Shoe having elastic tongue-securing straps

• US 9,131,751 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dynasty Footwear Limited
• Original Assignee: Dynasty Footwear Limited
• Inventors: Koo, John C. S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kavanaugh, Ted
• Application Number:
  US14/499,130
• Time in Patent Office: 353 Days
• Field of Search: 36/501, 36/54
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 11/00 Footwear with arrangements to facilitate putting-on or removing, e.g. with straps
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 23/26 Tongues for shoes
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/08 with rubber or elastic insertions or gussets
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/00 Other fastenings specially adapted for shoes dress fastenings in general A44B
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/002 Fastenings using stretchable material attached to cuts in the uppers
• CPC Class Codes: A43C 11/14 Clamp fastenings , e.g. strap fastenings; Clamp-buckle fastenings; Fastenings with toggle levers

Abstract

Provided are, among other things, shoes having elastic tongue-securing straps. In one representative embodiment, a shoe includes: (a) a sole; (b) an upper, extending above the sole, that includes a front section, a left side, a right side, a rear section, and a tongue that originates from the front section and extends rearwardly between the left side and the right side; (c) a left elastic strap that extends from a left side of the tongue and: (1) extends through a loop that is securely attached to the left side of the upper and has a distal end securely attached to the sole, and/or (2) has its distal end securely attached to the left side of the upper; and (d) a right elastic strap that extends from a right side of the tongue and: (1) extends through a loop that is securely attached to the right side of the upper and has a distal end securely attached to the sole, and/or (2) has its distal end securely attached to the right side of the upper, with the left elastic strap having a proximal end fixedly attached to the left side of the tongue and the right elastic strap having a proximal end fixedly attached to the right side of the tongue.

Claims

1. A shoe comprising:

(a) a sole;

(b) an upper, extending above the sole, that includes a front section, a left side, a right side, a rear section, and a tongue that originates from the front section and extends rearwardly between the left side and the right side;

(c) a left elastic strap that;

(i) has a proximal end fixedly attached to a left side of the tongue, (ii) extends through a left-side loop that is securely attached to the left side of the upper, and (iii) has a distal end securely attached to the sole; and

(d) a right elastic strap that;

(i) has a proximal end fixedly attached to a right side of the tongue, (ii) extends through a right-side loop that is securely attached to the right side of the upper, and (iii) has a distal end securely attached to the sole.

2. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the left elastic strap is fixedly attached along a leftmost one-third of the width of the tongue, and wherein the proximal end of the right elastic strap is fixedly attached along a rightmost one-third of the width of the tongue.

3. A shoe according to claim 1, further comprising a second left elastic strap having a proximal end that is fixedly attached to the left side of the tongue, and a second right elastic strap having a proximal end that is fixedly attached to the right side of the tongue.

4. A shoe according to claim 3, wherein each of the second left elastic strap and the second right elastic strap has a distal end, wherein the distal ends of the left elastic strap and the second left elastic strap are attached to a left attachment strip that is securely attached to the sole, and wherein the distal ends of the right elastic strap and the second right elastic strap are attached to a right attachment strip that is securely attached to the sole.

5. A shoe according to claim 4, wherein both the left attachment strip and the right attachment strip are made of an elastic material.

6. A shoe according to claim 3, wherein at least one of:

(1) the left elastic strap and the second left elastic strap are joined together with the use of a second elastic material or (2) the right elastic strap and the second right elastic strap are joined together with the use of the second elastic material.

7. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein both the left-side loop and the right-side loop are made of a thin fabric material.

8. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the left-side loop is disposed just beneath a left edge of the tongue and the right-side loop is disposed just beneath a right edge of the tongue.

9. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein each of the left side of the upper and the right side of the upper further includes a plurality of lacing eyelets.

10. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the left-side loop is attached to the left side of the upper in the upper one-third of the distance between the sole and a bottom edge of the tongue, and the right-side loop is attached to the right side of the upper in the upper one-third of the distance between the sole and a bottom edge of the tongue.

11. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the left-side loop is attached to the left side of the upper in the upper two-thirds of the distance between the sole and a bottom edge of the tongue, and the right-side loop is attached to the right side of the upper in the upper two-thirds of the distance between the sole and a bottom edge of the tongue.

12. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the proximal ends of the left elastic strap and the right elastic strap are disposed between adjacent layers of the tongue.

13. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein each of the left-side loop and the right-side loop is made of a thin, smooth, flexible fabric material.

14. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein each of the left elastic strap and the right elastic strap extends from the middle of tongue.

15. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the distal ends of the left elastic strap and the right elastic strap are disposed between adjacent layers of the sole.