An article of footwear has an upper having an elastic material and a heel cup. The heel cup is constructed of a uniformly molded flexible polymer material and an aperture at a rear, and the elastic material of the upper at the aperture facilitates securement of a user's foot upon stretching. An upper portion of the heel cup is concave relative to the front portion of the article of footwear and flexes downward and temporarily widens when donning the article of footwear. After foot insertion, the upper portion returns upward to surround a rear portion of a heel of the user's foot. A foam layer is positioned near a topmost region of the foot-receiving opening and extending into the opening and is compressed by the user's heel during foot insertion, and to facilitate the securement after donning.

Embodiments of the present application provide a footwear strap and a footwear having the same. An article of footwear may have a heel element located at a heel region of the footwear. A heel structural element may include an upper rear portion with an inwardly oriented convex cross-sectional curvature arranged to easily allow receiving a user's heel when donning the shoe. A portion of the convex cross-sectional curvature facing a sole structure of the footwear.

Embodiments of the present application provide a footwear strap and a footwear having the same. An article of footwear may have a heel element located at a heel region of the footwear. A heel structural element may include an upper rear portion with an inwardly oriented convex cross-sectional curvature arranged to easily allow receiving a user's heel when donning the shoe. A portion of the convex cross-sectional curvature facing a sole structure of the footwear.

A shoe includes a sole, an upper and a heel member. The upper is fixed to the sole and configured to cover a foot of a wearer, the upper including a wearing opening. The heel member is disposed on a heel side of the wearing opening of the upper. The heel member includes a guiding portion configured to guide a heel of the wearer toward the wearing opening and a holding portion configured to hold the guiding portion with respect to the upper at least in a vertical direction.

A shoe includes a sole, an upper and a heel member. The upper is fixed to the sole and configured to cover a foot of a wearer, the upper including a wearing opening. The heel member is disposed on a heel side of the wearing opening of the upper. The heel member includes a guiding portion configured to guide a heel of the wearer toward the wearing opening and a holding portion configured to hold the guiding portion with respect to the upper at least in a vertical direction.

The shoe includes a sole and an upper having a foot-receiving shoe opening. The shoe includes a heel cup in a heel region, the heel cup having a central region, peripheral portions, and a top portion, mid-portion, and lower portion extending through the central region and the peripheral portions. The top portion, mid-portion, and lower portion form a vertical cross-sectional S wave shape through the central region of the heel cup. The shoe includes a compressible material layer positioned along regions of an inner wall of the heel cup facing an interior of the shoe upper corresponding to a portion of the central region of the heel cup. The compressible material layer protrudes into the shoe opening along the central region corresponding to the top portion and tapers towards the portion of the central region corresponding to the lower portion.

A device configured to surround a portion of a foot-receiving cavity at a heel region of an article of footwear comprises a control bar having a center segment, a first side arm extending from the center segment, and a second side arm spaced from the first side arm and extending from the center segment. The control bar may include a series of slats. A base supports the control bar and is connected to the first side arm and the second side arm. The control bar is biased to an unstressed position with the center segment a first distance from the base, and elastically bends under an applied force to a loaded position with the center segment a second distance from the base less than the first distance. The device stores potential energy that returns the control bar to the unloaded position upon removal of the applied load.

A device configured to surround a portion of a foot-receiving cavity at a heel region of an article of footwear comprises a control bar having a center segment, a first side arm extending from the center segment, and a second side arm spaced from the first side arm and extending from the center segment. The control bar may include a series of slats. A base supports the control bar and is connected to the first side arm and the second side arm. The control bar is biased to an unstressed position with the center segment a first distance from the base, and elastically bends under an applied force to a loaded position with the center segment a second distance from the base less than the first distance. The device stores potential energy that returns the control bar to the unloaded position upon removal of the applied load.

Embodiments of the present application provide a footwear strap and a footwear having the same. An article of footwear may have a strap element and a heel structural element inside the strap element. The heel structural element may have two connecting arms, each of the two connecting arms having a medial arm and a lateral arm connected with the medial arm. The lateral arm and the medial arm may be integrally molded, and the lateral arm may be connected with the upper rear portion. The footwear strap may be assembled to the footwear and a compressible layer is located on an inner side of the heel structural element, and the compressible layer entirely covers the upper rear portion, at least partially covers the medial arm and the lateral arm, and gradually tapers or terminates along the inner side of the medial arm and the inner side of the lateral arm.

Embodiments of the present application provide a footwear strap and a footwear having the same. An article of footwear may have a strap element and a heel structural element inside the strap element. The heel structural element may have two connecting arms, each of the two connecting arms having a medial arm and a lateral arm connected with the medial arm. The lateral arm and the medial arm may be integrally molded, and the lateral arm may be connected with the upper rear portion. The footwear strap may be assembled to the footwear and a compressible layer is located on an inner side of the heel structural element, and the compressible layer entirely covers the upper rear portion, at least partially covers the medial arm and the lateral arm, and gradually tapers or terminates along the inner side of the medial arm and the inner side of the lateral arm.