Patent ID: 6076284
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: A43B

Abstract:
A shoe comprising:a shoe upper including a bottom beneath, sides passing up past the sides of, and a top above a wearer's foot; the shoe upper including a front portion, a heel portion and a foot opening at the heel portion; the shoe upper being comprised of a flexible material at least at the mid-section of the shoe upper;a split sole beneath the bottom of the shoe upper including a front sole portion under the front portion of the shoe upper, a rear sole portion under the heel portion of the shoe upper, a mid-section of the bottom of the shoe upper between the front and the rear sole portions and which is without the sole beneath it;a band of flexible, non-stretchable material attached to the shoe upper so as to overlap the shoe upper at the mid-section of the shoe upper, the band extending across the bottom of the shoe upper, up past both sides of the shoe upper and extending to and attached in an overlapping arrangement to both sides of the shoe upper toward the top of the shoe upper for substantially reducing an amount of sagging of the bottom of the shoe upper due to application of force to the bottom of the shoe upper by the wearer's foot and due to stretching of the shoe upper material.