HEEL-LESS FOOTWEAR

Abstract

An article of footwear including a sole assembly with a bottom surface adapted to extend only to a medial portion of a user's foot is provided. An upper portion of the article of footwear includes a periphery that is partially secured to the sole assembly. The upper portion and the sole assembly define a cavity that is adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot which leaves the heel of the user's foot unsupported by the sole assembly. The cavity has a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length. An attachment assembly is secured to the sole assembly.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/552,529, filed Oct. 28, 2011, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This application is generally related to footwear and more particularly related to heel-less footwear.

BACKGROUND

Existing footwear includes heel-less designs for a variety of orthopedic and strengthening purposes. Many versions of heel-less footwear exist in the dance, gymnastics, and martial arts fields. Heel-less dance and gymnastic footwear are typically lightweight, designed for limited use within a dance studio, and lack rigid or semi-rigid soles. Dance and gymnastics footwear are intended to provide a low friction surface on the front area of the foot and are not suitable for high intensity usage or impact on a variety of surfaces. Heel-less martial arts footwear are intended to provide users with adequate protection on the top, bottom, and sides of the foot. Heel-less martial arts footwear includes padded surfaces around the front of the footwear to increase protection of the foot when kicking. Heel-less martial arts footwear also includes straps along the arch of the foot to provide additional bracing support while kicking. Heel-less athletic footwear includes a sole with a raised outsole near the front of the shoe such that the heel portion of the shoe does not contact the ground. However, these shoes completely cover the user's heel and are typically heavier than normal athletic shoes due to the increased size of the sole.

Therefore, a need exists for lightweight footwear that promotes natural proprioceptive response, balance, and proper contact between the foot and the ground which is durable enough for high impact and high intensity usage.

SUMMARY

An article of footwear is disclosed, the article of footwear includes a sole assembly with a bottom surface adapted to extend only to a medial portion of a user's foot. An upper portion includes a periphery that is partially secured to the sole assembly. The upper portion and the sole assembly define a cavity that is adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot which leaves the heel of the user's foot unsupported by the sole assembly. The cavity has a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length. An attachment assembly is secured to the sole assembly.

A method for improving proprioceptive response is also disclosed. The method comprises the step of providing an article of footwear for a user's foot, the article of footwear includes a sole assembly and an upper portion that together define a cavity having a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length. The method further includes a user positioning a forward area of the user's foot within the cavity defined by the sole assembly and upper portion, and positioning the sole assembly such that the forward area contacts the sole assembly and a rear area of the user's foot is unsupported and extends away from the sole assembly. The user's foot is supported by the forward area of the user's foot on the assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the article of footwear worn on a user's foot.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1 as shown without a user's foot.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of an article of footwear shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of an article of footwear shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “inner,” “outer,” “inwardly,” and “outwardly” refer to directions towards and away from the parts referenced in the drawings. A reference to a list of items that are cited as “at least one of a, b, or c” (where a, b, and c represent the items being listed) means any single one of the items a, b, c or combinations thereof. The terminology includes the words specifically noted above, derivates thereof, and words of similar import.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the article of footwear 1 according to the present invention. The article of footwear 1 includes a sole assembly 2 with a bottom surface 3 adapted to extend only to a medial portion 26 of a user's foot 24. The sole assembly 2 preferably includes an outsole, midsole, and insole. The outsole, midsole, and insole are attached to each other by stitching, bonding, or any other suitable attachment means. The outsole is preferably made of neoprene, hard rubber, leather, or another suitable polymeric material.

An upper portion 10 includes a periphery 12 that is partially secured to the sole assembly 2. The upper portion 10 is preferably a lightweight, durable, stretchable material, such as mesh, spandex, nylon, cotton, polyester, polyethylene, or other suitable material. The periphery 12 may be secured to the outsole, midsole, or insole of the sole assembly 2. Preferably, the periphery 12 is secured to the midsole of the sole assembly 2. The periphery 12 of the upper portion 10 is secured to the sole assembly 2 by stitching, adhesive-bonding, mold-bonding, or other suitable securing means. The sole assembly 2 and the upper portion 10 define a cavity 14 that is adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot 24, which leaves the heel 28 of the user's foot 24 unsupported by the sole assembly 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the footwear 1 according to the invention has a width W and a length L. The width W is preferably at least 65% of the length L. More preferably, the width W is 70-80% of the length L, and most preferably the width W is approximately 75% of the length L. The ratio of the width W to the length L remains the same regardless of the size of the article of footwear 1. For example, for a men's size 9 version of the article of footwear 1, the width W is approximately 4.5 inches and the length L is approximately 6.0 inches. A smaller size could have, for example, a width of 4.0 inches and a length of 5.3 inches. By shortening the length L of the article of footwear 1 and exposing the heel 28, the article of footwear 1 does not dampen the force from heel-striking and the user is encouraged to use a forward area 25 of the foot 24 to support themselves. It has been observed that a specific ratio between the width W and length L is required to ensure the article of footwear 1 remains tight and secure on the user's foot 24. It has also been observed that if the ratio of the width W to the length L is increased by decreasing the length L, then the article of footwear 1 becomes too short to protect the forward area 25 of the foot 24. If the ratio of the width W to the length L is increased by increasing the length L, then the article of footwear 1 becomes unsuitable for improving proprioceptive response, strength, and balance because the user's heel 28 is no longer unsupported and the user is likely to use their heels 28 for support or striking since the sole assembly 2 is protecting the heel 28.

An attachment assembly 16 is secured to the sole assembly 2 and includes at least one strap 18 that extends through a fastener 22 that is attached to the upper portion 10 or other securing means attached to the upper portion 10 and sole assembly 2. The at least one strap 18 may be an elastic cord and is preferably nylon or polyester. The fastener 22 preferably includes a single or double loop and preferably comprises aluminum, polyethylene, composites, or other lightweight durable material. The sole assembly 2 may be secured to the at least one strap 18 by stitching, adhesive-bonding, mold-bonding, or other suitable securing means.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a preferred embodiment of the footwear 1, a single strap 18 has a sufficient length to allow engagement about the user's heel 28. In this embodiment, the strap 18 is preferably 12 inches long or of sufficient length to perform its function.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the attachment assembly 16 may include a closure 20 for fastening two straps 18. The closure 20 includes snaps, buckles, hook and loop, or other suitable fastening means. The closure 20 preferably comprises nylon, polyester, polyethylene, aluminum, or composites. The straps 18 of the attachment assembly 16 have sufficient length to allow engagement about the user's ankle 29 and the straps 18 are each preferably 12 inches long or of sufficient length to perform its function.

In another alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the attachment assembly 16 includes two straps 18 that loop through the fastener 22 and engage the upper portion 10 of the article of footwear 1. One end of each of the straps 18 may include a closure 20 and each strap 18 preferably has a length of 6 inches or of sufficient length to perform its function.

The straps 18 may also be tied together in a knot to secure the article of footwear 1 on the user's foot 24.

In another alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a covering portion 32 is attached to at least one of the sole assembly 2, upper portion 10, or attachment assembly 16 by stitching, bonding, or any other suitable attachment means. Preferably, the covering portion 32 is attached to the sole assembly 2 and the attachment assembly 16. The covering portion 32 covers a bottom surface of the user's foot 24 away from the sole assembly 2. The covering portion 32 engages the user's foot 24, and extends to the medial portion 26 of the foot 24 or covers the heel 28 and extends to a lower portion of a user's leg 30. The covering portion 32 is preferably a lightweight, durable, stretchable material, such as mesh, spandex, nylon, cotton, polyester, polyethylene, or other suitable material.

A method for improving proprioceptive response that includes an article of footwear 1 according to the present invention is also disclosed. The method includes providing the article of footwear 1 for a user's foot 24. The article of footwear 1 includes a sole assembly 2 and an upper portion 10 that together define a cavity 14 adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot 24. The cavity 14 has a length L and a width W, with the width W being at least 65% of the length L. The method further includes the step of the user positioning a forward area 25 of the user's foot 24 within the cavity 14 defined by the upper portion 10 and the sole assembly 2, and positioning the sole assembly 2 such that the forward area 25 contacts the sole assembly 2 and a rear area 27 of the user's foot 24 as well as the heel 28 are unsupported and extend away from the sole assembly 2. The user's foot 24 is supported by the forward area 25 of the user's foot 24 on the sole assembly 2.

Having thus described various embodiments of the footwear bearing in detail, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes, only a few of which are exemplified in the detailed description above, could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. An article of footwear, comprising:

a sole assembly with a bottom surface adapted to extend only to a medial portion of a user's foot;

an upper portion with a periphery that is partially secured to the sole assembly, the upper portion and the sole assembly defining a cavity adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot, leaving the heel of the user's foot unsupported by the sole assembly, the cavity having a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length; and

an attachment assembly secured to the sole assembly.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the attachment assembly includes at least one strap that extends through a fastener attached to the upper portion or includes other securing means attached to the upper portion and sole assembly.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the at least one strap has a length sufficient to allow engagement about the user's heel.

4. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the attachment assembly includes two straps that each engage the upper portion, the attachment assembly having a closure for fastening the straps.

5. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the attachment assembly includes two straps that each have a length sufficient to allow engagement about the user's ankle, the attachment assembly having a closure for fastening the straps.

6. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the at least one strap comprises an elastic cord.

7. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the fastener includes a single or double loop.

8. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the width is 70-80% of the length.

9. The article of footwear of claim 2, further comprising a covering portion that engages at least one of the user's heel or the medial portion of the user's foot and is attached to at least one of the sole assembly, upper portion, or attachment assembly.

10. A method for improving proprioceptive response comprising the steps of:

providing an article of footwear for a user's foot, the article of footwear comprising a sole assembly and an upper portion that together define a cavity, the cavity having a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length;

a user positioning a forward area of the user's foot within the cavity defined by the sole assembly and upper portion;

positioning the sole assembly such that the forward area contacts the sole assembly and a rear area of the user's foot is unsupported and extends away from the sole assembly,

whereby the user's foot is supported by the forward area of the user's foot on the sole assembly.

11. The method for improving proprioceptive response of claim 10, the article of footwear further comprising an attachment assembly including at least one strap or other securing means, the method further comprising the step of engaging the at least one strap about a user's heel.

12. The method for improving proprioceptive response of claim 10, the article of footwear further comprising an attachment assembly including straps, the method further comprising the step of wrapping the straps around a user's ankle.

13. The method for improving proprioceptive response of claim 10, wherein the width is 70-80% of the length.