Slip on athleisure shoe

• US 7,552,547 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Converse Incorporated (Nike, Inc.)
• Inventors: Calderone, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTERSON, MARIE D
• Application Number:
  US11/416,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20070256332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 36/501, 36/51, 36/54
• US Class Current: 36/50.1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/24 Ornamental buckles; Other ornaments for shoes without fastening function
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/0078 provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration A43B23/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/002 Fastenings using stretchable material attached to cuts in the uppers
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/20 Fastenings with tightening devices mounted on the tongue
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 5/00 Eyelets machines for setting eyelets A43D100/00

Abstract

A construction of an oxford type, lace up athleisure shoe enables the shoe to be slipped on the wearers foot and held securely on the foot without the need for lacing on the shoe. This provides the shoe with the appearance of a lace up shoe that is worn without lacing.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising:

a shoe sole;

an upper secured to the shoe sole, the upper and the shoe sole together enclosing an interior of the shoe, the upper having an ankle opening and a forefoot opening to the interior of the shoe, the upper having left and right sides that extend along opposite sides of the forefoot opening;

a tongue that extends along the upper left side and the upper right side, the tongue having a width between the upper left side and the upper right side, with a pair of slots provided through the tongue;

a plurality of lacing openings arranged along the upper left side and arranged along the upper right side, each lacing opening of the plurality of lacing openings having no lacing positioned in the lacing opening; and

,

a band having a length with opposite left and right ends, the band left end being connected to the upper left side in the interior of the shoe and the band right end being connected to the upper right side in the interior of the shoe with the band length extending across the forefoot opening and beneath the plurality of lacing openings, the band further passing through the slots of the tongue with an intermediate portion of the band positioned between the slots, the intermediate portion located beneath the tongue and covered from view when the shoe is worn without laces.

2. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising:

there being no lacing on the shoe.

3. The shoe of claim 2, further comprising:

the band being the only connection between the upper left side and the upper right side across the forefoot opening.

4. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising:

portions of the forefoot opening being on opposite sides of the band.

5. The shoe of claim 4 wherein the band is coupled to the upper left side at a left end of the band and coupled to the upper right side at a right end of the band,

where the tongue extends across the forefoot opening from the upper left side to the upper right side and across the band from the left end of the band to the right end of the band.

6. The shoe of claim 1, further comprising:

the upper left side having an edge and the upper right side having an edge, the upper left side edge and upper right side edge opposing each other on opposite sides of the forefoot opening; and

,

the plurality of lacing openings being arranged in a line along the upper left side edge and being arranged in a line along the upper right side edge.

7. The shoe of claim 6, further comprising:

each lacing opening of the plurality of lacing openings being an eyelet with an opening that extends through the upper.

8. A shoe comprising:

a shoe sole having opposite top and bottom surfaces, a rear heel end and an opposite front toe end, and opposite left and right sides extending along opposite sides of the shoe sole between the heel end and the toe end;

an upper secured to the shoe sole extending upwardly from the shoe sole top surface, the upper having an ankle opening above the shoe sole heel end and a toe box above the shoe sole toe end, the upper having left and right sides that extend along the respective shoe sole left and right sides between the upper ankle opening and the upper toe box, the upper left and right sides defining a forefoot opening into the shoe between the upper left and right sides;

a tongue on the shoe upper, the tongue having a length extending rearwardly from the upper toe box and across the forefoot opening between the upper left side and the upper right side, the tongue extending along the upper left side and the upper right side, the tongue having a width between the upper left side and the upper right side, with a pair of slots provided through the tongue;

a plurality of lacing openings arranged in a line along the upper left side and arranged in a line along the upper right side, each lacing opening of the plurality of lacing openings having no lacing extending through the lacing opening; and

,

a band having a length with opposite left and right ends, the band left end being connected to the upper left side and the band right end being connected to the upper right side with the band extending across the forefoot opening, at least a portion of the band extending across the tongue, the band further passing through the slots of the tongue with an intermediate portion of the band positioned between the slots, the intermediate portion located beneath the tongue and covered from view when the shoe is worn without laces, the band being the only connection between the upper left side and the upper right side across the forefoot opening.

9. The shoe of claim 8, further comprising:

there being no lacing on the shoe.

10. The shoe of claim 8, further comprising:

at least a portion of the band being elastic.

11. The shoe of claim 10, further comprising:

the band being spaced rearwardly from the upper toe box with portions of the forefoot opening being positioned on opposite sides of the band.

12. The shoe of claim 11, further comprising:

the band having a continuous length with no breaks in the band length between the band left end and the band right end.

13. The shoe of claim 8, further comprising:

the upper left side having an edge and the upper right side having an edge with the forefoot opening being defined between the upper left side edge and the upper right side edge; and

,

the plurality of lacing openings being arranged in a line along the upper left side edge and in a line along the upper right side edge.

14. The shoe of claim 13, further comprising:

each lacing opening of the plurality of lacing openings being an eyelet opening.

15. A shoe comprising:

a shoe sole;

an upper secured to the shoe sole, the upper and the shoe sole together enclosing an interior of the shoe, the upper having an ankle opening and a forefoot opening to the interior of the shoe, the upper having left and right sides that extend along opposite sides of the forefoot opening;

a plurality of lacing openings arranged along the upper left side and arranged along the upper right side, each lacing opening of the plurality of lacing openings having no lacing positioned in the lacing opening;

a tongue extending through the forefoot opening between the upper left side and the upper right side, the tongue having a width between the upper left side and the upper right side, with a pair of slots provided through the tongue; and

,

a band operatively connecting the tongue to the shoe sole, the band further passing through the slots of the tongue with an intermediate portion of the band positioned between the slots, the intermediate portion located beneath the tongue and covered from view when the shoe is worn without laces.

16. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

there being no lacing on the shoe.

17. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the band connecting the tongue to the upper left side and the upper right side and thereby connecting the tongue to the shoe sole.

18. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the band being constructed of a resilient material that resists movement of the tongue away from the shoe sole.

19. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the band extending across the tongue and having opposite ends that extend outwardly from opposite sides of the tongue.

20. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the upper left side having an edge and the upper right side having an edge, the upper left side edge and upper right side edge opposing each other on opposite sides of the forefoot opening; and

,

the plurality of lacing openings being arranged in a line along the upper left side edge and being arranged in a line along the upper right side edge.

21. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the upper having a toe box at a forward end of the shoe sole;

the tongue being connected to the toe box and extending through the forefoot opening from the toe box; and

,

the band being spaced from the toe box with a portion of the forefoot opening between the band and the toe box.

22. The shoe of claim 15, further comprising:

the band being stretchable whereby a pulling force on the tongue stretches the band and allows the tongue to be pulled through the forefoot opening and away from the shoe sole and whereby removing the pulling force on the tongue causes the band to pull the tongue back through the forefoot opening and toward the shoe sole.