Shoe with Flexible Upper

• US 20180020774A1
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Published: 01/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gary David Chang
• Original Assignee: Gary David Chang
• Inventors: Chang, Gary David
• Application Number:
  US15/431,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020774A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/04 Plastics, rubber or vulcanised fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/22 Soles made slip-preventing or wear-resisting, e.g. by impregnation or spreading a wear-resisting layer
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0205 characterised by the material material of the lining A43B23/07, material of toe stiffeners or heel stiffeners A43B23/08
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0265 having different properties in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/027 with a part of the upper particularly flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/02 with elastic laces

Abstract

A shoe includes an outsole, a main body containing a flexible upper, and at least one elastic lace. The flexible upper is formed of a four-way stretch fabric. In use, the flexible upper can be deformed in response to the shape differences of users'"'"' feet, and the elastic lace can limit the deformation of the flexible upper to allow the shoe to be firmly worn by a user. With the shoe of the present invention, the unfit problem of conventional shoes due to the insufficient elasticity of the mesh fabrics making the uppers of the shoes can be solved.

Claims

1. A shoe with a flexible upper, comprising:

an outsole having a bottom surface and a top surface and defining a first groove extending across the top surface in a transverse direction to reach two opposite lateral sides of the outsole;

a main body attached to the top surface of the outsole and including an insole and a flexible upper, the insole attached to the outsole and having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the outsole, the flexible upper being formed of a four-way stretch fabric and attached to a peripheral edge of the insole, the insole and the flexible upper defining a receiving space, wherein a top opening is defined by the flexible upper and communicates with the receiving space to allow one foot of a user to be accommodated in the receiving space, wherein the flexible upper is deformable to some extent to conform with the shape of the foot; and

at least one first elastic lace being routed through the first groove to loop around the main body to limit the extent of deformation of the flexible upper.

2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the outsole has a rear section, a middle section, and a front section, with the flexible upper having a rear portion corresponding to the rear section, a middle portion corresponding to the middle section, and a front portion corresponding to the front section, with the first groove defined in the middle section of the top surface of the outsole, with the first elastic lace routed to loop around the middle portion of the flexible upper.

3. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, wherein the first elastic lace is routed such that two opposite ends thereof extends out of the first and second ends of the first groove to be intercrossed at a top of the middle portion of the flexible upper and respectively fixed at the first and second ends of the second groove.

4. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for allowing the first elastic lace to be intercrossed therein.

5. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the shoe provided with at least one second elastic lace, with two opposite ends of the first elastic lace respectively fixed at the second end of the first groove and the first end of the second groove, with two opposite ends of the second elastic lace respectively fixed at the first end of the first groove and the second end of the second groove, with the first and second elastic laces intercrossed at a top of the middle portion of the flexible upper.

6. The shoe of claim 5, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for allowing the first and second elastic laces to be intercrossed therein.

7. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the shoe provided with at least one bridging ring, wherein the first elastic lace is routed such that two opposite ends thereof extends out of the first and second ends of the first groove to be inserted through the bridging ring and respectively fixed at the first and second ends of the second groove.

8. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the shoe provided with at least one second elastic lace and at least one bridging ring, with two opposite ends of the first elastic lace respectively fixed at the second end of the first groove and the first end of the second groove, with two opposite ends of the second elastic lace respectively fixed at the first end of the first groove and the second end of the second groove, wherein the first elastic lace and the second elastic lace are inserted through the bridging ring and fastened together by the bridging ring at the top of middle portion of the outsole.

9. The shoe of claim 8, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for retaining the bridging ring therein.

10. The shoe of claim 7, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for retaining the bridging ring therein.