A footwear article includes a tongue and a tongue reinforcer, which helps the tongue maintain a shape and position when the tongue is subjected to forces or adjustments, such as from other footwear-article elements or from a wearer. For example, the tongue reinforcer may help the tongue maintain a shape and position when a wearer is inserting his or her foot into the footwear article or when medial and/or lateral quarters press inward on the tongue.

An article of footwear includes a heel cup that is attached to the upper and extends from the sole structure to at least a portion of the rear heel collar of the upper. The heel cup may be uniformly molded with an upper portion, midportion, and lower portion and the upper portion has a smaller mediolateral length than the midportion, and the midportion and lower portion form a concave structure that receives the heel. The upper portion has a first configuration and is capable of distorting into a second configuration under a load of a user's foot when the user is donning the footwear. In the second configuration, at least part of the upper portion is lowered and is capable of returning to the first configuration after the load of the user's foot is removed. The midportion includes a peripheral portion that may be thicker than a central portion.

A shoe comprising an inner lining, upper portion, and optionally a heel counter in between the inner lining and upper portion. A cutout is positioned at the heel of the shoe, that cuts out the inner lining, upper portion, and heel counter where the shoe's heel comes into contact with the top of the calcaneus bone and above. The empty space from the cutout is replaced with a heel cutout filler that has some degree of stretchiness. The inner lining, upper portion, and heel cutout filler are stitched together to form the heel of the shoe.

A shoe donning aid comprising a generally downwardly extending U shaped horn portion having an internal and external horn walls. The shoe donning aid comprises a latching mechanism which may be of resilient, locking, or latch type, the latching mechanism exerts sufficient force or forces on the shoe to allow the lowering the shoe to the ground using a lanyard. After the user's foot is inserted into the shoe, pulling on the lanyard overcomes or releases the latching forces, allowing extraction of the shoe donning aid. The latching mechanism is positioned lower than the top portion of the donning aid as to eliminate that obstacle from the target opening of the foot. Various variations and embodiments are shown and described.

A shoe donning aid comprising a generally downwardly extending U shaped horn portion having an internal and external horn walls. The shoe donning aid comprises a latching mechanism which may be of resilient, locking, or latch type, the latching mechanism exerts sufficient force or forces on the shoe to allow the lowering the shoe to the ground using a lanyard. After the user's foot is inserted into the shoe, pulling on the lanyard overcomes or releases the latching forces, allowing extraction of the shoe donning aid. The latching mechanism is positioned lower than the top portion of the donning aid as to eliminate that obstacle from the target opening of the foot. Various variations and embodiments are shown and described.

A shoe includes a sole and an upper having a heel counter with a heel cup. The upper includes a foot receiving shoe opening. The heel cup is uniformly molded with an upper portion, midportion, and lower portion. On a vertical cross-section, the heel cup has a S wave shape and a thickness of the heel cup decreases gradually from a peripheral portion of the heel cup toward a central region of the heel cup. The heel cup is attached to an interior compressible layer, and the compressible layer extends into the shoe opening. The compressible layer may be compressed by a user's foot during insertion or removal of the user's foot, and may at least partially expand to hold an ankle of the user's foot once the foot is inserted.

An article of footwear includes an upper defining a foot-receiving cavity with a heel region, and a heel support device extending around the rear of a heel region from a lateral side to a medial side. The heel support device may include a plurality of slats and a base, the plurality of slats providing a progressive gradient of lengths and/or widths, and/or one or more pegs extending from the device for attachment to a footwear upper, and/or an elongated tip that may be disposed in a cavity of an extension of a heel collar of the upper.

A shoe has an upper with a foot receiving shoe opening. A heel counter is located at a rear portion of the upper and includes a rigid heel cup. The heel cup has a lower portion, a midportion, and an upper portion having a curvature extending from a top edge of the heel cup and that is curved downward towards the shoe opening. On a vertical cross-section, the heel cup has a S wave shape. A compressible layer is located along an inner wall of the heel cup and is configured to curve around a portion of a user's ankle above the user's heel once donned. The compressible layer may be compressed during donning of the shoe and may at least partially expand to secure the foot within the shoe once donned.

A footwear has a heel, a protruding portion with a core protruding above a topline of the heel, and the protruding portion has first and second mountain portions on both sides and a valley portion between the first mountain portion and the second mountain portion, respectively. The footwear has a first guiding portion formed on the inside of the footwear of the first mountain to guide a heel of the foot into the footwear, and a second guiding portion formed on the inside of the footwear of the second mountain to guide the heel of the foot into the footwear.

A footwear has a heel, a protruding portion with a core protruding above a topline of the heel, and the protruding portion has first and second mountain portions on both sides and a valley portion between the first mountain portion and the second mountain portion, respectively. The footwear has a first guiding portion formed on the inside of the footwear of the first mountain to guide a heel of the foot into the footwear, and a second guiding portion formed on the inside of the footwear of the second mountain to guide the heel of the foot into the footwear.