Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
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 as walking shoes, sandals or other types. Rapid-entry shoes with “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 a smaller 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 Figures 2a 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 were also 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]
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