ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 5 -- United States Patent no. 12,696,956, issued on Aug. 4, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Footwear article capable of hands-free donning" was invented by Timothy P. Hopkins (Lake Oswego, Ore.), Austin J. Orand (Portland, Ore.), Aaron B. Weast (Portland, Ore.) and Peter P. Williams (Portland, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A footwear article includes a collar elevator that is conducive to hands-free donning to secure the wearer's foot during wear. A footwear article capable of hands-free donning includes a sole and an upper having a heel region. The upper includes an inner material layer and an outer material layer. The footwear article also includes ...