ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR WITH HINGED UPPER FOR USE BY PERSON WITH CONSTRAINED PHYSICAL MOVEMENT

Abstract

An article of footwear that offers an easy opening upper to allow the footwear to be easily placed on or off a wearer's foot is disclosed. The upper includes a flap that is positionable between open and closed positions. The entire foot receiving portion of the footwear is exposed with the flap portion in the open position. The wearer placed his or her foot within the foot receiving portion, without obstruction, and then moves the flap portion in the closed position, preferably with a slide fastener, thereby securing the wearer's foot within the article of footwear.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/164,515, entitled “Article of Footwear with Hinged Upper,” filed May 20, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Articles of footwear generally include two primary elements, an upper and a sole structure. The upper is typically formed from one or more of a variety of material elements (e.g., textiles, foam, leather, or synthetic leather) that are stitched or adhesively bonded together to form a void on the interior of the footwear for a comfortable and secure fit. An ankle opening through the material elements provides access to the void, thereby facilitating entry and removal of the foot from the void. Alternatively, the upper can include a forefoot strap that is held in place with a toe stay or can include one or more straps that encircle the wearer's foot; footwear having these structures are collectively referred to herein as sandals.

The sole structure is located adjacent to a lower portion of the upper and is generally positioned between the foot and the ground. In some articles of footwear, the sole structure generally incorporates an insole, a midsole, and an outsole. The insole, which may be located within the void and adjacent to a lower surface of the void, is a thin compressible member that enhances footwear user's comfort. The midsole, which may be secured to a lower surface of the upper extending downwards from the upper, forms a middle layer of the sole structure. In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces (i.e., providing cushioning for the foot), the midsole may limit foot motions and/or impart added stability to the footwear. The outsole, which may be secured to a lower surface of the midsole, forms the ground-contacting portion of the footwear and is usually fashioned from a durable and wear-resistant material hat includes texturing to improve traction.

Generally, the midsole is the primary source of cushioning for the article of footwear, extending through the length and width of the footwear. It is typically formed from a foamed polymer material, such as polyurethane or ethyl-vinyl-acetate. Midsoles tend to be designed to optimize support and cushioning comfort for a wearer when walking or running. The forces acting on the midsole during these activities tend to be directed vertically and in a forward and aft direction relative to the article of footwear. Midsoles are designed to return predictable and consistent cushioning comfort and support when encountering such forces. Exemplar midsoles and uppers are shown in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2005/0267775A1, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

SUMMARY

Despite the benefits of known articles of footwear, there remains a need for an article of footwear that is stylish and can easily be put on and taken off, particularly by physically challenged or physically constrained individuals.

The advantages and features of novelty characterizing aspects of the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims. To gain an improved understanding of the advantages and features of novelty, however, reference may be made to the following descriptive matter and accompanying figures that describe and illustrate various configurations and concepts related to the invention.

The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” as used herein are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter described in this document and to the claims. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the claims. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims and not by this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key, required, or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, to any or all drawings, and to each claim.

In one embodiment, the invention is directed to an article of footwear having features intended to facilitate use by an individual with physical constraints; such an article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper may include a rigid wall that substantially encircles an outer edge of the sole structure to define an unobstructed foot receiving portion therein, and a flap portion positionable over a forefoot portion of the article of footwear, which is pivotally secured to the rigid wall of the upper at a first edge and detachably securable to the rigid wall of the upper along a portion of the remaining edge, thereby defining an open position when the flap portion is pivoted out of the way to reveal a sufficient portion of the foot receiving portion to enable a user to directly place their foot into the article of footwear without encountering an obstruction requiring a sliding or similar motion, and a closed positon wherein the flap portion extends over the foot receiving portion.

In a further embodiment, the invention is directed to an article of footwear including an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper may include a lower upper including a rigid rim substantially encircling an outer edge of the sole structure and extending upwardly from the outer edge of the sole structure to a topline of the upper thereby defining an unobstructed and firm chamber therein surrounded by the rim for receiving a foot of a wearer. The lower upper may include four sides, such as a medial side, lateral side, forefoot side, and heel side, and a topline. The upper may further include a flap roofing the chamber having medial side, lateral side, and forefoot side and the flap on the medial side is pivotally secured to the topline of the upper on the medial side, and the lateral side and forefoot side of the flap being detachably secured on the topline of the upper on the lateral side and forefoot side, thereby defining an opening position by flipping up the flap on the lateral side toward the medial side and closing position by returning the flap on the lateral side toward the lateral side.

In a still further embodiment, the invention is directed to a shoe including an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The upper may include a lower upper including a rigid rim substantially encircling an outer edge of the sole structure and extending upwardly from the outer edge of the sole structure thereby defining an unobstructed and firm chamber for receiving a foot of a wearer and a flap attached to the lower upper by a securing means that enables the flap pivotally open and close by opening and closing the securing means,

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the detailed description of the present invention and the included figures,

FIGURE DESCRIPTIONS

The foregoing Summary and the following Detailed Description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

FIGS. 1-4 show various views of an article of footwear having a hinged upper portion that is pivotally secured on one side and detachably securable on its opposite side forming a possible forefoot flap having an open position (FIG. 3) and a closed position (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5-7 show various views of the article of footwear in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8A-8E show a possible method of using the article of footwear of FIG. 1 to place the article of footwear on a wearer's foot. It can be appreciated that reversing the steps shown allow for easy removal of the article of footwear from the wearer's foot; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 show alternative possible embodiments of the article of footwear having a hinged upper portion that is pivotally secured toward the toe portion of the upper, in accordance with an alternative disclosed embodiment

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention are described herein with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different materials, elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying or requiring any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

Embodiments of the invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, exemplary embodiments by which the invention may be practiced. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy the statutory requirements and convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose various configurations of foam midsoles. Concepts associated with the midsole may be applied to a wide range of athletic footwear styles, including basketball shoes, cross-training shoes, football shoes, golf shoes, hiking shoes and boots, ski and snowboarding boots, soccer shoes, tennis shoes, and walking shoes, for example. Concepts associated with the upper may also be utilized with footwear styles that are generally considered to be for non-athletic purposes, including dress shoes, and loafers.

General Footwear Structure

An article of footwear 10 is depicted in FIGS. 1-10 as including an upper 20 and a sole structure 30. For reference purposes, the footwear 10 may be divided into three general regions: a forefoot region 11, a midfoot region 12, and a heel region 13, as shown in FIG. 2, Footwear 10 also includes a lateral side 14 and a medial side 15, as shown in FIG. 2. Forefoot region 11 generally includes portions of footwear 10 corresponding with the toes and the foot joints connecting the metatarsals with the phalanges. Midfoot region 12 generally includes portions of footwear 10 corresponding with the arch area of the foot. Heel region 13 generally includes portions of footwear 10 corresponding with rear portions of the foot, including the calcaneus bone. Lateral side 14 and medial side 15 extend through each of regions 11-13 and correspond with opposite sides of footwear 10. Regions 11-13 and sides 14-15 are not intended to demarcate precise areas of footwear 10. Rather, regions 11- 13 and sides 14-15 are intended to represent general areas of footwear 10 to aid in the following discussion. In addition to footwear 10, regions 11-13 and sides 14-15 may also be discussed with respect to the individual elements thereof, such as upper 20 and sole structure 30, as shown in FIG. 1, and to the foot itself.

Upper 20 is depicted as having a substantially conventional configuration incorporating a variety of material elements (e.g., one or more of textile, foam, leather, or synthetic leather) that are stitched or adhesively bonded together to the sole structure 30 to form an interior void for securely and comfortably receiving a foot. The material elements may be selected and located with respect to upper 20 in order to selectively impart one or more properties of durability, air-permeability, wear-resistance, flexibility, and comfort, for example. An ankle opening 21 in heel region 13 provides access to the interior void of the footwear.

Sole structure 30 is secured to upper 20 and has a configuration that extends between upper 20 and the ground. In effect, therefore, sole structure 30 is located so as to extend between the foot and the ground. In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces (i.e., providing cushioning for the foot), sole structure 30 may provide traction, impart stability, and limit various foot motions, such as pronation.

The primary elements of sole structure 30 are a midsole 31 and an outsole 32, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Midsole 31 may include a fluid-filled chamber. In addition, midsole 31 may incorporate one or more additional footwear structures or other elements that enhance the comfort, performance, or ground reaction force attenuation properties of footwear 10; these may include, but are not limited to, a polymer foam material, such as polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate, plates, moderators, lasting elements, or motion control members. Outsole 32, which may be absent in some configurations of footwear 10, is secured to a lower surface of midsole 31 and may be formed from a rubber material that provides a durable and wear-resistant surface for engaging the ground. In addition, outsole 32 may be textured to enhance the traction (i.e., friction) properties between footwear 10 and the ground. Sole structure 30 may also incorporate an insole or sockliner that is located within the void in upper 20 and adjacent (i.e., located nearby or close to, although not necessarily in contact with) a plantar surface or lower surface of the wearer's foot to enhance the comfort of footwear 10. Given that various aspects of the present application primarily relate to the upper 20, the sole structure 30 may exhibit the general configuration discussed above or the general configuration of another conventional or nonconventional sole structure. Accordingly, the overall structure of sole structure 30 may vary significantly.

Midsole Configuration

Referring to FIG. 2, the midsole 31 has a forefoot region 11, a midfoot region 12, a heel region 13, a lateral side 14, and a medial side 15. An outer edge 50, as shown in FIG. 1, encircles the midsole 31 and conforms to the overall footprint of the article of footwear 10, thereby defining a forefoot outer edge region 52, a medial outer edge region 54, a lateral outer edge region 56, and a heel outer edge region 58. The midsole 31 may be formed from a compressible polymer foam element (e.g., a polyurethane or ethylvinylacetate foam) that attenuates ground reaction forces (i.e., provides cushioning) when compressed between the foot and the ground during walking, running, or other ambulatory activities. Note that a midsole 31 having these basic properties may be formed with conventional molding technologies, such as blow molding or the like.

Hinged Upper Flap

As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8A, and 8B, the upper 20 may include a hinged flap 100 that preferably is extendable over the forefoot 11 and midfoot 12 portions of the article of footwear 10. The flap 100 is preferably pivotally secured on one side of the article of footwear or otherwise rigidly secured, allowing a flap portion of move between an open position 110, as shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 8A and 8B, and a closed position shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. In one embodiment, the flap 100 is partially secured on the outer edge 50 of the medial side 15.

The upper 20 along the outer edge 50 through the forefoot region 11, midfoot region 12, and rear region 13, preferably of the sole structure 30, may include walls 120, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, extending upward vertically from the sole structure 30 and that define a foot receiving chamber 130 therein, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. It can be appreciated that with the flap portion 100 in the open position 110, the foot receiving chamber 130 is fully exposed as best shown in FIGS. 3, 7, and 8A to allow a wearer's foot to be placed into and received in an unobstructed manner, that is without requiring the foot to be slipped through an opening.

The remaining edge of the flap 100 that does not define the pivot preferably includes an attachment structure 142, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 for detachably securing the edge of the flap portion to the walls of the upper. More preferably, the attachment structure 142 is a slide fastener, such as a zipper, Velcro®, buttons, or the like, that includes a pull 140, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8C, 8D, and 8E, that is easily graspable by a physically challenged individual. In one embodiment, a zipper may be the attachment structure 142 and may use or incorporate a variety of shapes of pull 140, including a loop pull which allows a wearer to hook a finger inside of the loop to operate the zipper to open and close. In a further embodiment, the pull 140 may be made of metal, string, rubber, plastic, or other materials, and any combination thereof.

The wall 120, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, may be constructed of at least some rigid materials so that the wall 120 is reinforced. The rigid rim and wall 120 enable the wearer's foot to stay in place without slipping while a wearer closes the flap 100, as shown in FIGS. 8B, 8C, and 8D. This is particularly beneficial for wearers with disabilities, limited dexterity, physical constraints, or other limitations on their mobility as they may need to grab, pull or adjust the attachment structure, especially a zipper, several times in different directions until it completely closes. For the toe area, a toe puff (not shown) may be incorporated inside of the wall 120. A heel counter (not shown) may be used to create the rigid rim 120 around the heel.

The wall 120 may be formed between a topline 58, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, of the upper 20 and the outer edge 50 and the attachment structure 142 may be attached on the topline 58 of the upper 20. In one embodiment, a zipper being used as the attachment structure 142 may be positioned on the topline 58 of the upper 20. The starting point 144, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, of the zipper may be at the forefoot outer edge region 52, where a base of a toe of a wearer's foot is usually located. The zipper may run along the topline 58 around the toe area and end at the midway 146, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, of the medial outer edge region 52, where a base of a wearer's ankle is located. When the zipper is located at the open position as shown in FIGS. 3, 7, 8A, and 8B, no structure of the footwear obstructs the foot of a wearer as they place their foot into receiving chamber 130. Further, the toe area may be surrounded by the walls 120 due to the position of the attachment structure 142, which does not obstruct or touch the toe of the wearer.

To assist a wearer further, the attachment structure 142 may be curved upwardly toward the standing or seated wearer so that the wearer may have a smoother and easier grasp of the attachment structure 142 and one that is oriented more naturally with the pulling motion of the wearer as the wearer is closing the attachment structure 142, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

Use and Operation

Referring to FIGS. 8A-8E, a method of easily placing the article of footwear 10 on a wearer's foot is shown. In FIG. 8A, the wearer places the flap 100 of the upper 20 into an open position 110 and places his or her foot near the article of footwear 10. FIG. 8B shows the wearer placing his or her foot into the exposed foot receiving chamber 130 of the article of footwear 10 unobstructed with the flap 100 still in its open position.

In FIG. 8C, the wearer releases the flap 100 and grasps the slide fastener pull 140. The wearer then slides the slide fastener 142 around the front of the article of footwear to secure the flap to the upper walls as shown in FIG. 8D.

The wearer releases the pull 140 when the slide fastener 142 secures the flap 100 over the forefoot of the wearer as shown in FIG. 8E. It can be appreciated that the wearer can easily remove the article of footwear 10 by reversing the foregoing steps.

As a result, a physically challenged wearer of footwear can easily put on and take off their footwear. Moreover, the upper including the flap portion can be configured and styled to look like conventional footwear such as loafers, hi-tops, or boat shoes that are aesthetically appealing to wearers without calling attention to the unique fastening system.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an alternative embodiment of the flap 100 is shown. It is pivotally secured toward the toe portion of the article of footwear and provides lateral and medial slide fasteners to detachably secure the flap 100 of the upper as shown.

The invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying figures with reference to a variety of configurations. The purpose served by the disclosure, however, is to provide an example of various features and concepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the configurations described above without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and/or were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the specification and in the following claims are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “having,” “including,” “containing” and similar referents in the specification and in the following claims are to be construed as open-ended terms (e.g., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely indented to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value inclusively falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation to the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to each embodiment of the present invention.

Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.

Claims

1. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper having

a rigid wall that substantially encircles an outer edge of the sole structure to define an unobstructed foot receiving portion therein, and

a flap portion positionable over a forefoot portion of the article of footwear, the flap being pivotally secured to the rigid wall of the upper at a first edge and detachably securable to the rigid wall of the upper along a portion of the remaining edge, thereby defining an open position when the flap portion is pivoted out of the way to reveal a sufficient portion of the foot receiving portion to enable a user to directly place their foot into the article of footwear without encountering an obstruction requiring a sliding or similar motion, and a closed positon wherein the flap portion extends over the foot receiving portion.

2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the flap is detachably securable to the wall with at least one of fastener, button, and/or Velcro®.

3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the fastener is a slide fastener.

4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein the slide fastener is a zipper.

5. The article of footwear of claim 4, further comprising:

a zipper pull being attached to the zipper and shaped as loop.

6. An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising:

a lower upper having a rigid rim substantially encircling an outer edge of the sole structure and extending upwardly from the outer edge of the sole structure to a topline of the upper thereby defining an unobstructed and firm chamber therein surrounded by the rim for receiving a foot of a wearer, the lower upper having four sides comprising a medial side, lateral side, forefoot side, and heel side, and a topline; and

a flap roofing the chamber having medial side, lateral side, and forefoot side, the flap on the medial side being pivotally secured to the topline of the upper on the medial side, the lateral side and forefoot side of the flap being detachably secured on the topline of the upper on the lateral side and forefoot side, thereby defining an opening position by flipping up the flap on the lateral side toward the medial side and closing position by returning the flap on the lateral side toward the lateral side.

7. The footwear of claim 6, wherein the flap is detachably secured to the lower upper with at least one of zipper, button, and Velcro®.

8. The footwear of claim 7, further comprising:

the zipper being attached on the topline of the upper running between the medial side and the lateral side thereby the flap is detachably secured to the lower upper when the zipper being closed.

9. The footwear of claim 7, further comprising:

a pull attached to the zipper.

10. The footwear of claim 8, wherein the pull is shaped as a loop.

11. The footwear of claim 8, wherein the zipper at the end of the lateral side is curved upwardly.

12. The footwear of claim 6, further comprising:

a toe puff enforcement for comfort attached inside of the wall at the forefoot side of the lower upper.

13. The footwear of claim 6, further comprising:

a heel counter enforcement for firmness attached inside of the wall at the heel side of the lower upper.

14. A shoe having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the upper comprising: a flap attached to the lower upper by a securing means that enables the flap pivotally open and close by opening and closing the securing means.

a lower upper having a rigid rim substantially encircling an outer edge of the sole structure and extending upwardly from the outer edge of the sole structure thereby defining an unobstructed and firm chamber for receiving a foot of a wearer; and

15. The shoe of claim 14, wherein the flap is attached to the lower upper with at least one of zipper, button, and Velcro®.

16. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the zipper being attached on the upper; and

a pull attached to the zipper.

17. The shoe of claim 16, wherein the pull is shaped as a loop.

18. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the zipper at the end of the lateral side is curved upwardly.

19. The shoe of claim 14, further comprising:

a toe puff enforcement for comfort attached inside of the wall.

20. The shoe of claim 14, further comprising:

a heel counter enforcement for firmness attached inside of the wall.