BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a shoe, and more particularly, to a shoe with a zipper.

Description of the Related Art

Shoes are known and typically include laces that can be tied or untied to secure or remove the shoes from the user’s feet, respectively. Shoes with laces have a number of disadvantages, and particularly for users with limited motor skills who may have difficulty manipulating the laces. In response, shoes have been developed with a zipper that extends along an interface of the toe cap and the sole at the very front edge of the shoe to provide an unobstructed entry into the shoe and improve the ease of use.

This arrangement of the zipper at the front edge of the shoe can be an issue for users who have any level of toe drag, including users who are working to improve their gait, indefinitely have abnormal gaits, or are crawling, in some examples. The zipper is exposed around the toe and is therefore prone to be damaged from toe drag. In many cases, the connection between the zipper teeth and the zipper backing will fail due to toe drag, resulting in failure of the zipper and the shoe. Thus, known shoes with zippers do not provide a long-lasting footwear solution for users of all abilities and movement characteristics.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure is generally directed to a shoe that includes an outsole and an upper coupled to the outsole. The upper includes a front end and a rear end and a lateral side or outer side and a medial side or inner side. The upper also includes a toe box at the front end of the upper and a vamp coupled to the toe box. In some examples, the shoe also includes an eyestay coupled to the vamp and a tongue coupled to the vamp with the eyestay extending around the tongue. Alternatively, the shoe does not include the eyestay or tongue in other examples. A collar is coupled to the vamp and extends around an opening through the upper structured to receive an ankle of a user.

The shoe further includes a zipper coupled to the upper and structured to travel along a path beginning on the lateral side of the upper proximate the collar, continuing around a portion of the vamp and through an interface between a first portion and a second portion of the vamp and terminating on the medial side of the upper. The path may also begin on the medial side of the upper proximate the collar, continue around a portion of the vamp and through an interface between the first portion of the vamp and the second portion of the vamp and terminate on the lateral side of the upper in some examples. The path is spaced from the front end of the upper by the toe box and the first portion of the vamp.

Thus, the shoes of the present disclosure allow an unobstructed or semiunobstructed drop-in entry to the shoe with the zipper spaced from the front end of the shoe by the toe box to reduce the impacts of toe dragging on the useful life of the zipper and the shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the embodiments, reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. In some figures, the sizes and relative positions of elements are drawn to scale. In other figures, the sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the sizes, shapes of various elements and angles may be enlarged and positioned in the figures to improve drawing legibility.

Figure 1 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of a shoe with a zipper traveling from a lateral side to a medial side of the shoe in a closed position according to the present disclosure.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the lateral side of the shoe of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the medial side of the shoe of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the shoe of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the shoe of Figure 1.

Figure 6A is a top plan view of the shoe of Figure 1.

Figure 6B is a top plan view of the shoe of Figure 1 illustrating additional embodiments of a location of the zipper on the shoe.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a front isometric view of the shoe of Figure 1 in an unzipped position.

Figure 9 is a front isometric view of the shoe of Figure 1 in an unzipped and fully open position.

Figure 10 is a rear isometric view of the shoe of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a side isometric view of the shoe of Figure 9.

Figure 12 is a front elevational view of the shoe of Figure 9.

Figure 13 is a front isometric view of the shoe of Figure 9 illustrating a liner of the shoe.

Figure 14 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of a shoe with a zipper traveling from a medial side to a lateral side of the shoe.

Figure 15 is a rear isometric view of the shoe of Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of a shoe with a zipper and absent shoelaces according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is generally directed to a shoe with a zipper that is spaced from the front end of the shoe to reduce the impacts of toe dragging on the useful life of the shoe. The zipper may travel along a path that begins and terminates on either the lateral or medial side of the shoe. While the following disclosure and accompanying drawings describe a sneaker with or without shoe laces as one non-limiting example, it is to be appreciated that the concepts of the disclosure can be applied to any type or style of shoe, boot, or footwear, including but not limited to low-top sneakers, high-top sneakers, athletic shoes for any sport, moccasins, dress shoes, clogs, slippers, cross trainers, boat shoes, loafers, flats, running shoes, walking shoes, hiking shoes and boots, winter boots, and the like. The shoes of the present disclosure can also be manufactured to have any selected length from front to back and width from the lateral side to the medial side, either according to standard industry sizing for users of all age groups as well as in custom sizes.

Figures 1-7 are various views of an embodiment of a shoe 100. Beginning with Figure 1, the shoe 100 includes a sole 102 and an upper 104 coupled to the sole 102. As used herein, the “upper” may refer to the portion of the shoe 100 that receives and surrounds the foot of the user and contains several components or elements coupled together which collectively comprise the “upper,” as further described herein. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the components or elements of the shoe 100 are coupled together with stitching, adhesives, or other like fasteners. The sole 102 includes a midsole 105 and an outsole 106 coupled to the midsole 105. The midsole 105 may include one or more cushion layers as well as foxing 108 on the cushion layers. Although the foxing 108 is illustrated at the front of the shoe 100 in Figure 1, the foxing 108 may also be on any portion of the midsole 105, such as the rear or sides of the midsole 105. The outsole 106 is the bottom surface of the shoe 100 that contains treads or other grip structures in some embodiments.

Turning to Figure 2, the upper 104 includes a first end 110 and a second end 112 opposite to the first end 110. In some embodiments, the first end 110 is a front outermost end of the shoe 100 and the second end 112 is a rear outermost end of the shoe 100. Thus, the length of the upper 104 extends between the first end 110 and the second end 112 of the upper 104. The upper 104 further includes a lateral side 114 and a medial side 116 (Figure 1) opposite to the lateral side 114. The lateral side 114 is an outer side of the shoe 100 that corresponds to an outside of a user’s foot and the small toe on the user’s foot while the medial side 116 is an inner side of the shoe 100 that corresponds to an inner side of a user’s foot and the big toe and the arch of the user’s foot.

The upper 104 further includes a toe box 118 at the first end 110 of the upper 104 and a vamp 120 coupled to the toe box 118. The toe box 118 extends from, and includes, the first end 110 of the upper 104 to the vamp 120 with the toe box 118 and the vamp 120 delineated by line 122. A collar 124 is coupled to the vamp 120 and extends around an opening 126 through the upper 104. The opening 126 is sized and shaped to receive the ankle of the user. The collar 124 includes a topline 128 that defines the opening 126 as well as an upper edge or boundary of the upper 104 at the opening 126 and the top of the shoe 100.

Figure 3 is a left side or medial side elevational view of the shoe 100. As shown in Figure 3, the upper 104 of the shoe includes a heel counter 130 coupled to the vamp 120 and the sole 102. In some embodiments, the shoe 100 may further include a heel tab or a pull tab coupled to a center of the collar 124 proximate the top line 128 and above the heel counter 130 to assist a user with manipulating the shoe 100. Further, the vamp 120 extends from the toe box 118 to the heel counter 130 in one or more embodiments and includes a first portion 132 coupled to the toe box 118 and a second portion 134 extending toward and coupled to the heel counter 130.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the shoe 100 that shows the lateral side 114 and the medial side 116 of the upper in more detail. Specifically, Figure 4 shows a dashed vertical centerline through the shoe 100 indicated as reference 136. The lateral side 114 of the upper 104 is on the right of the centerline 136 and the medial side 116 of the upper 104 is on the left of the centerline 136 in the orientation of shoe 100 in Figure 4. The shoe 100 further includes a zipper assembly 138 (which may also be referred to herein as a zipper 138) coupled to the upper 104. The zipper assembly 138 includes a slider 140 with a bridge 142 and a ring 144 coupled to the bridge 142. A pull tab or pull string 146 is coupled to the ring 144. The pull string 146 is illustrated as a knotted flexible filament in Figure 4 that has a size and a shape to allow users with varying motor skills to more easily grab and manipulate the pull string 146. In some embodiments, the pull string 146 is replaced with a metal pull tab or the size, shape, configuration, and material of the pull string 146 are selected to optimize ease of use for the user. The zipper assembly 138 will be described in greater detail with reference to Figure 6 A. Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the shoe 100 that shows the heel counter 130 extending from the lateral side 114 of the upper 104 to the medial side 116 of the upper 104.

Figure 6A is a top plan view of the shoe 100 that provides additional detail regarding the zipper assembly 138, as well as other features of the shoe 100. In some embodiments, the shoe 100 includes a tongue 148 coupled to the vamp 120 and an eyestay 150 coupled to the vamp 120 and extending around the tongue 148. In some embodiments, the eyestay 150 has a generally “U” shape starting at the top line 128 at the top of the shoe 100 on the lateral side 114 of the upper 104, extending down the lateral side 114 before curving proximate the toe box 118 and extending back up the medial side 116 of the upper 104 and terminating proximate the top line 128 on the medial side 116 of the upper 104. A plurality of eyelets 152 extend through the eyestay 150 and provide openings for receiving a shoelace 154. The eyelets 152 are arranged in columns on opposite sides of the eyestay 150 in some embodiments such that the shoe lace 154 crosses over the tongue 148.

The zipper assembly 138 includes the slider 140 that is structured to travel along a chain or teeth 156 of the zipper assembly 138. The teeth 156 may be attached to a tape or other backing that is sewn to the shoe 100 and covered by the vamp 120 and the eyestay 150. Thus, the user manipulates the slider 140 to move the slider 140 along the path defined by the teeth 156. As shown in Figure 6A, the slider 140 of the zipper assembly 138 is structured to travel along a path beginning on the lateral side 114 of the upper 104 proximate the collar 124 (Figure 3). When used to describe the path of the zippers or zipper assemblies described herein, the terms “beginning” or “begins” mean the end of the path where the slider 140 is located when the zipper assembly 138 is completely zipped shut and the terms “terminating” or “terminates” mean the end of the path where the slider 140 is located when the zipper assembly 138 is completely unzipped, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In some embodiments, the path begins at the topline 128 at the top of the shoe 100. The path of the zipper assembly 138 then continues around a lateral side or a lateral portion of the tongue 148 and down an upper portion or upper quarter of the lateral side 114 of the upper 104 at the interface between the eyestay 150 and the vamp 120. The path of the zipper assembly 138 may also extend through any portion of the lateral side 114 of the upper 104 in some embodiments. The path follows the interface between the vamp 120 and the eyestay 150 and curves around a bottom of the tongue 148 (i.e., the part of the tongue 148 furthest from the opening 126) along with the eyestay 150. In some embodiments, the shoe 100 does not include the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150, such as in Figure 16. In such embodiments, the portion of the shoe 100 that replaces the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 may be the second portion 134 of the vamp 120. Thus, the path of the zipper assembly 138 may also travel along the interface between the first and second portions 132, 134 of the vamp 120 in one or more embodiments.

The path of the zipper continues along the interface between the eyestay 150 and the vamp 120 and crosses the centerline 136 (Figure 4) from the lateral side 114 of the upper 104 to the medial side 116 of the upper 104 before terminating on the medial side 116. In some embodiments, the path of the zipper assembly 138 curves and extends on the medial side 116 of the upper 104 toward the collar 124 and the top line 128 before terminating on the medial side 116 of the upper 104. The termination point or location of the zipper assembly on the medial side 116 may be selected to be anywhere along the medial side 116. As shown in Figure 6A, the termination point of the zipper assembly 138 is located closer to the toe box 118 than the collar 124 and the top line 128. In an embodiment, the termination point of the zipper assembly 138 is located closer to a bottom of the tongue 148 (i.e., closest to the toe box 118) than to a midpoint or top of the tongue 148. Still further, the termination point of the zipper assembly 138 may be aligned with, or proximate, a bottom or lower one of the eyelets 152. Thus, the path of the zipper assembly 138 is spaced from the first or front end 110 of the shoe 100 by the toe box 118 and the first portion 132 of the vamp 120. The dimensions of the toe box 118 and the first portion 132 of the vamp 120 may be selected according to design factors. Further, in some embodiments, the zipper assembly 138 may extend along an interface between the toe box 118 and the vamp 120 instead of through the vamp 120. In yet further embodiments, the zipper assembly 138 may extend through the toe box 118 but spaced from the first end 110 of the shoe 100, or spaced from the interface between the toe box 118 and the sole 102 by a selected distance to prevent failure of the zipper assembly 138 due to toe dragging.

For example, Figure 6B shows additional embodiments of the zipper assembly 138 with dashed lines 139. The zipper assembly 138 may begin on the lateral side 114 according to the discussion above. In some embodiments, the zipper assembly 138 may extend further toward, or into the toe box 118 rather than turning toward the medial side 116 at the bottom of the tongue 148 as in Figure 6A. In an embodiment, the zipper assembly 138 may be arranged to define a path of travel aligned with, through, or proximate to, an interface between the toe box 118 and the vamp 120. In a further embodiment, the zipper assembly 138 intersects the interface between the toe box 118 and the vamp 120 on the lateral side 114 and on the medial side 116 with at least a portion of the zipper assembly 138 generally corresponding to the bottom of the tongue 148 extending through the toe box 118. The portion of the zipper assembly 138 that extends through the toe box 118 may be located closer to the first end 110 of the shoe 100 than to the interface between the toe box 118 and the vamp 120, or may be located closer to the interface between the toe box 118 and the vamp 120 than to the first end 110 of the shoe 100. In some embodiments, the zipper assembly 138 defines a path of travel through any location or portion of the toe box 118 except for at the first end 110, or except for within 0.5 inches of the interface between the toe box 118 and the midsole 105 and/or foxing 108. In such embodiments, the zipper assembly 138 may terminate on the medial side 116 at the termination points described herein.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the shoe 100 that provides additional detail of the outsole 106. Although the outsole 106 is illustrated as being flat and planar, the outsole 106 may include treads in any number of different patterns, configurations, and materials.

Figures 1-7 illustrate the shoe 100 in a closed position with the slider 140 of the zipper assembly 138 at the top line 128. Figures 8-13 are various views of the shoe 100 in an open position to provide more details regarding the operation of the shoe 100. Beginning with Figure 8, the user manipulates the slider 140 along the teeth 156 of the zipper assembly 138 to move the slider 140 along the path of the zipper assembly 138 described above until the slider 140 is at or near its termination point. Then, with reference to Figures 9-13, the user rotates the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 to the illustrated open position. The rotation of the tongue 148 and eyestay 150 provides access to an opening 158 with a size and shape corresponding to the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 as in Figure 9. The opening 158 extends from the topline 128 to the first portion 132 of the vamp 120 and is connected to, integral with, and in fluid communication with the opening 126 at the top of the shoe 100. Thus, in combination, the opening 126 and the opening 158 allow for an unobstructed or semi-obstructed entry into the shoe 100. In some embodiments, the toe box 118 remains closed in the open position of the shoe 100 such that the user can slide into, and out of, the toe box 118 through the openings 126, 158 with entry into the shoe obstructed only by the toe box 118.

Figure 10 is a rear perspective view of the shoe 100 in the open position showing the toe box 118 closed and the openings 126, 158 providing access to the toe box 118. Figure 10 further shows rotation of the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 to the open position.

Figure 11 is a left side perspective view showing the folding of the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 toward the vamp 120. As illustrated, the crease between the eyestay 150 and the vamp 120 occurs along a stitch line between the vamp 120 and the eyestay 150 such that the stitch line acts as a hinge for rotation of the tongue 148 and eyestay 150. In some embodiments, the tongue 148 and eyestay 150 can be rotated at least 180 degrees or at least 270 degrees between the closed position and the open position to ensure that the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 do not obstruct entry into the shoe 100.

Figure 12 and Figure 13 are additional views of the shoe 100 in the open position. In some embodiments, the shoe 100 includes a liner 160 on the interior of the shoe 100 to prevent irritation to the user and improve comfort. Further, a separate piece of the liner 160 is on the backside of the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 such that a portion of the liner 160 rotates with the tongue 148 and the eyestay 150 between the closed and open positions. After the user inserts their foot into the toe box 118, the user manipulates the slider 140 to move the slider 140 along the path and back to the top line 128 of the shoe 100 to return the shoe 100 to the closed position shown in Figures 1-8 and secure the shoe 100 to the foot of the user.

Figure 14 and Figure 15 are perspective views of a shoe 200 that may be similar to shoe 100 except as otherwise noted below. The shoe 200 includes a zipper traveling from a medial side to a lateral side of the shoe 200 such that the zipper of the shoe 200 has an inverse or mirror configuration relative to the zipper assembly 138 described with reference to Figures 1-13. The shoe 200 includes an upper 202 with a vamp 204 and a lateral side 206 and a medial side 208. The upper 202 further includes a top line 210 (which may also be referred to herein as a collar 210) around an opening 212 through which the upper 202 is structured to receive an ankle of a user. The shoe 200 further includes a zipper 214 with a slider 216 structured to move along a path defined by teeth 218 of the zipper 214. The upper 202 further includes an eyestay 220 coupled to the vamp 204 and a toe box 222 coupled to the vamp 204. The toe box 222 is also coupled to a sole 224 of the shoe 200 at a front outermost end 226 of the shoe 200.

In some embodiments, the path begins at the top line 210 of the upper 202 on the medial side 208 of the upper 202. The path continues along an interface between the eyestay 220 and the vamp 204 to the lateral side 206 of the upper 202 before terminating on the lateral side 206 of the upper 202. The path extends on the lateral side 206 of the upper 202 along the interface between the eyestay 220 and the vamp 204 toward the top line 210 before terminating on the lateral side 206 of the upper 202. The termination location of the zipper 214 can be selected to be anywhere on the lateral side 206 of the upper 202 in some embodiments. In one or more embodiments, the termination point of the zipper 214 is located closer to the interface between the toe box 222 and the vamp 204 than the top line 210. The path of the zipper 214 is spaced from the front outermost end 226 of the shoe 200 at least by the toe box 222, or in some embodiments, by the toe box 222 and a portion of the vamp 204. Thus, the present disclosure contemplates zippers beginning and terminating on either or both of the lateral and the medial sides of the shoe, as well as on any other portion of the upper of the shoe.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a shoe 300. The shoe 300 may be similar to shoes 100, 200 except as explained below. The shoe 300 does not include the tongue, eyestay, or shoelace described above with reference to Figures 1-15. Rather, the shoe 300 includes a continuous vamp that is interrupted only by a zipper.

More specifically, the shoe 300 includes a sole 302 and an upper 304 coupled to the sole 302. The upper 304 includes a lateral side 305 and a medial side 307 opposite to the lateral side 305. A toe box 306 is coupled to the sole 302 at an outermost lateral edge 309 of the shoe 300 as well as a vamp 308 coupled to the toe box 306. The vamp 308 includes a first or midsole portion 310 and a second or tongue portion 312. The midsole portion 310 of the vamp 308 is coupled directly to the toe box 306 and extends on the lateral and medial side of the shoe 300 along lower quarters of the shoe 300. The tongue portion 312 of the vamp 308 is located centrally with respect to the shoe 300 and extends from a lower quarter of the shoe 300 to an upper quarter of the shoe 300.

The shoe 300 further includes a zipper 314 coupled to the upper 304 and structured to travel along a path of the type described herein. The path of the zipper 314 for the shoe 300 defines an interface between the portions 310, 312 of the vamp 308. Thus, the zipper 314 travels along a path between the first and second portions 310, 312 of the vamp 308. As shown in Figure 16, the zipper begins at a top of the shoe on the lateral side 305 of the upper 304 and travels from an upper quarter of the vamp 308 on the lateral side 305 to a lower quarter of the vamp 308 on the lateral side 305 before turning and traveling in close proximity to an interface between the toe box 306 and the vamp 308 and terminating on the medial side 307 of the upper 304 and the medial side of the vamp 308. In some embodiments, the path of the zipper is spaced from the toe box 306 by a distance of less than 20 millimeters, less than 10 millimeters, or less than 5 millimeters, inclusive of all values in the stated ranges. In some embodiments, the path of the zipper 314 travels along the interface between the toe box 306 and the vamp 308. The shoe 300 may also include an inverse configuration of the zipper 314, such as of the type described with reference to Figure 14 and Figure 15 and shoe 200. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to shoes with laces, faux laces, and without laces to improve the range of applications for the concepts of the disclosure.

In view of the above, the shoes according of the present disclosure allow an unobstructed or semi-obstructed drop-in entry to the shoe with the zipper spaced from the front end of the shoe to reduce the impacts of toe dragging on the useful life of the zipper and the shoe.

In the above description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with devices, systems, and methods for shoes have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is as “including, but not limited to.” Further, the terms “first,” “second,” and similar indicators of sequence are to be construed as interchangeable unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or other like phrases, such as “in one or more embodiments” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its broadest sense that is as meaning “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

The relative terms “approximately” and “substantially,” when used to describe a value, amount, quantity, or dimension, generally refer to a value, amount, quantity, or dimension that is within plus or minus 5% of the stated value, amount, quantity, or dimension, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is to be further understood that any specific dimensions of components or features provided herein are for illustrative purposes only with reference to the various embodiments described herein, and as such, it is expressly contemplated in the present disclosure to include dimensions that are more or less than the dimensions stated, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/230,585 filed on August 6, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.