ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,426,666, issued on Sept. 30, was assigned to FAST IP LLC (Lindon, Utah).
"Rapid-entry footwear having a split back" was invented by Craig Cheney (Lindon, Utah) and Bradley Johnson (Draper, Utah).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A rapid-entry shoe having a heel counter to prevent inward deflection of a rear portion of the upper, but the heel counter having a vertical slit to permit downward deflection of the rear portion of the upper, so as to expand a perimeter of an opening of the shoe to receive a foot and thereby facilitate donning and doffing of the rapid-entry shoe."
The patent was filed on May 30, 2022, under Application No. 17/827,...