Crocs, Inc.

Damon Chen

Dale R Bathum

In some embodiments, a shoe assembly comprises a vamp and a sole. The vamp includes a middle section, and the vamp and the middle section are formed of a continuous piece of a first molded material. The vamp also includes a first aperture and a second aperture. The sole includes a forefoot section and a heel section that are joined by a midfoot section. The forefoot section, the heel section, and the midfoot section are formed of a continuous piece of a second molded material. The second molded material is an EVA-based material. The first aperture of the vamp receives a part of the forefoot section and the second aperture receives a part of the heel section. When the shoe assembly is placed on a flat surface, the forefoot section is in direct contact with the flat surface.

Footwear with dual molded piece construction

A snap-in footbed system according to embodiments of the present invention includes a shoe, wherein the shoe includes an inner surface and an outer surface, an aperture formed in a molded portion of the shoe from the inner surface to the outer surface, a footbed, wherein a top surface of the footbed is configured to receive a user's foot, wherein the footbed comprises a snap-in element, wherein the snap-in element comprises a head portion having at least one dimension that is sized to be larger than the aperture, such that when the head portion is passed through the aperture from the inner surface to the outer surface, one or both of the head portion and the aperture undergo elastic deformation, and such that when the head portion has been passed through the aperture, the snap-in element secures the footbed to the shoe.

Growing community of inventors

Westminster, CO, United States of America

Damon Chen