ATTACHING OBJECTS TO FOOTWEAR

Abstract

A shoe or other type of footwear includes a foot covering through which a threaded connector part passes. An ornament or useable object includes a mating threaded connector, enabling attachment of the object to the footwear. A resilient ring or washer is positioned between the mating threaded connectors, and enables rotation of the object to a desired orientation after a sufficiently secure connection is formed between the object and the footwear.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29/387,292, filed Mar. 11, 2011, entitled “SHOE ORNAMENT ATTACHMENT”, and U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29/387,295, filed Mar. 11, 2011, entitled “GEL SHOE”, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to attachments to footwear, and more particularly to replaceably attaching objects or ornaments thereto.

BACKGROUND

Footwear may be ornamented to improve or change appearance. Articles may be attached to the footwear by various means including gluing, sewing, hook and loop fastener, strings, and buckles. Articles attachable include ornaments and coverings.

The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this disclosure, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 CFR §1.56(a) exists.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of footwear in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary design of footwear in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a pair of footwear in accordance with the disclosure, illustrating an exemplary attachment;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of the exemplary attachment of FIG. 3, detached from the footwear;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the attachment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6A illustrates the region of the enlarged view of FIG. 6B, in which a perspective view of a base fastener of the disclosure is shown;

FIG. 7 illustrates a portion of a bottom of an exemplary attachment, showing a threaded connector portion;

FIG. 8 illustrates the connector portion of FIG. 7, further including a resilient washer in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the threaded base fastener of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a footwear upper incorporating a base fastener of the disclosure, taken through a threaded connector portion;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a base fastener of the disclosure incorporating projections for engaging a footwear upper, and an attachment positioned for engagement to the base fastener;

FIGS. 12-15 depict a perspective view of a base fastener and attachment in stages of mutual engagement; and

FIG. 16 depicts a footwear upper assembly including a base fastener in accordance with the disclosure, the assembly connectable to a remaining footwear portion to form a completed footwear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

As required, detailed embodiments are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and that the systems and methods described below can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present subject matter in virtually any appropriately detailed structure and function. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather, to provide an understandable description of the concepts.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term plurality, as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term another, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as “connected,” although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.

With reference to the Figures, and to FIGS. 1-5 in particular, footwear 100 includes a vamp or upper 102. Upper 102 is provided with a coupling base 104, disposed to be accessible from an exterior of footwear 100. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, a sandal or flip-flop is illustrated, although it should be understood that the instant disclosure is applicable to all manner of footwear or foot covering, including sandals, shoes, and boots, and for dress, casual, athletic, or work related purposes.

FIG. 2 illustrates the footwear of FIG. 1, in perspective, with an exemplary ornament 200 shown in greater detail, and with various patterns presented upon footwear 100. Additionally, the footwear of FIG. 2 is a sandal made with a transparent or semitransparent gel polymer. It should be understood, however, that any known or hereinafter discovered material may be used in combination with the disclosure.

In FIG. 3, a pair of footwear 100 is shown, each of a left 100A and right 100B footwear being provided with an object, ornament, or attachment 200. In FIGS. 4 and 5, attachment 200 is shown separated from footwear 100, in top and bottom views, respectively. While a flower type design is shown in the illustrations, it should be understood that the nature and appearance of attachment 200 may be any of a wide variety of structures, including fanciful or decorative objects, including jeweled or other artistic ornaments formed of any material, or functional structures, including for example containers, wear resistant pads, protective skins or overlays, electronic devices, for example pedometers, timers, or sensors, or any other object which may advantageously be affixed to footwear. In FIG. 4, a threaded shaft extends from a bottom side of attachment 200, as is explained more fully below.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A, 6B, an enlarged view of coupling base 104 is shown, including a flanged threaded base fastener 106 extending from a surface 108 of upper 102, base fastener 106 surrounded by a supportive and masking frame 110. In FIG. 6B, frame 110 is molded together with material forming upper 102; however, frame 110 may be provided separately, and may be attached to upper 102 by any suitable means, including for example gluing, stapling, sewing, riveting, threadably connecting, press fitting, snap fitting, and buckling. Base fastener 106 is advantageously laterally supported to prevent bending, and in one embodiment, from passing through upper 102, by frame 110. Further, frame 110 may be formed of a resilient or high friction material, for example rubber or polymer, or may be provided with a textured surface, whereby contact with an attached ornament 200 further prevents rotation of ornament 200.

In FIGS. 7-8, an underside of attachment 200 (shown in breakaway) is illustrated in greater detail. Threaded attachment fastener 206 extends from an underside of attachment 200, and threadably and matingly engages base fastener 106. In FIG. 8, a locking spacer 204, for example a washer, is positioned upon attachment fastener 206, for example prior to assembly onto base fastener 106. Locking spacer 204 may be formed as a star, toothed, textured, split, wave, or spring washer, operative to promote a secure connection between base fastener 106 and attachment fastener 206, once mutually assembled and tightened. Spacer 204 promotes a secure connection between base and attachment fasteners 106, 206, particularly during vibration attendant with walking or other motion.

In an embodiment, locking spacer 204 is formed as a resilient ring, to thereby exert a biasing force against both base fastener 106 and attachment fastener 206 after mutual tightening. Additionally, a resilient material additional introduces a high coefficient of friction (COF) to a union of fasteners 106, 206, thereby resisting undesired rotation and separation of fasteners 106, 206. For example, a rubber spacer 204 may have a COF between 0.6 and 2.4, although a COF less than 0.6 and higher than 2.4 are still effective in preventing mutual relative rotation between fasteners 106, 206. Typically, materials are readily available which may form a COF in connection with steel or other metals, or other polymers or natural rubbers, within a COF range of 1 to 2. Accordingly, spacer 204 may advantageously be formed of an elastomeric material, including a natural rubber or latex, a polymer, including delrin, polyurethane, nylon, or other suitable polymeric material or blended material. Spacer 204 may advantageously be fastened to attachment fastener 206 to remain securely thereupon, for example by being press fit to a base of attachment fastener 206.

Resilient spacer 204 further serves to enable a secure connection between base and attachment fasteners while enabling a specific orientation of attachment 200. For example, a thickness of spacer 204 may enable 180 degrees or more of rotation of attachment 200, while maintaining a sufficient stabilization and COF between base and attachment fasteners 106, 206 to prevent further relative rotation during an expected use of footwear 100.

It should be understood that while base fastener 106 is illustrated to form a threaded cavity 126, and attachment fastener 206 is illustrated to form a threaded shaft or post, these respective configurations may be reversed, wherein base fastener 106 may be formed as a threaded post, and attachment fastener 206 formed as a threaded cavity, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while a threaded connection is illustrated between base and attachment fasteners 106, 206, it should be understood that a push lock, twist lock, or other rotating type connector may alternatively be used to engage base and attachment fasteners 106, 206.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-11, base fastener 106 is advantageously formed in the manner of a a t-nut, blind nut, or slab weld nut. As such, a plate 116, is sized larger than an aperture 118 in upper 102, through which a threaded portion 120 of base fastener 106 extends. Plate 116 is advantageously formed as an irregular, oblong, or rectilinear shape, for example a rectangle, whereby a recess 122 in aperture 118 may be sized to matingly receive plate 116, thereby preventing plate 116 and base fastener 106 from rotating with respect to upper 102 as attachment 200 is tightened and worn. To further reduce a possibility of base fastener 106 rotating, extensions, for example prongs 124, may project from base fastener 106, for example from threaded cavity 126, or plate 116, to engage inner surface of aperture 118. Additionally, plate 116 or may be provided with prongs 124, or may be adhered, seated or embedded within a resilient frame, or otherwise affixed to upper 102.

In accordance with the disclosure, it is advantageous that no portion, or substantially no significant portion, of base fastener 106 extends or protrudes into a space occupied by the foot of a wearer, thereby preserving the comfort of footwear 100. Additionally cushioning may be provided between base fastener 106 and an interior of footwear 100, to further ensure a wearer's comfort during use of footwear 100.

In FIG. 10, it may be seen that base fastener 106 has been inserted into upper 102 past a protruding portion, such as a projecting finger, flange, lip or rim 134 formed in or connected to upper 102. As plate 116 or other portion of base fastener 106 is pushed past rim 134, resiliently expanding rim 134, a snap or tactile feedback may be perceived, whereafter base fastener 106 is retained within upper 102 by rim 134, which has resiliently resumed a previous configuration, blocking an exit of base fastener 106 from upper 102.

While base fastener 106 has been shown and described configured to extend from an upper surface of upper 102, it should be understood that base fastener 106 may be positioned at any location upon footwear 100, including a toe, side surface, sole, heel, or any other portion of footwear 100 which covers a portion of a wearer's foot.

As may be seen in FIGS. 11-15, threaded cavity 126 may be sized to enter into a mating canal or recess 208 within attachment fastener 206 of attachment 200, for example by engaging mating threads and rotating, for example, in the direction indicated by arrow “A”. In this manner, mated base fastener 106 and attachment fastener 206 are better concealed beneath attachment 200. Additionally, recess 208 may contain spacer 204, so that when threaded cavity is seated and tightened within recess 208, spacer 204 is not visible, yet forms the resilient connection described elsewhere herein.

In another embodiment, a resilient surface 130 may alternatively or additionally be formed at an upper surface of threaded cavity 126, to engage one or more surfaces of recess 208, promoting a secure connection between mated base and attachment fasteners 106, 206. In another embodiment, resilient surface 130 is sized to form an interference fit with one or more ribs 230, which may also be resilient, which extend within recess 208. In this manner, a snap may be perceived, for example heard or felt, as attachment 200 is rotated past the position indicated by arrow “B”, to the position indicated in FIG. 15, whereby fastener and attachment bases 106, 206 are sufficiently securely engaged. Accordingly, a user may become aware that attachment 200 is reliably engaged.

FIG. 16 illustrates an upper 102 which is formed to include coupling base 104, into which a base fastener 106 may be inserted. Upper 102 may be provided with anchors 132 which may engage a sole, existing upper, or other portion of footwear 100, whereby footwear 100 may be assembled or modified to include upper 102 and coupling base 104. In this manner, existing footwear may be adapted to include the features of the disclosure, or footwear 100 may be adapted to include an alternative upper 102 design, or an alternative style or location of coupling base 104.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

All references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. There are many different features to the present disclosure and it is contemplated that these features may be used together or separately. Thus, the disclosure should not be limited to any particular combination of features or to a particular application of the disclosure. Further, it should be understood that variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure might occur to those skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains. Accordingly, all expedient modifications readily attainable by one versed in the art from the disclosure set forth herein that are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure are to be included as further embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. Footwear, comprising:

a foot covering portion;

a base fastener including a first mateable connector portion;

one or more attachment objects each having a second mateable connector portion mateably engageable with the first mateable connector portion;

a resilient locking spacer positionable between the first and second mateable connector when the first and second mateable connector portions are mated, the resilient locking spacer operable to increase a frictional engagement between the first and second mateable connectors, to thereby maintain a mutual position of the first and second mateable connector portions during use of the footwear.

2. Footwear, comprising:

a foot covering portion;

a base fastener including a first threaded connector portion;

one or more attachment objects each having a second threaded connector portion threadably engageable with the first threaded connector portion;

a resilient locking washer positionable between the first and second threaded connector portions when the first and second mateable connector portions are mated, the resilient locking washer operable to increase a frictional engagement between the first and second mateable connectors, to thereby resist mutual rotation of the first and second mateable connector portions during use of the footwear.

3. The footwear of claim 2, wherein the resilient locking washer is operable to resist mutual rotation of the second mateable connector with respect to the first mateable connector when the second connector is positioned at any rotational position within 180 degrees of rotation.

4. Footwear, comprising:

a footwear upper;

a base fastener including a first threaded connector portion, the base fastener including a plate and a threaded member extending transverse to a plane defined by the elongated plate, the threaded member passable through the footwear upper and the plate not passable through the footwear upper;

one or more ornamental objects each having a second threaded connector portion threadably engageable with the threaded member of the first threaded connector portion;

a resilient locking washer, formed from an elastomeric material, positionable between the first and second threaded connector portions when the first and second mateable connector portions are mated, the resilient locking washer operable to increase a frictional engagement between the first and second mateable connectors, to thereby resist mutual rotation of the first and second mateable connector portions during use of the footwear.

5. The footwear of claim 4, wherein the plate is elongated.

6. The footwear of claim 5, wherein the plate is framed by the footwear upper.

7. Footwear, comprising:

a footwear upper;

a base fastener including a first threaded connector portion, the base fastener including a plate and a threaded member extending transverse to a plane defined by the elongated plate, the threaded member passable through the footwear upper and the plate not passable through the footwear upper;

one or more ornamental objects each having a second threaded connector portion threadably engageable with the threaded member of the first threaded connector portion;

a resilient locking ring, formed from an elastomeric material, positionable between the first and second threaded connector portions when the first and second mateable connector portions are mated, the resilient locking ring operable to increase a frictional engagement between the first and second mateable connectors, to thereby resist mutual rotation of the first and second mateable connector portions during use of the footwear, the resilient locking ring operable to create a perceptible snap when an ornamental object and the base fastener are securely engaged.

8. The footwear of claim 1, where the upper includes a resilient material.

9. The footwear of claim 1, wherein the first mateable connection is a threaded chamber and the second mateable connection is a threaded post.