US 11871811

An analysis of U.S. Patent No. 11,871,811 reveals the following information. No records of litigation involving this patent were found in the CAFC dockets as of the current date.

Summary of U.S. Patent No. 11,871,811

Title: Rapid-entry footwear having a stabilizer and an elastic element

Assignee: Fast IP LLC

Inventors: Michael Pratt, Craig Cheney

Filing Date: September 21, 2023

Issue Date: January 16, 2024

Abstract: A rapid-entry shoe having an elastic element to enlarge a foot opening of the rapid-entry shoe and also having a stabilizer to prevent a rear portion of the rapid-entry shoe from collapsing downward.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

This patent has two independent claims which outline the core-protected concepts:

Claim 1: This claim describes a "rapid-entry" shoe designed for easy foot insertion. The shoe features a sole and an upper body, which includes a front, side, and rear portion. A key component is a "stabilizer," a single, solid piece that extends from the sole up toward the back of the shoe's opening. This stabilizer provides support and prevents the heel area from collapsing when a person steps into the shoe. The shoe also includes at least two separate "elastic elements" located towards the front of the shoe. These elastic parts are separated by non-stretchy material and are designed to expand to make the shoe opening larger for easy entry, and then contract to secure the foot.

Claim 10: This claim also describes a rapid-entry shoe with a similar sole, upper, and a single-piece stabilizer. The main focus of this claim is on a plurality of elastic elements that are positioned to allow the front part of the shoe's upper to flex or pivot away from the sole, further easing foot entry. A specific detail of this claim is that at least two of these elastic elements are set at different angles relative to the vertical axis of the shoe.