Systems and Methods for Enhancing Boot Comfort and Style

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57. This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/160,924, filed Jan. 27, 2023 (Atty. Ref. No. BBARN.020D1), which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/737,758, filed Jan. 8, 2020, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 11,564,450 (Atty. Ref. No. BBARN.020A), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/791,671, filed Jan. 11, 2019, titled Systems and Methods for Enhancing Boot Comfort and Style (Atty. Ref. No. BBARN.020PR) and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/842,111, filed May 2, 2019, titled Systems and Methods for Enhancing Boot Comfort and Style (Atty. Ref. No. BBARN.002PR2). The entire disclosures of each of the foregoing applications are hereby made part of this specification as if set forth fully herein and incorporated by reference for all purposes, for all that each contain.

The disclosure relates generally to footwear with both functional and stylistic features, and some that fill both roles.

Western work boots can have various features addressing comfort, style, and utility, as further described herein.

A boot can comprise, for example: an elongate shaft having an elongate axis configured to extend upward along the leg of a user, the shaft having lateral and medial portions with corresponding features, and two pull tabs secured to each elongate shaft, one on the lateral side and one on the medial side. The shaft can be further configured such that each of the lateral and medial portions is formed from a protective material and from a resilient material. Each of the lateral and medial portions can be formed primarily from protective material and can have at least one elongate opening therein extending generally parallel to the elongate axis of the elongate shaft. Each elongate opening can be spanned by resilient material that is secured to the inside of the elongate shaft using at least two rows of stitching that penetrate the protective material and extend up and down either side of the elongate opening. Each of the elongate openings can be configured to have a wider portion toward the top of the shaft and a narrower portion toward the bottom of the shaft, and each wider portion can be sized to fit behind a pull tab. Each pull tab can be further sized and configured to obscure the wider portion of the elongate opening and the resilient material that spans said opening. Each pull tab can be attached to the protective material adjacent to the elongate opening such that it obscures the wider portion thereof by wrapping around a top edge of the elongate shaft containing the elongate opening. The pull tab can be further configured to attach to the protective material on a single side of the elongate opening, thereby allowing the elongate opening to stretch and facilitate periodic entry and exit of a wearer's foot.

A system for enhancing boot comfort while maintaining style can comprise, for example, a boot having a shaft that rises up from a toe box and heel portion of the boot, the shaft primarily formed from a less resilient protective material decorated with multiple lines forming aesthetic designs, and a more resilient accommodating material integrated into the boot shaft as follows: The shaft can be separated into a forward portion, generally over the toc box. and a back portion, generally over the heel, with an opening between the two portions that extends from a top edge of the shaft downward toward a sole of the boot. The opening between the two portions can be very narrow, such that the two portions touch or are less than one centimeter apart, along more than half of its length. The opening between the two portions can be shaped and sized to complement the multiple lines decorating the protective material, such that the opening can be difficult to distinguish from such lines and not appear from a distance to be a functional opening in the protective material. The opening can further be spanned by the more resilient accommodating material, which can be secured to both front and back edges of the opening from within the shaft such that the resilient accommodating material is fully or mostly obscured by the less resilient protective material.

The system can further comprise a second opening, such that a pair of such openings can be formed on medial and lateral sides of the boot shaft, each having generally the same shape and construction, and each spanned in the same manner by more resilient accommodating material such that the two openings can be approximately symmetrical and can accommodate foot entry simultaneously from each side of the boot shaft.

The system can further be such that the less resilient protective material is leather.

The system can further comprise additional openings in the less resilient protective material of the boot shaft, such that the openings can be spanned by perforated or other material that can be configured to allow air to continually pass through said additional openings while maintaining the general shape and integrity of the boot shaft.

The system can be further configured such that the opening between the two portions and the resilient material that spans the opening are colored to further complement the multiple lines decorating the protective material and can obscure the functional difference between the opening and the decorative lines, thereby providing a stylistic camouflage for the opening.

The system can be further configured such that the opening has a wider portion at the top of the shaft. The wider portion can be configured to expand to a greater extent due to the greater width of resilient material spanning it. The wider portion can be physically obscured by a pull strap formed from the protective material. The pull strap can loops over the top edge of the shaft and can be secured thereto. The pull strap and wider portion can be configured to permit greater expansion of the opening as a wearer's heel passes through the shaft when a wearer dons or doffs the boot.

A work boot having comfort features can comprise: a rugged sole, a reinforced toe box, and a protective leather boot shaft that can extend upward from the top of the rugged sole to at least three times the height of the toe box. The shaft can have lateral and medial vertical slits that can terminate at the top of the shaft. Each slit can be fully spanned on the inside of the shaft by a resilient material that can be secured to the shaft such that the resilient material can be stretched during foot entry or exit but can resiliently return to its resting shape when not being stretched. Each slit can be obscured by at least one obscurement feature.

The work boot can comprise an obscurement feature that comprises a strap at the top of each vertical slit that obscures the top of the slit and folds across a top rim of the shaft. The strap can be secured to the boot shaft with a rotating securement feature such that the strap can be pulled and rotated by a user to exert generally upward force on the boot when a wearer pulls it on to their foot, which can cause a wearer's heel to pass down through the shaft to rest on an inner portion of the sole.

A method of providing and disguising comfort features in a western-style boot can comprise providing at least two of the following:

A method of providing and disguising comfort features in a boot can comprise providing an opening in a shaft of the boot that can extend from the top of the boot shaft at least half-way down towards a shoe box of the boot. The opening can be spanned by a resilient material that can be configured to allow the boot shaft to expand in response to pressure to accommodate entry or exit of a foot through the boot shaft and to return to a non-expanded state after said entry or exit. The opening can comprise an upper vertical portion and a lower curved portion, wherein the two portions are connected to one another and wherein a transition from the upper vertical portion to the lower curved portion includes a turn of approximately 90 degree in the shape of the opening. The opening can be further shaped and positioned to blend into design lines visible on the outside of the shaft of the boot.

The method can further comprise a pull tab at the top of the boot shaft that can include an inner and an outer portion which can extend down inside and outside of the boot shaft respectively. The pull tab can be positioned and sized to hang over and hide the top vertical portion of the opening and the approximately 90 degree turn in the transition of the opening. The inner and outer portions of the pull tab can be securely attached to the boot shaft below the approximately 90 degree turn in the transition of the opening. The pull tab can be pivotably attached to the boot shaft, which can allow a wearer of the boot to pull on the pull tab in a direction other than generally parallel to the upper vertical portion of the opening.

A boot can comprise an elongate resilient feature configured to provide greater stretch near a donning point where a heel can press against the back of a boot shaft. The elongate resilient feature can include an intermediate material configured to provide a manufacturing template for relative positioning between materials of the boot shaft.

The boot can further comprise at least one pull tab that can wrap around and extend over a top rim of the boot shaft and can be positioned to obscure and generally enclose a top portion of the resilient feature.

The boot can be configured such that the resilient feature can span an opening in the outward-facing portion of the boot shaft, and a corresponding resilient feature can be positioned within a lining of the boot shaft, such that it can span a corresponding opening in the lining of the boot shaft. The pull tab can obscure both of these resilient features near the top rim of the boot shaft.

The boot can be configured such that the pull tab can be leather and can be configured to rotate forward and back around an axis of rotation formed by a rivet that passes through the pull tab and the shaft of the boot. The boot can further comprise a dual shank system comprising a generally straight and elongate shank and a separate closed U-shaped shank located in a cushion midsole of the boot.

A western boot can comprise: a sole; above and connected to the sole, a shoebox that can be formed primarily from a durable material; and a shaft rising from the shoebox to a shaft top that can be open to receive a wearer's foot, the shaft can also be formed primarily from a durable material and incorporating resilient features such that:

The western boot can be configured such that the specific vertical level can comprise a donning point, the donning point occurring in the shaft back portion where a user's heel contacts the shaft interior during foot entry, while the same foot is simultaneously contacting the interior of the shaft front portion with a top foot surface at a doffing point where the shoe box transitions to the shaft. The western boot can be configured such that the resilient features can each comprise two angled linear portions that converge at the vertical level of the donning point and can each comprise a lower linear portion thereof that can terminate near the doffing point.

The western boot can comprise a lateral space between the front and back shaft portions that can be greatest at the vertical level of the doffing point even when the shaft is in a relaxed position prior to or after foot entry or exit.

The western boot can be configured such that the elongate medial and lateral openings each terminate above an upper limit of the shoe box at a waterproof line, thereby maintaining a waterproof aspect of the boot.

The western boot can be configured such that the two portions of resilient material can be formed from waterproof elastic, thereby enhancing waterproof performance of the boot.

The western boot can further comprise a moldable material formed on the resilient material such that the moldable material can protrude from a surface of the resilient material to establish an edge configured to seat against a corresponding edge in the durable material, thereby positioning the resilient material with respect to the medial or lateral opening prior to seam stitching and improving manufacturing consistency.

The western boot can be configured such that the moldable material can be formed from KRYPTANE polyurethane (KPU) and the resilient material can be elastic.

The western boot can be configured such that the moldable material can provide an overlapping layer positioned between the durable and resilient materials at seam lines extending along the edges of both the front and back shaft portions bordering the elongate openings.

The western boot can be configured such that the moldable material can span the entire width of both medial and lateral elongate openings at a lower end of these openings and can thereby enhance strength, resilience, and waterproof properties of the boot.

The western boot can further comprise a boot lining formed inside the shaft, such that the lining can have elongate lining openings that can run parallel to and generally match the size and shape of the elongate medial and lateral openings in the durable material of the shaft. The elongate lining openings can also be spanned by resilient material such that two layers of resilient material can act together, one on the medial side of the shaft and one on the lateral side of the shaft, which can allow temporary widening of the shaft and lining openings during foot entry and exit.

The western boot can further comprise medial and lateral pull tabs formed from durable material that can be secured to the shaft and configured to wrap around the rim at the shaft top, which can thereby obscure the opening in the rim.

The western boot can further comprise medial and lateral pivot fasteners that secure the pull tabs to the shaft while allowing the pull tabs to pivot slightly frontward and backward along the boot rim.

The western boot can further comprise a dual shank system that can comprise a generally straight and elongate shank and a separate closed U-shaped shank, the closed U-shaped shank can be located in a cushion midsole of the boot such that at least a portion thereof can be externally visible.

A method of manufacturing a boot having resilient features can comprise: providing durable and resilient materials for a boot shaft; cutting out rear and front portions of durable material for the boot shaft; cutting out medial and lateral resilient materials for the boot shaft; molding a moldable material onto each of the medial and lateral resilient materials using a mold template such that the moldable material can protrude from a surface of the resilient material and can establish an edge configured to seat against a corresponding edge in the durable material; using the edge of the moldable material to position the resilient material with respect to the medial or lateral opening prior to seam stitching; and stitching a seam along the edge of the durable material while the moldable material can help to hold the position of the resilient material with respect to the durable material.

The method can further comprise: molding the moldable material such that it can form a flatter, less protruding portion along the full edge of the resilient portion and can provide a flatter ledge portion configured to receive the edges of the durable material; positioning durable material on the ledge portion; and sewing a robust seam through the durable material and through the moldable material and through the resilient material, which can further secure all three materials together along a seam at the edge of the medial and lateral openings.

Footwear that covers and extends upward from a wearer's ankle can be generally classified as a boot.shows one example of a boot. An elongate portion of the boot that extends upward from the wearer's ankle and that encloses the wearer's ankles and at least a portion of the wearer's shin and calf is frequently known as the shaftof the boot, while the portion of the bootthat contains the wearer's foot during use is often referred to as the shoe boxor toe box (with its upper portion referred to as the vamp).

Some boots include features for opening and/or closing the boot shaft in order to let the wearer's foot pass into and out of the boot. Other boots include a pull-on design and have a continuous closed circumference of the shaft. For these boots, the wearer simply slips the foot through the boot shaftand into the shoe boxin order to put the booton, or vice versa to remove the foot from the boot. The closed-circumference shaft can be very useful and protective, but it can also cause difficulty and discomfort because of the constraints it may place on a wearer's foot when inserting the foot into or extracting the foot from the boot. This discomfort may be heightened if a wearer's ankle is not flexible or is swollen from work or exertion.

Mechanisms such as buttons, buckles, zippers, laces, etc. can be provided to loosen and tighten the shaftof the boot, alternately allowing passage of the wearer's foot when pulling the booton or off and securing the shaftof the boot around the wearer's leg during use so that the wearer's foot does not inadvertently slip out of the shoe box. Such hardware can cause unwanted risks or provide unwanted additional weight to the boot.

Some pull-on boots include pull strapsthat provide the wearer with a place to grip the bootand to apply upward pressure on the bootin a direction perpendicular to a plane defined generally by the sole of boot, while at the same time applying downward pressure into the boot shaftwith the foot and leg that the wearer wants to insert into the boot. A pull strapmay comprise a small strap, made of leather, canvas, or another sturdy material, and having two ends that extend over a top edge of the boot shaft, with approximately one-half of the pull strap'slength extending down inside the boot shaftand a second approximately one-half of the pull strap'slength extending down outside the boot shaft, where both ends of the pull strapare attached with a sturdy connection to the boot shaft. Frequently, the pull strapis attached to the boot shaftonly horizontally across the two ends of the pull strap, such as with one or more lines of stitching, while the vertical edges of the boot strapare not attached to the boot shaft. This design can allow for fingers to be inserted inside the loops of leather formed by this feature, for example.

Pull-on style boots may be preferred by wearers for their simpler design, lack of external mechanisms that can break and/or catch onto objects in the wearer's environment, and for stylistic reasons. Western-style boots with tall and medium height shafts can also be used as work boots, especially if they have reinforced toe boxes, thicker soles, and other useful workplace protections and supports. Pull-on work boots can include cowboy boots and Wellington boots, for example. For simplicity of description in this disclosure, “pull-on style boots” will frequently be referred to as “cowboy boots”. Among other characteristic features, cowboy boots may include decorative embroidery or applique or other decoration, sometimes called quarter stitching, especially on the shaftand vamp of the boot. However, it is to be understood that the term “cowboy boot”, as used in this disclosure is not meant to exclude other types of pull-on boots. Furthermore, the systems and methods disclosed herein may also be employed on boots or other footwear that include mechanisms or contrivances for loosening and tightening the boot shaft.

shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a wearer's foot passing through the shaftof the boot, as well as the general locations of some pressure points,′,″ where the bootcan exert pressure on the wearer's foot and shin, and vice versa. In, the bootis shown as deforming to some extent at pressure points,′,″. However, cowboy boots for horseback riding, work, or other rugged environments, as well as boots styled to aesthetically resemble such boots (at least on the surface), are often made of leather or other durable, tough, protective, and non-elastic materials that can withstand a high level of wear-and-tear and can protect the feet and lower legs of the wearer. Boots made of such durable, tough materials may therefore not allow for much deformation and resilience at the pressure points,′,″ in the boot shaft, making it harder for the wearer's foot to pass through the shaft.

shows a schematic view of a foot moving into or out of the boot, with several other possible contact points″,″,″,″,″,′,′,′,′,′ noted at the front and rear of the boot shaftas the foot moves into or out of the boot, showing that resiliency in the boot shaftcan be advantageous a different locations along the boot shaft.

In order to allow for the passage of the wearer's foot, and especially the heel of the wearer's foot, into and out of the boot, the shaftof cowboy bootscan be designed to be wide enough to allow for this passage. A wider shaft, meaning a shaft with a larger circumferential opening or passageway, can allow for an easier passage of the foot into and out of the boot. However, a wider shaftmay also fail to keep the wearer's foot securely in place within the shoe boxduring use, allowing the heel of the wearer's foot to move up and down within the enlarged space. This movement can be uncomfortable, unsafe, and/or can lead to the formation of blisters on the wearer's foot. Additionally, a wider boot shaftmay make the wearer less agile and can provide an opening at the top of the bootfor environmental items and/or liquids to fall into the boot, both of which could be dangerous and/or uncomfortable in a rugged environment. Furthermore, a wearer who chooses to wear their cowboy boot tucked inside the leg of their pants may find that a bootwith a wider shaftmakes fitting the top of the boot into the pants leg harder to accomplish and/or less visually attractive. For these and for other safety and/or aesthetic reasons, a pull-on boothaving a shaftwith a slimmer circumferential profile may be preferred.

To resolve the issues of comfort, style, and utility described above, the circumference of the shaftcan be allowed to both expand (allowing passage of the wearer's foot while putting on and taking off the boot) and then to contract back to a narrower profile for wearing and use of the boot. Various such resilient or elastic approaches are described herein.

One way to provide expansion in the shaft of a bootwhile maintaining a simple, clean, and continuous circumference of the boot shaftcan be to replace, augment, or associate one or more portions of the durable, protective material that makes up the shaftof the bootwith a more deformable and elastically resilient material or materials. When effectively associated or integrated, the clastic material can allow for temporary expansion of the shaftto case passage of the heel and foot through the shaftand into the shoe box. Once the foot is through the shaft, the elastic material can then contract once again to allow the circumference of the shaftto return to a narrower shape around the leg and ankle of a user after the foot and heel have passed through. Furthermore, elastic material inserted into the boot shaftcan provide the boot shaftwith a slim or smooth profile and reduce a need for extra hardware that could catch onto anything in the wearer's environment.

Boots and their shafts can be constructed using different materials. Many western and work-style boots use leather for its strength and longevity. Although leather is typically not as resilient as more rubberized or elastic materials, leather can be cut and sewn strategically together with more elastic materials to create convenient opening features in the leather. As discussed above, these features can be designed to remain open temporarily to expose elastic portions thereof and then close to return to an unopened state. This can provide stylistic benefits and avoid potential drawbacks from the way such comfort features may be viewed from an aesthetic perspective.

is a schematic diagram which provides a framework for terminology and concepts that will be discussed throughout this disclosure.can represent an exterior portion of a boot shaftin which a panelof a deformable and elastically resilient material is located behind an opening between two sections of more durable, stretch-resistant (e.g., leather) boot material,′ in the boot shaft. The panelcan fill the role of a resilient feature that can be incorporated into the shaft in different ways. Various different types of fabrics can fill this role. “Adaptive Shaft Engineering” (or “ASE”) can be used as a trademark to refer to some or all of the methods and structures described herein to incorporate resilient features into footwear (e.g., boots) in useful ways to benefit users and manufacturers. For example, structures and techniques are disclosed for improving comfort, strength, and manufacturing and/or assembly processes. As a shaft adapts, it can do so dynamically and/or resiliently using the materials that are shaped and/or integrated as described herein.

A boot maker may wish to provide more expansion in the boot shaft, especially around the top of the boot shaft, than can be provided by a long thin resilient feature. In some embodiments, a resilient feature is cut to be wide at a top portion of the boot shaft and narrower toward the bottom, which may be a more visible portion of the boot shaft when the boot wearer wears a pair of pants or a long skirt over the boot shaft. Such a tapered approach is schematically represented in.

The resilient featureis frequently attached to the non-resilient portions,′ of the shaftwith lines of stitching,′ that penetrate the shaft, and/or staples, glue, or other robust means for attaching. In, AA can represent a distance between two lines of stitching,′ that secure the resilient panelto the durable material,′ of the boot shaft. The extent to which the resilient panelcan stretch and allow for expansion of the boot shaftis dependent, at least in part, on the width illustrated as AA, as well as the properties of the resilient panel. One way to maximize elastic stretch and circumferential expansion/contraction of a boot shaft, therefore, can be to maximize AA.

However, although inserting a resilient panelof an elastic material into a boot shaftcan allow for circumferential expansion and contraction of the boot shaft, the use of such resilient featuresis not always stylistically compatible with the popular image of a cowboy boot or other pull-on style work boot. In much the same way that an elastic waistband used on denim jeans or other pants may lower the stylistic prestige of the pants, a large or very conspicuous resilient panel in a cowboy bootmay, to some wearers, lower the stylistic prestige of the bootor be viewed as a gusset style more suitable to be worn only by females.

Thus, in some embodiments, Western, work, or Wellington-style bootsmay maximize boot comfort by maximizing expansion available in the shaftof the boot using a resilient panelto fill or replace the material from an elongate opening in the boot shaft, while also maintaining desired style by minimizing and/or camouflaging a visible amount of the resilient panelin the shaft of the boot.