Athletic shoe having an upper toe section of stretchable material, external reinforcing strips and improved lacing

• US 4,255,876 A
• Filed: 05/31/1979
• Issued: 03/17/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BRS, Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, Jeffrey O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kee Chi, James
• Application Number:
  US06/044,241
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 36/129, 36/83, 36/114, 36/45, 36/47, 36/48, 36/50, 36/51, 36/3 A
• US Class Current: 36/83
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 13/148 Wedged end portions
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/00 Footwear for sporting purposes non-skid devices, e.g. ice-spurs or studs for football shoes, A43C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 1/00 Shoe lacing fastenings garment fastening devices A41F

Abstract

An athletic shoe is described including a shoe upper having a toe section and a main body section joined together and to a sole portion. Preferably the toe section extends forwardly of the metatarsophalangeal joints and is of a stretchable material to permit flexing of toes within the shoe, while the main body portion is of a nonstretchable material to restrict pronation of the rest of the foot. When the shoe is laced, first and second external reinforcing strips on the medial side of the upper, respectively exert pressure on the forward and rearward sides of the ball of the foot to restrict its motion. A third such strip on the other side of such upper limits the motion of the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint and urges the ball of the foot between the first and second strips. The first and third strips also join the toe and main body sections together without these sections overlapping. A special lacing arrangement preferably including alternating wide spaced and narrow spaced pairs of lace openings enhances the fit of the main body of the shoe. The first and third strips terminate in substantial alignment with different lace openings of a pair of widely spaced openings while the second strip terminates in substantial alignment with a lace opening of another widely spaced pair so that pressure exerted by the laces on the lace openings is distributed along the sides of the shoe. Consecutive pairs of narrow spaced lace openings are provided rearwardly of the arch of the shoe to also improve its fit. A widely spaced rearwardmost pair of lace openings is provided to draw the heel of the shoe inwardly against the heel of the foot when the shoe is laced.

Claims

1. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:

an upper shoe portion formed of a toe section and a main body section jointed together and joined in a sole portion;

said toe section extending generally forwardly of the metatarsal phalangeal joints of a foot positioned within the shoe and being formed of a stretchable material so as to facilitate flexing of the toes of the foot;

said main body section being of a nonstretchable material for at least partially immobilizing the portion of the foot rearwardly of the toes;

said upper portion defining a tongue opening and including a lacing portion which defines lace openings along the sides of the tongue opening;

said upper portion also including first and second reinforcing strips extending from said sole portion to said lacing portion, said first strip being positioned adjacent to and forwardly of the ball of a foot positioned within the shoe and said second strip being positioned adjacent to and rearwardly of the ball of the foot, said first and second strips together defining a pocket therebetween for receiving the ball of the foot such that said first strip exerts pressure along the forward side of the ball within the pocket and said second strip exerts pressure along the rearward side of the ball when the shoe is laced to thereby restrict pronation of the ball of the foot.

2. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 1 in which said toe section is of a synthetic woven fabric with an outermost layer comprising a layer of a synthetic mesh material.

3. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 2 in which said main body section is of a synthetic woven fabric.

5. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 1 including a third reinforcing strip extending from said sole portion to said lacing portion, said third strip being positioned adjacent to and forwardly of the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot such that said third strip exerts pressure along the forward side of and restricts motion of the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint when the shoe is laced, whereby said first, second and third strips cooperate in the immobilization of the portion of the foot rearwardly of the toes.

4. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:

an upper shoe portion formed of a toe section and a main body section jointed together and joined to a sole portion;

said toe section extending generally forwardly of the metatarsal phalangeal joints of a foot positioned within the shoe and being formed of a stretchable material so as to facilitate flexing of the toes of the foot;

said main body section being of a nonstretchable material for at least partially immobilizing the portion of the foot rearwardly of the toes;

said toe section and said main body section being positioned with their adjacent edges in abutting nonoverlapping relationship at a junction where they are joined, said shoe also including a first external reinforcing strip overlapping and joining together said toe section and said main body section along the portion of the junction at the medial side of the shoe and a second external reinforcing strip overlapping and joining together said toe section and said main body section along the portion of the junction at the lateral side of the shoe, said toe section and said main body section being of materials of substantially the same thickness at least in the region of the junction so that the inner surface of the shoe in the region of the junction is substantially smooth.

6. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:

a sole portion;

an upper portion joined to the sole portion and defining a tongue opening, said upper portion having a lace portion which defines lace openings along the sides of the tongue opening;

said upper portion also including rigidifying means for at least partially immobilizing the ball of the foot when the shoe is laced, said rigidifying means extending along the medial side of the shoe from said sole portion to said lacing portion and including means defining a pocket for receiving the ball of the foot and for exerting pressure along the forward and rearward sides of the ball of the foot within the pocket when the shoe is laced to thereby at least partially immobilize the ball of the foot.

7. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 7 which also includes second rigidifying means extending along the lateral side of the shoe from said sole portion to said lacing portion and substantially opposite said first rigidifying means, said second rigidifying means comprising means for exerting pressure on the lateral side of the foot when the shoe is laced so as to urge the ball of the foot into the pocket and against said first rigidifying means.

8. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:

a sole portion;

an upper portion joined to the sole portion and defining a tongue opening;

a lace reinforcing member mounted to said upper portion along the tongue opening and defining lace openings adjacent the side edges of such tongue opening;

first and second external spaced apart reinforcing strips mounted to the medial side of the shoe and extending from said sole portion to said lacing member, said first and second strips together defining the boundaries of a pocket positioned for receiving the ball of a foot within the shoe, the first of said strips extending generally along the forward side of the ball of a foot inserted in the shoe and the second of said strips extending generally along the rearward side of the ball of the foot;

a third external reinforcing strip mounted to the lateral side of the shoe and extending from said sole portion to said lacing portion, said third strip extending generally along the forward side of the fifth metatarsal phalangeal joint of the foot;

said first and second strips cooperating to exert pressure along the forward and rearward sides of the ball of the foot when the shoe is laced to at least partially immobilize the ball of the foot in the pocket between them, and said third strip exerting pressure along the lateral side of the foot when the shoe is laced to at least partially immobilize the fifth metatarsal phalangeal joint and to urge the ball of the foot into the pocket between said first and second strips.

9. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 8 in which said first strip is curved to conform to the contour of the ball of the foot.

10. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 8 in which said strips each terminate at an upper end substantially in alignment with a lace opening to distribute along the sides of the shoe the pressure at the lace opening which results from lacing the shoe.

11. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 8 in which said lace member defines plural wide sets and plural narrow sets of lace oenings with each said set including a pair of lace openings with each lace opening of the pair positioned along the opposite side of the tongue opening from the other, the openings forming each wide set being more widely spaced apart than the openings forming each narrow set, said lace openings being arranged with a plurality of alternating wide set and narrow set lace openings so as to facilitate the fit of the shoe when laced;

and in which the first set of lace openings nearest the toe of the shoe is a wide set, the second set of lace openings adjacent to and rearwardly of the first set is a narrow set, and the third set of lace openings adjacent to and rearwardly of the second set is a wide set; and

said first strip is connected to said lace member in substantial alignment with the lace opening of the first set at the medial side of the tongue opening, said second strip is connected to said lace member in substantial alignment with the lace opening of the third set at the medial side of the tongue opening and said third strip is connected to said lace member in substantial alignment with the lace opening of the first set at the lateral side of the tongue opening.

12. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 11 having a wide set of lace openings as its rearwardmost set such that tightening of shoe laces threaded through said rearwardmost set draws the heel of the shoe forwardly against the heel of the foot.

13. An athletic shoe in accordance with claim 11 or 12 having plural consecutive narrow sets of lace openings rearwardly of the arch of the foot with no wide sets of lace openings therebetween.

14. An athletic shoe in which the improvement comprises:

a sole portion;

an upper shoe portion formed of a toe section and a main body section joined together and to the sole portion;

said upper portion also defining a tongue opening;

said toe sections extending generally forwardly of the metatarsophalangeal joints of a foot positioned within the shoe and being formed of a stretchable material so as to facilitate flexing of the toes of the foot;

said main body section being of a less stretchable material than said toe section to restrict movement of the foot rearwardly of the toes;

a lace hole reinforcing member mounted to said upper portion along the tongue opening and defining lace openings adjacent the side edges of such tongue opening;

first and second external spaced apart reinforcing strips mounted to the medial side of the shoe and extending from said sole portion to said lace hole member, the first of said strips extending generally along the forward side of the ball of the foot and joining together the toe section and main body section at the junction between these sections at the medial side of the shoe, said first strip being curved to conform to the shape of the forward side of the ball of the foot, the second of said strips extending generally along the rearward side of the ball of the foot;

a third external reinforcing strip mounted to the lateral side of the shoe and extending from the sole portion to the lacing member, said third strip extending generally along the forward side of the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint of the foot and joining together the toe section and main body section at a junction between these sections at the lateral side of the shoe;

said first and second strips cooperating to exert pressure along the forward and rearward sides of the ball of the foot when the shoe is laced to at least partially immobilize the ball of the foot between them, and said third strip exerting pressure along the lateral side of the foot when the shoe is laced to at least partially immobilize the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint and to urge the ball of the foot between said first and second strips;

said lace hole member defining plural wide sets and plural narrow sets of lace openings with each said set including a pair of lace openings with each opening of the pair positioned along the opposite side of the tongue opening from the other, the openings forming each wide set being more widely spaced apart than the openings forming each narrow set, said lace openings being arranged with a plurality of alternating wide set and narrow set lace openings, the first set of lace openings nearest the toe of the shoe being a wide set, the second set of lace openings adjacent to and rearwardly of the first set being a narrow set and the third set of lace openings adjacent to and rearwardly of the second set being a wide set;

said first strip being connected to said lace hole member in substantial alignment with a lace opening of the first set at the medial side of the tongue opening, said second strip being connected to said lace hole member in substantial alignment with a lace opening of the third set at the medial side of the tongue opening, and said third strip being connected to said lace hole member in substantial alignment with the other lace opening of the first set at the lateral side of the tongue opening;

said lace hole member defining a wide set of lace openings as the rearwardmost set such that tightening of shoe laces threaded through said rearwardmost set draws the heel of the shoe forward against the heel of the foot, said lace hole member also defining plural consecutive narrow sets of lace openings rearwardly of the arch of the foot and forwardly of said rearwardmost set.