WO2000047073A2

WO2000047073A2 - Infant shoe

Info

Publication number: WO2000047073A2
Application number: PCT/IB2000/000357
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeffrey N. Silverman
Original assignee: Ecco Sko A/S
Priority date: 1999-02-08
Filing date: 2000-02-03
Publication date: 2000-08-17
Also published as: WO2000047073A3; AU3315700A

Abstract

A shoe for an infant or toddler provides the benefits of a good fit associated with a lace-up shoe, and ease of putting on. The shoe has a conventional sole, but the upper is divided between a shoe body (31) and a top closure portion. The top closure portion (32) is hingedly attached to the shoe body and is movable between open position (for putting the shoe on the child's foot) and a closed position (with the shoe fitted onto the child's foot). The hinge (52) may be located at a front end of the top closure portion (so that the closure opens forwardly), or at a side edge of the top closure portion (so that the closure opens sideways). When the top closure portion is in the open position, it creates a much larger opening, into which to fit a child's foot, than is available in conventional shoes. Once the foot is in the shoe, the top closure portion is secured in the closed position by a quick securing zipper fastener (34) which attaches the top closure portion to the upper edge of the body portion. When the top closure portion is in the closed position the shoe operates in the same way as a normal shoe, as the shoe also has a conventional shoelace and eyelet closure, which can be used to adjust the fit of the shoe to the child's foot. Once the proper fit is obtained it is maintained by using the zipper fastener to open and close the shoe for removal or putting on.

Description

INFANT SHOE

Prior Application

I claim priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent application no. 60/119,141 , filed 8 February 1999.

Field Of The Invention

The present invention relates to the field of footwear, and in particular, shoes for infants.

Background Of The Invention

Parents know the difficulty involved in putting shoes on an infant or toddler. The child's feet can be balky, for instance, when the child's toes curl up as the shoe is put on. It can be difficult or impossible at times to fit the child's foot into the shoe's opening. The best chance of successfully getting the shoes on the children's foot is to open the shoe's opening as wide as possible. If the shoe is a toddler shoe with a conventional shoelace and eyelet closure system, the parent will face a lengthy process of loosening the shoelace, pulling out the shoe tongue, coaxing the child's foot into the shoe, replacing the tongue in the proper position, then tightening the loose laces, and finally, tying a bow in the shoelace. This process is often so time consuming that many parents have switched to toddler shoes with hook and loop fastening systems (for example, the fastening systems sold under the trademark Velcro®). These closure systems have become very popular among parents who have struggled to insert their children's feet into conventional toddler shoes with a conventional shoelace and eyelet closure system. There are some drawbacks to such hook and loop closure systems, in particular, that a determined toddler can open the closure with relative ease compared with the a difficulty encountered by a toddler in untying a laced up shoe. Also, there is less ability in a shoe with a hook and loop closure system to control the final fit of the shoe on the foot. A conventional laced shoe can be made looser or tighter by the looseness of tightness of the laces. Shoes with a hook and loop closure system are less susceptible of being snugly fitted to the child's foot, since there is a limited range of positions for placing the hook fastening pad relative to the position of the mating loop fastening pad, and to still obtain a sufficient overlap of these two pads to provide a secure closure.

Moreover, many parents may not even think about the need for proper fitting of the shoe to the child's foot and will simply do what appears to be correct, that is, to locate the hook fastening pad exactly in the position of the mating loop fastening pad. It is to be appreciated that with toddlers, especially, a correctly fitted shoe is very important to the toddler's developmental advances in learning to walk, and to the correct growth and development the toddler's foot bones and muscles.

Summary Of The Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a shoe, particularly adapted for an infant or toddler, that is easy to put on, and keep on, the child's foot.

It is an object of the invention to provide a shoe, particularly adapted for an infant or toddler, that is adjustable in tightness of fit, while having ease of opening and closing to receive the child's foot.

It is an object of the invention to provide a shoe, particularly adapted for an infant or toddler, that is easy for an adult to put on and remove from the child's foot, yet is difficult for the child to remove. A shoe, meeting the above objects, in accordance with the invention, comprises: a sole; and an upper, in which the upper has a body portion and a top closure portion. The body portion has a lower edge affixed to the sole, and an upper edge defining an opening. The top closure portion is sized to fit within and cover a portion of the opening defined by the body portion, leaving a partial opening in an upper end of the body portion (the opening which will receive the child's ankle). The top closure portion has a pair of spaced-apart stays, as is typical in lace up shoes, which are preferably secured together with a shoelace.

The top closure portion is hingedly affixed to the body portion by a hinge portion connecting an edge of the top closure portion to the body portion upper edge, so that the top closure portion is movable between an open position (for putting the shoe on the child's foot) and a closed position (with the shoe fitted onto the child's foot). The hinge may be located at a front end of the top closure portion (so that the closure opens forwardly), or at a side edge of the top closure portion (so that the closure opens sideways).

The effect of moving the top closure portion to an open position is to create a much larger opening, into which to fit a child's foot, than is available in conventional shoes. This larger opening allows the shoe to be fitted around the foot, with a potential to manually uncurl a child's curled up toes, rather than requiring the foot to be coaxed into the shoe opening, possible several times if the child is balky or curling her toes.

The top closure portion can be secured in a closed position by a quick securing first fastener. The first fastener attaches the top closure portion to a part of the upper edge of the body portion. The first fastener is preferably a hook and loop fastener, or a snap fastener, or a zipper fastener; but most preferably is a zipper fastener. In the embodiment of the invention where the hinge is located at a front end of the top closure portion (so that the closure opens forwardly), the zipper fastener may comprise two zippers on sides of the top closure portion. When the top closure portion is in the closed position the shoe operates in the same way as a normal shoe. The quick fastener (such as the zipper of the preferred embodiment) allows the parent to quickly fasten the shoe when the child's foot in properly in place in the shoe.

The pair of spaced-apart stays are secured together by a second fastener. The second fastener comprises a shoelace and eyelet combination, or a hook and loop fastener, or a snap fastener, or a zipper fastener; most preferably it is a shoelace and eyelet combination. The most preferred embodiment of a shoelace and eyelet combination provides the maximum adjustability of the fit by allowing the shoe to be tightened or loosened in the conventional way of lace-up shoes.

Other objects, aspects and features of the present invention in addition to those mentioned above will be pointed out in or will be understood from the following detailed description provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a first embodiment of a children's shoe in accordance with the invention, showing the shoe with its top closure portion in a closed position typically used when the shoe is being worn.

FIG. 2 is the shoe of Fig. 1 , in a top front perspective view, showing the shoe with its top closure portion in an open position typically used when the shoe is to be put onto the child's foot. FIG. 3 is a top front perspective view of a second embodiment of a children's shoe in accordance with the invention, showing the shoe with its top closure portion in a closed position typically used when the shoe is being worn.

FIG. 4 is the shoe of Fig. 3, in a top front perspective view, showing the shoe with its top closure portion in an open position typically used when the shoe is to be put onto the child's foot.

Detailed Description Of The Drawings

A shoe, meeting the above objects, is shown in Figures 1-4. In the figures, the same elements are identified with the same element numbers. In the following description, Figures 1 and 2 show elements in the "tens" numbers and equivalent elements are shown in Figures 3 and 4 with a "100" prefix. In accordance with the invention, shoe 10 (in Figures 1 and 2) or, in a second embodiment, shoe 110 (in Figures 3 and 4) comprises: a sole 20, 120; and an upper 30, 130; in which the upper 30, 130 has a body portion 31 , 131 and a top closure portion 32, 132. The body portion 30, 130 has a lower edge 38, 138 affixed to the sole 20, 120, and an upper edge 40, 140 defining an opening 42, 142. The top closure portion 32, 132 is sized to fit within and cover a portion of the opening 42, 142 defined by the body portion 31 , 131 , leaving a partial opening 44, 144 in an upper end 46, 146 of the body portion 30, 130. The partial opening 44, 144 receives the child's ankle when the shoe is fitted on the child. The top closure portion 32, 132 has a pair of spaced-apart eye stays 48, 148 typical of lace up shoes, which are secured together with a shoelace 50, 150. The eye stays 50, 150 which are illustrated in the Figures are separate pieces sewn onto the upper surface of the top closure portion 32, 132. However, the shoe of the present invention may be constructed with a more conventional shoe construction, using a shoe upper with detachable eye stays which can be removed from or reattached to the shoe upper, and a tongue. In such case, the top closure portion as defined in the application will comprise the shoe tongue together with the detachable eye stays.

The top closure portion 32, 132 is hingedly affixed to the body portion 30, 130 by a hinge portion 52, 152 connecting an edge 54, 154 of the top closure portion 32, 132 to the body portion upper edge, so that the top closure portion 32, 132 is movable between an open position, as shown in Figures 2 and 4 (for putting the shoe on the child's foot) and a closed position , as shown in Figures 1 and 3 (with the shoe fitted onto the child's foot). The hinge 52 is located at a front end 56 of the top closure portion 32 (so that the closure opens forwardly), as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Alternatively, the hinge 152 is located at a side edge 157 of the top closure portion 132 (so that the closure opens sideways). Hinge 52, 152 is a living hinge; in other words, it is a portion of the shoe, made from a flexible material. Preferably, the body portion 30, 130, the top closure portion 32, 132, and the living hinge 52, 152 are formed from the same material. Most preferably, these elements are all formed from leather.

The effect of moving the top closure portion 52, 152 to an open position is to create a much larger opening 42 and 44, 142 and 144, into which to fit a child's foot, than is available in conventional shoes. This larger opening allows the shoe to be fitted around the foot, with a potential to manually uncurl a child's curled up toes, rather than requiring the foot to be coaxed into the shoe opening once or more if the child is balky or curling her toes.

The top closure portion 52, 152 can be secured in a closed position by a quick securing first fastener 34, 134. The first fastener 34, 134 attaches the top closure portion 52, 152 to a part of the upper edge of the body portion 30, 130. The first fastener 34, 134 is capable of repeated attachment and removal of the top closure portion 52, 152 to the upper edge of the body portion 30, 130. The first fastener 34, 134 is preferably a hook and loop fastener, or a snap fastener, or a zipper fastener; but most preferably is a zipper fastener as shown in the figures. In the embodiment of the invention where the hinge is located at a front end of the top closure portion, so that the closure opens forwardly, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the zipper fastener 34 may comprise two zippers 34 and 36 located in parallel. In the embodiment of the invention where the top closure portion comprises a tongue and detachable eye stays, the two zippers 34 and 36 will be used to attach and detach the eye stays from the shoe upper.

When the top closure portion is in the closed position the shoe 20, 120 operates in the same way as a normal shoe. The fastener 34, 134 (such as the zipper of the preferred embodiment) allows the parent to quickly fasten the shoe when the child's foot in properly in place in the shoe.

As prior noted, the hinge 52 may be located at a front end of the top closure portion 32, so that the closure portion 32 opens forwardly. In such case, in the preferred embodiment, the first fastener 34 comprises two zipper fasteners 34 and 36 located along sides of said top closure portion 32.

If the hinge 152 is located at a side edge 157 of the top closure portion 132, so that the closure portion 132 opens sideways, the first fastener comprises a zipper fastener 134 located along a front end and one side of said top closure portion 152.

The spaced-apart stays 48, 148 of the top closure portion 32, 132 are secured together by a second fastener. The second fastener is capable of repeated attachment and separation of the left and right sides of the top closure portion. The second fastener comprises a shoelace and eyelet combination 50, 150, or a hook and loop fastener, or a snap fastener, or a zipper fastener; most preferably it is a shoelace and eyelet combination 50, 150. The most preferred embodiment of a shoelace and eyelet combination provides the maximum adjustabily of the fit by allowing the shoe to be tightened or loosened in the conventional way of lace-up shoes.

As an additional feature, as shown at 160 in Figure 4, the shoe 10, 110 may optionally include an elastic strap 160 extending between opposite parts of the upper edge of the body portion 30, 130, the strap 160 being located in the portion of the opening 142 covered by the top closure portion 32, 132.

Another optional feature of the shoe is a that the sole may have a colored upper footbed, colored in at least two colors, with a foot area being colored in one color, and a toe area being colored in a second color. This provides guidance to the parent as to sizing, for example the different colors can be placed so as to indicated correct size, e.g., if the child's toes are not located in the second colored area, the shoe may be too small. A third colored area may be provided in the toe area to indicate if the toes overlie the third colored area, that the shoe is too small.

It is to be appreciated that the foregoing is illustrative and not limiting of the invention, and that various changes and modifications to the preferred embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in one embodiment, the top closure portion described herein may constitute all or nearly all of the upper, which has a lower edge such as a zipper half affixed to the sole, such that the upper is in essence detachable from the sole. In another, alternative embodiment, the top closure portion is located in the rear portion of the shoe, and is openable and detachable rearwardly, to in essence provide a "rear-entry" shoe, in which the closure portion is secured to the upper by the first fastener. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and it is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe, comprising: a sole; an upper, said upper having a body portion and a closure portion; said body portion having a lower edge, and an upper edge defining an opening, said lower edge being affixed to said sole; said closure portion being sized to fit within and cover a portion of said opening defined by said upper edge of said body portion, leaving a partial opening in an upper end of said body portion; said top closure portion having left and right stays; said closure portion being hingedly affixed to said body portion by a hinge connecting an edge of said closure portion to said body portion, said closure portion being movable between an open position and a closed position; a first fastener for attaching said closure portion to a part of said body portion, said first fastener being capable of repeated attachment and removal of said closure portion to said part of said body portion; a second fastener for securing together said left and right stays of said closure portion, said second fastener being capable of repeated securing together and separation of said left and right sides of said closure portion.

2. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said hinge is located at a front end of said closure portion.

3. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said hinge is located at a side edge of said closure portion.

4. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said first fastener comprises a hook and loop fastener, or a snap fastener, or a zipper fastener.

5. A shoe in accordance with claim 2, wherein said first fastener comprises two zipper fasteners located along sides of said closure portion.

6. A shoe in accordance with claim 3, wherein said first fastener comprises a zipper fastener located along a front end and one side of said closure portion.

7. A shoe in accordance with claim 4, wherein said first fastener comprises a zipper fastener.

8. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said second fastener comprises a shoelace and eyelet combination, or a hook and loop fastener, or a snap fastener, or a zipper fastener.

9. A shoe in accordance with claim 8, wherein said second fastener comprises a shoelace and eyelet combination.

10. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said hinge comprises a living hinge.

11. A shoe in accordance with claim 10, wherein said body portion, said closure portion, and said living hinge are formed from the same material.

12. A shoe in accordance with claim 11 , wherein said body portion, said closure portion, and said living hinge are formed from leather.

13. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising an elastic strap extending between opposite parts of said upper edge of said body portion, said strap being located in said portion of said opening covered by said closure portion.

14. A shoe in accordance with claim 1 , said sole having a upper footbed, said footbed being colored in at least two colors, with a foot area being colored in one color, and a toe area being colored in a second color.

15. A children's shoe, comprising: a sole; an upper, said upper having a body portion and a top closure portion; said body portion having a lower edge, and an upper edge defining an opening, said lower edge being affixed to said sole; said top closure portion being sized to fit within and cover a portion of said opening defined by said upper edge of said body portion, leaving a partial opening in an upper end of said body portion; said top closure portion having left and right stays; said top closure portion being hingedly affixed to said body portion by a living hinge connecting an edge of said top closure portion to said body portion upper edge, said top closure portion being movable between an open position and a closed position; a first detachable fastener, selected from the group consisting of a hook and loop fastener, a snap fastener, and a zipper fastener, attaching said top closure portion to a part of said upper edge of said body portion; a second detachable fastener, selected from the group consisting of a shoelace and eyelet combination, a hook and loop fastener, a snap fastener, and a zipper fastener, securing together said left and right stays of said top closure portion.

16. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 15, wherein said hinge is located at a front end of said top closure portion.

17. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 15, wherein said hinge is located at a side edge of said top closure portion.

18. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 15, wherein said first fastener comprises a zipper fastener.

19. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 15, wherein said second fastener comprises a shoelace and eyelet combination.

20. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 16, wherein said first fastener comprises two zipper fasteners located along sides of said top closure portion.

21. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 17, wherein said first fastener comprises a zipper fastener located along a front end and one side of said top closure portion.

22. A children's shoe, comprising: a sole; an upper, said upper having a body portion and a top closure portion; said body portion having a lower edge, and an upper edge defining an opening, said lower edge being affixed to said sole; said top closure portion being sized to fit within and cover a portion of said opening defined by said body portion, leaving a partial opening in an upper end of said body portion; said top closure portion having left and right lace-up eye stays; said top closure portion being hingedly affixed to said body portion by a living hinge connecting an edge of said top closure portion to said body portion upper edge, said top closure portion being movable between an open position and a closed position; a zipper fastener attaching said top closure portion to a part of said upper edge of said body portion; a shoelace and eyelet combination securing together said left and right eye stays of said top closure portion.

23. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 22, wherein said hinge is located at a front end of said top closure portion.

24. A shoe in accordance with claim 23, wherein said zipper fastener comprises two zipper fasteners located along sides of said top closure portion.

25. A children's shoe in accordance with claim 22, wherein said hinge is located at a side edge of said top closure portion.

26. A shoe in accordance with claim 25, wherein said zipper fastener is located along a front end and one side of said top closure portion.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26}