ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR AND STRAP THEREFOR

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/743,584, entitled “ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR AND STRAP THEREFOR”, and filed on Jan. 9, 2025. The entire contents of the above-listed application are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

[0002]Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to articles of footwear, and more particularly to a strap anchor for an article of footwear.

BACKGROUND/SUMMARY

[0003]Footwear articles may include components for closure, such as laces, fastening straps, the like, or combinations thereof. For example, some boots may utilize a combination of laces weaved through eyelets, laces wrapped around hooks, and fastening straps to maintain closure of the shoe upper and position of the shoe upper around a user's foot. Other types of footwear may utilize fastening straps alone to maintain position of a shoe upper around the user's foot. For example, shoes formed of a plastic-type material may be closed using a strap system that includes combinations of hooks, protrusions, and the like.

[0004]However, fastening straps configured to be inserted into holes or other receiving structures of plastic-type shoes are subject to the straps pulling out of the holes as the user walks or moves their foot due to the type, shape, and number of fasteners included in the strap. The inventors herein have recognized the aforementioned issues and developed a strap for an article of footwear that at least partially addresses these issues.

[0005]In some examples, a strap for an article of footwear includes a bracket and one or more extending legs. The strap includes a plurality of fasteners, for example a bracket fastener and a leg fastener for each of the one or more extending legs. Each fastener is connected to a corresponding strap portion, such as the bracket or a leg, via a stalk. Each fastener comprises a split hook, including two horns separated by a scoop, and a protruding notch. The bracket fastener may be oriented with the split hook facing away from the bracket and each of the leg fasteners may be oriented with the split hook facing towards the bracket. When assembled with an article of footwear, each fastener is inserted into a hole of an upper of the article of footwear. The shoe upper may include corresponding recesses on an underside into which the protruding notch and split hook are positioned. In this way, the protruding notch and the split hook exert pressure against the shoe upper in the direction of pull of the strap.

[0006]It should be understood that the brief description above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0007]The present disclosure will be better understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a top down view of an article of footwear including a strap including a plurality of fasteners, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the strap of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010]FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the strap of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary fastener of the plurality of fasteners of the strap of FIGS. 1-3, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a top down schematic view of the fastener of FIG. 4, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0013]FIG. 6 is a lateral view of the fastener of FIG. 4 positioned in a shoe upper, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014]The following description relates to systems and methods for a strap anchor system for an article of footwear. The strap anchor system according to the present disclosure may include a strap body with one or more extending legs. Each of the strap body and the one or more extending legs may include or otherwise be coupled to a fastener. Each fastener of the strap anchor system may include a split hook and a protruding notch, as will be herein described. An exemplary article of footwear with a strap is shown in FIG. 1. The strap of FIG. 1 is shown in a perspective view in FIG. 2 and a schematic top down view in FIG. 3. An exemplary fastener of the strap is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The exemplary fastener of FIGS. 4-5 is shown inserted into a shoe upper in FIG. 6 in a cross-sectional view.

[0015]Turning now to FIG. 1, a footwear article 100 is shown from a top down view, according to an embodiment. The footwear article 100 may include a medial side 190 and a lateral side 192. In some examples, the footwear article 100 may be a clog shoe formed of a plastic or plastic-type material. In other examples, the footwear article 100 may be a different type of shoe, such as a tennis shoe, a boot, a sandal, or any other suitable type of footwear article formed of any suitable material, including plastic, plastic-type material, fabric, canvas, or the like.

[0016]The footwear article 100 may include a strap 102. The strap 102 may be a closure system for the footwear article 100. For example, the strap 102 may act to pull the medial side 190 of shoe upper 101 and the lateral side 192 of shoe upper 101 towards one another in order to maintain a position of the footwear article 100 around a user's foot. In particular, the medial side 190 of the shoe upper 101 and the lateral side 192 of the shoe upper 101 may be separated by a gap 150. The strap 102, when mated with the shoe upper 101, may bridge the gap 150.

[0017]In some examples, the strap 102 may be formed of the same material as the footwear article 100. For example, the footwear article 100 may be formed of a plastic-like material, such as foam made from unprocessed plastic polymers like polyethylene vinyl acetate, and the strap 102 may be formed of the same plastic-type material. In other examples, the strap 102 may be formed of a different material from the footwear article 100. For example, the strap 102 may be formed of a corded material that allows for adjustable lengths.

[0018]The strap 102 may be conceptually partitioned into a plurality of portions. For example, a body 130 of the strap 102 may include a bracket 104 and one or more legs that extend from the bracket 104. In some examples, the strap 102 may be generally V-shaped, as will be further described below. In other examples, the strap 102 may be K-shaped, U-shaped, or any other reasonable shape based on the number and shape of the extending legs with respect to the bracket. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the strap 102 includes a first leg 106 and a second leg 108 that extend from the bracket 104. While two legs are shown in FIG. 1, it should be understood that in other examples, the strap may include just one leg extending from the bracket or more than two legs extending from the bracket. As further described herein, each portion of the body 130 of the strap 102 may include, be formed with, or otherwise be coupled to a fastener.

[0019]In the example shown wherein the strap 102 is a V-shaped strap, the first leg 106 may extend away from the bracket 104 at a first angle α with respect to an arbitrary axis 199 and the second leg 108 may extend away from the bracket 104 at a second angle Φ with respect to the arbitrary axis 199. The arbitrary axis 199 may extend through a middle section of the bracket 104, intersecting with a point where the one or more extending legs would intersect if they were to be extended past the bracket 104. The first and second angles α, Φ may be the same or different. The first and second angles α, Φ may be various angles in different embodiments of the present disclosure, such as 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, or the like.

[0020]The bracket 104 may have any feasible shape, such as a circle, an oval, an irregular round shape, a rectangle, a square, a rounded rectangle, an irregular rectangle-like shape, or the like. For example, the bracket 104 shown herein is a curved, rounded rectangle shape. The bracket 104 may be configured for markings such as branding to be formed as part of it or added to it during manufacture, in some examples.

[0021]Similarly, the one or more legs may have any reasonable elongated shape. For example, the legs may be shaped as rectangles, elongated ovals, irregular shapes, curved shapes, or the like. In the examples disclosed herein, the legs are curved, rounded rectangles of different curve angles. In the example provided herein, the first leg 106 is positioned to extend towards a toe end 194 of the footwear article 100 with a first curvature (e.g., radius of curvature) and the second leg 108 is positioned to extend more towards a heel end 196 of the footwear article 100 with a second curvature, as compared to the first leg 106. In the example provided, both the first and second legs may be curved in a concave manner with respect to the heel end 196, though it should be understood that in other examples, the legs may be curved in a convex manner with respect to the heel end or may not be curved. With multiple legs, the strap 102 may be configured to anchor various sections of the shoe upper 101, thereby increasing the forces applied by the shoe upper 101 to maintain its assembled position.

[0022]The footwear article 100 may include the shoe upper 101, as shown in FIG. 1, and a sole (not shown). In some examples, the shoe upper 101 may be perforated. For example, the footwear article 100 may include a plurality of perforations 110 distributed about the shoe upper 101. The perforations 110 may expose an interior of the footwear article 100 to an exterior environment.

[0023]The strap 102, when assembled with the footwear article 100, may be at least partially inserted into the perforations 110. For example, each fastener of the strap 102 may be inserted into a given hole of the plurality of perforations 110 so as to anchor the strap 102 in place, bridging the gap 150, and to anchor the shoe upper around the user's foot. In some examples, the user may choose which of the plurality of perforations 110 to insert one or more of the fasteners into, thereby allowing the user to adjust the tightness of the shoe upper 101 around their foot. For example, for a looser fit, the user may insert the fastener(s) of the one or more legs into holes more towards a midline of the shoe upper 101 and, for a tighter fit, the user may insert the fastener(s) of the one or more legs into holes more towards the medial side 190 of the shoe upper 101. In this way, the user may customize a tightness of closure of the shoe upper 101 via the strap 102 to their liking and foot shape/size.

[0024]In some examples, as will be further described herein, when the strap 102 is assembled with the footwear article 100, the bracket 104 and the one or more legs may be positioned atop the shoe upper 101 (e.g., at an exterior surface or top side of the shoe upper 101), and the fasteners may be positioned below the shoe upper 101 (e.g., at an interior surface or underside of the shoe upper 101). In this way, the fasteners may act to affix the strap 102 in place, thereby maintaining closure of the footwear article 100.

[0025]It should be appreciated that a variety of different visual properties, such as variations in coloration, texture and graphics, and finishes may be possible for the footwear article 100 other than those depicted in FIG. 1.

[0026]Non-limiting embodiments of a footwear article are described and illustrated herein. It should be appreciated that one or more components, features, or parts of the articles of the footwear article may have a different shape, size, orientation, material, or other characteristic than those specifically explained or illustrated in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0027]Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the strap 102 is shown disassembled from the footwear article 100. Specifically, a perspective view of the strap 102 disassembled from the footwear article 100 is shown in FIG. 2 and a schematic top down view of the strap 102 is shown in FIG. 3. The body 130 of the strap 102, as described above, in the embodiment shown, includes the bracket 104, the first leg 106, and the second leg 108. The first and second legs 106, 108 may originate from the bracket 104, extending away from the bracket 104 at different angles to form a V-shape. As described above, each of the bracket 104 and the one or more legs, such as the first leg 106 and the second leg 108, may include, be formed with, or otherwise be coupled to a fastener. For example, a bracket fastener 204 may be coupled to the bracket 104, a first leg fastener 206 may be coupled to the first leg 106, and a second leg fastener 208 may be coupled to the second leg 108. As will be further described with respect to FIGS. 4-6, each fastener may be pedunculated, whereby the fasteners are formed with or coupled to respective portions of the strap 102 via a stalk, post, stem, peduncle, or the like. For example, a stalk may be coupled to or formed with an underside of a given portion of the body 130 of the strap 102, extending down away from the body 130 of the strap 102. Each stalk may be coupled to a respective fastening structure, as will be further described below.

[0028]Each fastener may comprise a split hook and a protruding notch. For example, the bracket fastener 204 may comprise a split hook 320 and a protruding notch 326, the first leg fastener 206 may comprise a split hook 322 and a protruding notch 328, and the second leg fastener 208 may comprise a split hook 324 and a protruding notch 330. The bracket fastener 204 may be oriented in a first direction such that the split hook 320 is facing away from the bracket 104 and towards one or more of the legs. The first and second leg fasteners 206, 208 may be oriented in a second, different direction that is opposite to that of the bracket fastener 204, wherein the split hooks 322, 324 thereof are generally facing towards the bracket 104. Thus, when the strap 102 is mated with a shoe upper, tensions may pull the first and second leg fasteners 206, 208 towards the bracket 104 and the bracket fastener 204 towards the one or more legs. In doing so, the strap 102 may be able to maintain its position relative to the shoe upper.

[0029]As an example, the bracket fastener 204 may be inserted into a first perforation of the plurality of perforations 110 of the lateral side 192 of the footwear article 100, the first leg fastener 206 may be inserted into a second perforation of the medial side 190 of the footwear article 100, and the second leg fastener 208 may be inserted into a third perforation of the medial side 190 of the footwear article 100. In this way, the strap 102 may anchor the medial side 190 to the lateral side 192 as the body 130 of the strap bridges the gap 150 between the lateral side and medial side, the strap 102 being anchored in place via insertion of the given fasteners into the respective perforations.

[0030]Each fastener may be oriented along a given axis. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the bracket fastener 204 may be centered along a first axis 304, the first leg fastener 206 may be centered along a second axis 306, and the second leg fastener 208 may be centered along a third axis 308. Each of the axes may be oriented at a different angle, in some examples. For example, with respect to an arbitrary horizontal axis 310, the first axis 304 of the bracket fastener 204 may be angled at a first angle a; the second axis 306 of the first leg fastener 206 may be angled at a second angle b; and the third axis 308 of the second leg fastener 208 may be angled at a third angle c. The first, second, and third angles a, b, and c, may be different from each other. The angle of each leg fastener may depend upon the curvature and/or angle of extension from the body of a corresponding leg. For example, the third axis 308 may roughly correspond to an angle of an end section 312 of the second leg 108, which may be based on the given curvature of the second leg 108.

[0031]Orienting each of the fasteners at different angles as herein described may allow for multiple directions of pull of the strap 102 when assembled with the footwear article 100. With multiple directions of pull, the overall tension applied by the strap 102 to the shoe upper may be increased, thus reducing the tendency of the strap 102 to pull out of the shoe upper.

[0032]Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, an exemplary fastener 404 of a portion 400 of an anchoring strap, which may be a non-limiting example of the strap 102 described above, is shown. The fastener 404 may be any of the bracket fastener 204, the first leg fastener 206, and the second leg fastener 208 described with respect to FIGS. 1-3. In some examples, the fastener 404 may be configured to be inserted into a perforation or hole of a footwear article, such as the footwear article 100 described with respect to FIG. 1. FIG. 4 specifically shows a perspective view of the fastener 404 and FIG. 5 specifically shows a schematic top down view of the fastener 404.

[0033]The fastener 404 may be formed with or otherwise coupled to a portion of a body 402 of the strap. The portion of the body 402 shown in FIG. 4 may be one of one or more extending legs or a bracket of the anchoring strap. The fastener 404 may be coupled to the body 402 via a stalk 406. The stalk 406 may be configured to fit within a hole or other perforation of a corresponding shoe upper into which the anchoring strap may be inserted. For example, the diameter of the stalk 406 may be configured to fit within a diameter of a corresponding perforation of the shoe upper, wherein the diameter of the stalk 406 is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the corresponding perforation so as to be able to be inserted into the perforation while being snug.

[0034]The fastener 404 may comprise a body 408, a split hook 410, and a protruding notch 412. The protruding notch 412 may be positioned towards a first side 490 of the body 408 and the split hook 410 may be positioned towards a second side 492 of the body 408. The first and second sides 490, 492 of the body 408 may or may not correspond to first and second sides of the footwear article into which the fastener 404 is to be inserted (e.g., the first and second ends 190, 192, depending on the orientation of the fastener 404 with respect to the footwear article.

[0035]The split hook 410 may comprise a first horn 414 and a second horn 416 that extend laterally away from the body 408. The first horn 414 and the second horn 416 are depicted as semi-ovals, though it should be understood that other shapes such as semi-circles, triangles, or the like are feasible without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The first horn 414 and the second horn 416 may be separated by a gap 418 in the fastener. The body 408 may comprise a scoop 420, which may be a convex rounded edge of the body 408 between the first horn 414 and the second horn 416. In some examples, an arc length of the scoop 420 may be less than an arc length of the same curvature imagined between the first horn 414 and second horn 416, illustrated by dashed line 480 in FIG. 4, as the first and second horns 414, 416 extend angled away from the body 408. The protruding notch 414 may extend upwards towards the body 402 of the strap. The protruding notch 414 may be configured to engage with an underside of the shoe upper with which the strap is assembled, for example with a recess formed into the underside of the shoe upper, thereby increasing the surface area of the fastener engaged with the shoe upper.

[0036]As will be further described with respect to FIG. 6, the shoe upper may be configured to fit with the fasteners of the strap. For example, one or more recesses may be included in an underside of the shoe upper so as to match the configuration of the split hook, scoop, and notch of the fastener. For example, the shoe upper may comprise a plurality of perforations, as noted, and each perforation may have corresponding recesses at an underside portion of the shoe upper such that a user may insert fasteners into any of the available perforations and the components of the fastener will fit into the defined recesses thereof.

[0037]As shown in FIG. 5, the notch 412 may be centered along an axis 506 of the fastener 404. In the example provided, the protruding notch is a rounded rectangle, though it should be understood that in other examples, the protruding notch may take other shapes, such as a circle, a square, a rectangle, an oval, or any other feasible shape to be molded.

[0038]The fastener 404 may be generally arrow shaped, similar to the shape of a guitar pick, in some examples. For example, a first width 502 towards the first side 490 of the fastener 404 may be smaller than a second width 504 towards the second side 492. In this way, from the second side 492 to the first side 490, the fastener 404 may narrow towards a point or curved or rounded tip. In other examples, the fastener 404 may take on different shapes, such as an oval, a circle, a rectangle, an irregular shape, or the like. The arrow, or guitar-pick like, shape of the fastener may allow for the narrow end (e.g., towards the first side 490), to be inserted into a perforation in the shoe upper more easily.

[0039]The split hook 410 of the fastener 404 may face the direction of tension of the strap. For example, when the fastener 404 is a leg fastener, the split hook 410 may face towards the bracket of the strap as the direction of tension may be towards the bracket and when the fastener 404 is a bracket fastener, the split hook 410 may face away from the bracket of the strap as the direction of tension may be towards the leg(s).

[0040]The first and second horns 414, 416 may allow for more material to be positioned behind the stalk 406 in the direction the strap is pulled. For example, the fastener 404 may be a fastener of a leg of the strap. The strap may be pulled towards the midline and/or opposing side of the shoe upper. The first and second horns 414, 416 of such a fastener may be positioned towards the midline and/or opposing side of the shoe upper such that the horns engage with the underside of the shoe upper in the direction of tension. With the additional material provided by the horns, the potential for the fastener to be pulled out of the hole in which it is inserted may be reduced. In particular, the split hook 410 may allow a thicker amount of material to engage with the shoe upper compared to a fastener without a split hook (e.g., with a single curved edge). The split hook 410, via the gap 418 between the first and second horns 414, 416, may reduce the amount of material in the pulling direction, thereby mitigating portions of the fastener that may degrade (e.g., thin) over time as a result of pull.

[0041]Turning now to FIG. 6, the fastener 404 described with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5 is shown inserted into a shoe upper 602. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener 404 along the fastener's axis (e.g., axis 506). Thus, the scoop 420 of the body 408 of the fastener 404 is shown but the first and second horns 414, 416 are not. In some examples, the shoe upper 602 may be the shoe upper of the footwear article 100 and the fastener 404 may be an exemplary one of the fasteners of the strap 102 described with respect to FIGS. 1-3. When assembled, as shown in FIG. 6, the body 402 of the strap may rest upon (e.g., be in face sharing contact with) a top side 690 of the shoe upper 602 and the fastener 404 may be in fact sharing contact with an underside 692 of the shoe upper 602.

[0042]As previously described, the fastener 404 may be inserted into a hole or perforation 606 of the shoe upper 602. For example, the shoe upper 602 may be manufactured to include a plurality of perforations spaced throughout the medial and lateral sides of the shoe upper 602. Each of the perforations, including the perforation 606 herein described, may be configured to receive the fasteners of the strap, such as fastener 404. As an example, the perforation 606 may have a first diameter 614 which may be configured to receive the stalk 406, which may have a second diameter 616. In some examples, the first diameter 614 may be slightly larger than the second diameter 616 such that the stalk 406 may nest within the perforation 606. In other examples, the first and second diameters 614, 616 may be the same length and the shoe upper 602 may stretch around the stalk 406 when the fastener 404 is inserted into the perforation 606.

[0043]Additionally, a total height 618 of the stalk 406 and body 408 of the fastener 404 may be configured specifically for a height 620 of the shoe upper 602. For example, the total height 618 of the stalk 406 and body 408 may be equal to the height 620 of the shoe upper 602. In this way, the split hook and protruding notch of the fastener 404 may engage with the shoe upper 602 and be flush with the underside 692 rather than extending past the shoe upper 602 into the interior of the footwear article. In this way, the tension applied to the shoe upper may be increased, thereby increasing the ability of the strap to maintain its position engaged with the shoe upper.

[0044]The shoe upper 602 may further be configured with one or more recesses 604 formed into the underside 692 that correspond with the perforation 606. The one or more recesses 604 may be configured in a shape that is a negative impression of the shape of the fastener 404. For example, a first portion of the one or more recesses 604 may have a height 610. The height 610 may be the height of the body 408 of the fastener 404. Further, a second portion of the one or more recesses 604 that is stacked with the first portion may have a second height 612. The second height 612 may be the height of the protruding notch 412, in some examples. Thus, the one or more recesses 604 may be configured to receive the body 408 and notch 412 of the fastener 404 such that a bottom 694 of the fastener 404 is flush with the underside 692 of the shoe upper.

[0045]In this way, when the strap is assembled with the shoe upper 602, the fastener 404 may be engaged with the shoe upper 602. Pulling forces or tension applied by the strap, for example due to the strap being stretched or placed across a top side of the shoe upper with the various fasteners inserted through perforations of the shoe upper, may be applied within the one or more recesses of the shoe upper. In doing so, the strap may be less likely to pull out of the perforations as a user of the assembled footwear article ambulates (e.g., walks, runs, skips, hops, etc.).

[0046]As described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, the strap may comprise a plurality of fasteners affixed to the body of the strap. The shoe upper, as noted may include a plurality of perforations. Each of the perforations, as described with respect may include respective recesses. For example, perforations manufactured into the medial side of the shoe article may have recesses to match the orientation of the fasteners of the one or more legs of the strap and perforations manufactured into the lateral side of the shoe article may have recesses to match the orientation of the fasteners of the bracket of the strap. In examples when the strap includes two extending legs, perforations towards the toe end of the shoe upper may be configured with recesses to match an orientation of a first fastener of a first leg (e.g., first leg fastener 206 of first leg 106 of the strap 102) and perforations towards the heel end of the shoe upper may be configured with recesses to match an orientation of a second fastener of a second leg (e.g., second leg fastener 208 of second leg 108 of the strap 102). Orientations as herein referenced may be known based on the angle of the axis of the fastener, as previously described. In this way, the user may adjust the position of each of the legs of the strap to their liking. As an example, a first user may have a narrower foot than a second user. The first user may thus choose positions of the fasteners of the strap for tighter closure of the shoe upper while the second user may choose positions of the fasteners of the strap for looser closure of the shoe upper.

[0047]The technical effect of the systems described herein is that multiple points of engagement are established by way of the split hooks and protruding notches of the fasteners which couple to corresponding recesses in the shoe upper. These multiple points of engagement increase resistance to pull-out forces when the strap is under tension. The split hook design, featuring two horns separated by a gap and a scoop, provides additional material behind the stalk in the direction of pull while reducing material in areas prone to degradation, thereby enhancing durability. The opposing orientations of the bracket fastener and the leg fasteners work in concert to distribute tensile forces more effectively across the shoe upper. Furthermore, the system's adjustable design, with multiple perforation options and fasteners oriented at different angles, allows users to customize the fit according to their foot size and comfort preferences while maintaining secure closure through multiple directions of pull. In this way, the system herein described reduces the potential for the anchoring strap pulling out of the shoe during use.

[0048]FIGS. 1-6 show example configurations with relative positioning of the various components. If shown directly contacting each other, or directly coupled, then such elements may be referred to as directly contacting or directly coupled, respectively, at least in one example. Similarly, elements shown contiguous or adjacent to one another may be contiguous or adjacent to each other, respectively, at least in one example. As an example, components laying in face-sharing contact with each other may be referred to as in face-sharing contact. As another example, elements positioned apart from each other with only a space there-between and no other components may be referred to as such, in at least one example. As yet another example, elements shown above/below one another, at opposite sides to one another, or to the left/right of one another may be referred to as such, relative to one another. Further, as shown in the figures, a topmost element or point of element may be referred to as a “top” of the component and a bottommost element or point of the element may be referred to as a “bottom” of the component, in at least one example. As used herein, top/bottom, upper/lower, above/below, may be relative to a vertical axis of the figures and used to describe positioning of elements of the figures relative to one another. As such, elements shown above other elements are positioned vertically above the other elements, in one example. As yet another example, shapes of the elements depicted within the figures may be referred to as having those shapes (e.g., such as being circular, straight, planar, curved, rounded, chamfered, angled, or the like). Further, elements shown intersecting one another may be referred to as intersecting elements or intersecting one another, in at least one example. Further still, an element shown within another element or shown outside of another element may be referred as such, in one example. Elements offset from one another may be referred to as such, in some examples. Further, FIGS. 1-6 are drawn approximately to scale although other relative dimensions may be used.

[0049]The disclosure also provides support for an article of footwear, comprising: a shoe upper including a medial side and a lateral side separated by a gap, wherein the shoe upper includes a plurality of perforations, a strap configured to bridge the gap between the medial side and lateral side of the shoe upper, wherein the strap comprises: a body including a bracket and one or more extending legs, and a plurality of fasteners including a bracket fastener and a leg fastener for each of the one or more extending legs, wherein the plurality of fasteners is configured to fit within the plurality of perforations of the shoe upper, wherein each fastener of the plurality of fasteners comprises a split hook at a first end and a protruding notch at a second end and is coupled to the body via a stalk. In a first example of the system, the split hook of the bracket fastener is oriented to face away from the bracket and the split hook of each leg fastener is oriented to face towards the bracket. In a second example of the system, optionally including the first example, the strap is V-shaped. In a third example of the system, optionally including one or both of the first and second examples, the one or more extending legs include a first extending leg and a second extending leg, wherein each of the first and second extending legs are curved. In a fourth example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through third examples, each of the one or more extending legs extends from the bracket at a different angle. In a fifth example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through fourth examples, each of the bracket and each of the one or more extending legs corresponds to one of the plurality of fasteners. In a sixth example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through fifth examples, each of the plurality of fasteners is oriented according to an angle of a corresponding portion of the body. In a seventh example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through sixth examples at an underside of the shoe upper, one or more of the plurality of perforations includes one or more recesses configured to receive a fastener.

[0050]The disclosure also provides support for a strap for an article of footwear, comprising: a body including a bracket and one or more legs, a plurality of fasteners including a bracket fastener of the bracket and a leg fastener of each of the one or more legs, wherein the bracket fastener is oriented in a first direction and the leg fastener of each of the one or more legs is oriented in a second, different direction. In a first example of the system, the bracket fastener is coupled to the bracket via a stalk and the leg fastener of each of the one or more legs is coupled to a respective one of the one or more legs via a stalk. In a second example of the system, optionally including the first example, the stalk of one or more of the bracket fastener and each leg fastener is configured to fit within a perforation of the article of footwear. In a third example of the system, optionally including one or both of the first and second examples, the one or more legs extend from the bracket in a V-shape. In a fourth example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through third examples, the one or more legs includes a first leg and a second leg. In a fifth example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through fourth examples, the body is configured to bridge a gap between a medial side of the article of footwear and a lateral side of the article of footwear, wherein the bracket fastener is configured to be inserted into a perforation of the lateral side and each leg fastener of the one or more legs is configured to be inserted into a perforation of the medial side. In a sixth example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through fifth examples, each of the plurality of fasteners are configured to fit within one or more recesses of a shoe upper of the article of footwear. In a seventh example of the system, optionally including one or more or each of the first through sixth examples, each of the plurality of fasteners comprises a split hook comprising a first horn, a second horn, and a scoop, wherein the first horn and the second horn are separated by a gap.

[0051]The disclosure also provides support for an article of footwear, comprising: a shoe upper including a medial side and a lateral side separated by a gap, an V-shaped strap configured to bridge the gap and anchor the medial side to the lateral side, wherein the V-shaped strap comprises a bracket, a first leg, and a second leg, wherein the bracket is coupled to a bracket fastener, the first leg is coupled to a first leg fastener, and the second leg is coupled to a second leg fastener, wherein each of the bracket fastener, the first leg fastener, and the second leg fastener comprise a split hook and a protruding notch, wherein the split hook of the bracket fastener is oriented facing towards the medial side and the split hook of each the first and second leg fasteners is oriented facing towards the lateral side. In a first example of the system, the shoe upper comprises a plurality of perforations. In a second example of the system, optionally including the first example, the V-shaped strap is configured to mate with the shoe upper via insertion of the bracket fastener into a first perforation of the lateral side, the first leg fastener into a second perforation of the medial side, and the second leg fastener into a third perforation of the medial side. In a third example of the system, optionally including one or both of the first and second examples, the shoe upper comprises one or more recesses configured to receive one of the bracket fastener, the first leg fastener, and the second leg fastener.

[0052]As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising,” “including,” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property. The terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-language equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Moreover, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements or a particular positional order on their objects.

[0053]This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art to practice the invention, including making and using any articles, devices, or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.