The present invention relates to the field of footwear and, more particularly, to footwear which allows for the attachment of a variety of easily detachable and interchangeable upper enwrapping elements with the same sole.
Detachable shoe systems are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,058 discloses a system in which different straps may be attached to a shoe sole with a plurality of snaps and Velcro®.
However, systems known in the prior art are cumbersome, awkward, indiscrete and do not provide for the easy interchanging of the upper portion of the shoe with the sole. Hence, it would be beneficial to provide multiple interchangeable upper portions that may be easily detached from and interchanged with a single sole without detracting from the aesthetics and functionality of the shoe.
With parenthetical reference to the corresponding parts, portions or surfaces of the disclosed embodiment, merely for the purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation, the present invention provides an improved article of footwear (15) comprising a sole portion (16) having a top surface (24), an opposed bottom surface (25) and a perimeter outside edge (32) between the top and bottom surfaces, a plurality of loops (21a-f) secured to the sole portion, and an upper portion (18) adapted to enwrap a foot (17) and having a plurality of loop attachments (20a-f) adapted to detachably engage the loops, wherein the upper portion may be detachably secured to the sole portion and a foot. The sole portion may comprise an upper layer (28-30) and a lower layer (31) and the loops may be secured to the sole portion between the upper layer and the lower layer. The upper layer may comprise a top layer (28), a cushioning layer (29) and an inner layer (30). The upper portion may comprise a plurality of straps (23). The loop attachments may be hooks (20, 44), clasps (42), ties (43) or clips (45). The loops may be spaced incrementally about the perimeter edge and the sole may have at least six loops. The perimeter edge may have a left side (33) and an opposed right side (34) and three of the loops (21a-c) may positioned on the left side and three of the loops (21d-f) may positioned on the right side. The footwear may further comprise a second upper portion (36) adapted to enwrap the foot and having a plurality of loop attachments (39a-f) adapted to detachably engage the loops of the sole portion, wherein the second upper portion is interchangeable with the first upper portion.
Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide an article of footwear that allows for the upper portion of the shoe to be detached and interchanged with alternate upper portions, each having a different design or configuration.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear which permits the wearer to achieve a different looking shoe or sandal with the same sole.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear in which different configurations of straps may be used to fasten the sole to the user's foot.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear having a single sole with a variety of interchangeable upper portions.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear in which the sole has easily detachable fasteners that allow for alternate upper portions to be detachably fastened to the sole and interchanged depending on the desires of the wearer.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear that permits the wearer to actively participate in the design or look of the footwear.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear that has detachable fasteners that are partially obscured from view when the footwear is worn.
Another object is to provide an article of footwear that permits the creation of multiple shoes using the same sole.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the foregoing and ongoing written specification, the drawings, and the appended claims.
At the outset, it should be clearly understood that like reference numerals are intended to identify the same structural elements, portions or surfaces, consistently throughout the several drawing figures, as such elements, portions or surfaces may be further described or explained by the entire written specification, of which this detailed description is an integral part. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read (e.g., cross-hatching, arrangement of parts, proportion, degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
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In the preferred embodiment, six loops 21a-f are provided, with three loops 21a-c provided on the right side 34 of sole 16 and three loops 21d-f on the left side 33 of sole 16. Loops 21a-f are spaced incrementally around the perimeter edge 32 of sole 16. It is contemplated that the number and positioning of loops 21 may be varied as may the material used to form the loops and the mechanism for attaching them to sole 16. For example, the loops may be elastic or denim.
Heel 26 is attached to the rear bottom surface 25 of sole 16. It is contemplated that the shape, height and material of the heel maybe varied as desired. As shown in
As described above, in the preferred embodiment hooks 20a-f are used as the attachment to loops 21a-f. However, other loop attachments may be employed. For example, as shown in
The present invention contemplates that many changes and modifications may be made. Therefore, while the presently-preferred form of the improved article of footwear has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.