Patent ID: 6763614
Filing Date: 2004-07-20
Classification: A43C

Abstract:
An athletic shoe comprising:a resilient sole portion having a forward end, an after end, an inner edge and an outer edge; an ankle surrounding section arising from the after end of the sole portion and extending forwardly to a point intermediate of the forward end and the after end; said ankle surrounding section defining an opening through which a wearer's foot is passed; a toe section, said toe section extending from the forward end of the sole portion for a first predetermined distance and extending from the inner edge to the outer edge of the sole portion, and defining a cavity into which the wearer's toes are inserted; an instep enclosing section, said instep enclosing section having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front end, a rear end, a first edge and a second edge; said instep enclosing section extending from the toe section to the ankle surrounding section; said first edge being hingedly secured along the inner edge of the sole portion; said instep enclosing section being adapted to swing from a first open position, permitting introduction of the wearer's foot, to a second closed position wherein the second edge of the instep enclosing portion abuts the outer edge of the sole portion; means for detachably securing the second edge of the instep enclosing section to the abutting outer edge of the sole comprising: at least one pin, said pins being attached to the second edge of the instep enclosing section and extending downwardly therefrom; each of said pins having a front side and a back side and including a notch of a predetermined size, said notch extending partially into the back side of said pin; said notch being positioned orthogonal to a long axis of said pin; a retaining chamber affixed to the outer edge of the sole portion adjacent the second edge of the instep enclosing section; said retaining chamber having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, a rear end, an interior cavity, an orifice penetrating said rear end and extending to said interior cavity, and having a plurality of holes extending from said top surface downwardly to said cavity, each of said holes being sized and positioned to receive one of the pins; a locking strip, said locking strip having a front end, a rear end, a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of locking teeth and being slidably positioned within the retaining chamber and being slidably disposed upon the bottom surface of said chamber and movable from a first forward locking position to a second rearward open position; said locking teeth being sized, shaped and disposed to removably engage the notches of said pins; at least one spring, said spring being sized, shaped and disposed between the locking strip and the retaining chamber so as to urge the locking strip forward toward the first locking position; a guide block, said guide block having a top surface and a bottom surface and being fixedly attached adjacent the after end of the sole portion and including an orifice extending from said top surface to said bottom surface; a release cable, said cable being fixedly attached to the rear end of the locking strip and extending through the orifice in the rear end of the retaining chamber and rearwardly along the outer edge of the sole portion and upwardly through the guide block, and terminating in a finger loop above the guide block; and whereby, when the release cable is pulled upwardly by the finger loop, the locking strip will move rearwardly, compressing the spring, causing the locking teeth to reversibly disengage from the notches of the pins, thereby permitting the instep enclosing section to swing upwardly to allow the wearer's foot to be removed and when the wearer's foot in placed within the shoe and the instep enclosing section lowered so that the pins enter the retaining chamber and the release cable is pulled and released, the teeth of the locking strip will removably engage the notches of the pins to secure the instep enclosing section to the outer edge of the sole portion.