Footwear article having cord structure and convertible heel strap

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11147337-B2
Application number	US-201916442361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2019
Priority date	Jun 15, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A footwear article is provided herein. In one embodiment, a footwear article comprises a first cord forming a first plurality of loops, a second cord forming a second plurality of loops, the second plurality of loops slippably-engaged and intertwined with the first plurality of loops to form at least a portion of an upper configured to at least partially enclose a foot, and a heel strap comprising a heel counter and a connection cord, the connection cord fixedly intertwined with at least the first cord, the heel strap is adjustable from a first position to a second position. In this way, the footwear article may be converted from a first type of footwear article into a second type of footwear article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A footwear article, comprising:
a first cord forming a first plurality of loops;
a second cord forming a second plurality of loops, the second plurality of loops slippably-engaged and intertwined with the first plurality of loops to form at least a portion of an upper configured to at least partially enclose a foot; and
a heel strap comprising a heel counter and a connection cord, wherein the first cord and the second cord are intertwined to form a loop, wherein the connection cord is fixedly intertwined with at least the first cord at the loop, and the heel strap is adjustable from a first position to a second position.

2. The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the heel strap is adjustable from the first position to the second position by rotating the heel strap relative to a coupling between the connection cord and the first cord.

3. The footwear article of claim 1 , further comprising a lace cord laced through a subset of the second plurality of loops, wherein the lace cord and the first cord are laced through a lace lock, and wherein the lace lock secures the heel counter when the heel strap is in the second position.

4. The footwear article of claim 1 , further comprising an upper structure formed from fabric, wherein the first cord passes through a first channel in the upper structure and the second cord passes through a second channel in the upper structure, wherein the second cord loops around the first cord adjacent to the second channel, and wherein the connection cord is coupled to the first cord adjacent to the first channel.

5. The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the connection cord is stretchable for securing the foot within the footwear article when the heel strap is in the first position.

6. The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the footwear article comprises a partially-closed-heel footwear article when the heel strap is in the first position and an open-heel footwear article when the heel strap is in the second position.

7. The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the first cord forms a rand substructure including a plurality of vamp connection bights, wherein the second cord forms a vamp substructure including a plurality of rand connection bights, and wherein the first plurality of loops intertwined with the second plurality of loops comprises the plurality of vamp connection bights intertwined with the plurality of rand connection bights.

8. The footwear article of claim 1 , wherein the first cord, the second cord, and the connection cord are flexible to bend in any direction, yet retain their shape at least partially in a free-state.

9. A footwear article, comprising:
a first cord forming a first plurality of loops;
a second cord forming a second plurality of loops, the second plurality of loops slippably-engaged and intertwined with the first plurality of loops to form at least a portion of an upper configured to at least partially enclose a foot;
a heel strap comprising a heel counter and a connection cord, the connection cord fixedly intertwined with at least the first cord, the heel strap adjustable from a first position to a second position, wherein the heel strap is configured to secure the foot within the footwear article in the first position and wherein the heel strap is configured to not secure the foot within the footwear article in the second position; and
a fabric upper structure, the fabric upper structure comprising a first channel through which the first cord is threaded and a second channel through which the second cord is threaded, wherein the first channel and the second channel are adjacent to each other in the fabric upper structure, wherein the second cord loops around a portion of the first cord extending from a first end of the first channel to form a loop and passes back through the second channel, wherein the connection cord loops around the portion of the first cord extending from the first channel to form a connection loop between the first cord extending from the first channel and the loop of the second cord.

10. The footwear article of claim 9 , further comprising a tongue and a second fabric upper structure, the fabric upper structure positioned on a medial side of the footwear article and the second fabric upper structure positioned opposite the fabric upper structure on a lateral side of the footwear article.

11. The footwear article of claim 10 , wherein the second fabric upper structure comprises a third channel and a fourth channel, wherein the first cord extends from a second end of the first channel of the fabric upper structure towards the tongue, passes over the tongue, and extends through the third channel of the second fabric upper structure.

12. The footwear article of claim 11 , wherein the second cord is threaded through the fourth channel of the second fabric upper structure, and wherein the second cord loops around a portion of the first cord extending from a first end of the third channel to form a second loop and passes back through the fourth channel.

13. The footwear article of claim 12 , wherein the connection cord loops around the portion of the first cord extending from the third channel to form a second connection loop between the first cord extending from the third channel and the second loop of the second cord.

14. A footwear article, comprising:
a sole;
a first cord forming a first plurality of loops, the first cord engaged with the sole;
a second cord forming a second plurality of loops, the second plurality of loops slippably-engaged and intertwined with the first plurality of loops to form at least a portion of an upper configured to at least partially enclose a foot;
a lace cord laced through a subset of the second plurality of loops;
a heel strap comprising a heel counter and a connection cord, the connection cord intertwined with at least the first cord, the heel strap is adjustable from a first position to a second position, wherein the heel strap is configured to secure the foot within the footwear article in the first position and wherein the heel strap is configured to not secure the foot within the footwear article in the second position; and
a first fabric upper structure and a second fabric upper structure, the first fabric upper structure positioned on a medial side of the footwear article and the second fabric upper structure positioned opposite the first fabric upper structure on a lateral side of the footwear article, wherein the first cord and the second cord are threaded through channels of the first fabric upper structure and the second fabric upper structure, wherein the connection cord is intertwined with at least the first cord at the channels of the first fabric upper structure and the second fabric upper structure.

15. The footwear article of claim 14 , further comprising a lace lock, wherein ends of the lace cord are coupled to the lace lock for adjusting tension of the lace cord, and wherein the lace lock secures the heel strap in the second position.

Assignees

• Fuerst Group Inc

Inventors

• Wood Alicia
• Fuerst Jr Rory

Classifications

• A43B1/04 Primary

  braided, knotted, knitted or crocheted · CPC title

• A43B3/126 Primary

  characterised by the shape or layout of the straps · CPC title

• A43C1/02

  with elastic laces · CPC title

• A43B3/242

  characterised by the upper · CPC title

• A43C1/06

  tightened by draw-strings · CPC title