shoe further comprises an additional series of hook and loop strips. In an embodiment, the shoe may have both one or more zippers and one or more series of hook and loop strips.
In an embodiment, the at least two tongues comprise an inner tongue and an outer tongue, the inner tongue positioned so as to abut against a foot and under a vamp and/or quarter, and the outer tongue positioned so as to be positioned over the inner tongue or over the vamp and/or quarter. In a variation, the outer tongue is positioned so as to abut against the vamp and/or quarter of the shoe.
In an embodiment, the shoe comprises at least two tongues and at least two means of closing the shoe, said two means of closing the shoe comprising at least two zippers, said at least two tongues comprising an inner tongue and an outer tongue, the inner tongue positioned so as to abut against a foot of a wearer, the outer tongue positioned so as to abut against an outside surface of the inner tongue or the outside surface of a vamp and/or quarter, the two zippers comprising an inside zipper and an outside zipper, the inside zipper operationally connected to and positioned on an instep side of the vamp and/or quarter, the outer zipper operational connected to and positioned on the vamp and/or quarter on a side opposite the instep side.
In an embodiment, the shoe comprises at least two tongues and at least two means of closing the shoe, said two means of closing the shoe comprising at least two series of hook and loop strips, said two tongues comprising an inner tongue and an outer tongue, the inner tongue positioned so as to abut against a foot of a wearer, the outer tongue positioned so as to abut against an outside surface of the inner tongue or the outside surface of a vamp and/or quarter, the two series of hook and loop strips comprising an inside series of hook and loop strips and an outside series of hook and loop strips, the inside series of hook and loop strips operationally connected to and positioned on an instep side of the vamp and/or quarter, the outer series of hook and loop strips operational connected to and positioned on the vamp and/or quarter on a side opposite the instep side.
In a variation, the at least two zippers comprise a slider, elements, and a tape, wherein the slider and the elements are made of metal or plastic. In an embodiment, the shoe containing at least two series of hook and loop strips also comprise at least one zipper.
In an embodiment, the present invention also relates to methods of wearing shoes that comprise the shoes as described herein. The present invention also relates to methods of making the shoes with the features described herein.
It should be understood that the scope of the present invention allows any feature that is disclosed above to be combined with any other feature disclosed above (even if they are not discussed together). When ranges are given, it should be understood that any number that falls within that range is contemplated as an endpoint for a subrange within that number even if that subrange number is not disclosed. It should be understood that modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In any event, the invention is defined by the below claims.
