MOLDED HANDS-FREE SHOES

Abstract

A molded hands-free shoe may be a uniformly shaped slip-on shoe with features designed to facilitate putting it on without the use of hands. Such features include the use of higher-hardness plastics in a heel counter section of the shoe and lower-hardness plastics in an upper and / or sole section of the shoe. The heel counter section may be configured to deform into a new configuration under the weight of a user's foot as it enters the shoe opening and to return to its original configuration once the foot is inside the shoe. The heel counter section may further feature an S-shaped vertical cross-section at a rearmost position.Methods for manufacturing an HFMS may involve the use of an upper insert and a sole insert, as well as a heel insert with a locking mechanism to secure the heel insert to a core section of a shoe mold.