Patent Application
20140259781
A mule shoe typically has a closed toe and is backless or has no strap around the heel. These types of shoes are designed for a foot to easily slide into or out of the shoe. Such shoes are desirable, at least in part, because the slip-on style is convenient; it takes a short time to put the shoes on with no buckles or shoelaces to tie, and does not require the wearer to bend over when slipping the shoe on. However, mule-type shoes can relatively easily fall off of a person's foot or feet due to the backless design, limiting their usefulness and convenience when the wearer is participating in athletic activities such as running, hiking, or jumping.
Loafer-type shoes are similarly designed for a foot to easily slide into or out of the shoe, but generally incorporate a relatively low back to aid in securing the shoe to a wearer's foot. Because of the way a loafer-type shoe is designed, the wearer often places pressure on the shoe back when slipping a foot into the shoe. This pressure can cause the shoe back to crumple under the wearer's heel, which in turn causes damage to the shoe and makes it more likely that the back portion will crumple in the future when the foot is inserted into the shoe. The crumpling also results in the wearer having to bend over to manually straighten the shoe back, thus negating some of the convenience of the slip-on design.
Additionally, many people slip on regular closed heel shoes by leaving the laces untied or relatively loosely tied and forcibly inserting their foot so that they can easily slip their closed heel shoes on and off their feet without having to spend time tying their shoelaces or securing straps. Leaving laces untied or loosely tied detracts from the support provided by a shoe, and forcibly inserting the foot into the shoe can result in bending the heels down, causing the material forming the heels to deteriorate and lose support, ultimately destroying the shoes. Additionally, this again requires the wearer to bend over and manually straighten the heel of the shoe.
Accordingly, there is a need for a shoe that is convenient for the wearer to insert his or her foot into without requiring manual straightening of the heel, and is secure on the wearer's foot.
An article of footwear is provided that has a resilient support structure located in the heel and vamp portions surrounding the foot opening so that the shoe retains its shape after the wearer's heel is inserted, without need to manually straighten either the heel portion or the vamp portion of the shoe.
According to one aspect of the invention, an article of footwear includes an outsole and an upper attached to the outsole. The upper has a heel portion, a vamp portion, and two quarters, namely lateral and medial side portions, which together defines a foot opening. A resilient heel support member is retained within a first channel that extends through the upper and lines a part of the foot opening in the heel portion of the upper. The resilient heel support member is configured to support the upper such that the article of footwear retains its shape.
In another aspect of the invention, an article of footwear includes an outsole and an upper attached to the outsole and defining a foot opening. The upper includes a resilient heel support member extending around a first portion of the foot opening through a heel portion of the upper, a resilient vamp support member extending around a second portion of the foot opening through a vamp portion of the upper, and a resilient collar support member extending around a portion of the foot opening through the lateral and medial quarters of said upper. Reinforced portions of the upper are disposed on the lateral and medial quarters of the upper, and the heel support member, the vamp support member, and the collar support member extend between the reinforced portions and are anchored in the reinforced portions. The heel support member, the vamp support member, and the collar support member are configured to support the upper such that the article of footwear retains its shape.
In a third aspect of the invention, an article of footwear includes an outsole and an upper attached to the outsole and defining a foot opening. The upper includes a heel support member extending around a first portion of the foot opening through a heel portion of the upper, a vamp support member extending around a second portion of the foot opening through a vamp portion of the upper, and a collar support member extending around a portion of the foot opening through lateral and medial quarters of the upper. The heel support member, the vamp support member, and the collar support member are each formed from a monofilament material, and are configured to support the upper such that the article of footwear retains its shape
Referring now to
The article of footwear or shoe, generally designated 10, includes an upper 12 connected to an outsole 14. As best shown in
Both the lateral and medial quarters 20 include a reinforced area 22. The reinforced area 22 can be formed from, for example, a synthetic material patch attached to the upper 12. Alternatively, other known fabric reinforcement methods may be used to form the reinforced areas 22.
As shown in
The first support channel 28 is sized to accommodate a resilient heel support member 34. The heel support member 34 aids the heel portion 18 in both retaining its shape and returning to its original shape after a momentary deformation, such as when a user inserts his or her foot into the shoe 10. This shape retention is achieved by using a relatively resilient material, such as nylon monofilament, to form the heel support member 34. Alternatively, the heel support member 34 may be formed from resilient plastic, carbon fiber, metal or other materials, as known in the art. The heel support member 34 is preferably initially substantially straight. When inserted into the first support channel 28, the resilient heel support member 34 bends and conforms to the shape of the channel. Thus, the heel support member 34, when inserted in channel 28, includes leg portions 34a that extend rearward from the reinforced areas 22 along the quarters 20, substantially in parallel with the outsole 14, and a generally U-shaped portion 34b between leg portions 34a, which is disposed at an angle relative to the legs 34a and the outsole 14. Leg portions 34a and U-shaped portion 34b is preferably a unitary member. The resilient nature of the material used to form the heel support member 34 causes the U-shaped portion 34b to spring outwardly, which is beneficial aids in maintaining the proper form of the foot opening 24.
The second support channel 30 is sized to accommodate an optional, generally U-shaped vamp support member 36. The vamp support member 36 is preferably formed from the same material used to form the heel support member 34, and is preferably a nylon monofilament material. The vamp support member 36 is preferably initially substantially straight, and conforms to the shape of the second support channel 30 once inserted therein. The resilient U-shaped vamp support member 36 springs outwardly, beneficially helping to maintain the proper form of the foot opening 24.
Similarly, the third support channel 32 is sized to accommodate an optional collar support member 38, which is formed from the same material used to form the heel support member 34 and vamp support member 36, and is preferably a nylon monofilament material. The collar support member 38 is preferably initially substantially straight. When inserted into the third support channel 32, the collar support member 38 bends and conforms to the shape of the third support channel. Thus the collar support member 38, when inserted into the third support channel 32, includes angled leg portions 38a that extend upwardly and rearwardly from the reinforced areas 22 towards the foot opening 24, and a generally U-shaped collar portion 38b there between. As with the other support members, third support member is preferably unitary. Support member 38lines a collar portion of the upper surrounding the foot opening 24 The resilient nature of the material used to form the collar support member 38 causes the U-shaped portion 38b to spring open outwardly, which beneficially helps to maintain the proper form of the foot opening 24.
The support members 34, 36, 38 are a resilient, flexible, lightweight material that retains its shape once set, preferably monofilament. Monofilament is a single, continuous strand (filament) of synthetic fiber formed melting and mixing nylon polymers, and then extruding the mixed polymers to form strands. Each of the strands is cut to a desired length to form the support members 34, 36, 38. The monofilament strands are then inserted into the support channels 28, 30, 32. The monofilament strands induce a biasing force within the upper 12, helping to hold the shoe 10 in a desired position and maintain the proper shape and form of the foot opening 24.
The first support channel 28 includes an opening 28a disposed in the heel portion 18 of the upper 12. The opening 28a allows for the heel support member 34 to be removably inserted into the first channel 28. Additionally, the first and third support channels 28 and 32 preferably intersect in at least the heel portion 18 of the upper 12. Accordingly, the opening 28a allows for the collar support member 38 to be removably inserted into the third channel 32. Similarly, the second channel 30 preferably includes an opening 30a that is sized to allow the vamp support member 36 to be removably inserted into the second channel.
The shoe 10 also optionally includes elastic gore panels 40 disposed between the vamp portion 26 and the lateral and medial quarter portions 20. Each of the elastic gore panels 40 is preferably a generally triangular panel formed from a stretchable material. The gore panels 40 allow for additional stretch between the vamp portion 26 and the quarter portions 20, beneficially making the shoe 10 easier to put on and/or take off a wearer's foot.
In use, the wearer inserts a foot into the shoe 10 through the foot opening 24. Support members 34, 36, and 38 aid the shoe in retaining a shape such that the foot hole 24 remains open to receive the foot. During insertion, the shape of foot opening in the upper may be distorted by the wearer's foot. Once the wearer's foot is fully inserted into the shoe, the resilient support members 34, 36, and 38 exert forces on the upper 12 to return the upper to its initial shape. In this way, the wearer is able to quickly and conveniently insert his or her foot into the shoe, without needing to bend over to manually straighten the upper before insertion to allow the foot to pass through the foot hole, or after insertion to straighten the heel portion of the upper.
Referring now to
Both the lateral and medial quarters 120 include a reinforced area 122 formed from, for example, a synthetic material patch attached to the upper 112. Alternatively, other known fabric reinforcement methods may be used to form the reinforced areas 122. As best shown in
Additionally, as best shown in
While particular embodiments of the present article of footwear has been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.
