Abstract:
An athletic shoe having an inflatable tongue which can be slightly deflated or inflated after lacing up or otherwise closing the shoe to conform to the user&#39;s foot and the lacing to provide a more comfortable fit of the shoe. The tongue includes an inner bladder of an expandable foam material with a valve on the tongue fluidly communicating the exterior of the tongue with the interior of the bladder to selectively inflate and deflate the same upon introduction and release of air to the bladder.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The invention relates to athletic shoes, and, more particularly, to an athletic shoe having an inflatable tongue for conforming the shoe to the foot of the wearer.  
         [0003]     2. Related Art  
         [0004]     Athletic shoes having some means for conforming the shoe to the foot of the wearer to make them more comfortable are well known in the art.  
         [0005]     An athletic shoe having an inflatable bladder in the form of a tongue is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,599 to Cohen et al. The bladder is inflated by a pump having a release valve. The release valve must be separately activated to deflate the bladder.  
         [0006]     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,767 to Cohen et al., another athletic shoe with an inflatable tongue bladder is disclosed. This pump is rather elaborate with tubing since it is disposed in the back of the shoe. Again, the release valve must be separately depressed.  
         [0007]     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,779 to Litchfield et al., another athletic shoe is disclosed having an inflatable tongue bladder. The pump disclosed also includes a release valve which must be enabled to release air.  
         [0008]     There is a need for an athletic shoe having an inflatable tongue bladder which can be quickly and easily inflated or deflated.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     It is an object of this invention to provide an athletic shoe having an inflatable tongue bladder that can quickly be inflated and deflated to conform to the contour of the wearer&#39;s foot.  
         [0010]     It is a further object of this invention to provide such a shoe which does not require independent activation of a release valve.  
         [0011]     These and other objects are preferably accomplished by providing an athletic shoe having an inflatable tongue which can be slightly deflated after lacing up or otherwise closing the shoe to conform to the user&#39;s foot or instep to provide a more comfortable fit of the shoe. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an athletic shoe with a tongue in accordance with the teachings of the invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the shoe of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the tongue alone of  FIGS. 1 and 2  removed from the shoe;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a view of the tongue of  FIG. 3  taken along line  4 - 4  thereof;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a view of the tongue of  FIG. 4  taken along line  5 - 5  thereof; and  
         [0017]     FIGS.  6  to  8  are cross-sectional views of the valve and tongue bladder of the shoe of FIGS.  1  to  4  illustrating actuation of the valve and the effect on the interior of the tongue bladder. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     Referring now to  FIG. 1  of the drawing, an athletic shoe  10  is shown. Shoe  10  is a conventional shoe including a sole  11 , an upper  12 , laces  13  and eyelets  14 . As particularly contemplated in the present invention, a tongue  15  is shown which is adapted to be sewn or otherwise secured into the normal position of a tongue in a shoe, as also shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0019]     Tongue  15  is shown removed from shoe  10  in  FIG. 3 . Tongue  15  is generally triangularly shaped but rounded at both ends. Thus, tongue  15  includes a first tapered narrow end  16 , rounded at  17 , and a second enlarged end  18 , rounded at  19 , interconnected by mid-portion  20 .  
         [0020]     End  16  is adapted to be sewn or otherwise secured internally of shoe  10  to provide a tongue for shoe  10  as seen in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0021]     As seen in  FIG. 4 , tongue  15  may be comprised of mating pieces of material, such as a first upper layer  21  of material stitched or otherwise secured to a second lower layer  22  of material along peripheral flange  23 .  
         [0022]     Any suitable material may be used for layers  21 ,  22 . For example, a leather or woven material may be used or a combination thereof.  
         [0023]     The interior of tongue  15  is filled with a sponge foam layer  24 , such as urethane, or any suitable resilient material capable of allowing fluid to pass therethrough. One example is an open-cell or reticulated foam having 10 to 55 pores per inch. One such material is available from United Foam Plastics of Georgetown, Mass.  
         [0024]     Thus, the layers  21  and  22 , with foam layer  24 , are attached at the edges along flange  23 , forming a bladder.  
         [0025]     Again as particularly contemplated in the present invention, a one-way valve  25  is provided having a raised or domed outer portion  26 , which may have indicia  40  thereon (see  FIG. 1 ), such as raised or embossed lettering or the like.  
         [0026]     Valve  25  is shown in detail in  FIG. 5  and is comprised of outer domed portion  26  having a peripheral flange  27  secured to an inner valve portion  28 , in any suitable manner, having an integral annular circular portion  29 . Inner valve portion  28  is secured to layer  21  in any suitable manner and has a notched area  30  on its upper surface receiving therein a ring or washer  31 . As seen, inner valve portion  28  has an inwardly extending flange portion  32  disposed in an annular notch  33  formed in the main body portion  34  of valve element  35 . Valve element  35 , as will be discussed, is a movable element within valve  25 . The upper portion of valve element  35  has a protuberance  36  extending into a cavity  37  formed on the undersurface of domed portion  26  defined by a downwardly extending annular skirt  38 .  
         [0027]     As seen in  FIG. 3 , a plurality of spaced air holes  39  are provided through domed portion  26  communicating the exterior thereof with the interior of valve  25 .  
         [0028]     In operation, the normal deflated state of bladder  15  is shown in  FIG. 5 . As seen in  FIG. 6 , pressing down on valve portion  26  in the direction of arrow  41 , allows air to enter through air holes  39 , as indicated by arrows  42 ,  43 , down between the valve portions  28  and  34  into the interior  24  of the bladder as indicated by arrows  44 ,  45 . This introduces air into the tongue  15  ( FIG. 2 ) and can be accomplished either on or off the user&#39;s foot.  FIG. 7  illustrates the fully inflated position. The shoe  10  may then be put on the user&#39;s foot and laced up. The laces are tightened. Of course, rather than laces, other closing mechanisms may be used, such as straps having Velcro or buckle attachments, as is know to those skilled in the art. The terms inflated and deflated are relative terms, inflated meaning that there is more air in the bladder than when it is deflated. Therefore, an “inflated” bladder may be holding less air than it is capable of holding, but this same bladder in a “deflated” state would be holding relatively less air than in its “inflated” state.  
         [0029]     As seen in  FIG. 8 , squeezing or pushing down on tongue  15 , as seen by arrows  46 ,  47 , allows air to exit from interior  34 , via arrows  48 ,  49 , out of openings  39  as indicated by arrows  50 ,  51 . The interior  24  is deflated sufficiently to allow tongue  15  to conform to the user&#39;s foot or instep and the lacing over tongue  15  provides cushioning and comfort to the foot of the wearer. This provides a more comfortable fit and conforms the shoe to the wearer&#39;s foot.  
         [0030]     It can be seen that there is disclosed an athletic shoe comprising a tongue in the form of, or including, a wedge of open-cell foam inside a sealed plastic bladder. A preferred location for the bladder is between the laces, or other closure mechanism, of the shoe and the foot. The foam has a memory, and seeks to maintain an expanded shape. A sealable valve including a one-way diaphragm allows air to move in and out of the bladder. In one method of operation, the valve is opened manually and the bladder is allowed to expand prior to lacing of the shoe. The shoe is then laced up, or otherwise closed if straps or other closing mechanisms are used, placing pressure on the bladder. The valve may then be opened allowing air to exit the bladder conforming the tongue and bladder to the foot of the wearer of the shoe. Alternatively, the bladder can be squeezed and air pushed out past the diaphragm. The valve then self-seals, and holds the bladder in this relatively deflated state. The shoe is then laced up, or closed. The valve is then opened manually, and air is pulled in as the foam expands. The expansion is limited by the space between the foot and the shoe. The result is a customized amount of cushioning because only enough air is present in the bladder to fill the gap between the foot and the shoe.  
         [0031]     Although a particular embodiment has been disclosed, variations thereof may occur to an artisan and the scope of the invention should only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.