Footwear including resilient support members
a technology of supporting members and support posts, which is applied in the direction of uppers, bootlegs, heels, etc., can solve the problems of limiting the usefulness and convenience of supporting posts, back crumples, damage to the shoe,
Inactive Publication Date: 2014-09-18
DECKERS OUTDOOR CORPORATION
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- Summary
- Abstract
- Description
- Claims
- Application Information
AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
The patent describes a shoe that has a resilient support structure in the heel and vamp areas, which helps to keep the shoe in its original shape after the person's heel is inserted. This means that the person doesn't have to manually straighten the shoe after putting their heel in.
Problems solved by technology
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.
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.
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.
Method used
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[0015]Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, the present article of footwear includes 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.
[0016]The article of footwear or shoe, generally designated 10, includes an upper 12 connected to an outsole 14. As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper 12 includes a forefoot portion 16 and a heel portion 18 that are connected by opposing lateral quarter portion 20a and medial quarter portion 20b (collectively, quarters 20). The quarters 20 extend to the heel portion 18 and are joined together by stitching, adhesives or other suitable connection method. Alternatively, the quarters 20 and heel portion 18 may be formed integrally. The upper 12 is generally made from a non-stretchable material such as a durable water-repellant (DWR) nylon or a polyester...
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Abstract
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 quarter portions, and 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 heel support member is configured to support the upper such that the article of footwear retains its shape.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]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.[0002]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...
Claims
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IPC IPC(8): A43B21/26A43B3/00
CPCA43B3/00A43B21/26A43B1/0081A43B3/0031A43B23/10A43B23/16
Inventor SAKAI, KURTIS TAMOTSU
Owner DECKERS OUTDOOR CORPORATION