Patent Application
20200268102
Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to shoe devices and more particularly pertains to a new shoe device for converting a shoe between a high heel shoe and a flat shoe.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a sole that can be stood upon by a wearer. A strap is coupled to the sole to form a bridge to retain the sole on the wearer's foot. A heel panel is hingedly coupled to the sole. The heel panel is positionable in a first position has the heel panel lying on a plane is coplanar with the sole. Additionally, the heel panel is positionable in a second position having the heel panel forming an angle with the sole. A pair of heels is provided and each of the heels has a height is different from each other. A respective one of the heels is removably coupled to the heel panel for selecting a height of the heel panel. In this way the sole and the heels can form either a high heel shoe or a flat shoe.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A heel panel 28 is hingedly coupled to the sole 12. The heel panel 28 is positionable in a first position having the heel panel 28 lying on a plane is coplanar with the sole 12. The heel panel 28 is positionable in a second position having the heel panel 28 forming an angle with the sole 12. The heel panel 28 has a forward edge 30, a rear edge 32, an upper surface 34 and a bottom surface 36, and the forward edge 30 is hingedly coupled to the back edge 18 of the sole 12. The bottom surface 36 has a channel 38 extending through the rear edge 32 toward the forward edge 30.
The channel 38 has a bounding surface 40 and the bounding surface 40 has a plurality of angled sides 42 each extending between a respective pair of a plurality of horizontal sides 44. The horizontal sides 44 include a pair of lower horizontal sides 46, a pair of middle horizontal sides 48 and a top horizontal side 50. Each of the lower horizontal sides 46 is spaced from the bottom surface 36 of the heel panel 28. Additionally, the plurality of angled sides 42 is distributed between the lower 46, middle 48 and top 50 horizontal sides.
A pair of heels 52 is included and each of the heels 52 has a height that is different from each other. A respective one of the heels 52 is removably coupled to the heel panel 28 for selecting a height of the heel panel 28. In this way the sole 12 and the heels 52 can form either a high heel shoe or a flat shoe. The pair of heels 52 includes a first heel 54 and a second heel 56.
The first heel 54 is slidably coupled to the heel panel 28 when the heel panel 28 is positioned in the first position. In this way the sole 12 and the first heel 54 define a flat shoe. The first heel 54 has a top surface 57 and a bottom surface 58 and a perimeter edge 60 extending therebetween, and the perimeter edge 60 has a front side 62 and a back side 64. The front side 62 is straight and the back side 64 is concavely arcuate with respect to the front side 62.
A second heel 56 is slidably coupled to the heel panel 28 when the heel panel 28 is positioned in the second position and the first heel 54 is not slidably coupled to the heel panel 28. Additionally, the second heel 56 is vertically elongated such that the sole 12 curves downwardly from the heel panel 28. In this way the sole 12 and the second heel 56 define a high heel shoe. The second heel 56 has a top end 66 and a bottom end 68, and the second heel 56 is elongated between the top 66 and bottom 68 ends. The second heel 56 may taper between the top 66 and bottom 68 ends in the convention of a stiletto heel or the like.
A pair of fasteners 70 is each coupled to a respective one of the heels 52. The fastener 70 on the respective heel 52 slidably engages the heel panel 28 when the respective heel 52 is removably coupled to the heel panel 28. Additionally, the channel 38 in the bottom surface 36 of the heel panel 28 insertably receives the fastener 70 on the respective heel 52. The fastener 70 has a profile that conforms to the bounding surface 40 of the heel thereby restricting deflection of the respective heel 52 on the heel panel 28.
Each of the fasteners 70 has a bottom end 72, a top end 74 and an outer surface 76 extending therebetween. The bottom end 72 of a respective one of the fasteners 70 is coupled to the top surface 57 of the first heel 54 and the bottom end 72 of a respective one of the fasteners 70 is coupled to the top end 66 of the second heel 56. The outer surface 76 of each of the fasteners 70 angles inwardly between the bottom 72 and top 74 ends of the fasteners 70. Moreover, the outer surface 76 of each of the fasteners 70 has a horizontal side 78 that is spaced from the top surface 57 of the first heel 54 or the top end 66 of the second heel 56. The top end 66 of each of the fasteners 70 has a prominence 80 thereon. The prominence 80 has an upper surface 82 and an outside surface 84 sloping inwardly between the top end 74 of a respective one of the fasteners 70 and the upper surface 34.
Each of the horizontal sides 78 of the outer surface 76 of the respective fastener 70 slidably engages a respective one of the lower horizontal sides 46 of the angled sides 42 of bounding surface 40 of the channel 38 when the channel 38 insertably receives the respective fastener 70. In this way the respective fastener 70 is inhibited from falling downwardly out of the channel 38. The outer surface 76 of the respective fastener 70, the upper surface 34 of the prominence 80 on the respective fastener 70 and the outside surface 84 of the prominence 80 on the respective fastener 70 each slidably engages a respective one of the angled sides 42 of the bounding surface 40 of the channel 38 when the channel 38 insertably receives the respective fastener 70.
A clasp 86 is provided and the clasp 86 is pivotally coupled to the heel panel 28. The clasp 86 is positionable in a closed position having the clasp 86 engaging the heel 52 that is removably coupled to the heel panel 28 for retaining the heel 52 on the heel panel 28. The clasp 86 is positionable in an open position for facilitating the heel 52 on the heel panel 28 to be removed from the heel panel 28. The clasp 86 comprises an arm 88 that that has first end 90 and a second end 92. The first end 90 of the arm 88 is pivotally coupled to the rear edge 32 of the heel panel 28 and the arm 88 is curved between the first 90 and second 92 ends of the arm 88. A bar 94 is coupled to the second end 26 and the bar 94 is oriented transverse with the arm 88 such that the bar 94 compresses against the fastener 70 on the heel 52 that is removably coupled to the heel panel 28.
A harness 96 may be coupled to the upper surface 34 of the heel panel 28. The harness 96 may be wrapped around the foot 14's ankle when either of the high heel shoe or the flat shoe is worn. The harness 96 may include strap 22s and buckles that are conventional to women's shoes.
In use, the heel panel 28 is positioned in the first position and the fastener 70 on the first heel 54 is slid into the channel 38. Thus, the first heel 54 and the sole 12 form the flat shoe for wearing. The heel panel 28 is positioned in the second position and the fastener 70 on the second heel 56 is slid into the channel 38. In this way the second heel 56 and the sole 12 form the high heel shoe for wearing. The first 54 and second 56 heels are interchangeable at any time, thereby facilitating the wearer to switch between the flat shoe and the high heel shoe.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded.
A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
