Moccasin-type shoe

Claim 1

A MOCCASIN-TYPE SHOE COMPRISING AN UPPER FORMED OF PLIABLE SHEET-LIKE MATERIAL ADAPTED TO EXTEND ABOUT THE FOOT OF A USER HAVING A FORWARD PORTION, AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION AND A HEEL PORTION, SAID UPPER INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO SIDE SECTIONS AND AN INTEGRAL BOTTOM SECTION EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDE SECTIONS TO FORM AN OUTSOLE FOR THE SHOE, AN INSIDE SOLE EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE INNER SOLE AREA OF THE SHOE, THE UPPER BEING PROVIDED WITH A V-SHAPED SLIT WITHIN THE SOLE AREA ADJACENT THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE SHOE AND POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN THE SOLE AREA OF THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION AND MERGING WITH A HEEL OPENING DIVIDING SAID HEEL PORTION, THE EDGES OF THE SLIT BEING STICHED TOGETHER IN THE SOLE AREA OF THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION TO CONFORM THE UPPER TO THE INSTEP OF THE USER, MEANS SECURING SAID DIVIDED HEEL PORTION, A PATCH ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SOLE AREA OF THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OVER THE STITCHED EDGES OF THE SLIT HAVING AT LEAST ITS SIDE EDGES SECURED TO THE SAID UPPER TO FORM A REARWARDLY OPENING POCKET BETWEEN THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE UPPER AND THE PATCH, A RESILIENT SHANK STIFFENING ELEMENT POSITIONED WITHIN SAID POCKET AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREOF OVERLYING SAID HEEL PORTION, AND HEEL MEANS OVERLYING THE REARWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION OF SAID SHANK STIFFENING ELEMENT, THEREBY NORMALLY HOLDING THE SOLE OF THE SHOE IN A RESILIENT EXTENDED POSITION.