Dress shoe with improved heel counter

• US 6,962,010 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sears Brands LLC (Sears Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Footstar Corporation (Footstar)
• Inventors: Huff, Marvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kavanaugh, Ted
• Application Number:
  US10/262,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 36/68, 36/69, 36/92, 36/93
• US Class Current: 36/69
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 11/00 Footwear with arrangements to facilitate putting-on or removing, e.g. with straps
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/021 Leather
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/024 Different layers of the same material
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/0295 Pieced uppers
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/17 made of plastics

Abstract

A comfortable heel counter for a dress shoe is provided. The dress shoe includes an upper that has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is connected to the second portion to define a heel counter pocket. A heel counter insert is disposed between the first portion and the second portion in the heel counter pocket. The heel counter insert is disposed in spaced relation to a calcaneus bone of a wearer. The heel counter insert provides comfort to the wearer and an improved fitting of the dress shoe.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising:

an upper having a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being connected to said second portion to define a heel counter pocket, said first portion and said second portion being connected to a foot bed; and

a heel counter insert being positioned in said heel counter pocket, said heel counter insert being positioned in spaced relation to a calcaneus bone of a wearer, wherein said heel counter insert provides comfort to said wearer and improved fitting of the shoe, wherein said heel counter insert is a material selected from the group consisting of Poron, a slow recovery ethyl vinyl acetate, and any combinations thereof.

3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert has a thickness in a range of about 1 mm to about 3 mm.

4. The shoe of claim 3, wherein said thickness is in a range about 2 mm to about 3 mm.

5. The shoe of claim 3, wherein said thickness is about 2.5 mm.

6. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said first portion is a sueded reverse leather.

7. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said second portion is a full grain upper leather.

8. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert has an initial shape and a deformed shape, and wherein said heel counter insert deforms from said initial shape in response to said heel when said wearer wears the shoe and recovers to said initial shape when said wearer is not wearing the shoe.

9. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising a forepart portion connected to said upper.

10. The shoe of claim 9, wherein said forepart portion is flexible.

11. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert is arcuate in response to an arc of a heel of a wearer.

12. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert extends laterally around a periphery of a heel of said wearer.

13. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert is connected to said first portion and said second portion.

14. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert is connected to said first portion and said second portion by a method selected from the group consisting of a stitch operation, cementing, adhesive, a heat bonding operation, and any combinations thereof.

15. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said first portion is integrally connected to said heel counter insert.

16. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said second portion is integrally connected to said heel counter insert.

17. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said first portion and said second portion are integrally connected to said heel counter insert, and wherein said heel counter insert is positioned between said first portion and said second portion.

18. The shoe of claim 1, wherein said heel counter insert has a shape selected from the group consisting of an elliptical shape, a circular shape, a triangular shape, an oblong shape, a rectangular shape, an arcuate shape, and a shape that substantially approximates curve of a heel of said wearer disposed in the shoe.

19. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a dress shoe.

20. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is an athletic shoe.

21. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is a boot.

2. A shoe comprising:

an upper having a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being connected to said second portion to define a heel counter pocket, said first portion and said second portion being connected to a foot bed; and

a heel counter insert being positioned in said heel counter pocket, said heel counter insert being positioned in spaced relation to a calcaneus bone of a wearer, wherein said heel counter insert provides comfort to said wearer and improved fitting of the shoe, wherein said heel counter insert is a slow recovery polyurethane.

22. A shoe comprising:

an upper having a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being connected to said second portion to define a heel counter pocket, said heel counter pocket being between said first portion and said second portion; and

a heel counter insert being made from a material selected from the group consisting of Poron, a slow recovery ethyl vinyl acetate, a slow recovery polyurethane, and any combinations thereof, said heel counter insert being in said heel counter pocket in spaced relation to a heel of a wearer, wherein said heel counter insert provides comfort to said wearer and improved fitting of the shoe.

23. A shoe comprising:

a heel counter insert being made from a material selected from the group consisting of Poron, a slow recovery ethyl vinyl acetate, a slow recovery polyurethane and any combinations thereof, said heel counter insert being in a heel counter pocket in spaced relation to a heel of a wearer, said heel counter pocket being formed by an upper having a first portion connected to a second portion, said heel counter insert having a thickness in a range of about 1 mm to about 3 mm, wherein said heel counter insert provides comfort to said wearer and improved fitting of the shoe.

24. A dress shoe comprising:

a foot bed;

an upper having a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being connected to said second portion to define a heel counter pocket, said first portion and said second portion being connected to said foot bed;

a first heel counter insert being positioned in said heel counter pocket, said first heel counter insert being made from a durable and resilient material having a first hardness, said first heel counter insert for maintaining a shape of a rear of the dress shoe; and

a second heel counter insert being connected to said first heel counter insert in said heel counter pocket, said second heel counter insert being connected to said second heel counter insert forming a laminate structure, wherein said second heel counter insert faces a wearer'"'"'s foot when in the dress shoe, wherein said second heel counter insert is made from a slow recovery polyurethane, said slow recovery polyurethane being made with a second hardness softer than said first hardness, wherein said second heel counter insert is positioned in spaced relation to a calcaneus bone of a wearer, and wherein said second heel counter insert provides comfort to said wearer and improved fitting of the dress shoe.