ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 23 -- United States Patent no. 12,419,387, issued on Sept. 23, was assigned to Skechers U.S.A. Inc. II (Manhattan Beach, Calif.).

"Footwear heel counter for easier foot entry or removal" was invented by John Maxwell Weeks (Los Angeles), Scott Kelley (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Frank F Chuang (Cypress, Calif.), Pei-Chun Liao (Torrance, Calif.), Johnson Tja (Foshan, China), Hui Xie (Dongguan, China) and Kurt Stockbridge (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A shoe includes a sole and an upper having a heel counter with a heel cup. The upper includes a foot receiving shoe opening. The heel cup is uniformly molded with an upper portion, midportion, and l...