EP4088608A1

EP4088608A1 - A shoe with a forefoot flap

Info

Publication number: EP4088608A1
Application number: EP21173512.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bahar Unterdorfer
Original assignee: Legendary Shoes Ug Haftungsbeschraenkt IG
Current assignee: Legendary Shoes Ug Haftungsbeschraenkt IG
Priority date: 2021-05-12
Filing date: 2021-05-12
Publication date: 2022-11-16

Abstract

A shoe with a forefoot flap that includes a lower portion and the forefoot flap. The lower portion includes a front section and a rear section. The front section is configured to accommodate a forefoot of a wearer. The rear section is configured to accommodate a heel of the wearer. Further, the forefoot flap includes a stitched section and a removable section. The stitched section is stitched to a first portion of the front section and the forefoot flap is configured to surmount the front section when the removable section is fastened to a second portion of the front section, via a locking mechanism.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a shoe and, particularly, to a shoe equipped with a forefoot flap.

BACKGROUND

The object of the present invention is to provide a shoe equipped with a forefoot flap that solve problems in the prior art relating to issues faced in accurately determining the size of the shoe that fits a wearer.
Typically, in conventional shoes, the wearer is required to insert the feet or a portion thereof and assess whether the toes the foot of the wearer fits inside the shoe without any undue pressure being felt at various portions of the foot. In scenarios, when the area of the shoe covering the forefoot is opaque, the wearer may not be able to properly assess the fitting of the shoe. There may be cases where the foot of the wearer might just fit the shoe but because of no visibility on the proximity of the forefoot with the front portion of the shoe. In such scenario, any damage caused to the foot may be observed only after extended wearing of the shoe.
Another scenario, involves kids and differently abled. The obvious communication issues faced by such wearers, may lead to selection of shoe which inadequately fit the feet. In other words, such wearers may not be able to effectively comprehend and communicate the inadequacies of the size of the conventional shoes, leading to injuries and foot sores.
Therefore, a need exists for a shoe that enables the wearer to select a size best suited for the feet of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the embodiments illustrated herein, there is provided a shoe with a forefoot flap. The shoe comprises a lower portion having a front section and a rear section. The front section is configured to accommodate a forefoot of a wearer. The rear section is configured to accommodate a heel of the wearer. The stitched section is stitched to a first portion of the front section. The forefoot flap is configured to surmount the front section when the removable section is fastened to a second portion of the front section, via a locking mechanism.
In an embodiment, the locking mechanism corresponds to a zip that includes a first strip stitched to the forefoot flap, a second strip stitched to the lower portion of the shoe, and a slider. The zip is configured to fasten the removable section to the second portion, when the slider is slid across the length of the first strip and the second strip. The lower portion includes a strip of Velcro^® that is configured to cover the zip, when the removable section is fastened to a second portion of the front section. The forefoot flap includes a plurality of eyelets configured to accommodate a plurality of shoelaces for tightening the grip of the shoe on the foot of the wearer.
In an embodiment, the strip of Velcro^® is stitched to the lower portion of the shoe. In another embodiment, the strip of Velcro^® is stitched to the forefoot flap. In an embodiment, the locking mechanism corresponds to one or more Velcro^® strips configured to stick the forefoot flap and the second section of the lower portion together.
In an embodiment, the shoe further includes a notched instep, a plurality of eyelets, and a plurality of straps. In such an embodiment, the plurality of straps passes through the an eyelet from the plurality of eyelets, and wherein the plurality of straps are stretched to bring the ends of the notched instep closer to each other for fitting forefoot of the wearer.
These features and advantages of the present disclosure may be appreciated by reviewing the following description of the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the embodiments of systems, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure. Any person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent an example of the boundaries. In some examples, one element may be designed as multiple elements, or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component in another, and vice versa. Furthermore, the elements may not be drawn to scale.
Various embodiments will hereinafter be described in accordance with the appended drawings, which are provided to illustrate, not limit, the scope, wherein similar designations denote similar elements, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a front-side perspective view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a bottom-side plan view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a right-side elevation view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a left-side elevation view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a left-side perspective view of the shoe with a forefoot flap having a Velcro^® strip for covering the locking mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a right-side elevation view of a shoe with a forefoot flap and a shoe tightening mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments have been discussed with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions provided herein with respect to the figures are merely for explanatory purposes, as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. For instance, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternative and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond certain implementation choices in the following embodiments.
References to "one embodiment", "at least one embodiment", "an embodiment", "one example", "an example", "for example", and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase "in an embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of the ordinary skills in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any method and material similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials have been described. All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned herein are incorporated in their entirety.
It is noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "and", and "the" include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the claims, the terms "first", "second", and so forth are to be interpreted merely as ordinal designations; they shall not be limited in themselves. Furthermore, the use of exclusive terminology such as "solely", "only", and the like in connection with the recitation of any claim element is contemplated. It is also contemplated that any element indicated to be optional herein may be specifically excluded from a given claim by way of a "negative" limitation. Finally, it is contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variation(s) described herein may be set forth and claimed independently or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein.
All references cited herein, including publications, patent applications, and patents, are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference, and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.
The disclosed and claimed invention herein provides a shoe with a forefoot flap. The shoe comprises a lower portion having a front section and a rear section. The front section may be configured to accommodate a forefoot of a wearer. The rear section may be configured to accommodate a heel of the wearer. The stitched section may be stitched to a first portion of the front section. The forefoot flap may be configured to surmount the front section when the removable section is fastened to a second portion of the front section, via a locking mechanism.
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. With regards to the Fig. 1, there is shown a shoe 100 that is configured to accommodate a foot of a wearer 102. For the purpose of illustration, the foot of the wearer 102 includes a forefoot 104 and a heel 106.
Fig. 1 further depicts a plurality of components of the shoe 100. In an embodiment, the shoe 100 may include a forefoot flap 108 and a lower portion 110. The lower portion 110 of the shoe 100 may be bifurcated into a front section 112 and a rear section 114. In an embodiment, the wearer 102 may rest the foot on the lower portion 110 of the shoe in a manner that the forefoot 104 is accommodated in the front section 112 and the heel 106 is accommodated in the rear section 114 of the lower portion 110.
Once placed on the lower portion 110, the forefoot 104 may be surmounted by the forefoot flap 108. In an embodiment, the forefoot flap 108 includes a stitched section 116 and a removable section 118. The stitched section 116 may be attached to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100 by means of stitching. Specifically, the stitched section 116 may be stitched to a first portion 120 of the front section 112 by use of a thread, seams of which may be visible on the outer portion of the forefoot flap 108 for decorative purposes. In an embodiment, the forefoot flap 108 may be an extension of the lower portion 110 with the stitched section 116 serving as a bridge between the lower portion 110 and the removable section 118 of the forefoot flap 108.
The removable section 118 may be configured to be fastened to the second portion 122 of the front section 112 by use of a locking mechanism. Using the locking mechanism, when the removable section 118 is fastened to a second portion 122 of the front section 112, the forefoot flap 108 may surmount the forefoot 104 placed on the lower portion 110.
In an embodiment, the locking mechanism may correspond to a zip. The zip may include a first strip 124, a second strip 126, and a slider 128. The first strip 124 may be stitched to the forefoot flap 108 along the length of the second portion 122. The second strip 126 may be stitched to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100 along the portion that directly lies below the removable section 118, when the forefoot flap 108 surmounts the forefoot 104. When placed to surmount the forefoot 104, the slider 128 may be configured to fasten the forefoot flap 108 to the lower portion 110, by moving the slider 128 along the length of the first strip 124 and the second strip 126, in a manner that binds the teeth of the strips together to fasten the forefoot flap 108 to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the zip may correspond to a continuous zipper chain, nylon coil zipper, metal teeth zipper, molded plastic zipper, lapped zipper, and the like.
In an embodiment, the shoe 100 may include a strip of Velcro^® that may be attached lower portion 110. The strip may be used to cover the zip, when the forefoot flap 108 is fastened to the lower portion 110. In an embodiment, one end of such a strip may be stitched to the rear section 114. Such a strip may extend over the length of the zip and may be fastened to a patch of loops stitched over the first portion 120 in a manner to hide the zip from being displayed while it is in a fastened state.
In another embodiment, the strip of Velcro^® having hooks may be attached lower portion 110 along the length of the lower portion 110 that lies below the removable section 118, when the forefoot flap 108 surmounts the forefoot 104. Corresponding to the Velcro^® strip in the lower portion 110, a strip of loops may be attached to the removable section 118 of the forefoot flap 108. When the forefoot flap 108 surmounts the forefoot 104, the strip from the lower portion 110 may be extended to bind to the strip on the forefoot flap to fasten the forefoot flap 108 in a fixed position. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in another embodiment, the placement of the Velcro^® strips may be swapped.
In another embodiment, the locking mechanism may correspond to Velcro^®. In such an embodiment, the strip having hook may be stitched to the removable section 118 of the forefoot flap 108. Further, the strip having loops may be stitched to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100 along the portion that directly lies below the second portion 122 when the forefoot flap 108 surmounts the forefoot 104. When placed to surmount the forefoot 104, the strip having hook may stick to the strip having the loops in a manner that fastens the forefoot flap 108 to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in an alternate embodiment, the arrangement of the strips having hook and the loop may reversed such that the strip of hook may be stitched to the lower portion and the strip of the loop may be stitched to the forefoot flap 108.
In an embodiment, the forefoot flap 108 includes a plurality of eyelets disposed along the outer surface of the flap. The eyelets may be configured to accommodate a plurality of shoelaces for tightening the grip of the shoe 100 on the foot of the wearer 102.
Fig. 2 is a front-side perspective view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Elements of Fig. 2 have been explained in conjunction with the elements depicted in Fig. 1.
With regards to the Fig. 2, there is shown the shoe 100 including the forefoot flap 108 and the lower portion 110. The shoe depicted in Fig. 2 further illustrates the position and orientation of the stitched section 116 and the removable section 118. The stitched section 116 may be stitched to the first portion 120 of the lower portion 110 of the shoe. The removable section 118 may be stitched to the first portion 120 of the lower portion 110 of the shoe. The details of the stitched section 116 and the removable section 118 and placement thereof has been explained in detail in Fig.1.
Fig. 2 further depicts the locking mechanism that corresponds to a zip. The zip includes the first strip 124, the second strip 126, and a slider (not shown in Fig. 2). The first strip 124 may be stitched to the forefoot flap 108 along the length of the second portion 122. The second strip 126 may be stitched to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100 along the portion that directly lies below the removable section 118, when the forefoot flap 108 surmounts the forefoot 104. Further, the slider may be configured to fasten the forefoot flap 108 to the lower portion 110, by moving the slider 128 (shown in Fig. 1) along the length of the first strip 124 and the second strip 126, in a manner that binds the teeth of the strips together to fasten the forefoot flap 108 to the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100.
Fig. 3 is a bottom-side plan view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Elements of Fig. 3 have been explained in conjunction with the elements depicted in Fig.'s 1 to 2. With reference to Fig. 3, there is depicted the lower side view of the lower portion 110 of the shoe 100. As is illustrated in the Fig. 3, the lower portion 110 of shoe is bifurcated into the front section 112 and the rear section 114.
Fig. 4 is a right-side elevation view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Elements of Fig. 4 have been explained in conjunction with the elements depicted in Fig.'s 1 to 3.
With reference to Fig. 4, there is the right-side elevation view of the shoe 100 to be worn on the right feet of the wearer 102. Fig. 4 depicts right-side view of the plurality of components of the shoe 100, as explained in detail in Fig. 1. The view depicts the forefoot flap 108 and lower portion 110. The view further depicts the forefoot flap 108 in a fastened state wherein the removable section 118 of the flap is fastened to the corresponding second portion 122 of the front section 112 using the locking mechanism (zip in this case). Fig. 4 further depicts the arrangement of the first strip 124 with respect to the removable section 118 and the second strip 126 with respect to the second portion 122. Further, there is depicted the slider 128 that has been slid across the length of the strips to bind the removable section 118 of the forefoot flap 108 to the second portion 122 of the front section 112. The forefoot flap 108 in this configuration surmounts the forefoot of the wearer 102, if inserted into the shoe 100.
Fig. 5 is a left-side elevation view of the shoe with a forefoot flap, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Elements of Fig. 5 have been explained in conjunction with the elements depicted in Fig.'s. 1 to 4.
With reference to Fig. 5, there is the left-side elevation view of the shoe 100 to be worn on the right feet of the wearer 102. Fig. 5 depicts left-side view of the plurality of components of the shoe 100, as explained in detail in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 depicts an exemplary configuration in which the forefoot flap 108 is attached to the lower portion 110. Specifically, the Fig. 5 depicts the mechanism using the which the forefoot flap 108 is connected to the lower portion 110. In an exemplary configuration, the forefoot flap includes the stitched section 116, which is attached to the first portion 120 of the lower portion 110 by use of stitching.
The Fig. 5 further illustrates the view further depicts the forefoot flap 108 in a fastened state wherein the removable section 118 of the flap is fastened to the corresponding second portion 122 of the front section 112 using the locking mechanism (zip in this case). Fig. 5 further depicts the arrangement of the first strip 124 with respect to the removable section 118 and the second strip 126 with respect to the second portion 122.
Fig. 6 is a left-side perspective view of the shoe with a forefoot flap having a Velcro^® strip for covering the locking mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Elements of Fig. 6 have been explained in conjunction with the elements depicted in Fig.'s 1 to 5.
With reference to Fig. 6, there is the left-side perspective view of the shoe 100 to be worn on the left feet of the wearer 102. In an exemplary configuration, the depicted shoe 100 may include the forefoot flap 108 and the lower portion 110. The forefoot flap 108 in the depicted shoe 100 is placed in a position (using the components disclosed in Fig.'s 1 to 5) where it may surmount the forefoot 104 of the wearer. In addition to the components disclosed above, the depicted shoe 100 may include a strip of Velcro ^® 602 that may be configured to cover the locking mechanism (for example, the zip). The strip of Velcro ^® 602 may include a portion 604 that may be equipped with the hooks or loops. It is through the portion 604 that the strip of Velcro ^® 602 may bind to the stitched section 116 of the lower portion 110, which may in turn be equipped with a patch of Velcro^® (not shown).
Fig. 7 is a right-side elevation view of a shoe with a forefoot flap and a shoe tightening mechanism, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Elements of Fig. 7 have been explained in conjunction with the elements depicted in Fig.'s 1 to 7.
With reference to Fig. 7, there is the right-side elevation view of a shoe 700 to be worn on the left feet of the wearer 102. In an exemplary configuration, the depicted shoe 700 may be similar to the shoe 100 depicted in Fig's. 1 to 6.
Similar to the shoe 100, the shoe 700 may include a lower portion 702 and a forefoot flap 704. The lower portion 702 of the shoe 700 may be bifurcated into a front section 706 and a rear section 708. In an embodiment, the wearer 102 may rest the foot on the lower portion 702 of the shoe in a manner that the forefoot 104 is accommodated in the front section 706 and the heel 106 is accommodated in the rear section 708 of the lower portion 702.
In an embodiment, the shoe 700 may further include a notched instep 710. The gap between the left and right portions of the notched instep 710 may be reduced for the wearer 102 for better fit by use of a plurality of straps 712 passing through a plurality of eyelets 714. In an embodiment, the plurality of straps 712 and the lower portion 110. The forefoot flap 108 in the depicted shoe 100 is placed in a position (using the components disclosed in Fig.'s 1 to 5) where it may surmount the forefoot 104 of the wearer.
In an embodiment, the plurality of straps 712 may include strips of Velcro^® that may be configured pass across and over the notched instep 710. The plurality of straps 712 may include portions including hooks and loops that enable the tightening of the notched instep 710 thereby enabling adjustment of the fitting of the shoe on the foot of the wearer 102.
Once placed on the lower portion 702, the forefoot 104 may be surmounted by a forefoot flap 704. In an embodiment, the forefoot flap 704 includes a stitched section 716 and a removable section 718. The stitched section 716 may be attached to notched instep 710 of the shoe 700 by means of stitching. Specifically, the stitched section 716 may be stitched to the notched instep 710, by use of a thread.
The removable section 718 may be configured to be fastened to the front section 706 by use of a locking mechanism. When the removable section 718 is not fastened to the front section 706, the forefoot flap 704 may leave an opening 720 between the forefoot flap 704 and the front section 706 that may provide space to the toe of the wearer 102 to protrude from the opening. This may specifically be useful in scenarios where the size of the shoe 700 is smaller than the size of the foot of the wearer 102, thereby preventing injury to the foot of the wearer 102 due to misfit.
While the summary and detailed description show and describe preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art recognize those embodiments as examples. The specification does not limit the invention by the specific examples provided. Instead, those skilled in the art recognize variations, changes, and substitutions without departing from the invention. Furthermore, all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions, configurations, or relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. The inventor contemplates that the invention shall cover alternatives, modifications, variations, or equivalents.

ADVANTAGES

The disclosed shoe with a forefoot flap allows a wearer to visibly verify the size of the shoe with respect to the size of the foot of the wearer. This is specifically useful when the wearer faces challenges in accurately assessing the size of the shoe. By providing an open structure at the time of inserting the foot, the disclosed shoe assists the wearers such as kids and/or differently abled (and attendants thereof) to accurately correlate the size of the shoe with the size of the foot of the wearer. This also prevents situations where the size of the shoe might seem appropriate, but over the due course of usage of the shoe leads to shoe bites because of friction caused by the touching surfaces within the shoe.
The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.
No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.
Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
A person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the systems, components, and sub-components have been illustrated and explained to serve as examples and should not be considered limiting in any manner. It will be further appreciated that the variants of the above disclosed system elements, components, and sub-components, and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined to create other different systems or applications.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the aforementioned steps and/or system modules may be suitably replaced, reordered, or removed, and additional steps and/or elements, components, and sub-components may be inserted, depending on the needs of a particular application.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A shoe with a forefoot flap, the shoe comprising:
a lower portion having a front section and a rear section,
wherein the front section is configured to accommodate a forefoot of a wearer, and wherein the rear section is configured to accommodate a heel of the wearer; and

the forefoot flap having a stitched section and a removable section,
wherein the stitched section is stitched to a first portion of the front section, and

wherein the forefoot flap is configured to surmount the front section, when the removable section is fastened to a second portion of the front section, via a locking mechanism.
The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism corresponds to a zip having:
a first strip stitched to the forefoot flap,

a second strip stitched to the lower portion of the shoe, and

a slider.
The shoe as claimed in claim 2, wherein the zip is configured to fasten the removable section to the second portion when the slider is slid across the length of the first strip and the second strip.
The shoe as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower portion comprises a strip of Velcro^® that is configured to cover the zip, when the removable section is fastened to a second portion of the front section.
The shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein the strip of Velcro^® is stitched to the lower portion of the shoe.
The shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein the strip of Velcro^® is stitched to the forefoot flap.
The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism corresponds to one or more Velcro^® strips configured to stick the forefoot flap and the second section of the lower portion together.
The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the forefoot flap comprises a plurality of eyelets configured to accommodate a plurality of shoelaces for tightening the grip of the shoe on the foot of the wearer.
The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shoe further comprises a notched instep, a plurality of eyelets, and a plurality of straps.
The shoe as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of straps passes through the an eyelet from the plurality of eyelets, and wherein the plurality of straps are stretched to bring the ends of the notched instep closer to each other for fitting forefoot of the wearer.