Looking for breakthrough ideas for innovation challenges? Try Patsnap Eureka!

Shoe with Conforming Upper

a technology of conforming upper and upper, which is applied in the direction of upper, bootlegs, stiffners, etc., can solve the problems of affecting the comfort of the upper portion of the shoe, affecting the comfort of the wearer, and affecting so as to achieve the effect of facilitating the comfort of the sho

Inactive Publication Date: 2013-07-18
AETREX WORLDWIDE INC
View PDF14 Cites 10 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a shoe with a conforming upper portion that offers both comfort and support for the foot of the normal wearer, as well as those with foot ailments.

Problems solved by technology

However, the upper portion of the shoe is often overlooked in terms of comfort.
Everyday wearing of some shoes may lead to discomfort for the wearer as a result of many factors such as friction, rigidness, tightness and non-conformity to the foot.
Additionally, foot ailments such as bunions, calluses, hammertoes, corns and blisters can be extremely painful, as the friction caused by having the shoe upper rub against those sore spots may exacerbate the pain.
Therefore, even with an extra cushioned and supportive sole, the upper portion may be the most uncomfortable portion of the shoe.
This may be especially problematic not just for the normal wearer, but also if a wearer has foot ailments that affect the top or sides of the foot.
Moreover, the tightness of a shoe upper may even be the cause of such ailments.
The combination of the narrow toe box along with an upper comprised of a non-stretchable material leaves the wearer's toes with insufficient room.
Stability and support can also be a problem.
Many shoes, such as flip-flops, lack a supportive upper, which can lead to foot and back pain.

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Shoe with Conforming Upper
  • Shoe with Conforming Upper
  • Shoe with Conforming Upper

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0021]The shoes of the present invention allow the wearer to have stylish footwear without sacrificing comfort, particularly comfort on the top, sides, and back of the foot. The upper-foot comfort is achieved by providing a conforming upper which conforms to the wearer's foot upon insertion of the foot into the shoe. The conforming upper is beneficial to the wearers with normal feet, as it provides extra comfort, flexibility and support. Moreover, the conforming upper is particularly advantageous for the wearer who suffers from foot ailments such as bunions, calluses, hammertoes, corns and blisters. As the upper portion of the shoe has elastic-type properties, the upper can expand when the foot expands and return to its initial position when the foot reduces in size. Therefore, if the wearer has, e.g., a bunion, the upper will conform even to the portion of the foot which has the bunion.

[0022]Another advantage of the present invention is that the conforming upper also provides suppo...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

PUM

PropertyMeasurementUnit
densityaaaaaaaaaa
densityaaaaaaaaaa
densityaaaaaaaaaa
Login to View More

Abstract

The invention comprises articles of footwear that have a conforming upper to provide comfort and support to the wearer. The upper portion may comprise a cushioning layer of polyurethane foam or other materials having similar characteristics. In addition to the cushioning layer, the shoe upper is also composed of a fabric layer. In preferred embodiments, the stretch fabric is 4-way elastic fabric. 4-way stretch fabric may be comprised of e.g., nylon or other elastane or spandex material or a combination thereof.

Description

[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 358,714, filed Jun. 25, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Shoes typically consist of an upper portion and a sole. The upper portion of the shoe contours most of the sides, top, and back of the foot, while the sole contours the bottom of the foot. As the bottom of the foot is the portion of the foot which receives the most impact, most footwear manufacturers concentrate on providing a comfortable sole for their footwear.[0003]However, the upper portion of the shoe is often overlooked in terms of comfort. Everyday wearing of some shoes may lead to discomfort for the wearer as a result of many factors such as friction, rigidness, tightness and non-conformity to the foot. Additionally, foot ailments such as bunions, calluses, hammertoes, corns and blisters can be extremely painful, as the friction caused by having the shoe upper ru...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to View More
Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A43B23/02
CPCA43B1/0045A43B3/107A43B23/0205A43B23/07A43B23/0215
Inventor SCHWARTZ, EVAN
Owner AETREX WORLDWIDE INC
Who we serve
  • R&D Engineer
  • R&D Manager
  • IP Professional
Why Patsnap Eureka
  • Industry Leading Data Capabilities
  • Powerful AI technology
  • Patent DNA Extraction
Social media
Patsnap Eureka Blog
Learn More
PatSnap group products

Browse by: Latest US Patents, China's latest patents, Technical Efficacy Thesaurus, Application Domain, Technology Topic, Popular Technical Reports.

© 2024 PatSnap. All rights reserved.Legal|Privacy policy|Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement|Sitemap|About US| Contact US: help@patsnap.com