Athletic performance shoes

Abstract

An athletic shoe includes an outsole, a midsole, an insole, a bootie, a cage surrounding the upper front of the bootie, a tongue, a quarter, a heel counter and wings. The bootie can have one, two, three, four or five individual toe sections which allow the toes of the foot to move independently. The bootie may be removable or adhesively attached to the midsole and the innersole. Both the midsole and the innersole can have slots cut between the toe portions which further allows for independent movement of the toes. The cage and outsole surround the front toe portions of the bootie, insole and midsole. The cage and outsole prevent all large particles from falling between the toes. The individual toe sections in the inventive shoe increase natural foot movement, haptic response and improve stability/balance, footstrike biomechanics and foot strength.

1 . An athletic shoe comprising:
 an outsole having a lower tread surface;   an inner bootie adjacent to the insole, the inner bootie having a heel section at a back end of the athletic shoe and at least one bootie toe sections that are independently movable;   a cage coupled to the insole layer and surrounding an upper side of the inner sock at the front end of the athletic shoe, the cage not having individual toe sections;   a tongue coupled to a back portion of the flexible cage and the bootie; and   a quarter coupled to the outsole and partially surrounding a heel portion of the athletic shoe.   
     
     
         2 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an insole layer having at least one insole toe section, the at least one insole toe section being adhesively bonded to the at least one bootie toe section. 
 
     
     
         3 . The athletic shoe of  claim 2  further comprising:
 a midsole layer bonded to the outsole, the midsole layer having at least one midsole toe section adhesively bonded to the at least one insole toe section. 
 
     
     
         4 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  wherein the bootie is removable. 
     
     
         5 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an overlay wing that includes an inner edge adhesively secured between the outsole. 
 
     
     
         6 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  wherein the outsole includes flexible sections below and adjacent to the at least one bootie toe section. 
     
     
         7 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  wherein the flexible sections of the outsole are thinner than sections of the outsole below and under the at least one bootie toe section. 
     
     
         8 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a shoe lace threaded through eyelets formed in the quarter. 
 
     
     
         9 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  wherein the quarter includes a grip for preventing sliding between the quarter and a foot wearing the athletic shoe. 
     
     
         10 . The athletic shoe of  claim 1  wherein the cage has a plurality of holes which allow air to flow through the cage. 
     
     
         11 . An athletic shoe comprising:
 an outsole having a lower tread surface;   an inner bootie adjacent to the insole, the inner bootie having a heel section at a back end of the athletic shoe and at least one bootie toe section;   a cage coupled to the insole layer and surrounding an upper side of the inner sock at the front end of the athletic shoe, the cage not having individual toe sections; and   a quarter coupled to the outsole and partially surrounding a heel portion of the athletic shoe;   
       wherein the at least one bootie toe section is surrounded by the cage and the outsole and the at least one bootie toe section is independently movable. 
     
     
         12 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  further comprising:
 an insole layer having at least one insole toe section, the at least one insole toe section being adhesively bonded to the at least one bootie toe section. 
 
     
     
         13 . The athletic shoe of  claim 12  further comprising:
 a midsole layer bonded to the outsole, the midsole layer having at least one midsole toe section adhesively bonded to the at least one insole toe section. 
 
     
     
         14 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  wherein the bootie is removable. 
     
     
         15 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  further comprising:
 an overlay wing that includes an inner edge adhesively secured between the outsole. 
 
     
     
         16 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  wherein the outsole includes flexible sections below and adjacent to the at least one bootie toe section. 
     
     
         17 . The athletic shoe of  claim 15  wherein the flexible sections of the outsole are thinner than sections of the outsole below and under each of the bootie toe sections. 
     
     
         18 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  further comprising:
 a shoe lace threaded through eyelets formed in the quarter. 
 
     
     
         19 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  wherein the quarter includes a grip for preventing sliding between the quarter and a foot wearing the athletic shoe. 
     
     
         20 . The athletic shoe of  claim 11  wherein the cage has a plurality of holes which allow air to flow through the cage.