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US-12622482-B2 - Easy-entry shoe with an inner part

US12622482B2US 12622482 B2US12622482 B2US 12622482B2US-12622482-B2

Abstract

A shoe including a sole, and a shoe upper, the shoe upper including an opening and a vamp, the shoe upper also including an inner layer and an outer layer, where the bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, where the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening, and where the attachment of the inner layer to the outer layer at the front part of the opening is operative to prevent a front part of the inner layer from bending when an object is inserted into the shoe.

Inventors

  • Aharon Bar

Assignees

  • ORTHOFEET, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230313

Claims (6)

  1. 1 . A shoe comprising a sole, the shoe comprising: a shoe upper comprising an opening for entering the shoe, the shoe opening defined by a rear part, a medial part, a lateral part, and a front part; an elastic element in at least one of: the medial part of the shoe, and the lateral part of the shoe; the rear part comprising a top portion reinforced with a firm material; a compression spring element comprising: a top part and a bottom part configured to be compressed towards each other by the application of a force on the top part of the compression spring element, and a side profile that lays flush against a contour of the rear part of the shoe; wherein the compression spring element is mounted inside a sleeve associated with the rear part of the shoe or embedded within the rear part of the shoe, and wherein the compression spring element is substantially centered between a left side and a right side of the rear part of the shoe, and wherein the top part of the compression spring element is attached proximate to the top portion of the rear part, and the bottom part of the compression spring element is attached to the sole.
  2. 2 . The shoe according to claim 1 , further comprising a vamp, an inner layer, and an outer layer, wherein a bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening, and wherein the inner layer is separated from the outer layer in the front part of the opening area and the vamp area.
  3. 3 . The shoe according to claim 1 , further comprising a vamp, an inner layer, and an outer layer, wherein a bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer within at least one of: lateral side of the opening, and medial side of the opening.
  4. 4 . The shoe according to claim 1 , further comprising a vamp, an inner layer, and an outer layer, wherein a bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening, and wherein the inner layer is made from a softer material than the outer layer.
  5. 5 . The shoe according to claim 1 , further comprising a vamp, an inner layer, and an outer layer, wherein a bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer with a stitch at the front part of the opening.
  6. 6 . The shoe according to claim 1 , further comprising a vamp, an inner layer, and an outer layer, wherein a bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, and wherein the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening, and wherein the attachment of the inner layer to the outer layer at the front part of the opening is operative to prevent a front part of the inner layer from bending when an object is inserted into the shoe.

Description

FIELD The field of the present disclosure and the related embodiments relate to the field of footwear, and, more particularly but not exclusively, to footwear, such as a shoe, enabling easy entry of a foot into the shoe. BACKGROUND A significant number of users have difficulties bending down to help put on shoes with closed heel design. However, when putting shoes on and off, most shoes require bending down to lace or unlace the shoe, or help adjusting the rear part of the shoe to enter slip-on shoes. There is thus a widely recognized need for a shoe that enables a user to put it on and off without the need for bending down and using the user's hands. Many such easy-entry shoe are disclosed, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,686,175, 9,675,132, 9,820,527, 9,877,542, U.S. Ser. No. 10/306,947, U.S. Ser. No. 10/506,842, U.S. Ser. No. 10/555,578, U.S. Ser. No. 10/638,810, U.S. Ser. No. 10/653,209, U.S. Ser. No. 10/660,401, U.S. Ser. No. 10/813,405, U.S. Ser. No. 10/842,222, U.S. Ser. No. 10/905,192, U.S. Ser. No. 10/973,279, and US application US20210106094, as well as PCT application WO2012077899. These solutions involve compression of the rear side of the shoe to enable the foot to enter the shoe, and a spring element that returns the compressed rear side to upright position. However, these constructions are costly to manufacture and uncomfortable to wear because of the rigid structure around the heel. Therefore, there is a need for a shoe with a more simplified construction that is easier and inexpensive to produce. SUMMARY According to one exemplary embodiment there is provided an article of wear such as a shoe including a sole, and a shoe upper, the shoe upper including an opening and a vamp, the shoe upper also including an inner layer, and an outer layer, where the bottom part of the outer layer is attached to the sole, and where the inner layer is attached to the outer layer at a front part of the opening. According to another exemplary embodiment the inner layer is attached to the outer layer within at least one of: lateral side of the opening, and medial side of the opening. According to still another exemplary embodiment the inner layer is separated from the outer layer in the front part of the opening area and the vamp area. The vamp is the front and center part of a shoe's upper that covers the top of the foot. According to yet another exemplary embodiment the inner layer is made from a softer material than the outer layer. Further according to another exemplary embodiment, the inner layer is attached to the outer layer with a stitch at the front part of the opening. Still further, according to another exemplary embodiment the attachment of the inner layer to the outer layer at the front part of the opening is operative to prevent a front part of the inner layer from bending when an object is inserted into the shoe. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art. The materials, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Except to the extent necessary or inherent in the processes themselves, no particular order of steps or stages of methods and processes described in this disclosure, including the figures, is intended or implied. In many cases the order of process steps may vary without changing the purpose or effect of the methods described. Implementation of the method and system of embodiments disclosed below involves performing or completing certain selected tasks or steps manually, automatically, or any combination thereof. Moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of preferred embodiments of the method and system presented herein several selected steps could be implemented by hardware or by software on any operating system of any firmware or any combination thereof. For example, as hardware, selected steps could be implemented as a chip or a circuit. As software, selected steps could be implemented as a plurality of software instructions being executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In any case, selected steps of the method and system disclosed herein could be described as being performed by a data processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality of instructions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various embodiments are described herein, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments only, and are presented in order to provide what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the embodiment. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the embodiments in more detail than is ne