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US 2026/0123712 A1Published application
Rapid-entry footwear having a split back
AssigneeFast IP, LLC
InventorsCraig Cheney, Bradley Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rapid-entry shoe having a heel counter to prevent inward deflection of a rear portion of the upper, but the heel counter having a vertical slit to permit downward deflection of the rear portion of the upper, so as to expand a perimeter of an opening of the shoe to receive a foot and thereby facilitate donning and doffing of the rapid-entry shoe.
Claims17
A rapid-entry shoe comprising:
- a sole portion;
- and
- an upper, the upper comprising a heel counter at a rear portion of the upper;
- wherein the heel counter comprises a vertical slit configured to permit downward deflection of the rear portion of the upper;
- wherein the rapid-entry shoe has an uncollapsed configuration;
- wherein the rapid-entry shoe has a collapsed configuration to facilitate donning and doffing of the rapid-entry shoe;
- wherein, in the uncollapsed configuration, the vertical slit is substantially closed;
- wherein, in the collapsed configuration, the vertical slit is open to create an aperture and expand a perimeter of an opening of the upper;
- wherein the rapid-entry shoe is biased by the heel counter toward the uncollapsed configuration;
- wherein, in the collapsed configuration, a bowed portion of the heel counter is folded over a lower portion of the heel counter toward the sole portion;
- wherein in the collapsed configuration opposing ends of the vertical slit are moved toward one another and lateral edges of the vertical slit are moved away from one another;
- and
- wherein opposing ends of the vertical slit remain closed in both the uncollapsed configuration and the collapsed configuration.
10 more elements
A rapid-entry shoe, comprising:
- a sole portion;
- an upper having a rear portion extending around a heel of the rapid-entry shoe;
- and
- a heel counter extending around the heel and coupled to the upper, the heel counter having an upper central portion, a mid-central portion, a lower central portion, a medial side, and a lateral side,
- wherein the upper portion of the heel counter has a first configuration and is configured to be distorted into a second configuration under a load of a foot in response to a foot being inserted into the rapid-entry shoe, at least part of the upper portion is configured to lower relative to the first configuration and the at least part of the upper portion is configured to return to the first configuration after the load of the user's foot is removed,
- wherein distortion of the heel counter into the second configuration includes the heel counter widening with medial and lateral sides of the heel cup moving outward thereby widening an opening of the rapid-entry shoe, and
- wherein at least one of the upper central portion, the mid-central portion, and the lower central portion folds under the load in the second configuration and unfolds in the first configuration.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.