Patent Application
20230137872
The global footwear market is estimated to be in the range of $500 billion annually. Each year, consumers globally purchase around 15 billion pairs of shoes or roughly two pairs per person on the planet. Further, only 10 national markets account for roughly 2/3 of the global sales in footwear which means the per capita rate of footwear sales is even higher in these markets. Moreover, new pairs of shoes are often bought when a user finds a defect in their old pair of shoes that the user cannot fix. Not only does this drive the cost of shoes up for those who can least afford them, but it also creates a need in the market for sustainable footwear design and manufacturing.
Often, the first portion of an article of footwear to break down is the heel. Some articles of footwear are designed for athletic use and the traction on the outsole of the shoe wear down making the shoe unsafe in certain conditions. Further, when the heel of athletic shoes wears down enough, the midsole and insole may become exposed and allow environmental elements such as water and dirt to penetrate through to the user's foot. Additionally, some users walk in such a way that they apply uneven pressure to the outsole of the shoe. In such cases, the heel of the shoe will wear unevenly over time, thus creating misalignment in the user's gait which can lead to chronic joint problems.
Some articles of footwear are designed for fashion and aesthetic appeal where the heel of the shoe is a large part of the shoe's design. Often, these types of shoes are not designed for durability and the heels of such shoes are prone to breaking. For example, high-heel shoes are known to break when the user accidentally steps upon a utility grate or the like which lodges the heel into the grate and subsequently snaps the heel off as the user attempts to continue walking. Further, misstepping in high-heel shoes can also lead to the heel snapping off from the remainder of the shoe.
Generally, there is a need in the market to provide a footwear article that is reusable in nature even after the heel of the footwear article becomes faulty as the remainder of the footwear article still retains value. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a footwear article that allows a user to replace the heel of the footwear article in a manner that is manageable for all users without the need of professionals having footwear expertise. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a footwear article that allows a user to replace the heel of the footwear article for purely aesthetic reasons even if the heel is not physically defective in any way. Such a footwear article would provide the user the ability to increase the longevity of their footwear articles while simultaneously offering expanded aesthetic flexibility for the user in crafting their desired fashion style.
Before describing the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to any one of the particular embodiments, which of course may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and therefore is not necessarily intended to be limiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, terms in the singular and the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a modular heel footwear system” also includes a plurality of modular heel footwear systems, and the like.
In some embodiments, a modular heel footwear system is provided comprising an outsole portion of a footwear article comprising a first interlocking groove, wherein: the first interlocking groove comprises a plurality of cavities disposed therein, and the plurality of cavities are disposed symmetrically along the length of the first interlocking groove relative one another; and a modular heel device comprising a second interlocking groove, wherein: the second interlocking groove comprises a plurality of locking tabs protruding therefrom that quantitatively correspond to the plurality of cavities, the plurality of locking tabs are disposed symmetrically along the length of the second interlocking groove relative one another, and the first interlocking groove structurally corresponds to the second interlocking groove.
In some embodiments, the outsole portion comprises at least a portion of a midsole, an insole or a shank of the footwear article.
In some embodiments, the outsole portion and the modular heel device are shaped to couple together in an inserted state and to separate from one another in a removed state.
In some embodiments, the outsole portion comprises a plurality of release actuators that enable transition from the inserted state to the removed state.
In some embodiments, in the inserted state, at least one of the plurality of release actuators, at least one of the plurality of locking tabs and at least one of the plurality of cavities are collectively aligned along a common axis.
In some embodiments, in the inserted state, each of the plurality of locking tabs are disposed within a corresponding cavity of the plurality of cavities.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of locking tabs comprises a default state where the locking tab is fully extended out of one or more exterior surfaces of the second interlocking groove.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of locking tabs comprises a depressed state where the locking tab is fully inserted into one or more exterior surfaces of the second interlocking groove.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of locking tabs moves between an extended state and a depressed state via force being applied to one or more springs.
In some embodiments, the outsole portion comprises a plurality of release actuators that, when actuated, place the plurality of locking tabs into the depressed state.
In some embodiments, the modular heel device is disposed within a rear half portion of the outsole portion.
In some embodiments, the modular heel device is disposed within a front half portion of the outsole portion.
In some embodiments, the first interlocking groove comprises a semicircular concave shape.
In some embodiments, the first interlocking groove comprises a U-shaped groove facing an interior of the outsole portion.
In some embodiments, the first interlocking groove is disposed about a perimeter of the outsole portion.
In some embodiments, the second interlocking groove comprises a semicircular convex shape.
In some embodiments, the second interlocking groove comprises a U-shaped groove facing a perimeter of the outsole portion.
In some embodiments, the second interlocking groove is disposed about a perimeter of the modular heel device.
In some embodiments, a modular heel footwear system is provided comprising an outsole portion of a footwear article comprising a first interlocking groove, wherein: the first interlocking groove comprises a plurality of cavities disposed therein, and the plurality of cavities are disposed symmetrically along the length of the first interlocking groove relative one another; a modular heel device comprising a second interlocking groove, wherein: the second interlocking groove comprises a plurality of locking tabs protruding therefrom that quantitatively correspond to the plurality of cavities, the plurality of locking tabs are disposed symmetrically along the length of the second interlocking groove relative one another, the first interlocking groove structurally corresponds to the second interlocking groove; and the outsole portion and the modular heel device are shaped to couple together in an inserted state and to separate from one another in a removed state, wherein: the outsole portion comprises a plurality of release actuators that enable transition from the inserted state to the removed state, in the inserted state, at least one of the plurality of release actuators, at least one of the plurality of locking tabs and at least one of the plurality of cavities are collectively aligned along a common axis, and in the inserted state, each of the plurality of locking tabs are disposed within a corresponding cavity of the plurality of cavities.
In some embodiments, a modular heel footwear system is provided comprising an outsole portion of a footwear article comprising a first interlocking groove, wherein: the first interlocking groove comprises a plurality of cavities disposed therein, and the plurality of cavities are disposed symmetrically along the length of the first interlocking groove relative one another; and a modular heel device comprising a second interlocking groove, wherein: the second interlocking groove comprises a plurality of locking tabs protruding therefrom that quantitatively correspond to the plurality of cavities, the plurality of locking tabs are disposed symmetrically along the length of the second interlocking groove relative one another, and the first interlocking groove structurally corresponds to the second interlocking groove; and the outsole portion and the modular heel device are shaped to couple together in an inserted state and to separate from one another in a removed state, wherein: each of the plurality of locking tabs moves between an extended state and a depressed state via force being applied to one or more springs, the outsole portion comprises a plurality of release actuators that, when actuated, place the plurality of locking tabs into the depressed state, and in the inserted state, each of the plurality of locking tabs are disposed within a corresponding cavity of the plurality of cavities.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying figures. As shown in
The modular heel device 100 may further comprise an upper portion 110a and a lower portion 110b separated by at least one first interlocking groove 120. The upper portion 110a may comprise a vertical thickness that is between 1/20 and 1/2 of a vertical thickness of the lower portion 110b, but preferably between 1/15 and 1/4, and more preferably between 1/10 and 1/5.
Moreover, the first interlocking groove 120 may comprise any suitable shape including, but not limited to, rectangular, cylindrical, triangular and the like or any combination thereof. Therefore, the first interlocking groove 120 may comprise an upper surface adjacent the upper portion 110a, an inner surface adjacent an interior portion of the modular heel device 100, and a lower surface adjacent the lower portion 110b. The first interlocking groove 120 may be formed within an outer surface of the modular heel device 100 such that the first interlocking groove 120 is formed around between 1/2 and 4/5 of a total outer surface horizontal surface length of the modular heel device 100. The first interlocking groove 120 may comprise a vertical thickness that is between 1/2 and 3/2 of the vertical thickness of the upper portion 110a, but preferably between 3/5 and 5/4, and more preferably between 3/4 and 11/10.
Further, the modular heel device 100 may comprise at least one locking tab 130 that may be disposed upon the upper portion 110a of the modular heel device 100. Alternatively, the locking tab 130 may be disposed upon the lower portion 110b of the modular heel device 100. Further, the locking tab 130 may alternatively be disposed upon the upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 120.
The locking tab 130 may move between a default depressed state and an extended state. In the depressed state the locking tab 130 is fully depressed into the upper portion 110a such that it is flush with the outer surface of the upper portion 110a. If the locking tab 130 is disposed within the interlocking groove 120, then in the depressed state the locking tab 130 would be fully depressed into the upper portion 110a such that it is flush with the upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 120. In the extended state the locking tab 130 is fully extended out of the upper portion 110a such that it protrudes from the outer surface of the upper portion 110a. If the locking tab 130 is disposed within the interlocking groove 120, then in the extended state the locking tab 130 would be fully extended out of the upper portion 110a such that it protrudes from the upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 120.
As shown in
The outsole portion 210 may receive insertion of the modular heel device 220 via the first interlocking groove 120 illustrated in
As described with reference to
As the modular heel device 220 is fully inserted into the outsole portion 210, the locking tab 130 in the depressed state will reach the recess of the complimentary structure of the outsole portion 210 which will allow the locking tab 130 to extend back into the default extended state and thereby be inserted within the cavity of the recess. The recess may be structured in such a way as to not allow the locking tab 130 to escape the recess once it is disposed therein.
The release actuator 250 may be utilized to release the modular heel device 220 from its coupling to the outsole portion 210. This process may be executed by a user depressing the release actuator 250 which may be aligned with the recess of the outsole portion 210 and the locking tab 130 of the modular heel device 220. Depressing the release actuator 250 will cause the release actuator 250 to enter the recess and depress the locking tab 130 from the default extended state into the depressed state. Once the locking tab 130 is depressed into the depressed state, the modular heel device 220 is free to to be removed from the outsole portion 210 via the first interlocking groove 120 of the modular heel device 220 sliding relative the complimentary structure of the outsole portion 210.
As shown in
Some or all of the plurality of locking tabs 330b may be disposed within the first interlocking groove 340b. Alternatively and with reference to
Further, some or all of the plurality of recesses 330a may be disposed within the second interlocking groove 340a. Alternatively, some or all of the plurality of recesses 330a may be disposed within any structural portion of the second interlocking groove 340a that at least in part defines the space within the groove 340a. Alternatively, some or all of the plurality of recesses 330a may be disposed within the first interlocking groove 340b or, with reference to
The locking tabs 330b may each move between a default depressed state and an extended state. In the depressed state each locking tab 330b is fully depressed into the first interlocking groove 340b such that it is flush with an outer surface of the first interlocking groove 340b. Specifically, in the depressed state each locking tab 330b may be fully depressed into the first interlocking groove 340b such that it is flush with an upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 340b. In the extended state each locking tab 330b is fully extended out of the first interlocking groove 340b such that it protrudes from the outer surface of the first interlocking groove 340b. Specifically, in the extended state each locking tab 330b may be fully extended out of the first interlocking groove 340b such that it protrudes from the upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 340b.
The outsole portion 310 may receive the modular heel device 320 via the first interlocking groove 340b being inserted into the second interlocking groove 340a. Specifically, the second interlocking groove 340a may have a complimentary structure to that of the first interlocking groove 340b in order to securely receive the modular heel device 320 therein. The complimentary structure of the second interlocking groove 340a may utilize frictional engagement with the first interlocking groove 340b to retain the modular heel device 320 therein. For example, if the first interlocking groove 340b comprises a cavity that is rectangular in shape formed in part by a protruding upper ridge that is also rectangular (for example, the upper portion 110a of
Each locking tab 330b may move between the depressed state and the default extended state via magnetic force, spring force or other restorative force. Therefore, upon the modular heel device 320 being initially inserted into the outsole portion 310, each locking tab 330b in the default extended state comes into contact with an exterior surface of the second interlocking groove 340a of the outsole portion 310. The exterior surface of the second interlocking groove 340a will depress each locking tab 330b from the default extended state into the depressed state to allow each locking tab 330b to move along the exterior surface the second interlocking groove 340a as the modular heel device 320 is inserted into the outsole portion 310.
As shown in
As shown in
The locking tabs 430b may each move between a default depressed state and an extended state. In the depressed state each locking tab 430b is fully depressed into the first interlocking groove 440b such that it is flush with an outer surface of the first interlocking groove 440b. Specifically, in the depressed state each locking tab 430b may be fully depressed into the first interlocking groove 440b such that it is flush with an upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 440b. In the extended state each locking tab 430b is fully extended out of the first interlocking groove 440b such that it protrudes from the outer surface of the first interlocking groove 440b. Specifically, in the extended state each locking tab 430b may be fully extended out of the first interlocking groove 440b such that it protrudes from the upper surface, inner surface and/or lower surface of the first interlocking groove 440b.
The outsole portion 410 may receive the modular heel device 420 via the first interlocking groove 440b being inserted into the second interlocking groove 440a. Specifically, the second interlocking groove 440a may have a complimentary structure to that of the first interlocking groove 440b in order to securely receive the modular heel device 420 therein. The complimentary structure of the second interlocking groove 440a may utilize frictional engagement with the first interlocking groove 440b to retain the modular heel device 420 therein. Additionally, the first interlocking groove 440b and second interlocking groove 440a may utilize any suitable means of maintaining engagement therebetween including, but not limited to, magnets, hook and loop fasteners, clips, clasps, snaps, buttons and the like or any combination thereof.
For example, if the first interlocking groove 440b comprises a cavity that is rectangular in shape formed in part by a protruding upper ridge that is also rectangular (for example, the upper portion 110a of
Each locking tab 430b may move between the depressed state and the default extended state via magnetic force, spring force or other restorative force. Therefore, upon the modular heel device 420 being initially inserted into the outsole portion 410, each locking tab 430b in the default extended state comes into contact with an exterior surface of the second interlocking groove 440a of the outsole portion 410. The exterior surface of the second interlocking groove 440a will depress each locking tab 430b from the default extended state into the depressed state to allow each locking tab 430b to move along the exterior surface the second interlocking groove 440a as the modular heel device 420 is inserted into the outsole portion 410.
As shown in
While the release actuators 450 are described as being actuated via depression by a user, the release actuators 450 may be actuated via any suitable manner such as, but not limited to, downward actuation, sideways actuation, sliding motion, spring motion, removal, insertion and the like or any combination thereof. Further, while the release actuators 450 are depicted in
As shown in
Further, the interlocking grooves 540 of the outsole portion 510 and modular heel device 520 are shown in
As shown in
Further, the outsole portion 510 comprises a plurality of recesses 530a that are shaped to accept the locking tabs 530b upon insertion of the modular heel device 520 into the outsole portion 510 via coupling of the second interlocking groove 540a with the first interlocking groove 540b. Advantageously, each locking tab 530b may terminate at a distal end, where the distal end of each locking tab 530b tapers at a first side towards an opposite second side. The first side may be the side closest to the second interlocking groove 540a upon insertion of the modular heel device 520 into the outsole portion 510. Such a structural configuration allows the locking tabs 530b to easily transition from the default extended state into the depressed state upon contacting the second interlocking groove 540a. The tapered distal end contacting the second interlocking groove 540a creates an inward force component when a user applies force to insert the modular heel device 520 into the outsole portion 510 via alignment of the first and second interlocking grooves 540a, 540b.
With regard to various embodiments of
While one general type of footwear is illustrated throughout
Additionally, while
Further, a modular heel device is described as being the component that is modularly inserted into and removed from an outsole portion disposed within a rear half portion of the outsole. However, a front half portion of the outsole may comprise identical structural and functional features as that described with regard to the rear portion in
The specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. However, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
The use of the terms “a,” “an,” “the,” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected,” where unmodified and referring to physical connections, is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited. The use of the term “set” (e.g., “a set of items”) or “subset” unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is to be construed as a nonempty collection comprising one or more members. Further, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “subset” of a corresponding set does not necessarily denote a proper subset of the corresponding set, but the subset and the corresponding set may be equal.
Conjunctive language, such as phrases of the form “at least one of A, B, and C,” or “at least one of A, B and C,” is understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either A or B or C, or any nonempty subset of the set of A and B and C, unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. For instance, in the illustrative example of a set having three members, the conjunctive phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C each to be present. In addition, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “plurality” indicates a state of being plural (e.g., “a plurality of items” indicates multiple items). The number of items in a plurality is at least two, but can be more when so indicated either explicitly or by context.
The use of any examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Embodiments of this disclosure are described, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate and the inventors intend for embodiments of the present disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, although above-described elements may be described in the context of certain embodiments of the specification, unless stated otherwise or otherwise clear from context, these elements are not mutually exclusive to only those embodiments in which they are described; any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety.
