Shoes with shank and heel wrap
View Patent ↗The present invention concerns a shoe ( 10 ) including an upper ( 12 ), having lateral and medial sides, a midsole ( 14 ) joined to the upper ( 12 ), and an outsole ( 16 ) joined to the midsole ( 4 ). Shoe ( 10 ) is tightened around the wearer's foot using a lacing system ( 18 ) comprising a lace ( 20 ) and tightening mechanism ( 22 ). Lace ( 20 ) is threaded through shank ( 24 ) positioned under the arch and heel wrap ( 26 ) and attached at opposite ends to tightening mechanism ( 22 ). In an advantageous aspect of the present invention, lace ( 18 ) is tensioned to draw shank ( 24 ) upwards and towards the arch of the foot. In order to support the foot, shank ( 24 ) is comprised of a material having a strain rate lower than the upper ( 12 ).
1. A lacing system for a golf shoe comprising a sole and an upper having a lateral side and a medial side, said lacing system comprising:
a wrap, a shank having a unitary structure attachable to the wrap, and a lacing system;
the wrap having a lateral side overlying the lateral side of the upper, a medial side overlying the medial side of the upper, and an ankle portion connecting the lateral side of the wrap to the medial side of the wrap and wrapping about a wearer's ankle;
the shank is substantially inelastic and comprises three distinct elements, a bottom portion, a single lateral upstanding member and a single medial upstanding member, wherein the shank is sized and dimensioned to be positioned under the sole proximate to the arch of the wearer's foot;
the lacing system comprising a lace threading through guides in the wrap and the shank, wherein both ends of the lace are connected to a tightening mechanism incorporating a rotational device that upon tightening can be locked in place with a ratchet and pawl lock so that as the tightening mechanism tensions the lace, the lace pulls the shank toward the wrap to provide support to the wearer's foot; and
a plurality of removable cleats protruding from a bottom surface of the sole.
2. The lacing system of claim 1 , wherein the wrap comprises a plurality of first guides and the upstanding members of the shank each comprises a second guide, wherein the lace is threaded through the first and second channels guides to operatively connect the shank to the wrap.
3. The lacing system of claim 1 , wherein the shank's strain rate is less than the upper's strain rate.
4. The lacing system of claim 3 , wherein the shank's strain rate is about 50% less than the upper's strain rate.
5. The lacing system of claim 3 , wherein the shank's strain rate is about 25% less than the upper's strain rate.
6. The lacing system of claim 3 , wherein the shank's strain rate is about 5% less than the upper's strain rate.
7. The lacing system of claim 1 , wherein the upper comprises padding around the wearer's ankle and the padding is spaced apart from the lace.
8. The lacing system of claim 1 , wherein the wrap further comprises a metatarsal support.
9. The lacing system of claim 8 , wherein the metatarsal support is located toward the front of the footwear.
10. The lacing system of claim 1 , wherein the lace comprises a polymer coated metal wire.
11. The lacing system of claim 1 , wherein the shank comprises a thermoplastic urethane or a leather composite.