ATHLETIC TRANSITION SHOE

Abstract

An athletic transition shoe having a base portion including a sole, the sole includes a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures, a first plurality of projections that are selectively extendable outwardly through the first plurality of apertures, a second plurality of projections that are selectively extendable outwardly through the second plurality of apertures, and an upper portion secured to the base portion so that the shoe defines an interior volume.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The presently-disclosed invention relates generally to athletic shoes and, more specifically, to athletic shoes that provide multiple configurations for use in varying sports.

BACKGROUND

Athletic shoes can be very specialized depending on varying sports. For example, baseball cleats differ from football cleats, both of which differ from golf shoes. As well, various events within an individual athletic endeavor, such as a track meet, etc., may require different athletic shoes dependent upon the surface the athlete is performing on. Moreover, athletic shoes can be expensive, meaning that an individual participating in multiple sporting events may end up spending an excessive amount of money to procure the necessary array of athletic shoes.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention provides an athletic transition shoe having a base portion including a sole, the sole includes a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures, a first plurality of projections that are selectively extendable outwardly through the first plurality of apertures, a second plurality of projections that are selectively extendable outwardly through the second plurality of apertures, and an upper portion secured to the base portion so that the shoe defines an interior volume.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not, all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements.

FIGS. 1A through 1C are various views of an athletic transition shoe in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A through 2C are various views of an alternate embodiment of an athletic transition shoe in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 3A through 3C are various views of alternate embodiments of athletic transition shoes in accordance with alternate embodiments of the present invention.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention according to the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A through 1C, an athletic transition shoe (10) in accordance with present invention is designed to be a shoe that can be easily used for multiple age ranges and sports. The base (12) of the shoe (10) has rubber studs (14) (FIG. 1A) and spikes (16) that can go in and out of the base (12) of the shoe (10), depending on the desired function. These configurations allow for transitioning between sports that need a rubber base such as golf, tennis, etc., and those that use a cleat/spike bottom such as football, baseball, rugby, soccer, etc. In an embodiment, wearers can use switches (18) to determine if the rubber studs (14) or spikes (16) are exposed on the bottom of the shoe. To expose the spikes (16) and house the rubber studs (14), as shown in FIG. 1A, the left switch (20) is up and right switch is down (22) (see FIG. 1-1). To expose the rubber studs (14) and house the spikes, the left switch (20) is down and right switch (22) is up, as shown in FIG. 1B.

The athletic transition shoe (10) may provide an extensive range of style options. From an inclusive age range—from youth, to collegiate, to pro-athletes—to different fashion options—low-top (40), mid-top (42), and high-top (44) shoe options, as shown in FIGS. 3A through 3C, and more subsequent variations of the shoe.

As previously noted, the transition shoe (10) allows athletes to be able to play a variety of sports with only one shoe. Sports the shoes can be used for include, but are not limited to: football, soccer, track and field, baseball, golf, tennis, etc. The transition shoe (10) allows athletes to buy just one pair of the shoes, saving money on multiple pairs, as well as time from changing between shoes.

While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are described above, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. It is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An athletic transition shoe comprising: a base portion including a sole, the sole including a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures;a first plurality of projections that are selectively extendable outwardly through the first plurality of apertures;a second plurality of projections that are selectively extendable outwardly through the second plurality of apertures; andan upper portion secured to the base portion so that the shoe defines an interior volume.

2. The athletic transition shoe of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of projections are rubber studs and the second plurality of projections are spikes.

3. The athletic transition shoe of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of projections move between a first position in which they are disposed in the base portion and a second position in which they extend outwardly from the base portion, and the second plurality of projections move between a first position in which they are disposed in the base portion and a second position in which they extend outwardly from the base portion.