Patent ID: 7207126

Claim:
An assembly comprising: a shoe and a device for flexural stiffening of the shoe; said shoe comprising: an upper including a flexion fold zone, a tibial support zone having an upper front surface, and a flexible front end zone; and a sole; said device including a rigid or semi-rigid cover covering said upper front surface of said shoe and extending from within said flexion fold zone of said shoe to said front end zone of said shoe; said cover being fixed to the sole beneath said front end zone of said upper and between the top and bottom of the sole for articulation relative to the sole; said cover being fixed to the upper of the shoe at said flexion fold zone and/or to said tibial support zone; said cover being more rigid than said upper front surface and said flexion fold zone of the shoe so as to interfere with free flexing of the shoe in said flexion fold zone while a wearer's foot is positioned within the shoe.