An Article of Footwear

This invention relates to articles of footwear.

According to the present invention there is provided an article of footwear incorporating a sole unit comprising a main portion and a shank formed from a material which is more rigid than the material of the main portion of the sole unit, said article further comprising a mid-strap which extends from one side of the article partway across the article of footwear towards the other side and which is connected to the shank.

In some arrangements the mid-strap extends from and is a continuation of the shank and preferably the mid-strap is substantially rigid and extends only from said one side partway across to the other side. In preferred arrangements a relatively soft material is provided on the parts of the mid-strap intended for contact with the wearer's foot.

In some embodiments the main portion of the sole unit comprises a mid-sole below which the shank is secured together with an outer sole. Ideally the shank is sandwiched between the mid-sole and the outer sole. With some arrangements the shank is provided only in a mid-foot region of the article of footwear. With another arrangement the shank extends in a lengthwise direction from the toe region to at least the mid-foot region of the article of footwear.

In some embodiments the article of footwear incorporates a toe- post upstanding from the sole unit. In a preferred construction the toe- post is attached to a forward end of the shank.

Preferably the toe-post comprises a post portion which has as its top a cross-member which in use overlies part of the toes or foot of the wearer. Sometimes the toe-post is formed from two or more materials, one to give strength and rigidity and one or more others to provide comfort and usually a comfort material is provided on the underside of the cross-member and a comfort material is provided on the rear facing part of the post portion.

With some arrangements the toe-post is removable and also the position of the toe-post relative to the shank is variable. Sometimes the angle of the toe-post relative to the shank is variable by means of a ball and socket connection and in others the toe-post can be moved forward/backwards relative to the shank or the toe-post can be moved left/right relative to the shank.

Sometimes the toe-post is movable along a groove which is lined on both sides with holes into which spring loaded projections provided on the toe-post engage. In some embodiments the toe-post is provided with a button which is connected to the projections such that pressing of the button retracts the projections against a biasing action and release of the button extends the projections with said biasing action.

According to another aspect of the present invention an article of footwear comprising a sole unit having a main portion and a shank, and a toe-post upstanding from the sole unit, the toe-post being attached to the shank which extends lengthwise of the sole unit from the toe region to the heel region.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail. The description refers to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an article of footwear according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is an underside view of the article of footwear shown in figure 1,

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the components forming the article of footwear in figure 1 ,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an article of footwear according to the present invention,

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-section through part of the figure 4 arrangement,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an article of footwear according to the present invention, and

Figures 7a, 7b and 7c show a series of views illustrating the operation of the figure 6 arrangement.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of an alternative article of footwear according to the present invention,

Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the components forming the article of figure 8,

Figure 10 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative set of components forming the article of figure 1 , and

Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view of a further alternative set of components forming the article of figure 1.

Figures 1 to 3 show an article of footwear 10 which is similar in some respects to what is commonly known as a 'flip-flop'. The article 10 incorporates a sole unit 11 comprising a mid-sole 12, a shank 13 and an outsole 14. The mid-sole 12 is typically moulded from a plastics, rubber or synthetic rubber compound such as EVA, (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) Phylon or Polyurethane. In use, the upward facing surface of the mid-sole 12 is intended to contact the underside of the wearer's foot and may be plain or contoured as desired or may be provided with formations to aid comfort or provide therapeutic effects.

The shank 13 has a lower portion 15 which extends generally lengthwise of the article 10 between the toe region and the heel region. In this particular embodiment the lower portion 15 of the shank 13 has a somewhat flat serpentine shape and has a hole 16 at the toe end. When the article is assembled the hole 16 is aligned with a cooperating hole 17 formed in the mid-sole 12. Usually the shank 13 will be made from a material which his more rigid than the mid-sole 12. The shank 13 in this embodiment is formed with a part strap 18 which is intended in use to extend partially around the foot of the wearer, in front of the ankle. The underside of the strap 18 ideally has a softer material moulded or secured to the main material of the shank 13 to provide more comfort where the strap engages the foot of the wearer. This can be effected in a dual shot moulding process.

The outsole 14 is moulded from rubber in the illustrated embodiment but other suitable materials will be readily apparent. The outsole may incorporate discrete treaded portions 19 on its underside or the underside may provide a uniform tread or grip pattern.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lower portion 15 of the shank 13 is secured to the underside of the mid-sole 12 such that the holes 16, 17 are aligned and the strap 18 is correctly positioned in a slight recess 20 provided in the side of the mid-sole 12. The outsole 14 is then secured to the underside of the mid-sole/shank combination 12, 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the outsole 14 has an opening 21 corresponding to the lower portion 15 of the shank 13 such that the shank is visible through the outsole 14. This opening 21 is not, however, essential and the outsole could be a plain, continuous item.

The article also has a toe-post 25 comprising a post portion 26 which in use is received between a pair of adjacent toes and which is topped with a cross-member 27. In the illustrated embodiment the cross- member 27 extends towards one side of the product but which could extend toward the other side or towards both sides or in any combination of directions such that it extends over a portion or portions of the toes or the foot of the wearer to prevent significant movement of the portion or portions away from the sole unit 11. The end of the post portion 26 remote from the cross-member 27 has an attachment part 28 and enlarged end 29. Manipulation of this through the holes 16, 17 retains the toe-post 25 in position relative to the sole unit. The toe-post 25 is made from a relatively rigid material as is the shank 13 and is preferably provided with a softer material on at least the underside of cross-member 27 and the rear facing surfaces of the post portion 26. This softer material aids comfort and can be affected using a dual shot moulding process.

It has been found that the provision of the shank 12 in association with the toe-post tends to retain the mid-sole closer to the underside of the wearer's foot and to reduce movement of the article of footwear relative

to the foot during walking, thus improving the comfort and integrity of the article of footwear.

The article of footwear 110 shown in figures 4 and 5 is largely the same as the article of footwear 10 shown in figures 1 to 3 and so like parts have been given the same reference numeral but with the prefix ' 1 '. The principal difference in figures 4 and 5 is that the position of the toe-post 125 relative to the shank 113 is variable. This is because the enlarged end 129 of the attachment part 128 is in the form of a ball and the hole 16 in the shank 13 is in the form of the hole 16 in the shank 13 is in the form of a socket into which the ball is received with a snap-fit. The effective angle of the post portion 126 relative to the shank can be varied according to the range of movement of the ball in the socket. It can also be rotated so as to position the cross-member 127 in an optimal position for both comfort and effectiveness. The toe-post 125 can be removable and can be interchangeable for one of a different size, shape or colour.

The article of footwear 210 shown in figures 6 and 7 is largely the same as the articles of footwear 10 shown in figures 1 to 3 and so like parts have been given the same reference numeral but with the prefix '2'. Instead of the holes 16, 17 there are two intersecting slots 216, 217 formed in the mid-sole 212 and shank 213. Each slot 216, 217 is lined on both sides with a number of apertures 250 and the attachment part 228 of the toe-post 225 has a pair of oppositely disposed projections 251 which are biased outwardly by, for example, a spring provided internally of the toe-post 225. By pressing a button 252, the projections 251 can be retracted against the force of the spring to release the projections 251 from the apertures 250 so that the toe-post can be moved to a chosen position within the slots 216, 217. Again the toe-post 225 could be exchanged for one of different size, shape or colour as desired.

The arrangement shown in figures 8 and 9 is similar in some respects to that shown in figures 1 to 3 and so like features have been given like reference numerals. In figures 7 and 8 however the toe-post has been omitted, as has the associated hole 17 in the mid-sole 12, and the

shank 13 has been truncated such that the heel and toe portions have been omitted. The shank 13 still provides support for the part-strap 18 which extends from one side of the article of footwear 10 towards the other. In this embodiment the strap 18 is formed as a continuation of the shank 13 but in other embodiments the strap 18 could be formed separately, perhaps from a different material, and then secured to the shank 13.

The shank 18 is retained in a recess (not shown) formed in the underside of the mid-sole 12 and the outsole 14 is secured to the underside of the mid-sole 12, for example with adhesive or some other method such as heat bonding.

With the article of footwear shown in figure 8, the part-strap 18 is the only means of retaining the article on the wearer's foot. As with the figure 1 arrangement the part-strap 18 could be made dual-density so as to provide strength and comfort in foot contact areas.

The figure 10 combination of components produces an article of footwear having an appearance as shown in figure 1. However, in the figure 10 combination there is a truncated shank 13/part-strap 18 component as shown in figures 8 and 9 together with a separate toe-post 25. The toe-post 25 is not, however, secured to the shank 13 but is received in a hole 17 in the mid-sole 12.

The toe-post 12 is similar to that shown in figures 1 to 3, having an enlarged end 29 in the form of an annular flange. After the post portion is manipulated through the hole 17 from below, the flange 29 is too large to pass through the hole 17 and is received in a slight recess (not shown) around the lower end of the hole 17. The outsole 14, when attached to the mid-sole 12, retains the shank 13 and the toe-post in position relative to the mid-sole 12. It will be noticed that the flange 29 also has optional lateral extensions 40 which further prevent removal through the mid-sole and extra recesses for the extensions 40 would be provided in the underside of the mid-sole 12.

The figure 11 combination of components again produces an article of footwear having an appearance similar to figure 1. The

truncated shank 13 in figure 11 however extends to and is connected to the flange 29 of the toe post 25. Again, the toe post is manipulated through the hole 17 in the mid-sole 12 but the flange 29 prevents the toe- post passing all the way through the mid-sole 12. The shank 13 and the flange 29 are located in a recessed area in the underside of the mid-sole 12 prior to the outsole 14 being attached. In some embodiments, the shank, part-strap and toe-post could be formed as a single moulding.

It will be appreciated that other modifications are possible whilst staying within the scope of the attached claims. For example the shank 13 could be of two-part construction and could be of any desired length or shape whilst continuing to give the article of footwear some rigidity and strength.