Shoe, optionally shoe with a high upper

• US 6,237,253 B1
• Filed: 05/18/1998
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: "Lowa" Sportschuhe GmbH
• Original Assignee: "Lowa" Sportschue GmbH
• Inventors: Feuerecker, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STASHICK, ANTHONY D
• Application Number:
  US09/080,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 36/54, 36/45, 36/113, 36/116, 36/117.1, 36/117.6, 36/93, 36/99
• US Class Current: 36/54
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/027 with a part of the upper particularly flexible, e.g. permitting articulation or torsion
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/002 Mountain boots or shoes

Abstract

A shoe with optionally a high upper such as a moutaineering boot or a sports shoe, comprises an upper and a tongue connected with said upper and having a foot-inside edge, a foot-outside edge and an edge close to a shin, said edge close to the shin connecting the foot-inside edge and the foot-outside edge. The tongue extends over a forefoot-instep portion of the shoe to at least an ankle-flexure portion of the shoe. For adapting to an instep-ankle-flexure contour of a foot it is approximatively formed in a saddle shape. In the ankle-flexure portion of the shoe the tongue comprises at least one, compared to adjacent tongue portions, flexurally softer, preferably flat flexing zone. The flexing zone reduces the tendency of the tongue to slip towards the side after wearing the shoe for some time, which prevents pressure sores or skin abrasions. This increases the wearing comfort of the shoe.

Claims

1. A walking shoe comprising an upper and a tongue connected with said upper and having a foot-inside edge, a foot-outside edge and an edge close to a shin, said edge close to the shin connecting said foot-inside edge and said foot-outside edge, said tongue extending from a forefoot-instep portion of said shoe to at least an ankle-flexure portion of said shoe and being formed substantially into a saddle shape for adapting to an instep-ankle-flexure contour of a wearer'"'"'s foot, said tongue having in said ankle-flexure portion of said shoe a flexing portion including a flexing zone which is flexurally softer than adjacent tongue portions, said flexing zone extending over only part of the width of the tongue between the foot-inside edge and the foot-outside edge, extending over the instep apex, and being offset toward the foot-inside edge with respect to a centerline of said tongue midway between said foot-inside edge and said foot-outside edge such as to inhibit a tendency of said tongue to slip towards the outside of the wearer'"'"'s foot when said tongue is bent while walking.

2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone is spaced from said edge close to the shin and wherein said tongue, at its edge close to the shin, is terminated by an edge zone which is flexurally stronger than said flexing zone.

3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone narrows towards said foot-outside edge of said tongue.

4. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone extends to said foot-inside edge of said tongue.

5. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone terminates at a distance from said foot-outside edge of said tongue.

6. The shoe of claim 5, wherein said tongue comprises, at its foot-outside edge, an edge reinforcing structure extending at least over a portion of said tongue which portion is opposite to said flexing zone.

7. The shoe of claim 5, wherein said tongue comprises at least one further flexing zone spaced from said flexing zone, said further flexing zone being offset towards said foot-outside edge of said tongue with respect to said first mentioned flexing zone.

8. The shoe of claim 7, wherein said further flexing zone extends to said foot-outside edge of said tongue and is offset away from said edge of said tongue close to the shin with respect to said first mentioned flexing zone.

9. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone is made integral with at least a part of the material of said tongue.

10. The shoe of claim 9, wherein said flexing zone is made by material reduction of at least a part of the material of said tongue.

11. The shoe of claim 9, wherein said tongue is composed of a multi-layer structure and wherein at least one of the layers of said tongue, preferably a padded layer, is recessed in the region of said flexing zone.

12. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone is formed of an insert member which is made separately from said tongue, said insert member being inserted in a recess of said tongue and connected therewith.

13. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said tongue—

when viewed along a cross-section from said foot-inside edge to said foot-outside edge—

comprises portions of different tongue thickness at least in a forefoot-instep portion of said tongue.

14. The shoe of claim 13, wherein a mean thickness of said tongue, viewed from an instep apex of a foot, is greater towards said foot-outside edge than towards said foot-inside edge.

15. The shoe of claim 13, wherein the varying thickness of said tongue is substantially based on a varying thickness of a tongue padding.

16. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said tongue, with its edge close to the shin, extends above an ankle portion of said shoe and wherein at least one of said foot-inside and foot-outside edges of said tongue is recessed in the region of a respective inner or lateral malleolus of a foot inserted into said shoe such as to extend at least partly around the respective malleolus.

17. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said flexing zone extends to said foot-inside edge of said tongue and terminates at a distance from said foot-outside edge of said tongue that is closer to said foot-outside edge than to said foot-inside edge.

18. The shoe of claim 17, wherein said flexing zone terminates at a distance close to said foot-outside edge, and a strip of said tongue that is flexurally stronger than said flexing zone lies between said flexing zone and said foot-outside edge and connects the portion of said tongue above said flexing zone to the portion of said tongue below said flexing zone.

19. The shoe of claim 18, wherein said flexing zone narrows from said foot-inside edge towards said foot-outside edge.