Article of footwear with pivoting tongue and anchoring strap

Abstract

An article of footwear has a footwear upper that includes a base layer defining a throat opening, a tongue having a forward end fixed to the base layer forward of the throat opening, and a strap having an anchored end fixed at the base layer and a securing end selectively securable at the base layer. The tongue is pivotable about the forward end between an access position and a use position, extends over and covers the throat opening in the use position, and rests against an exterior of the base layer at a medial side of the base layer and at a lateral side of the base layer in the use position. The strap crosses over an exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a footwear upper including:
 a base layer defining a throat opening; 
 a tongue having a forward end fixed to the base layer forward of the throat opening; 
 a strap having an anchored end fixed at the base layer and a securing end selectively securable at the base layer; 
   wherein the tongue is pivotable about the forward end between an access position and a use position, extends over and covers the throat opening in the use position, and rests against an exterior of the base layer at a medial side of the base layer and at a lateral side of the base layer in the use position; and   wherein the strap crosses over an exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.   
     
     
         2 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tongue is fixed to the base layer only at the forward end of the tongue and forward of a forwardmost-edge of the throat opening. 
     
     
         3 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the strap has an anchored end fixed at one of the medial side and the lateral side of the base layer; and wherein the footwear upper further includes:
 a first fastener fixed at the securing end of the strap; and   a second fastener fixed at the other one of the medial side and the lateral side of the base layer; wherein the first fastener is constructed to releasably secure to the second fastener.   
     
     
         4 . The article of footwear of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the first fastener comprises one of a plurality of hooks and a plurality of loops;   the second fastener comprises the other of the plurality of hooks and the plurality of loops; and   the plurality of hooks are configured to releasably secure to the plurality of loops.   
     
     
         5 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein the second fastener has a fixed end fixed at the base layer and a free end opposite from the fixed end and not fixed at the base layer. 
     
     
         6 . The article of footwear of  claim 5 , wherein the footwear upper further includes:
 a quarter overlay fixed to the base layer; and   wherein the second fastener is fixed to the quarter overlay.   
     
     
         7 . The article of footwear of  claim 4 , wherein the second fastener is disposed at a heel region of the footwear upper. 
     
     
         8 . The article of footwear of  claim 7 , wherein an upper edge of the strap is aligned with an upper edge of the second fastener and a lower edge of the strap is aligned with a lower edge of the second fastener when the strap is secured. 
     
     
         9 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the strap is a first strap, the anchored end of the first strap is fixed at the medial side of the base layer, and the first strap crosses over a medial edge and a lateral edge of the tongue at the exterior of the tongue with the securing end of the first strap secured at the lateral side of the base layer with the tongue in the use position; wherein the footwear upper further includes:
 a second strap having an anchored end fixed at the lateral side of the base layer and having a securing end selectively securable at the medial side of the base layer; wherein the second strap crosses over the medial edge and the lateral edge of the tongue at the exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.   
     
     
         10 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , wherein one of the first strap and the second strap crosses over the other one of the first strap and the second strap such that the other one of the first strap and the second strap is between the one of the first strap and the second strap and the exterior of the tongue. 
     
     
         11 . The article of footwear of  claim 9 , the footwear upper further comprising:
 heel foxing secured to the base layer and defining a rear of the footwear upper;   a first strap fastener portion secured to the securable end of the first strap;   a second strap fastener portion secured to the securable end of the second strap;   wherein the heel foxing is configured as one of a plurality of hooks or a plurality of loops; and   wherein the first strap fastener portion and the second strap fastener portion are the other one of the plurality of hooks or the plurality of loops so that the first strap fastener portion and the second strap fastener portion are selectively securable to and releasable from the heel foxing.   
     
     
         12 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the heel foxing has a lateral edge at the lateral side of the base layer; and   a lower edge of the first strap is aligned with the lateral edge of the heel foxing when the first strap is secured to the heel foxing.   
     
     
         13 . The article of footwear of  claim 11 , wherein:
 the heel foxing has a medial edge at the medial side of the base layer; and   a lower edge of the second strap is aligned with the medial edge of the heel foxing when the second strap is secured to the heel foxing.   
     
     
         14 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , the footwear upper further comprising:
 an auxiliary strap having a first fixed end spaced apart from the anchored end of the strap and a second fixed end secured to the strap.   
     
     
         15 . The article of footwear of  claim 14 , wherein the second fixed end is secured to an inner side of the strap between the securing end of the strap and the anchored end of the strap. 
     
     
         16 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the tongue includes:
 an outer layer that includes the forward end of the tongue; and   foam disposed at an inner side of the outer layer and positioned over the throat opening when the tongue is in the use position;   wherein a forwardmost-edge of the foam is rearward of the forward end of the tongue.   
     
     
         17 . The article of footwear of  claim 16 , wherein the foam is divided into a medial foam component at a medial side of the tongue and a lateral foam component at a lateral side of the tongue, the medial foam component and the lateral foam component separated from one another by a gap extending along a length of the inner side of the outer layer of the tongue. 
     
     
         18 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the footwear upper further includes:
 a first series of stitches extending through and stitching the forward end of the tongue to the base layer forward of the throat opening.   
     
     
         19 . The article of footwear of  claim 18 , wherein the footwear upper further includes:
 a cover skin disposed over the first series of stitches; and   a second series of stitches extending through and stitching the cover skin and the forward end of the tongue to the base layer forward of the throat opening, the second series of stitches disposed over and reinforcing the first series of stitches.   
     
     
         20 . The article of footwear of  claim 1 , wherein the footwear upper further includes:
 a tongue pull extending in a loop from an anchor location disposed at the exterior of the tongue between a rear end of the tongue and the forward end of the tongue.