US20130104424A1 - Heel-less footwear - Google Patents
Heel-less footwear Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130104424A1 US20130104424A1 US13/661,707 US201213661707A US2013104424A1 US 20130104424 A1 US20130104424 A1 US 20130104424A1 US 201213661707 A US201213661707 A US 201213661707A US 2013104424 A1 US2013104424 A1 US 2013104424A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- user
- footwear
- article
- foot
- sole assembly
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B5/00—Footwear for sporting purposes
- A43B5/12—Dancing shoes
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
- A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
- A43B3/10—Low shoes, e.g. comprising only a front strap; Slippers
- A43B3/101—Slippers, e.g. flip-flops or thong sandals
- A43B3/102—Slippers, e.g. flip-flops or thong sandals leaving the heel of the foot bare
Abstract
An article of footwear including a sole assembly with a bottom surface adapted to extend only to a medial portion of a user's foot is provided. An upper portion of the article of footwear includes a periphery that is partially secured to the sole assembly. The upper portion and the sole assembly define a cavity that is adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot which leaves the heel of the user's foot unsupported by the sole assembly. The cavity has a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length. An attachment assembly is secured to the sole assembly.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/552,529, filed Oct. 28, 2011, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.
- This application is generally related to footwear and more particularly related to heel-less footwear.
- Existing footwear includes heel-less designs for a variety of orthopedic and strengthening purposes. Many versions of heel-less footwear exist in the dance, gymnastics, and martial arts fields. Heel-less dance and gymnastic footwear are typically lightweight, designed for limited use within a dance studio, and lack rigid or semi-rigid soles. Dance and gymnastics footwear are intended to provide a low friction surface on the front area of the foot and are not suitable for high intensity usage or impact on a variety of surfaces. Heel-less martial arts footwear are intended to provide users with adequate protection on the top, bottom, and sides of the foot. Heel-less martial arts footwear includes padded surfaces around the front of the footwear to increase protection of the foot when kicking. Heel-less martial arts footwear also includes straps along the arch of the foot to provide additional bracing support while kicking. Heel-less athletic footwear includes a sole with a raised outsole near the front of the shoe such that the heel portion of the shoe does not contact the ground. However, these shoes completely cover the user's heel and are typically heavier than normal athletic shoes due to the increased size of the sole.
- Therefore, a need exists for lightweight footwear that promotes natural proprioceptive response, balance, and proper contact between the foot and the ground which is durable enough for high impact and high intensity usage.
- An article of footwear is disclosed, the article of footwear includes a sole assembly with a bottom surface adapted to extend only to a medial portion of a user's foot. An upper portion includes a periphery that is partially secured to the sole assembly. The upper portion and the sole assembly define a cavity that is adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot which leaves the heel of the user's foot unsupported by the sole assembly. The cavity has a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length. An attachment assembly is secured to the sole assembly.
- A method for improving proprioceptive response is also disclosed. The method comprises the step of providing an article of footwear for a user's foot, the article of footwear includes a sole assembly and an upper portion that together define a cavity having a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length. The method further includes a user positioning a forward area of the user's foot within the cavity defined by the sole assembly and upper portion, and positioning the sole assembly such that the forward area contacts the sole assembly and a rear area of the user's foot is unsupported and extends away from the sole assembly. The user's foot is supported by the forward area of the user's foot on the assembly.
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FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the article of footwear worn on a user's foot. -
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the article of footwear ofFIG. 1 as shown without a user's foot. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of an article of footwear shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of an article of footwear shown inFIG. 1 . - Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “inner,” “outer,” “inwardly,” and “outwardly” refer to directions towards and away from the parts referenced in the drawings. A reference to a list of items that are cited as “at least one of a, b, or c” (where a, b, and c represent the items being listed) means any single one of the items a, b, c or combinations thereof. The terminology includes the words specifically noted above, derivates thereof, and words of similar import.
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FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the article offootwear 1 according to the present invention. The article offootwear 1 includes asole assembly 2 with abottom surface 3 adapted to extend only to amedial portion 26 of a user'sfoot 24. Thesole assembly 2 preferably includes an outsole, midsole, and insole. The outsole, midsole, and insole are attached to each other by stitching, bonding, or any other suitable attachment means. The outsole is preferably made of neoprene, hard rubber, leather, or another suitable polymeric material. - An
upper portion 10 includes aperiphery 12 that is partially secured to thesole assembly 2. Theupper portion 10 is preferably a lightweight, durable, stretchable material, such as mesh, spandex, nylon, cotton, polyester, polyethylene, or other suitable material. Theperiphery 12 may be secured to the outsole, midsole, or insole of thesole assembly 2. Preferably, theperiphery 12 is secured to the midsole of thesole assembly 2. Theperiphery 12 of theupper portion 10 is secured to thesole assembly 2 by stitching, adhesive-bonding, mold-bonding, or other suitable securing means. Thesole assembly 2 and theupper portion 10 define acavity 14 that is adapted to receive a portion of the user'sfoot 24, which leaves theheel 28 of the user'sfoot 24 unsupported by thesole assembly 2. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , thefootwear 1 according to the invention has a width W and a length L. The width W is preferably at least 65% of the length L. More preferably, the width W is 70-80% of the length L, and most preferably the width W is approximately 75% of the length L. The ratio of the width W to the length L remains the same regardless of the size of the article offootwear 1. For example, for a men's size 9 version of the article offootwear 1, the width W is approximately 4.5 inches and the length L is approximately 6.0 inches. A smaller size could have, for example, a width of 4.0 inches and a length of 5.3 inches. By shortening the length L of the article offootwear 1 and exposing theheel 28, the article offootwear 1 does not dampen the force from heel-striking and the user is encouraged to use aforward area 25 of thefoot 24 to support themselves. It has been observed that a specific ratio between the width W and length L is required to ensure the article offootwear 1 remains tight and secure on the user'sfoot 24. It has also been observed that if the ratio of the width W to the length L is increased by decreasing the length L, then the article offootwear 1 becomes too short to protect theforward area 25 of thefoot 24. If the ratio of the width W to the length L is increased by increasing the length L, then the article offootwear 1 becomes unsuitable for improving proprioceptive response, strength, and balance because the user'sheel 28 is no longer unsupported and the user is likely to use theirheels 28 for support or striking since thesole assembly 2 is protecting theheel 28. - An
attachment assembly 16 is secured to thesole assembly 2 and includes at least onestrap 18 that extends through afastener 22 that is attached to theupper portion 10 or other securing means attached to theupper portion 10 andsole assembly 2. The at least onestrap 18 may be an elastic cord and is preferably nylon or polyester. Thefastener 22 preferably includes a single or double loop and preferably comprises aluminum, polyethylene, composites, or other lightweight durable material. Thesole assembly 2 may be secured to the at least onestrap 18 by stitching, adhesive-bonding, mold-bonding, or other suitable securing means. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , in a preferred embodiment of thefootwear 1, asingle strap 18 has a sufficient length to allow engagement about the user'sheel 28. In this embodiment, thestrap 18 is preferably 12 inches long or of sufficient length to perform its function. - Alternatively, as shown in
FIG. 3 , theattachment assembly 16 may include aclosure 20 for fastening twostraps 18. Theclosure 20 includes snaps, buckles, hook and loop, or other suitable fastening means. Theclosure 20 preferably comprises nylon, polyester, polyethylene, aluminum, or composites. Thestraps 18 of theattachment assembly 16 have sufficient length to allow engagement about the user'sankle 29 and thestraps 18 are each preferably 12 inches long or of sufficient length to perform its function. - In another alternative embodiment shown in
FIG. 4 , theattachment assembly 16 includes twostraps 18 that loop through thefastener 22 and engage theupper portion 10 of the article offootwear 1. One end of each of thestraps 18 may include aclosure 20 and eachstrap 18 preferably has a length of 6 inches or of sufficient length to perform its function. - The
straps 18 may also be tied together in a knot to secure the article offootwear 1 on the user'sfoot 24. - In another alternative embodiment shown in
FIG. 5 , a coveringportion 32 is attached to at least one of thesole assembly 2,upper portion 10, orattachment assembly 16 by stitching, bonding, or any other suitable attachment means. Preferably, the coveringportion 32 is attached to thesole assembly 2 and theattachment assembly 16. The coveringportion 32 covers a bottom surface of the user'sfoot 24 away from thesole assembly 2. The coveringportion 32 engages the user'sfoot 24, and extends to themedial portion 26 of thefoot 24 or covers theheel 28 and extends to a lower portion of a user'sleg 30. The coveringportion 32 is preferably a lightweight, durable, stretchable material, such as mesh, spandex, nylon, cotton, polyester, polyethylene, or other suitable material. - A method for improving proprioceptive response that includes an article of
footwear 1 according to the present invention is also disclosed. The method includes providing the article offootwear 1 for a user'sfoot 24. The article offootwear 1 includes asole assembly 2 and anupper portion 10 that together define acavity 14 adapted to receive a portion of the user'sfoot 24. Thecavity 14 has a length L and a width W, with the width W being at least 65% of the length L. The method further includes the step of the user positioning aforward area 25 of the user'sfoot 24 within thecavity 14 defined by theupper portion 10 and thesole assembly 2, and positioning thesole assembly 2 such that theforward area 25 contacts thesole assembly 2 and arear area 27 of the user'sfoot 24 as well as theheel 28 are unsupported and extend away from thesole assembly 2. The user'sfoot 24 is supported by theforward area 25 of the user'sfoot 24 on thesole assembly 2. - Having thus described various embodiments of the footwear bearing in detail, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes, only a few of which are exemplified in the detailed description above, could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore to be embraced therein.
Claims (13)
1. An article of footwear, comprising:
a sole assembly with a bottom surface adapted to extend only to a medial portion of a user's foot;
an upper portion with a periphery that is partially secured to the sole assembly, the upper portion and the sole assembly defining a cavity adapted to receive a portion of the user's foot, leaving the heel of the user's foot unsupported by the sole assembly, the cavity having a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length; and
an attachment assembly secured to the sole assembly.
2. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the attachment assembly includes at least one strap that extends through a fastener attached to the upper portion or includes other securing means attached to the upper portion and sole assembly.
3. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the at least one strap has a length sufficient to allow engagement about the user's heel.
4. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the attachment assembly includes two straps that each engage the upper portion, the attachment assembly having a closure for fastening the straps.
5. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the attachment assembly includes two straps that each have a length sufficient to allow engagement about the user's ankle, the attachment assembly having a closure for fastening the straps.
6. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the at least one strap comprises an elastic cord.
7. The article of footwear of claim 2 , wherein the fastener includes a single or double loop.
8. The article of footwear of claim 1 , wherein the width is 70-80% of the length.
9. The article of footwear of claim 2 , further comprising a covering portion that engages at least one of the user's heel or the medial portion of the user's foot and is attached to at least one of the sole assembly, upper portion, or attachment assembly.
10. A method for improving proprioceptive response comprising the steps of:
providing an article of footwear for a user's foot, the article of footwear comprising a sole assembly and an upper portion that together define a cavity, the cavity having a length and a width, with the width being at least 65% of the length;
a user positioning a forward area of the user's foot within the cavity defined by the sole assembly and upper portion;
positioning the sole assembly such that the forward area contacts the sole assembly and a rear area of the user's foot is unsupported and extends away from the sole assembly,
whereby the user's foot is supported by the forward area of the user's foot on the sole assembly.
11. The method for improving proprioceptive response of claim 10 , the article of footwear further comprising an attachment assembly including at least one strap or other securing means, the method further comprising the step of engaging the at least one strap about a user's heel.
12. The method for improving proprioceptive response of claim 10 , the article of footwear further comprising an attachment assembly including straps, the method further comprising the step of wrapping the straps around a user's ankle.
13. The method for improving proprioceptive response of claim 10 , wherein the width is 70-80% of the length.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/661,707 US20130104424A1 (en) | 2011-10-28 | 2012-10-26 | Heel-less footwear |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201161552529P | 2011-10-28 | 2011-10-28 | |
US13/661,707 US20130104424A1 (en) | 2011-10-28 | 2012-10-26 | Heel-less footwear |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20130104424A1 true US20130104424A1 (en) | 2013-05-02 |
Family
ID=48170922
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/661,707 Abandoned US20130104424A1 (en) | 2011-10-28 | 2012-10-26 | Heel-less footwear |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20130104424A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN104936475A (en) * | 2013-01-08 | 2015-09-23 | 安东尼奥·桑切斯·洛佩兹 | Gymnastics toe shoe |
FR3087319A1 (en) * | 2018-10-22 | 2020-04-24 | Vincent Gattaz | MULTI-SIZE CLIMBING FOOTWEAR |
US11696616B2 (en) * | 2018-05-30 | 2023-07-11 | Sophia LINDNER | Dancing shoe, sole/toe unit, upper shoe, and kit consisting of a sole or a sole/toe unit and an upper shoe |
Citations (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1326542A (en) * | 1918-08-20 | 1919-12-30 | Anthony L Stebor Jr | Shoe-protector. |
US2555900A (en) * | 1948-04-29 | 1951-06-05 | David B Oliver | Footwear safety guard |
US2966748A (en) * | 1958-12-23 | 1961-01-03 | Harriett B Jeffries | Foldable overshoe |
USD252296S (en) * | 1977-03-28 | 1979-07-10 | Alegria Richard S | Shoe protector or similar article |
US4495715A (en) * | 1981-05-14 | 1985-01-29 | Fredrickson James C | Foot appliance |
US5996258A (en) * | 1998-06-19 | 1999-12-07 | Simmons; Randy Lamont | Protective shoe cover |
US6895694B2 (en) * | 2002-11-19 | 2005-05-24 | William S. Nye | Toe shoe |
USD520217S1 (en) * | 2005-05-04 | 2006-05-09 | Sunae Kim | Two strap heelless ballet shoe |
USD530888S1 (en) * | 2005-05-04 | 2006-10-31 | Sunae Kim | Heelless ballet shoe |
US20070260330A1 (en) * | 2006-05-02 | 2007-11-08 | Melania Mennes | Foot prosthesis to enhance the appearance of a dancer's foot |
US20080209761A1 (en) * | 2007-01-30 | 2008-09-04 | Michael Thoraval | Ballet pointe shoes |
US20090083993A1 (en) * | 2007-10-01 | 2009-04-02 | Marcille Plank | Removable Shoe Cover |
US20090100715A1 (en) * | 2005-04-15 | 2009-04-23 | Cherie Petrea Broadley | Shoe |
US20100107440A1 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2010-05-06 | Thomas Joseph Sansone | Women's shoe cover |
US7934325B2 (en) * | 2007-09-07 | 2011-05-03 | Nike, Inc. | Gymnastics footwear |
US7966747B2 (en) * | 2004-10-08 | 2011-06-28 | Pointe Noir Pty Ltd. | Dance footwear |
US20110185598A1 (en) * | 2010-02-02 | 2011-08-04 | Jimmy Tsen | Protective cover for bicycle and track and field footwear |
-
2012
- 2012-10-26 US US13/661,707 patent/US20130104424A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (18)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1326542A (en) * | 1918-08-20 | 1919-12-30 | Anthony L Stebor Jr | Shoe-protector. |
US2555900A (en) * | 1948-04-29 | 1951-06-05 | David B Oliver | Footwear safety guard |
US2966748A (en) * | 1958-12-23 | 1961-01-03 | Harriett B Jeffries | Foldable overshoe |
USD252296S (en) * | 1977-03-28 | 1979-07-10 | Alegria Richard S | Shoe protector or similar article |
US4495715A (en) * | 1981-05-14 | 1985-01-29 | Fredrickson James C | Foot appliance |
US5996258A (en) * | 1998-06-19 | 1999-12-07 | Simmons; Randy Lamont | Protective shoe cover |
US6895694B2 (en) * | 2002-11-19 | 2005-05-24 | William S. Nye | Toe shoe |
US20050198861A1 (en) * | 2002-11-19 | 2005-09-15 | Nye William S. | Toe shoe |
US7966747B2 (en) * | 2004-10-08 | 2011-06-28 | Pointe Noir Pty Ltd. | Dance footwear |
US20090100715A1 (en) * | 2005-04-15 | 2009-04-23 | Cherie Petrea Broadley | Shoe |
USD520217S1 (en) * | 2005-05-04 | 2006-05-09 | Sunae Kim | Two strap heelless ballet shoe |
USD530888S1 (en) * | 2005-05-04 | 2006-10-31 | Sunae Kim | Heelless ballet shoe |
US20070260330A1 (en) * | 2006-05-02 | 2007-11-08 | Melania Mennes | Foot prosthesis to enhance the appearance of a dancer's foot |
US20080209761A1 (en) * | 2007-01-30 | 2008-09-04 | Michael Thoraval | Ballet pointe shoes |
US7934325B2 (en) * | 2007-09-07 | 2011-05-03 | Nike, Inc. | Gymnastics footwear |
US20100107440A1 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2010-05-06 | Thomas Joseph Sansone | Women's shoe cover |
US20090083993A1 (en) * | 2007-10-01 | 2009-04-02 | Marcille Plank | Removable Shoe Cover |
US20110185598A1 (en) * | 2010-02-02 | 2011-08-04 | Jimmy Tsen | Protective cover for bicycle and track and field footwear |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN104936475A (en) * | 2013-01-08 | 2015-09-23 | 安东尼奥·桑切斯·洛佩兹 | Gymnastics toe shoe |
US11696616B2 (en) * | 2018-05-30 | 2023-07-11 | Sophia LINDNER | Dancing shoe, sole/toe unit, upper shoe, and kit consisting of a sole or a sole/toe unit and an upper shoe |
FR3087319A1 (en) * | 2018-10-22 | 2020-04-24 | Vincent Gattaz | MULTI-SIZE CLIMBING FOOTWEAR |
WO2020083861A1 (en) * | 2018-10-22 | 2020-04-30 | Gattaz Vincent | Multi-size climbing shoe |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: EVOL, LLC, PENNSYLVANIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:QUAIN, KELLY W.;SPARKS, MICHAEL C.;REEL/FRAME:030991/0071 Effective date: 20130725 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |