Footwear with adjustable upper

Abstract

An article of footwear is provided that includes a sole, an upper attached to the sole, and a vamp attached to the upper, wherein the vamp stretches in at least one direction during contact of the sole with an underlying surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to footwear, and more specifically, to a footwear article having an upper that is stretchable in multiple directions to accommodate the shape and size of a user's foot and flexes during exercise to reduce pressure on the user's foot. Background Technology

[0002] Footwear typically consists of a sole and an upper attached to the sole, wherein the upper includes a forefoot section with an instep. The upper is the portion of the upper that typically covers the top surface of the user's foot. Generally, the upper is made of a material or combination of materials that supports the top and forefoot of the user's foot and provides lateral stability during movement. In most shoes, the upper is made of one or more materials with minimal stretchability to provide lateral stability and balance to the forefoot. During movement, more specifically, during the push-off phase of the gait cycle (where the toes of the user's foot contact the ground), conventional uppers do not flex or flex only minimally, resulting in minimal toe spread, which can lead to injury and / or swelling of the user's foot.

[0003] Some shoes use a one-piece tongue attached to the upper, extending from the front of the upper to the ankle opening. The tongue is made of one or more materials that are flexible enough to allow the sides and front of the upper to flex during movement, accommodating the spread of the toes during ground contact. This flexing of the tongue also modulates the shoe's fit and stability during movement, which can be uncomfortable and / or lead to injuries to other parts of the foot.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a footwear item with an upper and a lining, the upper being made of one or more materials located at the front of the shoe and flexing during movement to maintain stability while helping to reduce foot injuries and / or swelling. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to a footwear article, and more specifically, to a shoe having an upper, wherein the upper comprises an upper made of at least one material that stretches in at least one direction during contact between the shoe and the underlying surface to promote natural spread of the user's toes and help reduce injury and / or swelling of the user's feet during exercise.

[0006] In one embodiment, a footwear article is provided, including a sole, an upper attached to the sole, and an upper attached to the upper, wherein the upper is stretched in at least one direction during contact between the sole and an underlying surface.

[0007] In another embodiment, a footwear article is provided, including a sole, an upper attached to the sole, the upper including a front end, a rear end, and medial and lateral sides extending between the front end and the rear end, the upper including a central opening having an ankle opening and a forefoot opening, a tongue attached to the upper and positioned in the forefoot opening and at least partially entering the ankle opening, and an upper attached to the upper, wherein the upper is separate from the tongue and stretches in at least one direction during contact between the sole and an underlying surface. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a right-side view of one embodiment of a footwear item that includes adjustable shoe uppers.

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Left side view of footwear.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A top view of footwear items.

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Bottom view of footwear items.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a top view of another implementation of footwear. Detailed Implementation

[0013] This invention relates to a footwear article, and more specifically, to a shoe with an upper comprising a flexible upper that allows the forefoot portion of the upper to flex during use to help reduce injury to the user's feet.

[0014] refer to Figures 1 to 4 An embodiment of a footwear article 20 (e.g., a shoe) is shown, wherein the footwear article 20 includes a sole (generally indicated as 22) attached to an upper 24. The sole 22 may be a monolithic molded component made of a material having a specified hardness value, or may be made of different materials having the same or different hardness values. Figure 1As shown, the upper 24 is attached to the sole 22 by sewing the upper to the sole with suitable thread or thread-operable sewing material. The upper 24 can also be attached to the sole 22 using adhesive, by molding the upper to the sole or molding the upper at least partially within the sole, or by using any suitable attachment method or combination of methods, such as using adhesive and sewing to attach the upper to the sole. In the illustrated embodiment, the sole includes a midsole 26 and an outsole 28, wherein the outsole 28 is attached to the bottom surface of the midsole 26 by adhesive or by molding. In one embodiment, the midsole 26 is made of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), and the outsole 28 is made of rubber, wherein it is contemplated that the sole (i.e., the midsole and outsole) can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials. In the illustrated embodiment, the outsole 26 includes a plurality of tread members 30 configured to grip an underlying surface (e.g., the ground) during movement. In another embodiment, the footwear article 20 does not have an outsole, wherein the bottom surface of the sole 22 (more specifically, the midsole 26) directly contacts the underlying surface. In this embodiment, the sole 22 or the midsole 26 has one or more tread members 30 on the bottom surface of the sole or midsole.

[0015] In one embodiment, the upper 24 includes a front end 32 (having a closed toe portion 34), a rear end 36 (extending around the heel of the user's foot), and an inner side 38 and an outer side 40 (each extending between the front and rear ends). Figure 3 As shown, the upper 24 includes a central opening 42 defined by an ankle opening 44 and a forefoot opening 46 formed in the top surface 48 of the upper 24. The tongue 50 is attached to the upper 24 by stitching or other attachment methods and extends from the front end 52 of the central opening 42 and at least partially enters the ankle opening 44. The tongue 50 is made of fabric material, but can be made of any suitable material or combination of materials. Closure mechanism (e.g.) Figure 3 The shoelaces 54 shown are inserted through the shoelace eyelets 56 on opposite sides of the central opening 42. The shoelaces 54 are tightened to bring the opposite sides 38, 40 of the upper 24 closer together, or loosened to move the opposite sides 38, 40 of the upper 24 further apart.

[0016] In the illustrated embodiment, the upper 58 is attached to the forefoot region 60 of the upper 24 by stitching or other suitable attachment methods. Figure 3As shown, the upper 58 has a first end 62 attached to the upper 24 adjacent to the central opening 42, and an opposing second end 64 attached to the front end 32 of the upper 24. Opposite sides 66 and 68 of the upper 58 are attached to the inner side 38 and outer side 40 of the upper 24, respectively. In this embodiment, the upper 58 is made of a stretchable material, such as a stretchable fabric or textile material. The material used for the upper is any material that provides bidirectional (two-way) or quadridirectional (four-way) stretching through mechanical stretching achieved by the material's construction. In one embodiment, the material comprises fibers within a textile or fabric material that allow the material to stretch. Bidirectional stretching can be medial to lateral, lateral to medial, toe to heel, heel to toe, or any combination of these stretches. Quadridirectional stretching includes both medial to lateral / lateral to medial and toe to heel / heel to toe. It should be understood that the upper can be any suitable material or combination of materials. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the upper 58 has multiple sides forming a polygonal shape. It should be understood that the upper can have a rectangular, hexagonal, square, or any suitable shape and size. In this embodiment, the portion of the upper 24 surrounding the upper 58 is made of an inelastic material or combination of materials, i.e., these materials bend or stretch very little to provide additional support to the area of ​​the upper 24 surrounding the upper 58, thereby enhancing lateral stability and balance during movement. It should also be understood that the upper 58 can be made of the same material as the portion of the upper surrounding the upper or a different material.

[0017] During use, when the shoe contacts the ground during the push-off phase of the gait cycle—that is, when the toes of the user's foot contact the ground while the rest of the foot moves away from or rises above the ground—the upper 58 stretches in at least one direction. When the toes of the shoe contact the ground, the upper 58 stretches in two or more of the following directions: medial (towards the inner side of the upper), lateral (towards the outer side of the upper), and forward (towards the front of the upper), or in each of the medial, lateral, and forward directions (i.e., in all directions). This stretching or flexing of the upper 58 in one or more of the aforementioned directions during the push-off phase allows the user's toes to spread naturally during ground contact, which helps reduce foot injury and swelling.

[0018] refer to Figure 5In another embodiment, the upper 70 includes a first portion 72 and a second portion 74, which are separated from each other by a portion of the upper 24. In this embodiment, the first portion 72 is located on the inner side 38 of the upper 24, and the second portion 74 is located on the outer side 40 of the upper 24. The first portion 72 and the second portion 74 may each be made of the same material, or the first portion 72 and the second portion 74 may be made of different materials. Furthermore, the first portion 72 and the second portion 74 may have the same size and shape, or different sizes and / or shapes. It should be understood that the upper 70 may include, for example, […]. Figure 5 The two parts shown may include multiple parts, i.e., three or more parts.

[0019] In other embodiments, the aforementioned upper may be attached to the upper of footwear articles described in U.S. Patent Applications No. 18 / 180,562 and No. 18 / 298,284 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 598,508, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0020] While specific embodiments of this footwear article have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader aspects of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A type of footwear, comprising: soles; The upper is attached to the sole of the shoe; as well as An upper attached to the shoe upper, wherein the upper is stretched in at least one direction during contact between the sole and the underlying surface.

2. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the upper is made of a stretchable material.

3. The footwear article according to claim 1, wherein the upper is a piece of material attached to the front end of the upper and adjacent to a central opening formed in the upper.

4. The footwear article according to claim 1, wherein the upper has a polygonal shape.

5. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the upper includes a tongue attached to a portion of the upper, and the upper is separate from the tongue.

6. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the upper is made of a material that stretches in at least two directions when the sole contacts the underlying surface.

7. The footwear article of claim 1, wherein the upper comprises at least two parts that are separate from each other.

8. A type of footwear, comprising: soles; An upper attached to the sole, the upper including a front end, a rear end, and an inner and outer side extending between the front end and the rear end, the upper including a central opening having an ankle opening and a forefoot opening; The tongue is attached to the upper and positioned in the forefoot opening and at least partially enters the ankle opening; as well as An upper attached to the shoe upper, wherein the upper is separate from the tongue and stretches in at least one direction during contact between the sole and the underlying surface.

9. The footwear article of claim 8, wherein the upper is made of a stretchable material.

10. The footwear article of claim 8, wherein the upper is a piece of material attached to the front end of the upper and adjacent to a central opening formed in the upper.

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