Hands-free shoe

Abstract

A hands-free shoe includes a heel assembly that allows a user to step into a shoe and tighten the shoe around the user's foot without the use of hands. The heel assembly includes a housing, a translating assembly including an inner frame and an outer frame, a plurality of translating pins, a plurality of stationary pins, a locking piece, a plurality of springs, and a heel button that work in conjunction to tighten the laces of the shoe and secure the shoe to a user's foot. The hands-free shoe can also be removed by depressing the heel button to loosen the laces of the shoe and release the shoe from a user's foot without the use of hands.

1 . A hands-free shoe comprising:
 a shoe upper; and   a heel assembly coupled to the shoe upper, the heel assembly comprising:
 a housing; 
 a translating assembly comprising an outer frame and a plurality of translating pins coupled to the outer frame, wherein the translating assembly is configured to translate in and out of the housing; 
 an inner frame positioned within and fixedly coupled to the housing; and 
 a plurality of stationary pins coupled to the inner frame; 
   wherein shoelaces are coupled at a first end to a bar of the translating assembly and coupled at a second end to the shoe upper; and   wherein, when the shoe upper is in a closed position, the shoelaces wrap around the plurality of translating pins and the plurality of stationary pins in an alternating configuration such that the shoelaces are pulled within the heel assembly to tighten the shoe upper.   
     
     
         2 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the translating assembly is positioned within the housing when the hands-free shoe is in the closed position, and wherein the translating assembly is positioned outside the housing when the hands-free shoe is in an open position. 
     
     
         3 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein, when the shoe upper is in an open position, the shoelaces extend between the plurality of translating pins and the plurality of stationary pins in a generally straight configuration, such that the shoelaces are released from within the heel assembly to loosen the shoe upper. 
     
     
         4 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein, when the shoe upper is in a closed position, the shoelaces wrap around the plurality of translating pins and the plurality of stationary pins in an alternating configuration such that the shoelaces are oriented in a generally S-shaped wave configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stationary pins comprises three stationary pins, and wherein at least a portion of each of the three stationary pins are surrounded by a bearing. 
     
     
         6 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of translating pins comprises three translating pins, and wherein at least a portion of two of the three translating pins is surrounded by bearings. 
     
     
         7 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1  and further comprising a plurality of springs positioned at least partially within the housing and at least partially within the outer frame of the translating assembly, wherein the plurality of springs is configured to induce a force on the translating assembly to force the heel assembly into an open position. 
     
     
         8 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1  and further comprising a heel button, a button frame, and a locking piece, wherein:
 the heel button is coupled to a distal end of the button frame; 
 the button frame is positioned at least partially within the housing and coupled to the housing of the heel assembly; and 
 the locking piece is positioned within the housing and coupled to the button frame. 
 
     
     
         9 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 8 , wherein depressing the heel button forces the locking piece to translate toward a fore end of the heel assembly to release the locking piece from engagement with at least one of the plurality of translating pins, and wherein depressing the heel button allows the translating assembly to translate out from within the housing into an open position. 
     
     
         10 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 9  and further comprising an extension spring coupled at a first end to the housing and coupled at a second end to the button frame, wherein the extension spring is configured to induce a force on the button frame to pull the button frame toward an aft end of the heel assembly. 
     
     
         11 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 8  and further comprising a spring block positioned between an outer surface of the outer frame and an inner surface of the locking piece, wherein the spring block is coupled to and configured to translate with the locking piece. 
     
     
         12 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 11 , wherein the spring block comprises a tab configured to engage a slot within the outer surface of the outer frame when the heel assembly is in an open position. 
     
     
         13 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the shoe upper includes a first insert positioned within a first side of the shoe upper, and a second insert positioned within a second side of the shoe upper. 
     
     
         14 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 13 , wherein the first insert and the second insert are configured to force the first side and the second side outward from an interior of the shoe upper into an open position. 
     
     
         15 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the shoelaces extend through a first tube positioned within a first side of the shoe upper and through a second tube positioned within a second side of the shoe upper into an interior of the heel assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 1 , wherein the heel assembly is mirrored about a central plane extending through the heel assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The hands-free shoe of  claim 16 , wherein the central plane extends from a fore end of the heel assembly to an aft end of the heel assembly, and wherein the central plane is positioned equidistant from a first base side and a second base side of a base of the heel assembly. 
     
     
         18 . A method of operating a hands-free shoe, the method comprising:
 pressing downward on a heel assembly coupled to a shoe upper;   translating, by a translating assembly of the heel assembly, from an open position with the translating assembly outside a housing of the heel assembly to a closed position with the translating assembly within the housing of the heel assembly, wherein:
 translating the translating assembly into the housing of the heel assembly pulls shoelaces of the hands-free shoe into the heel assembly; and 
 the shoelaces wrap around a plurality of translating pins and a plurality of stationary pins of the heel assembly in an alternating configuration to pull the shoelaces within the heel assembly to tighten the shoe upper. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  and further comprising:
 engaging, by a locking piece of the heel assembly, at least one of the plurality of translating pins to lock the translating assembly and the heel assembly in a closed position; and 
 releasing, by the locking piece of the heel assembly, at least one of the plurality of translating pins to allow the translating assembly and the heel assembly to translate to an open position. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  and further comprising depressing a heel button to force the locking piece to translate toward a fore end of the heel assembly to release the locking piece from engagement with at least one of the plurality of translating pins, and wherein depressing the heel button allows the translating assembly to translate into an open position.