Padded shoe

Abstract

A padded shoe includes a shoe upper which is adjoined to a sole. The shoe upper and the sole can have padding material disposed therein. The shoe upper includes a padded tongue, which can have an inner tongue portion and an outer tongue portion. A fastening structure, which can be tightenable to maintain the shoe on the foot of the wearer, can be disposed between the inner and outer tongue portions. Alternatively, a resilient portion can be connected to the shoe upper, whereby a portion of the shoe upper can be outwardly distended to allow insertion of the foot of the wearer. The shoe can include an engagement structure to secure the outer tongue portion to at least one of the inner tongue portion and the shoe upper.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A padded shoe, comprising: a shoe upper adjoined to a sole; 
 securement structure connected to said shoe upper, said securement structure being securable to maintain said shoe on a foot of a wearer of said shoe; and    a shin guard attached to said shoe.    
     
     
         2 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein said shin guard is detachably attachable to said shoe.  
     
     
         3 . The shoe of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one strap connected to said shin guard to engage the shin guard to the lower leg of the wearer, said at least one strap including a fastening structure to secure said shin guard to the lower leg of the wearer.  
     
     
         4 . The shoe of  claim 3 , wherein said fastening structure comprises mated portions of fastening material affixed to said at least one strap.  
     
     
         5 . The shoe of  claim 3 , wherein a front surface of said shin guard includes a recess approximately the same width of said strap which is adapted to receive said strap when said shin guard is secured to the lower leg of the wearer.  
     
     
         6 . The shoe of  claim 1 , further comprising a tongue, wherein said shin guard is attached to said tongue.  
     
     
         7 . The shoe of  claim 5 , wherein said shin guard is detachably attached to said tongue and further comprising engagement structure to secure said shin guard to said tongue.  
     
     
         8 . The shoe of  claim 7 , wherein said engagement structure comprises mated portions of fastening material.  
     
     
         9 . The shoe of  claim 8 , wherein said engagement structure comprises mated snaps.  
     
     
         10 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein said shin guard includes padding material disposed therein.  
     
     
         11 . The shoe of  claim 10 , wherein said padding material comprises closed-cell foam padding.  
     
     
         12 . The shoe of  claim 1 , further comprising a padded tongue.  
     
     
         13 . The shoe of  claim 12 , wherein said padded tongue comprises a lower padded tongue portion and an upper tongue portion.  
     
     
         14 . The shoe of  claim 12 , wherein said padding material comprises closed-cell foam padding.  
     
     
         15 . The shoe of  claim 1 , wherein said shoe upper has padding material therein, wherein said padding material is positioned within said shoe upper to generally correspond to at least one location on the foot of the wearer, said locations including at least one of the group consisting of the forward dorsal region, the instep, the lateral and posterior aspects of the heel, the left and right forward lateral aspects of the foot, and the ankle portion.  
     
     
         16 . The shoe of  claim 15 , wherein said padding material comprises closed-cell foam padding.