Patent Application
20080313929
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shoes. More particularly the invention concerns a novel step-in shoe with heel strap.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with designs for various types of shoes. Many of the prior art shoes include heel straps that circumscribe the heel of the user to assist in maintaining the shoe in place on the user's foot. The disadvantage of these prior art shoes resides in the fact that when donning the shoe the user must bend over and manipulate the heel strap in a manner to ensure that it properly circumscribes the heel. This is inconvenient and time consuming and particularly difficult for the elderly and infirm.
It is the forgoing drawback of the prior art that the present invention seeks to address by providing a shoe that is constructed of a novel material and is of a unique design so that as the user steps into the shoe, the heel strap will first be flexed downwardly by the user's heel and then will automatically position itself about the user's heel without the necessity of the user manipulating the heel strap with the fingers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a step-in shoe of novel design that includes a heel strap that can be donned by the user without the necessity of manipulating the heel strap with the fingers to correctly position the heel strap about the user's heel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a step-in shoe of the aforementioned character that is constructed from a novel, lofted foam material that permits the heel strap to flex downwardly as the foot starts to enter the body of the shoe, but will automatically position itself about the heel as the user's foot fully enters the internal chamber of the body of the shoe.
Another object of the invention is to provide a step-in shoe as described in the preceding paragraphs that is attractive in appearance, comfortable to wear and one that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively.
Referring to the drawings and particularly to
The step-in shoe further comprises a generally “U”-shaped, yieldably deformable heel strap 18 having end portions 18a and 18b and a bight portion 18c. End portions 18a and 18b are affixed to and preferably integrally formed with the rearward portion 16b of body portion 16 in the manner shown in
The step-in shoe 14 is preferably constructed from a lofted foam material that includes a resin comprising an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) co-polymer-based material. In manufacturing the step-in shoes of the invention, the EVA resin, originally in pellet form, is heated to a liquid state. This liquid resin is then injected into a mold that has been heated prior to receiving the resin. The liquid resin is allowed to set, at which time the mold is opened, the formed step-in shoe is removed from the mold and placed on a cooling last, where it is allowed to air dry. During the molding step, a relatively small shoe that conforms to the size of the mold is created. However, when the mold opens, the small shoe expands substantially in size and then, when air cooled, contracts to a final size.
In the molding step of one form of the invention, additives are included with the EVA base to create an expansible and cross-linking material. More particularly, an expanding powder is added which produces gases that cause the material to rise as it sets within a mold. Then, when the mold is opened the molded part instantaneously expands and the dimensions of the part increase rapidly. Reference should be made to European Patent 0 802 039 A2, filed on Mar. 25, 1997 for additional details concerning this molding process. This novel process provides a relatively soft step-in footwear piece having an integrally formed heel strap that exhibits the novel flex-and-return characteristics previously described.
As illustrated in the drawings, the rearward heel-receiving portion 16b of the step-in shoe, which is integrally formed with the forward, foot-receiving portion 16a, functions to receive and support the heel portion of the user's foot when the user's foot is fully inserted into the foot-receiving chamber 16c (
As previously mentioned, and as shown in the drawings, the yieldably deformable heel strap 18 is integrally formed with the rearward heel-receiving portion 16b and extends angularly upwardly therefrom. When donning the shoe of the invention, the user initially inserts the forward portion of the foot into the internal chamber 16c in the manner best seen in
Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statues, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims:
