Step-in shoe with strap

Abstract

A step-in shoe of novel design that includes a heel strap that can be donned by the user without the necessity of manipulating the heel strap with the fingers to correctly position the heel strap about the user's heel. The step-in shoe is constructed from a novel, lofted foam material that permits the heel strap to flex downwardly as the foot starts to enter the body of the shoe, but automatically positions itself about the heel of the user as the user's foot fully enters the internal chamber of the body of the shoe.

1 . A step-in shoe comprising:
 (a) a hollow, foot-receiving forward portion for receiving the forward portion of the user's foot;   (b) a rearward heel-receiving portion integrally formed with said forward foot-receiving portion for receiving the heel portion of the user's foot; and   (c) a yieldably deformable heel strap fixedly connected to said rearward heel-receiving portion, said heel strap being deformable by the heel portion of the user's foot during the initial insertion of the user's foot into the hollow foot-receiving forward portion from a first upright position to a second downward position, said heel strap being automatically movable from said second position to said first position upon the forward portion of the user's foot entering said hollow foot-receiving portion of the step-in shoe.   
   
   
       2 . The step-in shoe as defined in  claim 1  in which said shoe is constructed entirely from a lofted foam material. 
   
   
       3 . The step-in shoe as defined in  claim 2  in which said lofted foam material includes a resin comprising an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate co-polymer-based material. 
   
   
       4 . A step-in shoe constructed entirely from a lofted foam material, said step-in shoe comprising:
 (a) a hollow, foot-receiving forward portion for receiving the forward portion of the user's foot;   (b) a rearward heel-receiving portion integrally formed with said forward foot-receiving portion for receiving the heel portion of the user's foot; and   (c) a yieldably deformable heel strap integrally formed with said rearward heel-receiving portion and extending upwardly therefrom, said heel strap being deformable by the heel portion of the user's foot during the initial insertion of the forward portion of the user's foot into the hollow foot-receiving forward portion from a first upwardly extending position wherein said strap is spaced-apart from said heel-receiving portion to a second downward position wherein said strap is disposed proximate said heel-receiving portion, said heel strap being automatically movable from said second downward position to said first upwardly extending position upon the forward portion of the user's foot being fully seated within said hollow foot-receiving portion of the step-in shoe.   
   
   
       5 . The step-in shoe as defined in  claim 4  in which said a lofted foam material includes a resin comprising an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate co-polymer-based material. 
   
   
       6 . A step-in shoe constructed entirely from a lofted foam material that includes a resin comprising an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate co-polymer-based material, said step-in shoe comprising:
 (a) a foot-receiving forward portion having a foot-receiving chamber for receiving the forward portion of the user's foot;   (b) a rearward heel-receiving portion integrally formed with said foot-receiving portion for receiving the heel portion of the user's foot when the user's foot is inserted into said foot-receiving chamber; and   (c) a yieldably deformable heel strap integrally formed with said rearward heel-receiving portion and extending angularly upwardly therefrom, said heel strap being deformable by the heel portion of the user's foot during the initial insertion of the forward portion of the user's foot into the foot-receiving chamber of said foot-receiving forward portion from a first upwardly extending position wherein said strap is spaced-apart from said heel-receiving portion to a second downward position wherein said strap is disposed proximate said heel-receiving portion, said heel strap being automatically movable from said second downward position to said first upwardly extending position upon the forward portion of the user's foot being fully seated within said foot-receiving chamber.