Footwear with expansion joint

Abstract

Footwear includes a sole and an upper comprising an unlaced shaft for covering a portion of the lower leg of the wearer. The shaft includes a forward and rearward portions secured together at substantially vertically extending seams at lateral sides of the upper. An expansion joint is provided in the shaft and is adapted to expand a local circumference of the shaft at the expansion joint when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint to ease putting the footwear onto the wearer's foot and removing the footwear from the wearer's foot. The illustrated expansion joint includes a substantially vertical slit located along the seam between the forward and rearward portions and an elastic material secured to an inner side of the shaft and covering the slit for preventing passage of undesirable solid materials through the slit.

1 . Footwear for covering a foot and a portion of a lower leg of a wearer, said footwear comprising, in combination:
 a sole;   an upper comprising an unlaced shaft for covering the portion of the lower leg of the wearer; and   an expansion joint provided in the shaft and adapted to expand a local circumference of the shaft at the expansion joint when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint to ease putting the footwear onto the wearer's foot and removing the footwear from the wearer's foot.   
     
     
         2 . The footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the expansion joint is located near the bottom of the shaft. 
     
     
         3 . The footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the expansion joint is located below and spaced apart from an upper edge of the shaft. 
     
     
         4 . The footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the expansion joint comprises a substantially vertical slit which is normally closed and opens in a horizontal direction to expand the circumference of the shaft when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint. 
     
     
         5 . The footwear according to  claim 4 , wherein the slit is covered by a closure for preventing passage of undesirable solid materials through the slit. 
     
     
         6 . The footwear according to  claim 5 , wherein the closure comprises a web of material secured to the shaft and covering the slit. 
     
     
         7 . The footwear according to  claim 6 , wherein the material comprises and elastic material. 
     
     
         8 . The footwear according to  claim 5 , wherein the closure comprises an elastic fabric material secured to an inner side of the shaft and covering the slit. 
     
     
         9 . The footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein the expansion joint is located at an inner lateral side of the shaft and near a bottom of the shaft. 
     
     
         10 . The footwear according to  claim 1 , wherein there is only one expansion joint provided in the shaft. 
     
     
         11 . Footwear for covering a foot and a portion of a lower leg of a wearer, said footwear comprising, in combination:
 a sole;   an upper comprising an unlaced shaft for covering the portion of the lower leg of the wearer;   wherein the shaft comprises a forward and rearward portions secured together at substantially vertically extending seams at lateral sides of the upper;   an expansion joint provided in the shaft and adapted to expand a local circumference of the shaft at the expansion joint when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint to ease putting the footwear onto the wearer's foot and removing the footwear from the wearer's foot; and   wherein the expansion joint comprises a substantially vertical slit located along the seam between the forward and rearward portions and which is normally closed and opens in a horizontal direction to expand the circumference of the shaft when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint.   
     
     
         12 . The footwear according to  claim 11 , wherein the expansion joint is located near the bottom of the shaft. 
     
     
         13 . The footwear according to  claim 11 , wherein the expansion joint is located below and spaced apart from an upper edge of the shaft. 
     
     
         14 . The footwear according to  claim 11 , wherein the slit is covered by a closure for preventing passage of undesirable solid materials through the slit. 
     
     
         15 . The footwear according to  claim 14 , wherein the closure comprises a web of material secured to the shaft and covering the slit. 
     
     
         16 . The footwear according to  claim 15 , wherein the material comprises an elastic material. 
     
     
         17 . The footwear according to  claim 14 , wherein the closure comprises an elastic fabric material secured to an inner side of the shaft and covering the slit. 
     
     
         18 . The footwear according to  claim 11 , wherein the expansion joint is located at an inner lateral side of the shaft and near a bottom of the shaft. 
     
     
         19 . The footwear according to  claim 11 , wherein there is only one expansion joint provided in the shaft. 
     
     
         20 . Footwear for covering a foot and a portion of a lower leg of a wearer, said footwear comprising, in combination:
 a sole;   an upper comprising an unlaced shaft for covering the portion of the lower leg of the wearer;   wherein the shaft comprises a forward and rearward portions secured together at substantially vertically extending seams at lateral sides of the upper;   an expansion joint provided in the shaft and adapted to expand a local circumference of the shaft at the expansion joint when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint to ease putting the footwear onto the wearer's foot and removing the footwear from the wearer's foot;   wherein the expansion joint is located along the seam between the forward and rearward portions and which is normally closed and opens in a horizontal direction to expand the circumference of the shaft when the wearer's foot passes through the shaft at the expansion joint;   wherein the expansion joint is located at an inner lateral side of the shaft and near a bottom of the shaft; and   wherein the expansion joint comprises an elastic material secured to an inner side of the shaft and covering the seam so that the seam is resiliently expandable at the expansion joint.