Shoe having a variety of lacing styles
An article of footwear comprises a sole, a shoe top having at least one of a toe portion and a heel portion wherein the shoe top is attached to the sole, and a shoe lip having a plurality of holes disposed between the sole and the shoe top.
This present application is a continuation-in-part of commonly assigned application Ser. No. 10/402,713, filed on Mar. 28, 2003, the disclosure of which in its entirety is incorporated by reference herein.
1. TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates generally to footwear, and more specifically, to shoes having a plurality of channels used for attaching an upper sole and a lower sole to form a shoe.
2. DISCUSSION OF RELATED ARTFootwear includes a shoe top and a sole. The shoe top is securely attached to the sole. Generally, the shoe top wraps around some or all of a wearer's foot. The wearer's foot is typically held in place by shoelaces. Soles are generally formed of a cushioning material. Because the shoe top is fixedly attached to the sole, the entire footwear needs to be replaced when the soles are worn, the shoe top is defaced or damaged, or if the wearer grows tired of the look or style of the shoe. In certain circumstances, a shoe wearer may want to have a different thickness of sole, a different style, or a different material of upper and/or lower portions. Being not detachable, replacement of the entire shoe is the typical solution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one exemplary embodiment of the invention, an article of footwear comprises a first sole including a first lip provided along its perimeter, a second sole including a second lip provided along its perimeter, a plurality of holes disposed along the lip of the first sole and a plurality of holes disposed along the lip of the second sole, wherein the first lip and the second lip are dimensioned and shaped to form at least a plurality of channels from the holes of the first lip and the second lip, and a lace for extending through at least a plurality of channels to attach the first sole to the second sole.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, an article of footwear comprises a first sole including a first lip provided along its perimeter, a second sole including a second lip provided along its perimeter, a plurality of holes spaced apart and disposed along the first lip and the second lip, and a lace for extending through any combination of the plurality of holes to attach the first sole to the second sole.
The article of footwear further comprises a shoe top having at least one of a toe portion, a heel portion, and an instep portion, wherein the shoe top is attached to the first sole. A first shoe top is attached to the first sole and a second shoe top is attached to a third sole. The second sole is attached to one of the first and the third sole using the lace. The first sole and the second sole are made from different materials. The lace strings through the first lip, the second lip, and above the shoe top. The second sole is thicker than the first sole. A material of the second sole is rubber.
In still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an article of footwear comprises a sole, a shoe top having at least one of a toe portion and a heel portion, wherein the shoe top is attached to the sole, and a shoe lip having a plurality of holes disposed between the sole and the shoe top. The shoe lip includes means for removably attaching to the sole. The means for attaching includes a tongue for fitting into a groove between the sole and the shoe top. The article of footwear further comprises a lace for extending through at least a plurality of holes to wrap around any portion of the wearer's toes, foot, ankle, calf, and leg in a plurality of decorative styles.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a shoe lip for attachment to a shoe having at least a top portion and a sole comprises a plurality of holes spaced apart from each other and a tongue portion for insertingly fitting a groove between the sole and the shoe top. The tongue portion further includes adhesive material for affixing the shoe lip to the shoe.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With reference now to the Figures, the illustration of
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Further illustrated are a plurality of electrically conductive connectors 408 (both male and female shown in a connected position) and a plurality of power supplies 410. The electrically conductive connectors 408, the power supplies 410, and a plurality of illumination devices 412 provided within the interior surface of the lace 404, are connected using a electrically conductive material 414 also provided within the interior surface of the lace 404. The lace 404 is strung through a plurality of redirection holes 416, grooves (not shown), and rings 418 that are provided on the perimeter, on a top surface, and within an interior surface (not shown) of a sole 420, thereby forming a receptacle to secure the sole 420 to a wearer's foot. The receptacle formed serves as a top portion of a shoe.
When securing the sandal to a foot, any combination of redirection holes 416, grooves, and rings 418 can be used for stringing the lace 404. Additionally, in conjunction with using any combination of redirection holes 416, grooves, and rings 418, to secure the sandal to the foot, the lace can be wrapped around any portion of the wearer's toes, foot, ankle, calf, and leg in a plurality of decorative styles. Obtaining a plurality of decorative styles from a single pair of sandals advantageously increases the marketability of the sandal.
The illustration of
In one exemplary embodiment, the upper sole 520 and the lower sole 530 are dimensioned and shaped so that at least a plurality of holes of the upper sole 520 and the lower sole 530 match to form a channel through which lace 513 can be strung to tie together the upper sole 520 and the lower sole 530.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a shoe wearer may use a different thickness, a different color, and/or a different material of either the upper or lower portion. The shoe wearer may change a style of a shoe, for example, by replacing the upper sole with another sole having an attached shoe top. The new sole with shoe top may have a different shoe top with a completely different style, or different toe portion or heel portion, or by a different thickness and/or a different color of sole. For example, a rubber bottom sole can be used for wearing in slippery conditions.
The lace 505 is preferably a transparent plastic tube having a first end 513 and a second end 514, but can comprise any flexible material. Details of the lace 505 are same with the details of the lace 210 described in
When securing the upper sole 510 to the lower sole 511, any combination of holes 501 and 503 can be used for stringing the lace 505. In conjunction with using any combination of holes 501 and 503 to secure the upper sole to the lower sole, the lace can be wrapped around any portion of the wearer's toes, foot, ankle, calf, and leg in a plurality of decorative styles. In such case, the shoe can be worn without the shoe top. In addition, to obtain a plurality of decorative styles, jewelry, colored plastics, or pieces of leather can be removably affixed to the lace 505.
The illustration of
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, any connecting system, which is easy to attach and remove the shoe lip 610 from the sole 630, can be used. The magnified circles in
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.
Claims
1. An article of footwear comprising:
- a sole;
- a shoe top having at least one of a toe portion and a heel portion, wherein the shoe top is attached to the sole; and
- a shoe lip having a plurality of holes disposed between the sole and the shoe top.
2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the shoe lip includes means for removably attaching to the sole.
3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein the means for attaching includes a tongue for fitting into a groove between the sole and the shoe top.
4. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising a lace for extending through at least a plurality of holes to wrap around any portion of the wearer's toes, foot, ankle, calf, and leg in a plurality of decorative styles.
5. An article of footwear comprising:
- a first sole including a first lip provided along its perimeter;
- a second sole including a second lip provided along its perimeter;
- a plurality of holes disposed along the lip of the first sole and a plurality of holes disposed along the lip of the second sole, wherein the first lip and the second lip are dimensioned and shaped to form at least a plurality of channels from the holes of the first lip and the second lip; and
- a lace for extending through at least a plurality of channels to attach the first sole to the second sole.
6. The article of footwear of claim 5, further comprising a shoe top having at least one of a toe portion, a heel portion, and an instep portion, wherein the shoe top is attached to the first sole.
7. The article of footwear of claim 5, further comprising a first shoe top attached to the first sole and a second shoe top attached to a third sole, wherein the second sole is attached to one of the first and the third sole using the lace.
8. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the first sole and the second sole are made from different materials.
9. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein the lace strings through the first lip, the second lip, and above the shoe top.
10. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the second sole is thicker than the first sole.
11. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein a material of the second sole is rubber.
12. The article of footwear of claim 5, further including affixing decorative articles onto the lace.
13. The article of footwear of claim 12, wherein the decorative articles include one of jewelry, colored plastics, and pieces of leather.
14. An article of footwear comprising:
- a first sole including a first lip provided along its perimeter;
- a second sole including a second lip provided along its perimeter;
- a plurality of holes spaced apart and disposed along the first lip and the second lip; and
- a lace for extending through any combination of the plurality of holes to attach the first sole to the second sole.
15. The article of footwear of claim 14, further comprising a shoe top having at least one of a toe portion, a heel portion, and an instep portion, wherein the shoe top is attached to the first sole.
16. The article of footwear of claim 14, further comprising a first shoe top attached to the first sole and a second shoe top attached to a third sole, wherein the second sole is attached to one of the first and the third sole using the lace.
17. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the first sole and the second sole are made from different materials.
18. The article of footwear of claim 15, wherein the lace strings through the first lip, the second lip, and above the shoe top.
19. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the second sole is thicker than the first sole.
20. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein a material of the second sole is rubber.
21. The article of footwear of claim 14, further including affixing decorative articles onto the lace.
22. The article of footwear of claim 21, wherein the decorative articles include one of jewelry, colored plastics, and pieces of leather.
23. A shoe lip for attachment to a shoe having at least a top portion and a sole, the shoe lip comprising a plurality of holes spaced apart from each other and a tongue portion for insertingly fitting a groove between the sole and the shoe top.
24. The shoe lip of claim 23, wherein the tongue portion further includes adhesive material for affixing the shoe lip to the shoe.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 30, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 17, 2005
Inventor: Zu Yu (Huntington, NY)
Application Number: 10/976,538