Patent 7685739 was granted and assigned to Nike, Inc. on March, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An article of footwear having a street shoe configuration and a dance shoe configuration is provided. The shoe includes a sole and an upper having a lacing system, lace and a tongue. The tongue is removably attached to the upper. The tongue may be removed to convert the shoe from a street shoe configuration to a dance shoe configuration. The tongue may also be secured via a lace strung through an apertures formed in the tongue. This configuration provides for easier conversion from street shoe to dance shoe.