Abstract:
An article of footwear is described. The article of footwear includes: a main body; a heel portion coupled to the main body using an attachment feature adapted to allow the heel portion to move about an axis; and a fastener adapted to secure the heel portion in a closed position. An easy access shoe includes: a main body; and a heel portion coupled to the main body, where the heel portion is adapted to be selectively positioned to allow a size of an access opening formed between the main body and the heel portion to be selectively increased or decreased. A shoe including: a main body; a first hinge section coupled to the main body; and a second hinge section coupled to the first hinge section and a heel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Many footwear users may have difficulty putting on and/or taking off footwear for various different reasons. For instance, children may not be able to manipulate laces or other fastening elements. As another example, the elderly may suffer from reduced dexterity, strength, sensation, vision, balance, and/or flexibility that make it difficult to use conventional footwear. In addition, various users may prefer the ease of donning/doffing footwear without having to deal with the time and efforts of a conventional shoe. Various caregivers may also be tasked with putting on or removing footwear and may find it difficult to manipulate various fastening mechanisms or easily place the footwear onto the foot of the user or to remove the footwear from the foot. 
         [0002]    Therefore there exists a need for an easy access shoe that allows users and/or caregivers to more easily put on and/or take off footwear. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Some embodiments may provide easy access footwear. The footwear may include a main body and a heel section. The heel may be able to be moved relative to the main body. In some embodiments, the heel may be able to rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to a sole of the footwear. When putting on or taking off the footwear, the heel may be moved away from the body to form a larger opening than a standard shoe. When wearing the footwear, the heel may be secured in place using a strap or other appropriate feature. 
         [0004]    A first exemplary embodiment provides an article of footwear including: a main body; a heel portion coupled to the main body using an attachment feature adapted to allow the heel portion to move about an axis; and a fastener adapted to secure the heel portion in a closed position. 
         [0005]    A second exemplary embodiment provides an easy access shoe including: a main body; and a heel portion coupled to the main body, where the heel portion is adapted to be selectively positioned to allow a size of an access opening formed between the main body and the heel portion to be selectively increased or decreased. 
         [0006]    A third exemplary embodiment provides a shoe having: a main body; a first hinge section coupled to the main body; and a second hinge section coupled to the first hinge section and a heel. 
         [0007]    The preceding Brief Summary is intended to serve as a brief introduction to various features of some exemplary embodiments of the invention. Other embodiments may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, for purpose of explanation, several embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following drawings. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of an easy access shoe according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the shoe of  FIG. 1  in an “open” position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front perspective view of the shoe of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front perspective view of the shoe of  FIG. 1  in the open position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side perspective view of the shoe of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  illustrates a side perspective view of the shoe of  FIG. 1  in the open position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  illustrates a rear perspective view of the shoe of  FIG. 1  in the open position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  illustrates a rear view of the shoe of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  illustrates a rear view of the shoe of  FIG. 1  in the open position; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  illustrates a rear perspective view of a first alternative easy access shoe in the open position; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  illustrates a top view of a second alternative easy access shoe. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, as the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
         [0021]    Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. Broadly, some embodiments of the present invention generally provide easy access footwear. Such footwear may be adapted to allow users and/or caregivers to more easily put on and take off the footwear. 
         [0022]    Throughout the specification, the term “shoe” may be used to refer to any type of footwear such as sneakers, dress shoes, boots, sandals, etc. The term “hinge” may be used to refer to any set of components that allows rotational movement among two or more elements. Various features will be described from the perspective of a wearer (e.g., a top view indicates the view of a wearer looking down at the shoes being worn as the wearer stands upright). The term “sole” may refer to the bottom surface of a shoe and may be assumed to be a plane that defines a horizontal axis in reference to the shoe features. In addition, although some features may be described as parallel or perpendicular to other features, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that different embodiments may be implemented with slightly different alignments than those described (e.g., due to style of shoe, exterior features, etc.). 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of an easy access shoe  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Specifically, this figure shows the shoe in a “closed” position such as would be used when the shoe is worn by a user (or “wearer”). As shown, the shoe may include a main body  110 , a heel portion  120 , a movable attachment feature  130 , and a fastener  140 . 
         [0024]    The main body  110  of the shoe  100  may include elements found in various different types of footwear, such as an upper with a tongue, laces, straps, and/or other appropriate elements, a sole, an insole, etc. Different embodiments may include different specific elements or types of elements depending on the type of footwear (e.g., athletic shoes, dress shoes, lace-up shoes, slip-on shoes, boots, sandals, etc.). 
         [0025]    The heel portion  120  may generally be implemented as a “U” shaped element that is adapted to be coupled to the body  110  to form a complete unit of footwear that is able to be worn by a user when in the closed position. As shown, the heel portion  120  may extend from an outside wall of the main body  110  to an inside wall of the main body. In this example, the outside wall is on the right and the inside wall is on the left of the right shoe as viewed from above. 
         [0026]    The attachment feature  130  may be a connecting feature that allows the heel  120  to be movably coupled to the body  110 . The connecting feature may include, for instance, a hinge (e.g., a plate hinge, a hinge formed by a rod or post extending through a portion of a heel section that is able to be received by an appropriate hole or socket in the main body, a section of fabric or other pliable material, etc.), a strap, a post, and/or other appropriate elements that may allow the heel  120  to be moved relative to the body  110 . 
         [0027]    The fastener  140  may be adapted to allow the heel  140  to selectively be fixed in the closed position or the open position relative to the body  110 . Such a fastener may include, for instance, one or more straps, latches (e.g., a butt jointpanel latch, a coffin lock, a post and hole latch, etc.), buttons, buckles, magnets, clips, and/or other appropriate elements that may allow the heel  120  to be securely held in place in the closed position. The fastener  140  may be configured such that the feature is easily manipulated without requiring fine motor skills, vision, sensation, flexibility, strength, and/or energy. 
         [0028]    In addition to the attachment feature  130  and fastener  140  described above, the heel may be attached to the body in various other appropriate ways (e.g., fabric or other interior or exterior surface materials or structural materials of the shoe body may be stitched to the similar materials on the heel, various adhesive elements may be used to attach portions of the heel to the body, the heel may be at least partially secured to the body using one or more elastic straps, etc.). 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the shoe  100  in an “open” position. Such an open position may allow a wearer&#39;s foot to be placed into (or removed from) the shoe by allowing the foot to enter or exit the shoe body  110  via the rear opening (or “access opening”) formed when the heel  120  is in the open position. As shown, the side-to-side extension of the heel may allow for the largest possible width rear opening. 
         [0030]    Different embodiments may allow the heel  120  to be moved in various different ways in order to form an easy access opening. For instance, as shown, the heel may be able to rotate away from the back of the shoe  100  on one side. As another example, the heel  120  may be able to be detached from the shoe on both sides and moved back away from the body  110 . As still another example, the heel  120  may be able to be rotated down and back from the body  110  using a hinge with an axis of rotation parallel to the sole of the shoe  100 . 
         [0031]    In this example, the fastener  140  includes a fixed loop  210  and a strap  220 . The fixed loop  210  may be secured to the heel portion  120  and the strap  220  may be selectively passed through the loop  210  and secured to itself (e.g., using a hook-and-loop strap). 
         [0032]    Alternatively, the fastener  140  may be implemented integrally to the attachment feature  130 . For instance, the attachment feature may include a locking spring hinge that is able to lock into an open or closed position. Such an element may be moved from one position to the other by, for instance, applying a threshold force sufficient to dislodge the element from a first position. The element may then allow the heel  120  to move between the open and closed position before being locked in the desired position by application of a similar threshold force. 
         [0033]    Different embodiments may implement the feature  140  in various different ways. For instance, some embodiments may attach a loop to the body of the shoe and a strap to the heel portion. As another example, some embodiments may include a pair of fasteners, with one located on each side of the heel  210 . In such embodiments, the attachment feature  130  may be omitted such that the heel  120  may be moved away from (or secured to) the rear of the body  110  using the pair of fasteners. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front perspective view of the shoe  100 .  FIG. 4  illustrates a front perspective view of the shoe  100  in the open position. 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side perspective view of the shoe  100 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a side perspective view of the shoe  100  in the open position. 
         [0036]    As shown, the shoe may include an additional securing or stability feature  500 . The stability feature may include a vertical strap  610  that is able to be attached to an attachment region  620 . The vertical strap  610  and attachment region  620  may be implemented using, for example, hook-and-loop material. Different embodiments may include different and/or additional stability features. The stability feature(s) may help provide additional support for a user when the shoe is in the closed position by helping to secure the heel to the main body. 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  illustrates a rear perspective view of the shoe  100  in the open position. As shown, the shoe may include a hinge  710  or other appropriate attachment feature, a tongue  720 , body coupling regions  730  and heel coupling regions  740 . 
         [0038]    The hinge  710  may include a rotationally movable element as shown and various attachment features (not shown) that may allow the hinge to be attached to the body  110  and the heel  120 . Such attachment features may include plates or tabs extending from the rotationally movable element that may be attached to the body  110  or heel  120  in various appropriate ways (e.g., using adhesives, by sewing the attachment features into the show sections, etc.). The hinge  710  or other connecting feature may be made of various appropriate materials (e.g., metal, plastic, etc.). 
         [0039]    The tongue  720  of some embodiments may be configured to be immobile such that the tongue is not able to move away from the top of the shoe  100 . In this way, a user does not have to position or hold the fixed tongue  720  when putting on the shoe  100 . Other styles of shoe (e.g., shoes having straps or other features rather than tongues) may be configured in a similar manner such that an unimpeded opening is formed with the shoe is in the open position. 
         [0040]    The coupling regions  730 - 740  may allow the heel  120  and body  110  to be securely fastened together when the shoe is in the closed position. In some embodiments, the coupling regions may include concave regions on the body and convex regions on the shoe (or vice versa). The coupling regions may be adapted to fit together in various appropriate ways (e.g., as flat surfaces having matching thicknesses as shown, as curved complementary regions or other complementary shapes, etc.). 
         [0041]      FIG. 8  illustrates a rear view of the shoe  100 .  FIG. 9  illustrates a rear view of the shoe  100  in the open position. 
         [0042]      FIG. 10  illustrates a rear perspective view of a first alternative easy access shoe  1000  in the open position. In this example, the shoe includes a protruding “lip”  1010  that forms a partially enclosed heel cup to generate a more secure fit when the shoe is worn. Such a lip may extend upwards from the sole approximate one half inch to one inch and may provide a smaller opening when the shoe is in the open position that still allows a user to easily change into or take off the shoe. 
         [0043]      FIG. 11  illustrates a top view of a second alternative easy access shoe  1100 . In this example, the shoe is a loafer or moccasin style shown with no external straps or other visible connecting features. The two connecting regions  1110  and  1120  may each include one or more connecting features such as a post hinge, magnetic connectors, latches, canvas, etc. 
         [0044]    In some embodiments, the connecting regions may include one or more spring hinges or other appropriate features that may allow the heel to move relative to the body of the shoe. In some embodiments, such spring hinges may be manipulated by a wearer through positioning or movement of the foot within the shoe. For instance, when a foot slides into the shoe opening, the heel section may automatically be drawn closed by an attachment such as a strap inside the shoe. As another example, a user may “unlock” a shoe for removal by twisting or otherwise positioning a foot within the shoe. 
         [0045]    One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the footwear described above in reference to  FIGS. 1-11  was presented for example purposes only and that different embodiments may be implemented in various different ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, although the heel of some embodiments is shown as rotating at an inside connection point, the heel may rotate from an outside connection point in some embodiments. As another example, although the securing strap of some embodiments is shown as passing through a loop, different embodiments may fix one end of such a strap (e.g., using adhesive) and allow the other end to be attached to an associated region on the shoe body (e.g., using hook and loop connectors). In addition, different embodiments may use elements having different shapes and/or relative sizes that shown. Furthermore, different embodiments may be implemented using various different combinations of materials (e.g., rubber, foam, leather, canvas or other fabric, synthetic materials, plastic, metal, etc.) in addition to and/or in place of those described above. 
         [0046]    The foregoing relates to illustrative details of exemplary embodiments of the invention and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.