Footwear and accessory device
First Claim
1. An article of footwear comprising an outsole forming an exterior lower surface of the footwear and a frame positioned above the outsole, the frame being flexible in a forefoot region of the footwear and having at least one of a toe attachment mechanism and a heel attachment mechanism for attachment of an accessory device at a toe portion and a heel portion of the footwear, and additionally having a midfoot attachment mechanism for attachment of an accessory device at a midfoot location intermediate the toe portion and the heel portion.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
Improved footwear and accessory devices, such as crampons, are disclosed for enhancing the performance of footwear under different conditions and, thus, providing more versatile footwear. The footwear has an outsole flex zone in a forefoot region that flexes during hiking and climbing in various terrains. The footwear also includes toe and heel attachment points for installation of an accessory, such as a crampon and, additionally, includes a midfoot attachment point for mounting of the accessory. The midfoot attachment point is preferably located between the outsole flex zone and the heel attachment point. A forefoot contact mechanism may also be provided in the footwear outsole that interacts with a rigid forefoot contact mechanism of the accessory to enhance the rigidity of the forefoot region when the accessory is mounted. A crampon accessory device for mounting on the footwear is also disclosed.
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Citations
20 Claims
- 1. An article of footwear comprising an outsole forming an exterior lower surface of the footwear and a frame positioned above the outsole, the frame being flexible in a forefoot region of the footwear and having at least one of a toe attachment mechanism and a heel attachment mechanism for attachment of an accessory device at a toe portion and a heel portion of the footwear, and additionally having a midfoot attachment mechanism for attachment of an accessory device at a midfoot location intermediate the toe portion and the heel portion.
- 5. An article of footwear according to claim J, additionally having a forefoot contact region on a forefoot portion of the outsole for contacting the accessory device and providing enhanced rigidity when the accessory device is installed.
- 14. A footwear accessory device for detachable installation on a footwear outsole comprising at least one of a toe attachment mechanism and a heel attachment mechanism for attachment to a toe portion and a heel portion of the footwear, and a midfoot attachment mechanism for detachable attachment to a midfoot outsole location intermediate the toe portion and the heel portion, the accessory device additionally comprising a rigid forefoot engagement mechanism for engaging a mating mechanism in a forefoot region of the outsole when the accessory device is installed on the outsole, wherein the rigid forefoot engagement mechanism comprises a rail that extends generally in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the accessory device.
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18. At least two articles of footwear having different lengths, each of the articles of footwear comprising a toe portion and an arch portion and having a predetermined degree of curvature along a generally longitudinal axis of an exterior lower surface of the article of footwear between the toe portion and the arch portion, wherein the predetermined degree of curvature is the same for each of the articles of footwear.
Specification