Ventilated footwear with closure flaps

An article of footwear in the form of an athletic shoe having an inwardly facing side panel, an outwardly facing side panel and a tongue area, said shoe further comprising:

• an outer surface;
• ventilation means incorporated in said outer surface for allowing air to circulate therethrough, said ventilation means comprising a vent opening in said outer surface and a vent covering flap hinged to the outer surface adjacent to said tongue area and being adapted to be opened in a direction substantially transverse to the lengthwise direction of said shoe for selectively causing said vent opening to be in an open air circulating position or a closed position;
• said flap and said vent opening having mutually engaging surfaces for sealably closing said vent opening;
• said flap having means for securing the same to said footwear for maintaining said vent opening in said open position, said securing means comprising a loop attached to said shoe and a frictional fastening extension attached to said flap, said securing means being adapted to have said loop and said frictional fastening extension engaged in said open air position and disengaged in said closed position, and
• said engaging surfaces being comprised of a male track extending around the periphery of said vent opening and a mating female track extending around the periphery of said flap, said male track being comprised of an upstanding wall with an enlarged upper portion and said female track being comprised of a pair of extensions having a space therebetween for engaging the male track in a locking manner.

An article of footwear in the form of an athletic shoe having an inwardly facing side panel, an outwardly facing side panel and a tongue area, said shoe further comprising:

• an outer surface;
• ventilation means incorporated in said outer surface for allowing air to circulate therethrough, said ventilation means comprising a pair of vent openings in said outer surface, one of said openings located on each side panel of said shoe adjacent said tongue area, and a pair of vent covering flaps hinged to the outer surface adjacent to said tongue area, each of said flaps being associated with a different one of said vent openings and being adapted to be opened in a direction substantially transverse to the lengthwise direction of said shoe for selectively causing its respective vent opening to be in an open air circulating position or a closed position, said flaps being adapted to engage said openings in said closed position and being adapted to engage each other in said open position by way of a frictional fastening extension and a loop attached to said flaps;
• each of said flaps and its respective vent opening having mutually engaging surfaces for sealably closing the vent opening, and
• said engaging surfaces being comprised of a male track extending around the periphery of said vent opening and a mating female track extending around the periphery of said flap, said male track being comprised of an upstanding wall with an enlarged upper portion and said female track being comprised of a pair of extensions having a space therebetween for engaging the male track in a locking manner.