Beginning at NYU in Jan 2013 within the context of a Patents Translation course delivered online, this blog seeks to uncover the patents that rock our daily lives....
Just the foam-flex, collapsable heel, portion of the Roamer sole is also patented. A patented design that allows for different shoe uppers to fit on the sole, and in cooperation with the collapsable heel. The US design patent, USD980596SI, titled Sole for footwear, was awarded on March 14, 2023.
Above, the patent Figure 1, showing a side perspective of the sole footware. The dotted lines on everything, but the flex-heel portion of the sole, clearly indicate those parts of the sole and shoe, that are excluded from coverage. The image of a men's marketed KIZIK Glacier Roamer, different from the marketed KIZIK Mars Roamer, is also included above.
Below, a Youtube video marketing the flex-foam, collapsable heel,KIZIK Roamers.
If you could ever roam the red planet, you might enjoy the feeling of walking on marshmallows with Kizik Mars Roamers. Kizik Mars Roamers are thelatest, foam-flex, no-hands, collapsable-heel, slip-on shoes. The ornamental aspects of the Mars Roamers are patented. The US design patent, USD1029459S1, titled Shoe was awarded on June 4, 2024.
Below, the patent Figure 1 shows a side perspective view of the shoe. An image of the marketed Kizik Mars Roamer, in the color Moon Dust, is also included.
Below, a YouTube video advertising for the Kizik Mars Roamer.
Another US design patent, USD1038607S1, titled footwear, was awarded for a more crisscrossed design of the Kizik, compressible lattice, spring-back heel technology. This design, comprising increased crisscrossing, designated the Internal Cage™,is actually hidden inside the heel portion of the corresponding Kizik footwear models. The patent was awarded on August 14, 2024.
Below, the patent Figure 1 depicts a left view of the latticed heel structure for footwear, together with an image of an embodiment of the hidden technology, for the marketed Kizik Lima model, in the color grey for men. The dotted lines on the Figure 1 drawing indicate the portion of the design that is unprotected by the patent. As a result, the protected design might be used on a variety of models with different uppers.
Kiziks are no hands, slip-on shoes. Kizik heels not only collapse, enabling feet to slip inside Kizik shoes, Kizik heels also spring back, recovering their original shape, again and again. Indeed, Kizik heels are subjected to compression forces with spring back, at least 30,000 times during testing.
The collapse and spring-back heel technology, and many additional aspects of the Kizik shoes, are patented.For example, the original lattice heel spring-back technology, marketed as the Cage®, was awarded, on May 2020, the US utility patent, US10638810B1, titled Rapid-entry footwear having a compressible lattice structure.
The patent recites rapid-entry shoes defined as various types of shoes, such as athleisure, casual, formal, dress, sports, including tennis, golf, bowling, running, football, basketball and soccer shoes, as well aswalking shoes, sandals or other types. Rapid-entry shoeswith “a compressible lattice structure in the heel portion to facilitate rapid, easy donning and doffing of shoes”. A compressible lattice heel structure 110, comprising a closed position with asmaller shoe opening to retain the user’s foot inside the shoe, and an expanded open position to let the user’s foot in, respectively illustrated in the below Figures 2a and 2b of the rapid-entry shoe 100.
The Figures2a and 2b further depict apertures 112 of the compressible lattice heel structure 110. The apertures 112, whether void, or filled with a polymer or material substructure, are designed to accommodate compression forces. The patent further recites that the compressible lattice heal structure 110 might be molded or 3D printed. The Figures 2a and 2b also show a stabilizer 120 designed to prevent inward deflection or buckling of the heel.
Below, a short video shows how easy it is to slip on a pair of Kiziks. However, according to the patent specification, not only were the Kizik rapid-entry shoes designed for convenience, they werealso designed for those without the mobility required to slip on a pair of shoes.
Below, the abstract of the invention.
Disclosed is a shoe having a compressible lattice structure in a heel portion to facilitate rapid, easy donning and doffing of shoes. In example embodiments, the lattice structure includes a plurality of interconnected, overlapping, intersecting and/or woven ribs defining a plurality of apertures. The lattice structure has an open position in which the shoe opening is expanded to facilitate reception of a foot of an individual wearing the rapid-entry shoe, and a closed position in which the shoe opening is smaller to retain the foot within the rapid-entry shoe. [Abstract US10638810B1]
