Interchangeable Shoes

Abstract

A footwear system. There is: a foot covering including a sole and an upper portion permanently coupled together; a decorative member covering the upper portion; a first securing system, securing the decorative member to the upper portion, that includes a first securing member coupled to the upper portion and a second securing member coupled to the decorative member; a securing slide coupled to the decorative member to the upper portion; and a flap coupled to the decorative member, configured to conceal the securing slide. The foot covering and the decorative member include a plurality of shoe lace holes. There is also a plurality of snaps configured to couple the decorative member to the upper portion around a set of shoe lace holes; and a fastening system including an adjustable strap coupled to the underside of the decorative member and configured to constrict the decorative member against the upper portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a shoe covering, specifically a shoe covering with interchangeable covers.

2. Description of the Related Art

A variety of shoe covers have been manufactured in the past few decades. These shoe covers generally fall into two categories: overshoes and gaiters. An overshoe completely covers the sole portion of the shoe and a substantial portion of the shoe upper. Furthermore, an overshoe is provided with a lower sole surface which, when in use, provides a gripping surface between the wearer and the ground. A gaiter covers the ankles and a portion of the mid-sole of a wearer's shoes extending upwards along the wearer's calf. Gaiters frequently have a strap which extend under the sole of the shoe forward of the heel in order to keep the gaiter from sliding up the wearer's leg. Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below, and the supported teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,258, issued to Simmons, discloses a flexible shoe protector for shielding shoes from scratches and abrasions having an upper member that extends over a front top portion of a shoe, a lower member extending below a front sole portion of the shoe and extending rearwardly toward the heel of the shoe, and an intermediate flexible portion connected between the upper member and the lower member. The intermediate flexible portion is capable of stretching to accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes of different shoes. A flexible strap member is attached to a rearward portion of the intermediate flexible portion so that the strap member is used to stretch about a rearward portion of the shoe above the heel, for securement of the shoe cover to the shoe. The flexible strap and the intermediate portion are made from a material having elastic qualities, such as Spandex™. A rubber portion is attached to the bottom of the lower member to provide traction when a wearer is wearing the shoe protector. Optional features include the addition of reflecting material or glow-in-the-dark material to the shoe protector, for increased visibility in darkness.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,792, issued to Hauter, discloses a soccer shoe cover that includes a rubber membrane formed to stretch over the exterior surface of a soccer shoe. The membrane covers the laces, the heel and a kicking portion of the soccer shoe while leaving the toe uncovered. The membrane has a rear opening for inserting the soccer shoe and a front opening for exposing the toe. The membrane provides a kicking surface that remains substantially smooth over shoe laces when the membrane is fitted over the soccer shoe.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,759, issued to Mascotte, discloses a shoe covering member that comprises a covering member having a shape conforming to an upper section of a shoe over which it is to cover. A bottom section of the covering member is sealingly engaged with a sole of the shoe and the covering member is provided with a fold at its rear end which is fastened in a folded condition to snugly engage the upper section of the shoe.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,633, issued to Edgerton, discloses a sole-less shoe top cover that is formed of a single thickness of flexible fabric for protecting a shoe upper from paint or plaster drippings. Three vertically spaced lines of stitched elastic cords are stitched in-and-out around the lower portion of the cover.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0066208, by Hall, discloses a cover for an athletic shoe that includes an elastic fabric upper member sized to snugly conformally fit over an athletic shoe covering at least the mid-foot region of a shoe upper portion and extending above and encircling the wearer's ankle. An elastic lower member extends under at least a portion of the shoe sole spanning the inboard and outboard side panels of the upper member without covering the gripping surfaces of the shoe sole. A zipper is provided in the fabric upper member to form an openable seam enabling the wearer to remove the athletic shoe and attach the cover on the wearer's foot without removing the cover from the shoe.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 446,912, issued to Cockrell, discloses an ornamental design for a shoe covering.

The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include being inconvenient, being limited in application, being bulky, being cumbersome, being limited in versatility, being unappealing, being expensive, and/or being impractical.

What is needed is an interchangeable shoe that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available interchangeable shoes. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a footwear system for providing modular footwear.

In one embodiment of the invention, there may be a footwear system for providing modular footwear, including a foot covering configured to cover a foot. The foot cover may include a sole configured to support an upper portion that may be permanently coupled to the sole, and/or may be configured to substantially cover a foot. The footwear system may also include a decorative member that may be removably coupled to substantially cover the upper portion; and/or a first securing system that may be configured to secure the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering. The first securing system may include a first securing member that may be permanently coupled to the upper portion of the foot covering; and/or a second securing member that may be permanently coupled to the underside of the decorative member and/or may be configured to receive the first securing member.

The footwear system may further include a securing slide that may be configured to couple the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering. The securing slide may include a first half that may be coupled to the decorative member; and/or a second half that may be coupled to the foot covering, wherein the first half and/or second half may be slideably coupleable. The footwear system may still further include a flap that may be coupled to the decorative member, and/or may be configured to conceal the securing slide.

The foot covering and/or the decorative member may each include a plurality of shoe lace holes sized to receive a shoe lace. The footwear system may further include a plurality of snaps that may be configured to couple the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering around a set of shoe lace holes. The footwear system may further comprise of a fastening system that may be configured to secure the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering. The fastening system may include an adjustable strap that may be coupled to the underside of the decorative member and/or may be configured to constrict the decorative member against the upper portion of the foot covering.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawing(s). It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. The drawings are mere schematics representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Understanding that these drawing(s) depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawing(s), in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a footwear system, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial view of a footwear system, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a footwear system, according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of a footwear system, according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing(s), and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, different embodiments, or component parts of the same or different illustrated invention. Additionally, reference to the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, for two or more features, elements, etc. does not mean that the features are related, dissimilar, the same, etc. The use of the term “an embodiment,” or similar wording, is merely a convenient phrase to indicate optional features, which may or may not be part of the invention as claimed.

Each statement of an embodiment is to be considered independent of any other statement of an embodiment despite any use of similar or identical language characterizing each embodiment. Therefore, where one embodiment is identified as “another embodiment,” the identified embodiment is independent of any other embodiments characterized by the language “another embodiment.” The independent embodiments are considered to be able to be combined in whole or in part one with another as the claims and/or art may direct, either directly or indirectly, implicitly or explicitly.

Finally, the fact that the wording “an embodiment,” or the like, does not appear at the beginning of every sentence in the specification, such as is the practice of some practitioners, is merely a convenience for the reader's clarity. However, it is the intention of this application to incorporate by reference the phrasing “an embodiment,” and the like, at the beginning of every sentence herein where logically possible and appropriate.

As used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “is, are, “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional unrecited elements or method steps. “Comprising” is to be interpreted as including the more restrictive terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”

FIG. 1 illustrates a footwear system 10 for providing modular footwear to a user. As shown, the footwear system comprises a foot covering 12 which includes a sole 16 and an upper portion 18. The upper portion 18 is permanently coupled to the sole 16 of the foot covering 12. The upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12 is configured to substantially cover a foot. Examples of an upper portion 18 and a sole 16 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,258 issued to Simmons, which is incorporated by reference herein. A decorative member 20 is removably coupled to, and configured to substantially cover, the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. An example of a decorative member 20 may be such as, but not limited to, a covering for a shoe with a plurality of designs and/or colors to compliment the clothing of a wearer.

FIG. 1 further illustrates a first securing system 22 configured to secure the decorative member 20 to the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. The first securing system 22 includes a first securing member 24 permanently coupled to the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12; and a second securing member 26 permanently coupled to the underside of the decorative member 20. The second securing member 26 is configured to receive the first securing member 24. The first securing system 22 is a securing slide 28 configured to couple the decorative member 20 to the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. The securing slide 28 includes a first half 30 coupled to the decorative member 20; and a second half 32 coupled to the foot covering 12. Furthermore the first half 30 and second half 32 of the securing slide are slideably coupleable. One non limiting example of a first securing system and securing slide may be a zipper, such as the zipper described in U. S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0066208, issued to Hall, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIG. 1 further illustrates a plurality of snaps 40 configured to couple the decorative member 20 to the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. The plurality of snaps 40 are adjacent to a plurality of shoe lace holes 36; wherein the plurality of shoe lace holes 36 are sized to receive a shoe lace. Furthermore, as shown there is a fastening system 44 that is configured to secure the decorative member 20 to the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. The fastening system 44 includes an adjustable strap 46 coupled to the underside of the decorative member 20 of the foot covering 12. The adjustable strap 46 is configured to constrict the decorative member 20 against the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. One non limiting example of an adjustable strap is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,792, issued to Hauter, which is incorporated by reference herein. Another non limiting example of an adjustable strap is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,958, issued to Henricksen, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flap 34 coupled to the decorative member 20 configured to conceal the first securing system 22 and/or the securing slide 28. One non limiting example of a flap may be a fabric or rubber strip coupled to the decorative member extending over the first securing system. FIG. 2 further illustrates a plurality of shoe lace holes 36 disposed on the foot covering 12 and the decorative member 20, sized to receive a shoe lace.

FIG. 3 illustrates the decorative member 20 that includes a plurality of shoe lace holes 36 aligned with the shoe lace holes of the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. As shown, the shoe lace holes are configured to receive a shoe lace. FIG. 3 further illustrates a flap 34 configured to conceal the securing slide 28 from view. FIG. 4 illustrates an adjustable strap 46 to constrict the decorative member 20 against the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. FIG. 4 further illustrates a flap 34 to conceal the securing slide 28 from view.

In operation of one embodiment of the invention, a user inserts his/her foot into the foot covering 12, like a regular shoe. The user then couples the decorative member 20 over the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12, and secures the decorative member 20 in place by coupling the first securing system 22. The user couples the first securing member 24 to the second securing member 32 of the first securing system 22 by a securing slide 28. Then, the user couples the snaps of the upper portion 18 to the snaps receiving end 50 of the decorative member 20 aligning the plurality of shoe lace holes 36. The user then inserts a shoe lace through the shoe lace holes to securely couple the decorative member 20 and upper portion 18 to the user's foot. Next, the user adjusts the fastening system 44 by manipulating the adjustable strap 46 to constrict the decorative member 20 against the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12, thereby securing the decorative member 20 uniformly and conformally to the upper portion 18 displacing any air bubbles and/or gaps between the decorative member 20 and the upper portion 18 of the foot covering 12. The decorative member 20 is removably coupleable from the upper portion 18 to allow the user to change the exterior appearance of the footwear system 10, depending on the attire of the user.

The benefits of this new invention allow the user to change the exterior appearance of his/her shoes to correlate with his/her outfit. Currently, there are shoe coverings to protect the foot covering from damage and wear/tear. However, the current invention uses a skeleton shoe that is sized to fit like a regular shoe. Thereby allowing the user to wear the same skeleton shoe and change the exterior covering depending on the user's corresponding outfit. With the comfort and regularity of a normal shoe. Prior inventions have just been coverings to a normal shoe, sometimes being difficult to install and usually not fitting conformally to the shoe. The present invention allows for all the regularities of a normal shoe with the option of changing the exterior covering.

It is understood that the above-described embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

For example, although the illustrations show that the foot covering is a conventional shoe, one skilled in the art may appreciate that the shoe may be, but not limited to: a boot, sandal, opened toed shoe, high heels, etc.

Additionally, although the figures illustrate the securing slide disposed above the sole, one skilled in the art may appreciate that the securing slide may be disposed anywhere upon the foot covering and still perform its intended function. It is also envisioned that the snaps may be disposed anywhere on the foot covering, not just around the set of lace holes, and still perform their intended function.

It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design of this invention. One example is that the decorative member may be made of a variety of materials. Examples of decorative member materials may be such as, but not limited to: cloth, leather, suede, canvas, plastic, etc. Furthermore, the sole may also be made of a variety of materials. Examples of sole materials may be such as, but not limited to: rubber, foam, rubber compositions, polymer composites, etc.

Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A footwear system for providing modular footwear, comprising:

a) a foot covering configured to cover a foot, the foot cover including: i) a sole, configured to provide support; and ii) an upper portion permanently coupled to the sole, configured to substantially cover a foot;

b) a decorative member, removably coupled to the upper portion, configured to substantially cover the upper portion; and

c) a first securing system, configured to secure the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering, the first securing system including: i) a first securing member permanently coupled to the upper portion of the foot covering; and ii) a second securing member permanently coupled to the underside of the decorative member and configured to receive the first securing member.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first securing system comprises a securing slide configured to couple the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering, including:

a) a first half coupled to the decorative member; and

b) a second half coupled to the foot covering and wherein the first half and second half are slideably coupleable.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a flap coupled to the decorative member, configured to conceal the securing slide.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the foot covering and the decorative member each comprise a plurality of shoe lace holes sized to receive a shoe lace.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of snaps configured to couple the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering around a set of shoe lace holes.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fastening system configured to secure the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering, the fastening system including an adjustable strap coupled to the underside of the decorative member and configured to constrict the decorative member against the upper portion of the foot covering.

7. A footwear system for providing modular footwear, consisting essentially of:

a) a foot covering configured to cover a foot, the foot cover including: i) a sole, configured to provide support; and ii) an upper portion permanently coupled to the sole, configured to substantially cover a foot;

b) a decorative member, removably coupled to the upper portion, configured to substantially cover the upper portion; and

c) a first securing system, configured to secure the decorative member to the upper portion of the foot covering, the first securing system including: i) a first securing member permanently coupled to the upper portion of the foot covering; and ii) a second securing member permanently coupled to the underside of the decorative member and configured to receive the first securing member.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the foot covering and the decorative member each comprise a plurality of shoe lace holes sized to receive a shoe lace.