Article of footwear having removable eyelet portion
First Claim
1. An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper configured to receive a foot;
a sole attached to the upper;
a throat formed in the upper;
an adjustable opening formed in the upper and connected to the throat;
an eyelet region at least partially surrounding the adjustable opening;
a plurality of eyelet holes formed in the eyelet region;
a lace threaded through the eyelet holes and fixed into position such that the lace is nonremovable from the article of footwear;
a lateral side of the eyelet region being removably attached to the upper with a securing mechanism;
a medial side of the eyelet region being fixedly attached to the upper; and
a hinge formed in the eyelet region about which the lateral side rotates during separation from the upper;
wherein said hinge is formed at an end portion of the lateral side farthest from the throat opening and extending, generally in a lateral direction, the lateral direction being from a lateral side of the article of footwear to a medial side of the article of footwear.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An article of footwear is configured so that a child or other wearer may easily insert his or her foot into the article of footwear without tying laces while maintaining the look of a laced article of footwear. A lateral portion of the eyelet region partially surrounding the vamp is removably attached to the upper, such as with a hook-and-loop system, to allow the width of the vamp to be manipulated. The medial portion of the eyelet region is fixedly attached to the upper so that the rubbing together of the medial sides of the feet to not unintentionally disengage the medial portion from the upper. The lateral portion of the eyelet region rotates on a hinge formed in the eyelet region. Laces are fixedly attached to the eyelet region. A gore strap is optionally provided for more secure wear.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An article of footwear comprising:
- an upper configured to receive a foot;
a sole attached to the upper;
a throat formed in the upper;an adjustable opening formed in the upper and connected to the throat;
an eyelet region at least partially surrounding the adjustable opening;
a plurality of eyelet holes formed in the eyelet region;a lace threaded through the eyelet holes and fixed into position such that the lace is nonremovable from the article of footwear; a lateral side of the eyelet region being removably attached to the upper with a securing mechanism; a medial side of the eyelet region being fixedly attached to the upper; and a hinge formed in the eyelet region about which the lateral side rotates during separation from the upper;
wherein said hinge is formed at an end portion of the lateral side farthest from the throat opening and extending, generally in a lateral direction, the lateral direction being from a lateral side of the article of footwear to a medial side of the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- an upper configured to receive a foot;
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12. A fastening system for adjusting a vamp in an upper of an article of footwear comprising:
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an eyelet region at least partially surrounding the vamp; a lateral side of the eyelet region being removably attached to the upper with a securing mechanism; a medial side of the eyelet region being fixedly attached to the upper;
a lace fixedly attached to the eyelet region; anda hinge formed in the eyelet region about which the lateral side of the eyelet region rotates during separation from the upper, the hinge formed at an end portion of the lateral side farthest from a throat opening in the upper and extending, generally in a lateral direction, the lateral direction being from a lateral side of the article of footwear to a medial side of the article of footwear. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification