[0001] This invention relates to an athletic shoe having laces by which the shoe is secured
to the wearer's foot.
[0002] Athletic shoes conventionally are made of more flexible material and construction
than is the ordinary walking shoe to allow for a close and comfortable flexing of
the shoe around the wearer's foot during strenuous foot movements while the wearer
is engaged in athletic activities such as jogging and running. As with conventional
shoes, it is common to employ a lace closing or lace securement means to secure the
shoe on the wearer's foot. The wearer establishes the condition of securement by tieing
the lace to a degree desired by him and particular to the feeling of foot comfort
sought, while at the same time establishing the necessary secure retention of the
shoe on his foot during strenuous use. Lacing and unlacing the shoe to put it on or
take it off is a simple enough task but at times, especially after strenuous activity,
the wearer may want to remove the shoe as rapidly as possible and without untieing
the lace. This could, of course, be done by endeavoring to pull the shoe off the foot
if that is possible. If it is, it requires effort and time likely to be greater than
would be involved in simply untieing the lace. If the wearer does pull the tied lace
shoe off his foot, he must undo the lace the next time he wants to put the shoe on
and, of course, make sure that the lace is tied again to the requisite condition of
tightness peculiar to his comfort. It is desirable therefore that a more convenient
and quicker way of putting on and removing an athletic shoe be provided and especially
one that allows the wearer, having once tied the lace to meet his own particular requirements
of tightness, to leave the lace in that condition.
[0003] Accordingly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a conventional lace-secured
athletic shoe with auxilary securement means which, by simple finger-applied force,
can be readily opened or readily closed by the wearer to facilitate putting on or
removing the shoe while leaving the shoe lace securement means in secured condition.
[0004] In accordance with the invention, there is provided an athletic shoe comprising an
upper piece which is mounted on a sole and which is provided with a foot opening and
a vamp part extending forwardly from the opening toward the toe of the shoe, the upper
piece having eyelets in longitudinally confronting vamp segments of the vamp part
through which a lacing member passes back and forth from the respective vamp segments
so that the vamp segments define a lacing course for the shoe on the wearer's foot
by tieing the lacing members into a securing condition, wherein at least one of the
vamp segments of the vamp part of the upper piece has auxiliary securing means disposed
therein which extend from the foot opening of the upper piece towards the toe and
alongside a considerable length of the lacing course defined by the vamp segments,
the auxiliary securing means being readily operable by a simple finger-applied pulling
force thereon in order to enlarge the foot opening beyond the securing size it has
when the shoe is secured on the wearer's foot and sufficiently to allow quick donning
and quick removal of the shoe on and from the wearer's foot while the lacing member
is in its securing condition, the auxiliary seauring means being readily closeable
by a simple finger-applied pulling force thereon in order to restore the foot opening
to its securing size while the lacing member is in its securing condition and thereby
to cause the shoe, after being quickly donned by the wearer, to be secured on his
foot.
[0005] The auxiliary securing means may, for example, be in the form of a slide fastener
or a "Velcro" type of fastener. It may, moreover, be disposed at either the outstep
side or the instep side of the shoe, or even at both sides.
[0006] A fuller understanding of the nature and aims of the invention will be had from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
in which:
FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an athletic shoe constructed in accordance
with the principles of the present invention with both the lace shoe closure means
and the auxiliary securement means being shown in secured or closed condition, the
depicted auxiliary securement means being a slide fastener located on the outstep
side of the shoe;
FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3 is a fragmented plan view similar to Figure 2 with the auxiliary securement
means in open or unsecured condition as when, e.g., the user is removing the shoe
through the foot opening enlarged by opening the auxiliary securement means, portions
of the lace being removed for purposes of clarity; and
FIGURE 4 is a plan view similar to FIGURE 3 showing use of a "Velcro" type of fastener
as the auxiliary securement means and its location at the instep side of the shoe,
the securement means being shown in closed condition and the lace not being shown
in full detail for the sake of clarity of depiction.
[0007] Throughout the following description, like reference numerals are used to denote
the like parts in the drawings.
[0008] The athletic shoe 10 shown in Figures 1-3 is a generally conventional construction
for shoes of such type. It is made with relatively light, flexible materials to closely
conform with the wearer's foot and yet provide a high level of comfort when worn by
the user in a demanding athletic exercise, e.g., jogging. The shoe 10 includes a sole
12 on which is secured in known manner a foot-enclosing structure or upper piece 14,
the upper piece 14 including a foot receptive opening 16 which, as will be understood,
is enlarged when the shoe is put on or taken off, the opening 16 being contracted
to the size shown when conventional shoe securement means, i.e., lacing is secured.
The shoe has a heel part 18, a front or toe part 20 and a vamp part 22, these parts
desirably being of relatively thicker anti-scuff matterials which are, as is common,
somewhat more rigid than the remaining material which is usually of somewhat soft,
highly flexible material. The vamp part 22 extends forwardly from the foot opening
16 toward the toe 20 and comprises longitudinally directed vamp segments 24,26, one
at the instep side and the other at the outstep side of the shoe. Vamp segments 24,26
carry eyelets 30 in which can be received, in winding course back and forth from the
vamp segments, the usual lace member 32, the lace'being tied to effect securement
of the shoe on the wearer's foot. The vamp segments define the lacing course extending
in the direction of the foot. With a properly sized shoe, the user in tieing the lace
does so to a condition of securement particular to his own comfort and feel when wearing
the shoe during demanding and strenuous activities which involve requirements for
accommodating the necessary shoe flexure or movement following the motion of the foot
as well as maintaining the securement of the shoe on the foot to avoid loosening or
even loss of the shoe during exercise.
[0009] The present invention enables the shoe to be put on or taken off by the user quickly,
with minimum effort and without recourse to untieing the lace, thus leaving the primary
shoe securement means in secured condition. The effort involved is one of merely applying
with the fingers a simple pulling force to an auxiliary securement means to open and
close same. The auxiliary securement means in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3
is a slide fastener 40 disposed in the vamp segment 24, spaced adjacent to the lacing
course and extending from foot opening 16 longitudinally forward a considerable length
of said lacing course, terminating short of the lacing course front terminus, e.g.,
in the region of the second frontmost eyelets of the vamp segments. The shoe as shown
in Figure 2 is in the secured condition it has on the wearer's foot. The lace 32 is
tied and the slide fastener 40 is closed. If the wearer desires to remove the shoe
quickly, he need only by grasping the pull tab 42, slide the slider 44 forwardly,
opening the auxiliary securement means and thereby enlarging the foot opening to permit
him to slip his foot easily into and quickly out of the shoe, the open condition of
the slide fastener 40 being shown in Figure 3. The lace 32 or primary securement means
can be left untouched. Thus, when the user desires to put the shoe back on, he need
only slip his foot into it and pull the slide fastener closed. Since the lace 32 is
already tied in a securing condition, this will result in the shoe being secured comfortably
and properly on the foot.
[0010] Figure 4 depicts an alternative form of auxiliary securement means 50 disposed at
the instep side of the shoe and in the form of a "Velcro" type of fastener. Vamp segment
26 is made with overlapping parts 52,54, the upper-part 52 carrying at the underside
a fastening means cooperative with companion "Velcro" type fastening means 56 carried
on top of lapped part 54. By applying a finger-applied pulling force to flap part
52, this part can be separated from part 54 to open the auxiliary securement means
and, conversely, by pulling and pressing part 52 against part 54, it can be closed.
[0011] While there is above disclosed only certain embodiments of the present invention,
it will be appreciated that variations and modifications therein can be produced without
departing from the scope of the invention concept herein disclosed.
1. An athletic shoe comprising an upper piece which is mounted on a sole and which
is provided with a foot opening and a vamp part extending forwardly from the opening
toward the toe of the shoe, the upper piece having eyelets in longitudinally confronting
vamp segments of the vamp part through which a lacing member passes back and forth
from the respective vamp segments so that the vamp segments define a lacing course
for securing the shoe on the wearer's foot by tieing the lacing member into a securing
condition, characterized in that at least one of the vamp segments (24,26) of the
vamp part (22) of the upper piece (14) has auxiliary securing means (40 or 50) disposed
therein which extend from the foot opening (16) of the upper piece towards the toe
(20) and alongside a considerable length of the lacing course defined by the vamp
segments, the auxiliary securing means being readily openable by a simple finger-applied
pulling force thereon in order to enlarge the foot opening beyond the securing size
it has when the shoe (10) is secured on the wearer's foot and sufficiently to allow
quick donning and quick removal of the shoe on and from the wearer's foot while the
lacing member (32) is in its securing condition, the auxiliary securing means being
readily closeable by a simple finger-applied pulling force thereon in order to restore
the foot opening to its securing size while the lacing member is in its securing condition
and thereby to cause the quickly donned shoe to be secured on the wearer's foot.
2. The athletic shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary securing
means comprises a slide fastener (40) or a "Velcro" type of fastener (50).
3. The athletic shoe according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the securing
means (40 or 50) are disposed at the outstep side, the instep side or both sides of
the shoe (10).
4. The athletic shoe according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the
auxiliary securing means (40 or 50) extend from the foot opening (16) forwardly to
a termination thereof in the region of the second frontmost eyelets (30) of the vamp
segments (24,26).