BACKGROUND
The present application relates generally to footwear, and more particularly, to a slip-on shoe having a heel support and integrated tongue that enables a user to easily insert and slip their foot into the shoe without having to use their hands to adjust the position of the upper relative to their foot.
Footwear typically includes a sole and an upper attached to the sole where the upper includes a foot opening for a user to insert their foot. After inserting their foot in the foot opening, the user typically needs to insert their finger or a shoe horn against the heel on back end of the upper and/or lift the tongue to fully insert their foot into the shoe. Adjusting the position of the heel support and the tongue relative to their foot takes extra time and effort. Additionally, once the shoe is on the user's foot, the shoelace or other adjustment mechanism on the shoe must be adjusted, i.e., loosened or tightened, to adjust the comfort and fit of the shoe on the user's foot.
Some shoes have heel supports that bend or fold rearwardly when a user places their foot on the heel support so that the foot may slide forwardly into the foot opening. Most of these shoes have an integral upper that does not have shoelaces or other adjustment mechanisms such that the shoe conforms to the user's foot. Many of these shoes, however, still require some adjustment by the user to fit the shoes on their feet because the upper and/or heel support may fold under their foot or onto the top of their foot when their foot is inserted into the shoe.
It is therefore desirable to provide a shoe having an upper and a heel support that enables a user to easily insert their foot into the shoe without having to adjust the upper to get the shoe on their foot.
SUMMARY
The present invention is for an article of footwear, and more specifically, a slip-on shoe having an integrated upper and a flexible heel support that enable a user to easily slip their foot into the shoe without having to adjust the heel or upper with their hands.
In an embodiment, an article of footwear is provided and includes a sole, an upper attached to the sole and a heel support attached to the upper, where the heel support includes at least one flex point to enable the heel support to move between a non-flexed position and a flexed position, where pressure against the heel support causes the heel support to move to the flexed position, and the heel support moves back to the non-flexed position when the pressure is released from the heel support.
In another embodiment, an article of footwear is provided and includes a midsole and an outsole attached to the midsole, an upper attached to the midsole, where the upper includes an integrated tongue, and a heel support attached to an outer surface of the upper. The heel support includes a body having a main member, a lateral member and a medial member, where the lateral member extends from the main member and at least partially along a lateral side of the upper, and the medial member extends from the main member and at least partially along a medial side of the upper. The heel support also includes an inner flex point and an outer flex point that enable the heel support to move between a non-flexed position and a flexed position, where when pressure is applied to the heel support, the heel support moves to the flexed position, and the heel support moves back to the non-flexed position when the pressure is released from the heel support.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an article of footwear including the heel support.
FIG. 2 is a left side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a right side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a top view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6A is a top view of an embodiment of the heel support of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6B is a rear view of the heel support of FIG. 6A.
FIG. 6C is a right side view of the heel support of FIG. 6A.
FIG. 6D is a left side view of the heel support of FIG. 6A.
FIG. 7A is a side view of a shoe including the heel support of FIGS. 6A to 6D where the heel support is in a non-flexed position as a user is inserting their foot into the shoe.
FIG. 7B is a side view of the shoe of FIG. 7A where the heel support is moved to the flexed position due to pressure from the user's foot.
FIG. 7C is a side view of the shoe of FIG. 7A where the heel support is moved back to the non-flexed position when the user's foot is fully inserted into the shoe and moved off of the heel support.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention is for an article of footwear, and more specifically, a slip-on shoe having an integrated upper and a flexible heel support that enable a user to insert their foot into the foot opening of the shoe and easily slip their foot into the shoe without having to adjust the heel or upper with their hands.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, an embodiment of an article of footwear 20, such as a shoe, is shown where the article of footwear 20 includes a sole, generally indicated as 22, where the sole 22 is attached to an upper 24 (FIG. 2). The sole 22 may be an integral, molded component made of a material having a designated hardness value or made with different materials having the same or different hardness values. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper 24 is attached to the sole 22 by sewing the upper on the sole by stitching with a suitable thread or threadable material. Alternatively, the upper 24 may be attached to the sole 22 using an adhesive, attached by molding the upper to the sole or at least partially molding the upper within the sole or using any suitable attachment method or combination of methods, such as attaching the upper to the sole using an adhesive and stitching. In the illustrated embodiment, the sole includes a midsole 26 and an outsole 28 where the outsole 28 is attached to a bottom surface of the midsole 26 by an adhesive or by molding. In an embodiment, the midsole 26 is made of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and the outsole 28 is made of rubber, where it is contemplated that the sole, i.e., the midsole and the outsole, may be made out of any suitable material or combination of materials known in the art. In the illustrated embodiment, the outsole 26 includes a plurality of tread members 30 that are configured to grip an underlying surface, such as the ground, during movement. In another embodiment, the article of footwear 20 does not have an outsole, where the bottom surface of the sole 22, and more specifically, the midsole 26, directly contacts an underlying surface. In this embodiment, the sole 22 or midsole 26 has one or more tread members 30 on a bottom surface of the sole or midsole.
In an embodiment, the upper 24 is an integrated upper where the front end 32, the rear end 34 (FIG. 2) and the sides 36, 38 of the upper are integrally formed with one or more materials, such as a fabric material and/or a knit material. The upper 24 further includes an integrated tongue 40 having sides 42, 44 that are formed or stitched to the sides 36, 38 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the upper 24 such that the tongue 40 is not a separate component that movable relative to the upper 24. In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tongue 40 is made with a flexible material, such as a stretchable material, and a semi-rigid foam material so that the upper 24, and more specifically, the tongue 40 may be stretched outwardly when a user's foot is inserted into the foot opening 46 and then moves inwardly against the user's foot after their foot is fully inserted into the shoe 20 to provide stability and support to the user's foot during movement. In another embodiment, the tongue 40 includes EVA, such as a piece of EVA, to provide additional rigidity to help prevent the tongue 40 from moving or folding under itself as a user inserts their foot through the foot opening 46 and into the shoe. It should be appreciated that the upper 24 may be entirely made with a flexible material, such as a stretchable material, or made with a nylon material, a polyester material, a rubber material, a fabric material, EVA or any suitable combination of materials. In another embodiment, the upper 24 has a front part that is made as described above and a rear part that is made separately as describe above, where the front part and the rear part are both attached to the sole and attached together using a suitable attachment method.
An inner liner 48 (FIG. 5), such as a sock liner, is attached to an inner surface 50 of the upper 24 to provide comfort and cushioning to a user's foot. In an embodiment, one or more layers of a cushioning material, such as a foam material or a similar material, is inserted between the inner surface 50 of the upper 24 and the inner liner 48. The thickness of the inner liner 48 and the layer or layers of foam material varies based on the desired amount of cushioning and support to be provided to a user's foot. A footbed (not shown) is also placed on the midsole 26 inside the upper 24 to provide cushioning and comfort to the bottom and/or partially on the sides of a user's foot. The footbed may have a uniform thickness or different thicknesses along a length and/or width of the footbed. It should be appreciated that the footbed may be made with a gel material, a rubber material, a cork material, a polyurethane (PU) material or any suitable material or combination of materials.
The upper 24 further includes a plurality of eyelets 52 on the medial side and the lateral side of the upper 24, where the eyelets 52 each define a throughhole configured to receive a lace 54 or laces. As shown in FIG. 1, the lace 54 is inserted through the eyelets 52 in a crossing pattern, such that a user may adjust the position of the top of the upper 24 relative to the top of their foot by tightening or loosening the lace 54 inserted through the eyelets 52. In the illustrated embodiment, the lace 54 is made with a flexible material such as a stretchable material, but it should be appreciated that the lace may be made with a nylon material, a polyester material or any suitable material or combination of materials known in the art.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 4, 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D, a heel support 56 is attached to a rear surface 58 of the heel area 60 of the upper 24. The heel support 56 includes a body 62 having a main member 64, a lateral side member 66 and a medial side member 68, where the lateral side member 66 extends at least partially along the lateral side 70 of the upper 24 and the medial side member 68 extends at least partially along the medial side 72 of the upper 24. The heel support 56 is attached to the heel area 60 of the upper 24 by stitching along the top edge and lateral and medial side members 66 and 68 of the heel support 56 and to the sole 22 using an adhesive. It should be appreciated that the heel support 56 may be attached to the upper 24 and/or the sole 22 using any suitable attachment method or attachment methods. In another embodiment, the heel support 56 is inserted within the heel area 60 of the upper 24 and enclosed by an outer material and an inner material, i.e., the inner liner 48, of the upper 24 by stitching the outer material and inner material together or by any suitable attachment method.
As shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D, the body 62 of the heel support 56 has a top end 74 and a bottom end 76, where an inner medial edge 78 (FIG. 6C) and an inner lateral edge 80 (FIG. 6D) extend from the bottom end 76 to the top end 74. An inner surface 82 (FIG. 6A) extends between the inner medial edge 78 and the inner lateral edge 80, where the inner surface is curved to conform to the curved shape of the heel area 60 (FIG. 5) of the upper 24. In this embodiment, the inner medial edge 78 and the inner lateral edge 80 each have a first convex curved portion 84a, 84b extending from the bottom end 76 to an inner flex point 86, and a second convex curved portion 88a, 88b extending from the inner flex point 86 to the top end 74 of the body 62. The body 62 also has an outer surface 90 that is opposite to the inner surface 82 and extends between the inner medial edge 78 and the inner lateral edge 80. In an embodiment, the outer surface 90 (FIG. 6B) has a curvature that is the same as the curvature of the inner surface 82. In another embodiment, the curvature of the outer surface 90 is different from the curvature of the inner surface 82.
Referring to FIG. 6C, the outer surface 90 has a convex curved portion 92 extending from the bottom end 76 to an outer flex point 94 and a concave curved portion 96 extending from the outer flex point 94 to the top end 74 of the body. As shown, an upper portion of the body 62 of the heel support 56 extends rearwardly at an angle θ, where the angle θ is formed between a first line L1 extending from the rear surface of the body and a second line L2 that is tangential to the outer flex point and transverse to a longitudinal axis LA extending along the sole. In an embodiment, the angle θ is approximately twenty-seven degrees. It should be appreciated that the angle θ may be from about twenty degrees to about sixty degrees. Further, the outer surface 90 has a plurality of spaced ridges 98 that extend laterally along the outer surface 90 and vertically along a portion of the body 62 between the top end 74 and the bottom end 76. In this embodiment, a distance that the bottommost ridge 98a protrudes from the outer surface 90 of the heel support 56 is greater than a distance that the other ridges protrude from the outer surface. It should be appreciated that the distance that the ridges 98 protrude or extend from the outer surface 90 of the heel support 56 may be the same or the distance that one or more of the ridges 98 protrude or extend from the outer surface 90 may be different. In another embodiment, the ridges 98 extend along the entire length of the heel support 56, i.e., from the top end 74 to the bottom end 76, of the body 62 of the heel support 56.
In the above embodiment, the body 62 of the heel support 56 is made with 100% thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and has a hardness value in a range of 92 Shore A to 98 Shore A. In an embodiment, the hardness value the body 62 is 95 Shore A. It should be appreciated that the body may be made with TPU, EVA, a combination of TPU and/or EVA and one or more other materials or any suitable material or combination of materials known in the art. It should also be appreciated that the entire body 62 may have the same hardness value or different portions of the body 62 may have different hardness values. Also, the body 62 may have a uniform thickness between the inner surface 82 and the outer surface 90, or different thicknesses between the inner surface 82 and the outer surface 90 along a length of the body 62 (FIGS. 6A and 6B).
As shown in FIG. 6C, the top end 74 of the heel support 56 is initially in the non-flexed position as a user begins to insert their foot into the foot opening 46 of the upper 24. As the user's foot moves through the foot opening 46 and into the shoe 20, the inner surface 82 of the heel support 56 is contacted by the heel of a user's foot, which causes the body 62 to flex or bend at the inner and outer flex points 86 and 94. In the illustrated embodiment, the heel support 56 flexes or moves from a first position (non-flexed position) to a second position (flexed position). As described above, when the heel support 56 is in the non-flexed position, the heel support forms an angle θ of 27 degrees between the first line L1 and the second line L2 as shown in FIG. 6C. After a user's heel contacts and presses against the heel support 56, the heel support moves to a flexed position that forms an angle θ of approximately 51 degrees between the first line L1 and the second line L2. The amount of movement of the top end 74 of the heel support 56 depends on the amount of pressure applied to the heel support by a user's foot. Thus, the top end 74 of the heel support 56 may move to any position between the non-flexed position and the flexed position when contacted and pressed by a user's foot.
Referring to FIG. 7A, the heel support 56 is in the non-flexed position as a user inserts their foot into the foot opening 46 of the upper 24. As the user's foot continues to move through the foot opening 46 and into the interior of the shoe 20, the heel on their foot contacts and presses against the heel support 56 causing the heel support 56 to flex or bend at the inner and outer flex points 86 and 94. After contact by the heel, the heel support 56 moves from the non-flexed position to the flexed position thereby enabling the user's foot to move forwardly along the heel support 56 and further into the shoe 20 as shown in FIG. 7B. At the same time, the tongue 40, which is made with a semi-rigid cushion material to help prevent the tongue from bending or folding under itself, flexes to enable the user's foot to move under the tongue 40 as the foot moves further into the shoe 20. The user continues to move their foot into the shoe 20 until their foot is fully seated on the footbed and their heel is adjacent to the inner surface of the heel of the upper 24. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7C, once the user's foot is fully inserted into the shoe 20, the tongue 40 and sides 36 and 38 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of the upper 24 move inwardly to conform to the top surface and sides of the user's foot to firmly support the user's foot. Also, when the user's heel moves off of the heel support 56, the top end 74 of the heel support 56 moves back to the non-flexed position shown in FIG. 7C. The combination of the heel support 56 and integrated tongue 40 enable a user to insert their foot into the shoe 20 without having to adjust the position of the upper 24 relative to their foot using their hands. Additionally, the user may place their toe or toes of their opposite foot or the front portion of the shoe on their opposite foot on one or more of the ridges 98 on the heel support 56 to grip and hold the rear end of the shoe 20 while the user inserts their foot into the shoe or removes their foot from the shoe. In this way, the ridges 98 further enhance the user's ability to fully insert their foot into the shoe 20 without using their hands.
In another embodiment, the heel support may be attached to or integrally formed with the sole, and more specifically, the midsole, where the midsole and the heel support are removably inserted in an interior space of a shell as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/298,284, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In a further embodiment, the heel support is attached to an upper, which is attached to a sole. In this embodiment, the sole includes a midsole and an outsole attached to a bottom surface of the midsole. A support plate is positioned between the midsole and the outsole and is curved from a rear end of the sole to a front end of the sole so that the sole naturally rocks from the rear end of the sole to the front end of the sole during movement as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/180,562, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
While particular embodiments of the present article of footwear are shown and described, 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 and as set forth in the following claims.
Patent Application
20250151848
