An article of footwear includes an intermediate covering portion with an adjustable volume. The intermediate covering portion is closed around the instep of the foot. The article also includes a tensioning system that can be used to change the volume of the intermediate covering portion. The tensioning system includes a tension balancing member to balance loads across different portions of the intermediate covering portion.

The shoe includes a sole and an upper including a layer of elastic material positioned to stretch and create tension that enhances securement of a foot inserted into the shoe. The shoe includes a heel cup having polymer material, affixed to the sole and upper, and having an upper portion, a midportion, and a lower portion. In a first configuration, the upper portion has a downward incline with a first angle relative to a vertical line, and the upper portion is capable of distorting into a second configuration under a load of the foot when donning the shoe. In the second configuration, the upper portion has a downward incline with a second angle relative to the vertical line, the second angle being greater than the first angle. An interior foam layer is adjacent to an interior wall of the upper portion, is compressible, and extends into the shoe opening.

The shoe includes a sole and an upper including at least one layer of elastic material positioned to stretch and create tension that enhances securement of a foot inserted into the shoe. The shoe includes a heel cup with thermoplastic elastomer material. The heel cup is affixed to the sole and upper and includes an upper portion, a midportion, and a lower portion. The heel cup includes enhanced flexibility regions oriented vertically along its rearmost portion. The shoe includes an interior foam layer with EVA and/or polyurethane foam and that is bonded to an interior wall of the upper portion of the heel cup. The interior foam layer is compressible and extends into the shoe opening, providing securement of the foot once inserted. The interior foam layer is covered by an elastic textile having wicking properties, the elastic textile form fitted to the shape of the interior foam layer.

The shoe includes a sole and an upper including at least one layer of elastic material positioned to stretch and create tension that enhances securement of a foot inserted into the shoe. The shoe includes a heel cup with polymer material, the heel cup affixed to the sole and upper, and the heel cup includes an upper portion, a midportion, and a lower portion. The shoe includes an interior foam layer adjacent to at least an interior wall of the upper portion of the heel cup, the interior foam layer being compressible, and the interior foam layer extends into the shoe opening, providing securement of the foot once inserted.

Boots can be comfortable and stylish by providing expansion in the shaft of a boot. Portions of a shaft can include deformable and/or elastically resilient materials. A resilient portion can provide for ease of passage of a foot down the boot shaft. Resilient portions can be arranged to provide camouflaging and/or blending such that resilient portions can be difficult to distinguish from conventional stylings on protective materials of a boot shaft. Resilient features may be curved or angled to visually fit in with and even be camouflaged by surrounding decorative ornamentation on the shaft. Some boots can have resilient material within an opening having a transition from an upper vertical portion to a lower curved portion that includes a turn of approximately 90 degrees in the shape of the opening. Some boots can have straps that can be positioned to physically obscure portions of resilient material.

The article of footwear further includes a heel cup attached to the upper and extending from the sole structure to at least a portion of the rear heel collar of upper. Additionally, the heel cup is 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 configured to receive the heel. The midportion includes a peripheral portion having a first thickness and a central portion having a second thickness, and the second thickness is less than the first thickness.

An article of footwear includes a decoupled foot stabilizer system. The foot stabilizer system is decoupled from a midfoot region of the article of footwear. The foot stabilizer system includes a plurality of strap members. The foot stabilizer system may optionally include a bootie. The plurality of strap members extend underneath a portion of a foot of a wearer. The plurality of strap members are configured to receive a lace at one end. A lace running through the ends of the strap members pulls on the strap members when the lace is tightened and causes the foot stabilizer system to conform to the wearer's foot.

An article of footwear may include an upper configured to receive a foot of a wearer, the upper including one or more elastic portions and one or more substantially inelastic portions. The footwear may further include a plurality of lace receiving members fixedly attached to an outer surface of the upper on the inelastic portions of the upper. Also, the footwear may include a sole structure fixedly attached to the upper. In addition, the footwear may include a motorized tensioning system including a motorized tightening device and a tensile member extending through the plurality of lace receiving members, the tightening device being configured to apply tension in the tensile member to adjust the size of an internal void defined by the article of footwear by drawing two or more of the plurality of lace receiving members closer to one another.

An upper structure for a shoe that improves foot fit and hold of an upper at the time of turn motion. In an upper 2 that covers a foot of a shoe wearer, an expandable part 20 is provided at a midfoot region M that corresponds to a midfoot portion of the foot, and a non-expandable part 21 is provided at a lateral side region and a medial side region except for the midfoot region M. A boundary surface between the expandable part 20 and the non-expandable part 21 is formed by a substantially flat surface. At the boundary surface, respective end portions 20E, 21E of the expandable part 20 and the non-expandable part 21 are sewn together such that a seam does not appear on the boundary surface.

There is provided a shoe upper excelling in productivity, and a method for knitting the same. A shoe upper (1) includes a left side intermediate knitted fabric portion (5L) connecting a left side edge portion of a tongue (4) and an instep cover section (3), and a right side intermediate knitted fabric portion (5R) connecting a right side edge portion of the tongue (4) and the instep cover section (3). In such shoe upper (1), a width of an end of the tongue (4) is formed wider on a foot insertion opening (7) side than on a toe side, both side edge portions of the tongue (4) are overlapped with the instep cover section (3) in a thickness direction thereof, and the instep cover section (3), the tongue (4), and both the intermediate knitted fabric portions (5L, 5R) are all integrally knitted in a seamless manner.