Patent ID: 9414640
Filing Date: 2016-08-16
CPC Classification: A43B

Claim Text:
1. A cycling shoe, comprising: a sole having a toe section, a ball section, an arch section, and a heel section including a curved rear heel end; an upper connected to the sole to form a cavity for receiving a foot of a cyclist and including first and second peripheral edge portions; a heel including a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a flexible lower heel portion connected to the heel section of the sole and an upper heel portion pivotable to selectively rotate the heel into bistable states respectively corresponding to open and closed states of the heel with respect to the sole about a pivot area of the lower heel portion, said pivot area adjacent to where the lower heel portion connects to the heel section of the sole, a concave portion of an interior surface of the heel in the closed state transforms to be a convex portion of said interior surface in the open state in a transition of the heel from the closed state to the open state, the heel including a first energy barrier between the open state and the closed state and a second energy barrier between the closed state and the open state, and the heel remains in the open state until moved to overcome the first energy barrier and placed into the closed state and remains in the closed state until moved to overcome the second energy barrier and placed into the open state; and a fastening system including a first connecting element extending from said first lateral side, a second connecting element extending from said second lateral side, and at least one tensioning device on the upper, said at least one tensioning device cooperating with the first and second connecting elements to provide a tension relationship between the heel in said closed state and the upper, wherein the connection of the flexible lower heel portion to the heel section of the sole is curved as a result of the connection extending along a portion the curved rear heel end, and with the heel in said open state, said interior surface flexes to form a crease including the convex surface in the pivot area of the lower heel portion.