Internal collar device for an article of footwear

Abstract

An internal collar device for an article of footwear. The internal collar device includes ankle wraps, a pivoting spine and a heel cup. The pivoting spine is a relatively narrow portion of the internal collar device which is flexible so that it pivots with the wearer's movement. The internal collar device is disposed in an external boot of the article of footwear so that the internal collar device pivots about a pivot axis near the wearer's malleoli. The article of footwear is configured so that internal collar device pivots almost entirely independently from the external boot. As such, the internal collar devices controls the forward and rearward flex of the wearer's ankle and provides support to the wearer's foot and ankle within the article of footwear. Further, forward and rearward flex of the wearer's ankle does not result in a crease or wear area forming in the external boot so that the present invention prevents premature wear of the boot material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.