FOOTWEAR HAVING REMOVABLE STRAPS
Footwear having removable straps is disclosed herein. More specifically, the footwear disclosed herein includes a removable strap assembly having concealed releasable connection means for attaching to the sole of the footwear.
This application is a continuation-in-part application claiming the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/558,356 entitled “FOOTWEAR HAVING REMOVABLE STRAPS”, filed on Nov. 9, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to footwear having removable straps.
BACKGROUNDFootwear having removable straps can be advantageous as they allow the wearer to have more fashion options when dressing. For example, a wearer can select different colors or styles of straps to match different outfits they are wearing, without having to buy entirely new footwear.
Prior attempts to design reversible footwear have disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,684 to Lin discloses a detachable strap on footwear, but the means for connecting the strap to the footwear is readily visible to the user and others. This configuration is highly undesirable to fashion conscious consumers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,866 to Laufbahn, discloses footwear having detachable components, where the fastener means are hidden from the user. According to this patent, the fastener means can include a flange located at the end of a thong strap that is received into the wide portion of a key-hole shaped aperture in the sole of the thong and then moved forward to the narrow end of the keyhole, thus preventing detachment by direct upward movement. See
U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,330 to Kao also discloses footwear having a removable strap where the means for connecting the strap to the sole are hidden. However, the attachment means for this design are complicated such that they would require a significant amount of time to change straps. Furthermore, the attachment means have detachable parts (e.g., loose pins and button members) that could easily be lost.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,199 to Giannelli describes footwear having removable straps that attach by quick-release connection means. While mentioning a female connecting member, configured to receive a male connecting member, recessed in the sole of the footwear such that only a slot is visible, this patent does not suggest or teach a way to detach the secured male and female connecting members that are recessed within the outsole, other than rotating the strap. More specifically, this patent fails to recognize the difficulties associated with releasing a completely recessed quick-release connection means, such as buckles and snap fasteners that cannot be detached by simple rotation.
There is a need in the art to provide footwear having removable straps wherein the straps can be securely attached and the means for attachment are hidden from view. Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide new and improved footwear having removable straps with connection means that are hidden from the user. Another more specific object of the invention is to provide new and improved footwear having secure, quick-release connection means that are concealed but can be easily released by the user. Another object of the invention is to include footwear having removable straps where the means for attaching the straps to the sole are non-releasably coupled to either the strap assembly or the sole (as opposed to the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,330). A further object of the teachings herein is to provide footwear having a strap assembly that can be attached to the sole and released, either partly or entirely, by pressing in on 1 or more sides of the sole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to preferred embodiments, the teachings herein disclose footwear including a sole and a strap assembly, the sole having one or more embedded, open-ended channels individually housing a first connection member; wherein the strap assembly is coupled to one or more second connection members having means for releasably engaging with the one ore more first connection members. According to more specific embodiments, it is preferred to configure one or more first and second connection members such that after they are engaged with one another within the open-ended channel, such that said connection members can be disengaged by a user pressing in on one or more sides of the sole.
According to certain embodiments, the teachings herein disclose footwear including a sole and a strap assembly, the sole having one or more embedded, open-ended channels individually housing a first connection member having a base anchored by an elastic cord; wherein the strap assembly is coupled to one or more second connection members having means for releasably engaging with the one ore more first connection members.
In certain embodiments the strap assemblies provided herein include a single strap having a pair of second connection members. In further aspects, the strap assemblies can include a front strap connected to two back straps, wherein each strap is individually coupled to a second connection member. In more specific embodiments, the plurality of first connection members individually comprise a male component of a quick release buckle and the plurality of second connection members individually comprise a female component of the quick release buckle.
In other aspects, the channels of the footwear described herein can more specifically include inner grooves conforming to the sides of the male and female components of the quick release buckle.
In still further embodiments, the base of the channels can individually include a small hole wherein the elastic cord is configured into a knot outside the channel such that the knot cannot pass through the small hole.
Additional aspects of the teachings herein include footwear including a sole having a plurality of embedded, open-ended channels individually housing a first connection member anchored by an elastic cord and having means for releasably engaging with a second connection member. In advantageous embodiments, the footwear described herein can include 2, 3, 4, 5 or more channels, and connection members.
Other embodiments relate to footwear having a sole and a strap assembly, wherein the sole is coupled to a plurality of first connection members; and the strap assembly includes a plurality of pockets individually housing a second connection member configured to releasably engage with the plurality of first connection members, such that when said first and second connection members are engaged, they are concealed within the pockets. In advantageous embodiments, the footwear described herein can include 2, 3, 4, 5, or more pockets and connection members.
It will be appreciated that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed on illustrating the various aspects and features of embodiments of the invention, in which:
Embodiments of the present invention are described below. It is, however, expressly noted that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the intention is that modifications that are apparent to the person skilled in the art and equivalents thereof are also included.
In preferred embodiments, the teachings herein are directed to footwear having removable straps, wherein the means for releasably connecting the straps to the footwear are concealed from view. In more specific embodiments, the footwear herein includes secure, quick-release connection means that are concealed but can be easily released by the user.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elements throughout. The terminology used in the description presented herein is not intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive manner simply because it is being utilized in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention.
Referring to
With continued reference to
In advantageous embodiments, the male member 24 includes a base attached to an elastic cord 28 that is anchored within, outside, or to the channel 10 (See
The non-anchored end of the cord 28 can be coupled to the base of the male member 24 through a second knot 32, or any other suitable means for connection.
With respect to
Attaching and anchoring the elastic cord 28 to the base of the male member 24 is advantageous within certain embodiments as it allows a user to easily detach the female member 8 from the male member 24.
In advantageous embodiments, the grooves 16 within the channel 10 act as tracks that guide the male member 24 back into the channel 10 into the desired alignment, so that it is positioned to engage with a female member 8 again. Accordingly, in preferred embodiments, the elastic cord 28 has sufficient elasticity to allow the buckle 29 to be exposed from the channel 10 when the front strap 14 is pulled (as shown in
With respect to different embodiments, and with reference to
According to further preferred embodiments, and with reference to
According to certain embodiments, the sandals described herein can have 1, 2, 3, a plurality, all, or none of the female members 44 attached to an elastic cord, within the channel(s) 210 and 220. In embodiments where the upper strap assembly 160 includes a front strap 140 and two back straps 50, it is preferred that the front strap 140 is coupled to a male member 66 configured to connect with a female member 44 that is attached within the front channel 210 to an elastic cord 63, while the back straps 50 are coupled to male members 66 configured to connect with female members 44 that remain recessed within the back channels 220. According to this preferred embodiment, a user can press in on 1 or more sides 60a and 60b of the upper sole 100 and pull on 1 or more back straps 50 to release the 1 or more buckles 110 corresponding to the 1 or more sides that are pressed in. In even further advantageous embodiments, a user can press both the back left and right side 60a and 60b of the sole 100 at the same time, and pull on the back straps 50 to release both back buckles 110 simultaneously. Alternatively, a user can press into 1 side of the sandal (60a or 60b) at a time and release the buckle 110 positioned closest to the pressed in side. It is preferred that the user presses the side of the upper sole 100 corresponding to a location near the channel 220, to put the most pressure on the release button 55 of the buckle 110. The back recessed members 44 can be elastically attached in their channels 220 such as to allow them to be pulled upward such that the buckle 110 is slightly exposed, but not the release button 55. Pressing into the sides of the upper sole against the recessed release button 55 will release the connecting members.
According to preferred embodiments, the front member and corresponding channel 210 is not located near the periphery of the sole 100 as this configuration allows space on the upper sole 100 for the user's toes. This preferred configuration makes it difficult to configure a front buckle 110 that can be released within its channel 210 by pressing inward on the side of the sole 100 near said front channel 210. Although difficult and not a preferred embodiment, it is recognized that the front member, channel and the sole can be configured in certain embodiments such that the front buckle can be released by pressing inward on the front side of the sole near the front channel. This can be done many ways, non-exclusively including the following: extending the release button for the buckle towards the front of the sole, positioning the front member and channel near the side of the sole and modifying the strap assembly to accommodate the user's foot, or allowing access to the release buckle through an aperture on the side of the sole, for example. These alternative embodiments can also be applied to the back buckles, if desired.
Female and male connective members can readily be interchanged in the above embodiments. The use of a single sole instead of an upper and lower sole is also readily contemplated herein.
It is contemplated that the male members and female members of the buckles described herein can readily be interchanged, such that the male member is attached to a strap and the female member is housed within a channel. It is further disclosed that any suitable buckle other than those pictured in
The number of channels located in the sole 6 can vary depending on the number of straps used. While shown in
According to this embodiment, any suitable releasable connection means can be housed within the pockets including, but not limited to quick-release buckles, snap fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, and the like, such as those described in the embodiments depicted in
The soles of the all the embodiments encompassed herein can be made of any suitable material including but not limited to leather, synthetic leather, rubber, foam, and the like, including combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the sole can include a single layer or multiple layers of material. The strap assembly can be made of any suitable material including but not limited to nylon, leather, synthetic letter, woven fabric, cotton, textiles, and the like, including combinations thereof. Variations on the specific number, thickness, and types of straps of the strap assembly are included in the teachings herein. For example, the strap assembly may contain just 1 strap, or 2, 3 4, 5, 6, or more straps, including, but not limited to 1 or more side to side straps, 1 or more front straps, 1 or more back straps and/or 1 or more heel straps.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms besides and beyond those described herein. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative rather than limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents, rather than by the foregoing description.
Claims
1. Footwear comprising:
- a sole having an upper and lower surface, a front, a back, and an outer periphery, wherein the upper surface comprises a plurality of embedded, open-ended channels that individually house an attached, recessed first connection member; and
- a strap assembly coupled to a plurality of second connection members having means for releasably engaging with the plurality of first connection members while said plurality of first connection members remain recessed within the open-ended channels and the means for releasably engaging are configured such that they can be released after engagement by applying inward pressure on the periphery of the sole.
2. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the open-ended channels are positioned near the periphery of the sole.
3. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein said second connection members can be released simultaneously when engaged with their respective first connection members.
4. The footwear according to claim 1, wherein the strap assembly comprises two back straps and a front strap and said plurality of second connection members are coupled to the back straps.
5. The footwear of claim 4, wherein the front strap is coupled to a front connection member configured to releasably engage with a complementary connection member anchored to an elastic cord within an open-ended channel positioned near the front of the sole.
6. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the first and second connection members are complementary components of a quick release buckle having a release button.
7. The footwear of claim 6, wherein the release buttons face towards the periphery of the sole when said complementary components are engaged.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 3, 2010
Publication Date: Jun 3, 2010
Inventor: John Lewis (Carlsbad, CA)
Application Number: 12/699,691
International Classification: A43B 3/24 (20060101);