Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
036054000 | Tongue pieces | 26 |
20080250668 | Smooth Shoe Uppers and Methods for Producing Them - Shoe uppers having smooth seams and methods for producing them are disclosed. In one embodiment the upper uses thermoplastic seam tape which forms bonds between contiguous upper sections after being subjected to heat and/or pressure. In another embodiment, different parts of the shoe can be joined using hidden seams. Close seams can also be covered with a transfer material adapted to give the interior and/or exterior of the upper a smooth surface. In yet another embodiment, a method is disclosed which allows three-dimensional upper sections to be bonded on a last using thermoplastic seam tape. | 10-16-2008 |
20080313926 | CLOSURE DEVICE FOR SHOE - The present invention provides a fitted, supportive, comfortable shoe upper with a laceless closure device comprising one interlaced strap capable of rapid adjustment in multiple planes of movement. | 12-25-2008 |
20090090026 | Footwear with pivoting tongue - Footwear is provided having a tongue pivotally coupled to the footwear upper. The tongue may be constructed to pivotally move relative to the upper between a first position and a second position. At least one resilient member may be coupled to the tongue for urging the tongue in either the first position or the second position. The tongue may be a spring-loaded tongue such that when the tongue is positioned in an intermediate position between the first and second position, the tongue will spring towards either the first position or the second position. | 04-09-2009 |
20090100708 | CLOSURE DEVICE FOR SHOE - The present invention provides a fitted, supportive, comfortable shoe upper with a laceless closure device comprising one interlaced strap capable of rapid adjustment in multiple planes of movement. | 04-23-2009 |
20100037484 | Slip On Athleisure Shoe - A construction of an oxford type, lace up athleisure shoe enables the shoe to be slipped on the wearer's 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. | 02-18-2010 |
20100071230 | LACED GARMENT CLOSURE - The present invention relates to a device for opening, closing, and fastening articles that are normally fastened with laces. Such articles may be, but are not limited to, garments and footwear. The device has a pair of strips articulated at one end and releasably connected by a clasp mechanism at the other end, each one of the strips having a structure for connecting to the garment using lace eyelets of the garment. | 03-25-2010 |
20100077634 | FOOTWEAR UPPERS AND OTHER TEXTILE COMPONENTS INCLUDING REINFORCED AND ABUTTING EDGE JOINT SEAMS - Textile Components, such as upper members for articles of footwear, include: (a) a first portion having a first edge, wherein the first edge includes a first portion of material engaged with a first seam support material via a first thermoplastic material; (b) a second portion having a second edge, wherein the second edge includes a second portion of material engaged with a second seam support material via a second thermoplastic material; and (c) structure to engage the first and second edges in an abutting edge joint (such as a zig-zag stitch). The resulting textile components may be lightweight and breathable (e.g., due to use of lightweight upper fabric), having a comfortable fit (e.g., due to the abutting edge joint), while still providing a strong, stable, and durable construction (e.g., due to the presence of the seam support member(s)). | 04-01-2010 |
20100088925 | Lace and toungue configuration - The present invention uses a particular configuration of intermediate stitches between eyelets and elastic connection to provide supplemental support for shoelaces. The intermediate stitches also called inter eyelet stitches provide connection between the shoe and a tongue for supplemental support. The elastic connection additionally provides connection between the shoe and the tongue. The laces having received the stitch support can then be omitted, or styled in a variety of different configurations according to fashion requirements. The intermediate stitches preferably are placed between the third and fourth eyelet, between the first and second eyelet, and below the first eyelet. The elastic connection is preferably configured by the top eyelet also called the fifth eyelet connecting to the tongue. | 04-15-2010 |
20100319216 | CYCLING SHOE WITH REAR ENTRY - A shoe comprising a sole and an upper secured to the sole. The upper includes a heel portion movable relative to a mid portion from an open position to a closed position. A securing mechanism (e.g., a lace and a dial for tightening the lace) is coupled between the heel portion and the mid portion. Preferably, the dial is secured near an edge of the mid portion near an instep opening, and the lace is positioned in a passageway in the mid portion. The heel portion can comprise a flexible fabric that acts as a living hinge to facilitate pivotal movement of the heel portion relative to the mid portion at a pivot point positioned above the sole and rearward of the mid portion. Preferably, the heel portion includes a wide portion and a narrow portion (e.g., defining the pivot point) below the wide portion. | 12-23-2010 |
20110078922 | THERMOFORMING UPPER PROCESS WITH REINFORCEMENT - An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper having a medial side and a lateral side simultaneously formed from a single sheet of material in a thermoforming mold. The medial side and lateral side are joined to each other such that a joint between the medial side and the lateral side extends continuously from a heel portion of the upper to a toe portion of the upper. | 04-07-2011 |
20110099844 | ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR INCLUDING IMPROVED LACE KEEPER - An article of footwear is provided and includes a sole structure and an upper structure attached to the sole structure. The upper structure includes a vamp separated into medial and lateral portions, a tongue, and a lace. The tongue includes a main body portion and a first lace-retention feature attached to the main body portion. The main body portion has a first end attached to the medial and lateral portions, a second end that is moveable relative to the upper structure, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end. The first lace-retention feature includes a first opening that receives the lace in a first direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. | 05-05-2011 |
20110209361 | Tongue for footwear with changeable overlays - Footwear incorporating a shoe tongue, or gusset, and opposite rear tab, various overlays, one or more of structure, attached to the upper end of the tongue, and may be folded over, individually, so as to envelope the tongue and disclose different coloration, appearance, or designs, upon the upper surface of the shoe tongue, to add to its aesthetics. In addition, fasteners may be used for holding the overlays onto the upper surface of the tongue, and additional fasteners, such as a strap, or pouch, may be employed adjacent the underside of the tongue, to hold the unused overlays into storage, as when not in usage. | 09-01-2011 |
20120036737 | TONGUE AND INTERLOCKING SYSTEM FOR SHOES - The present invention relates to a tongue for shoes comprising: a basic structure of an essentially non-elastic material, having a top side facing away from a foot, and a bottom side facing the foot; a retaining device on the top side of the basic structure, wherein the retaining device is structured such that it can fixedly accommodate at least one pulling element; and a padding on the bottom side of the basic structure, wherein the basic structure is designed such that across the entire surface, the tongue can lie form-fittingly on the foot, and that both on the right and the left side, the tongue is pre-molded according to the anatomy of the dorsum of the foot, and wherein in the tongue a plurality of perforation is provided. The present invention further relates to an interlocking system for shoes, which includes same tongue. | 02-16-2012 |
20120079742 | Easy Slip Shoe - Embodiments of the present invention relate to a construction of a shoe that includes a tongue that has a first fastener attached along a portion of either a medial side or a lateral side of the tongue. Additionally, a stretchable member is attached near a portion of the medial side or the lateral side of the tongue that is opposite of the first fastener. The first fastener is attachable to the upper near the location of the first fastener on the tongue. Similarly, the stretchable member is attached to the upper near the location of the stretchable member on the tongue. | 04-05-2012 |
20120124864 | Article of Footwear With Tongue of Varying Thickness - An article of footwear includes a tongue. The tongue includes a medial portion, a lateral portion, a central portion, a top portion and an upper perimeter portion. The medial portion and the top portion have similar thicknesses, which are greater than the thicknesses of the lateral portion, the central portion and the upper perimeter portion. The central portion is the thinnest portion of the tongue. Each portion of the tongue corresponds to a different pressure zone along a foot in order to provide differential cushioning and support against pressure applied by a fastening system. | 05-24-2012 |
20120192453 | SHOE TONGUE SECURING DEVICE - A shoe having an upper with a tongue and an outer shell in which the tongue has a bulging extension on the medial side, in which the outer surface of the tongue has a connector that is aligned with a connector on the inner surface of the outer shell. When the connectors are aligned together, the tongue is secured to the outer shell. | 08-02-2012 |
20120317836 | Method For Assembling A Tongue For An Article Of Footwear - An article of footwear includes a tongue. The tongue includes a top layer and a bottom layer. The top layer is attached to a portion of an upper. The bottom layer is attached to the top layer at a distance that is staggered from where the top layer is attached to the upper. An intermediate layer of cushioning material is optionally provided between the top layer and the bottom layer. Alternatively, the top layer of the tongue is formed integrally from the material of a portion of the upper. The bottom layer is attached to the top layer with the optional intermediate layer of cushioning material disposed in between. The staggered attachment of the top and bottom layers of the tongue provides a smooth surface in contact with a foot of a wearer on the inside of the article of footwear and presents a stitchless visible tongue to the wearer on the outside of the article of footwear. | 12-20-2012 |
20130097887 | SHOE CLOSURE SYSTEM - A shoe closure system includes a plurality of fasteners corresponding to the pairs of eyelets in a shoe. Each fastener includes any elongated elastic member and releasably engageable male and female fastening devices secured to opposite ends of the elongated elastic member. The fastening devices and the elongated elastic member are cross-sectionally dimensioned to pass through the eyelets in the shoe. The male and female fastening devices are passed down through the eyelets in a respective pair of eyelets and are connected to one another at positions above the tongue of the shoe. The elasticity of the elongated elastic member holds the shoe in a comfortably closed position on the foot without having to tie the laces on the shoe. The elongated elastic member can be provided with indicia corresponding to a brand name, team name or logo. | 04-25-2013 |
20130205618 | TONGUE FOR A SHOE, AND SHOE - A tongue for a shoe is disclosed, especially a sports shoe, having at least one closure passage which is arranged on the outside of an upper region of the tongue when the shoe is in use, and a closure receiving pocket, which is arranged at the back of the closure passage towards a user. A shoe provided with such a tongue is also disclosed. | 08-15-2013 |
20130219747 | AIR-PERMEABLE TONGUE FOR SHOES, COMPRISING A RIGID YET FLEXIBLE TONGUE PART - The invention relates to an air-permeable tongue for shoes ( | 08-29-2013 |
20140082962 | Skate Shoelace Protection Structure having a Continuous Sliding Upper Interface - A skate shoe is disclosed having a shoe sole, a shoe upper, and a protective cover over the shoe upper shoelaces to prevent premature wear and failure thereof, while offering a smooth sliding interface across the shoe upper for skating activities. The shoelace cover comprises an inner tongue and outer tongue sandwiching the shoelaces therebetween, while the shoe upper terminates above the outer tongue and a lateral strap secures over the assembly. The strap originates from the outside portion of the shoe upper and is secured along the shoe upper interior portion, offering an interface across the strap and the secured outer tongue enclosed within the shoe upper that is adept at sliding along a skateboard griptape without having discontinuities and exposing the shoelaces to contact with the skateboard. The inner and outer tongue pivot from the shoe throat line and secure at their distal ends when in use. | 03-27-2014 |
20140137434 | Footwear Upper Incorporating A Knitted Component With Sock And Tongue Portions - An article of footwear may include a knitted component formed of unitary knit construction. The knitted component includes a sock portion and a tongue portion. The sock portion has a hollow structure (a) forming an ankle opening in a heel region of the footwear and (b) extending between the heel region and a forefoot region of the footwear to define a void within the footwear for receiving a foot. The tongue portion has an elongate configuration (a) extending through at least a portion of a length of a throat area of the upper and (b) including two knit layers that lay adjacent to each other. | 05-22-2014 |
20140157625 | Article With Adjustable Stiffness Tongue - An article of footwear for snowboarding includes a tongue with adjustable stiffness. The tongue includes a flexible intermediate portion and the flexibility of the intermediate portion can be controlled by a tension control system. As the tension control system applies increased tension to the tongue, the flexibility of the intermediate portion is decreased, which increases the overall stiffness of the tongue. | 06-12-2014 |
20140245634 | ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR INCORPORATING A KNITTED COMPONENT WITH INTEGRALLY KNIT CONTOURED PORTION - An upper for an article of footwear includes a knitted component having unitary knit construction. The knitted component has a base portion configured to be disposed adjacent the sole structure. The knitted component also includes one or more side portions that extend from the base portion. Furthermore, the knitted component can have at least a first edge and a second edge that are joined at a seam to define a void that receives a foot. Additionally, the upper can include a tensile strand that extends through a passage defined between an exterior surface and an interior surface of the base portion. | 09-04-2014 |
20160007674 | TONGUE FOR A SKATE BOOT | 01-14-2016 |
20160073736 | Method For Preventing A Shoe Tongue From Decentralizing - The present invention provides for an anchoring member configured for a user to securely affix to a shoe eyelet or exterior wall of a shoe for the purpose of preventing the tongue of the shoe from moving laterally or longitudinally (e.g., decentralizing). The present invention is manufactured from a lightweight, comfortable and inexpensive material, thereby providing users with optimum comfort during use and providing manufacturers the ability to inexpensively mass produce the product. | 03-17-2016 |