SHOE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE HEELS

Abstract

A shoe includes an interchangeable heel having a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person. A protrusion is permanently attached to a bottom heel surface comprising two oppositely disposed straight edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges. A channel is disposed within the protrusion between the two oppositely disposed curved edges. A removable heel comprises an open-ended slot configured to securely accept the protrusion. The removable heel is rotatably attachable to the protrusion. The at least one stop is attached to the removable heel and configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion. A flexural lock attached to the removable heel is configured to engage the channel and prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion. The flexural lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the protrusion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims priority to provisional application 61/537,402 filed on Sep. 21, 2011, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein with this reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to shoes. More particularly, the present invention relates to shoes with interchangeable heels such that varying heel heights may be used throughout the day with the same shoe body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The heel of a shoe may wear out prematurely when worn by a person. This is especially true of high heels on women's shoes. This is because the bottommost portion of the high heel that touches the ground is small in comparison to the upper part of the heel that supports the woman's heel. Therefore, a lot of weight and stress is channeled into the small bottom of the heel and causes premature wear.

Furthermore, walking in a high heel for an extended period of time is extremely challenging. As most women have experienced, the higher the height of the heel the shorter the period of time they can wear the shoe before they become fatigued and the shoe starts becoming uncomfortable or even painful. This is because the heel is dramatically elevated compared to the ball of the foot, which increases the difficulty of walking and wearing the shoe for long periods.

Accordingly, there is a need for a shoe with an interchangeable heel. This would allow a woman to wear one pair of shoes to work with a relatively low heel, say one inch. The woman could walk on the shorter heel the whole day and not experience fatigue or pain. Then, when the woman wanted to go to dinner or an event later in the evening, she could simply interchange the shorter heel for a taller one. For example, she could swap out the one inch heel for a three inch heel. At the end of the night, the woman could again exchange out the taller heel for the shorter one if she had a long walk back to her car or to a taxi. The pair of interchangeable heels that are not being used are small enough that they could fit into her bag or purse.

Other inventors have attempted to design and patent embodiments of this general concept. However, designing a reliable and easy to use mechanism to interchange high heels is not an easy task as considerations such as safety, reliability and quality are key issues that determine whether women will in fact rely upon and use the product. For instance, a secure fit must be devised such that when the heel is removably attached to the bottom of the shoe, that the heel is sufficiently connected to the shoe such that it does not wobble, flex or move in any unwanted ways. It must be appreciated that women are often balancing upon the very small area of the high heel and any weakness in the design could lead to the woman falling over or breaking the heel. This type of a failure is very unwanted and undesirable in a product.

Furthermore, the ability to easily interchange one heel for another must be simple enough and elegant enough that women won't be discouraged from using it. For instance, a complicated and tough to use mechanism discourages a woman from using the product. The mechanism or design for interchanging one heel for another shouldn't be difficult to use or require a high level of physical strength to tighten a fastener or engage a locking mechanism. The mechanism or design for interchanging one heel for another should be configured to inspire confidence and eliminate the potential for wobbles, weaknesses or inconsistent attachments. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention discloses a shoe with an interchangeable heel. The shoe comprises a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person. The shoe body comprises an outsole defining a bottom heel surface. A protrusion is permanently attached to the bottom heel surface. The protrusion comprises two oppositely disposed straight edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges. The two oppositely disposed curved edges together define a first circular arc. A channel is disposed within the protrusion between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the channel faces away from the bottom heel surface. A removable heel comprises an open-ended slot defining a portion of a second circular arc. The portion of the second circular arc is configured to securely accept the first circular arc of the protrusion. The removable heel is rotatably attachable to the protrusion. The at least one stop is attached to the removable heel. The at least one stop is configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion. A flexural lock is attached to the removable heel and configured to engage the channel. The flexural lock is configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion. The flexural lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the protrusion.

In other exemplary embodiments, the at least one stop may comprise a pin, a dowel pin, or a metallic pin. The removable heel may comprise at least two holes configured to accept the at least one stop. The at least one stop may be installed in either of the at least two holes such that the removable heel can be configured for either a left or a right shoe configuration.

The removable heel may be defined as comprising a centerline, wherein a distance from the centerline to the at least one stop is greater than a half of a width defined between the two oppositely disposed straight edges. Furthermore, the removable heel may be defined as comprising a centerline and wherein the protrusion may be defined as comprising a second centerline between the two oppositely disposed curved edges. The protrusion may be translatable within the open-ended slot when the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular to the second centerline of the protrusion. Then, the removable heel may be pivotable relative to the protrusion in a single rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular with the second centerline of the protrusion to a second position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is aligned with the second centerline of the protrusion.

The flexural lock may comprise a manually accessible tab extension, wherein the person can depress the tab extension disengaging the flexural lock from the channel.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a shoe comprises a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person. The shoe body comprises an outsole defining a bottom heel surface. A translatable and rotatable slide is permanently attached to the bottom heel surface. The slide comprises two oppositely disposed straight edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges. The two oppositely disposed curved edges together define a first circular arc. A channel is disposed within the slide between the two oppositely disposed curved edges. The channel faces away from the bottom heel surface. A removable heel comprises a slide-receiving cavity defining a portion of a second circular arc. The portion of the second circular arc is configured to securely accept the first circular arc of the slide, wherein the removable heel is rotatably attachable to the protrusion. At least one stop is attached to the removable heel. The at least one stop is configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the slide. A biased lock is attached to the removable heel configured to engage the channel. The biased lock is configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the slide. The biased lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the slide.

In other exemplary embodiments, the biased lock may comprise a flexure, spring or magnet. The at least one stop may comprise a pin, a dowel pin, or a metallic pin. The removable heel may comprise at least two holes configured to accept the at least one stop. The at least one stop may be installed in either of the at least two holes such that the removable heel can be configured for either a left or a right shoe configuration.

The removable heel may be defined as comprising a centerline wherein a distance from the centerline to the at least one stop is greater than a half of a length defined between the two oppositely disposed straight edges. Furthermore, the removable heel may be defined as comprising a centerline and wherein the protrusion may be defined as comprising a second centerline between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the protrusion is translatable within the open-ended slot when the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular to the second centerline of the protrusion. Then, the removable heel may be pivotable relative to the protrusion in a single rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular with the second centerline of the protrusion to a second position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is aligned with the second centerline of the protrusion.

The biased lock may comprise a manually accessible tab extension, wherein the person can depress the tab extension disengaging the biased lock from the channel.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a shoe comprises a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person. The shoe body comprises an outsole defining a bottom heel surface. A protrusion is permanently attached to the bottom heel surface. The protrusion comprises two oppositely disposed edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the two oppositely disposed curved edges together define a first circular arc. A channel is disposed within the protrusion between the two oppositely disposed curved edges. The channel faces away from the bottom heel surface. A removable heel comprises an open-ended slot defining a portion of a second circular arc. The portion of the second circular arc is configured to snugly accept the first circular arc of the protrusion such that the removable heel is rotatably attached to the protrusion. A biased lock is attached to the removable heel configured to automatically engage the channel. The biased lock is configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion. The biased lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the protrusion.

Other exemplary embodiments may include at least one stop attached to the removable heel, the at least one stop configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion.

The removable heel may be defined as comprising a centerline and wherein the protrusion is defined as comprising a second centerline between the two oppositely disposed curved edges. The protrusion may be translatable within the open-ended slot when the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular to the second centerline of the protrusion. Then, the removable heel may be rotatable/pivotable relative to the protrusion in a rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular with the second centerline of the protrusion to a second position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is aligned with the second centerline of the protrusion.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary shoe with an interchangeable heel embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, now with the shoe body shown in hidden lines;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the interchangeable heel assembly;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the protrusion about to enter the open-ended slot;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the protrusion;

FIG. 6 is a similar view to FIG. 4, now showing the protrusion entering the open-ended slot of the interchangeable heel;

FIG. 7 is a sectional perspective view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, now showing the protrusion rotating relative to the open-ended slot of the interchangeable heel;

FIG. 9 is a sectional perspective view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a simplified cross-sectional top view taken along lines 10-10 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 10, now showing the protrusion rotating relative to the open-ended slot of the interchangeable heel;

FIG. 12 is a simplified cross-section top view similar to FIG. 10, now showing a new alternative embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a similar view to FIG. 11, now showing the embodiment of FIG. 12 and the lock preventing rotation and translation by fully engaging a rectangular recess disposed within the protrusion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a shoe 10 with an interchangeable heel 12 embodying the present invention. The shoe 10 comprises a shoe body 14 configured to accept a foot 20 of a person 22. The shoe body 14 can be an open style shoe as depicted herein or a traditional style shoe with laces, magnetic attachments, or hook-and-loop style attachments. The shoe body 14 comprises an outsole 16 defining a bottom heel surface 18. The shoe body 14 may be any form, size or shape of a typical shoe such as a heel, a high heel, a woman's shoe, a man's shoe or any other combination and variation thereof. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited in application to women's shoes but is only depicted herein as so for convenience and brevity as one skilled in the art could apply this teaching to any style or type of shoe.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 now with the shoe body 14 shown in hidden lines also without the foot 20 of the person 22. A protrusion 24 is permanently attached to the bottom heel surface 18. The protrusion 24 may also be described as a slide 24. The protrusion 24 has a connected base plate 26. The base plate 26 is permanently bonded, glued, fastened or secured to the bottom heel surface 18. Also shown in this embodiment is a triangular extension 28. The triangular extension 28 may be removed from the invention or may be comprised of a variety shapes. The triangular extension 28 may help to secure the base plate 26 to the bottom heel surface 18, especially so if the bottom heel surface 18 has a similarly formed triangular recess.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the protrusion 24 comprises two oppositely disposed straight edges 30 separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges 32. The two oppositely disposed curved edges 32 together define a first circular arc 34. It is to be understood by one skilled in the art that the straight edges 30 need not be exactly straight or continuous along any one side. For example, the straight edges 30 may be curved inwards, curved less than the curved edges 32 or any other suitable shape that doesn't conflict the teachings of the present invention.

A channel 36 is disposed within the protrusion 24 between the two oppositely disposed curved edges 32. The channel 36 faces away from the bottom heel surface 18. It is to be also understood by one skilled in the art that the channel 36 may take the form of a variety of shapes consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, as this teaching is not limited to the exact form depicted herein.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the protrusion 24 and the interchangeable heel 12 are depicted in an exploded perspective view. The removable heel 12 comprises an open-ended slot 38. The open-ended slot 38 may also be described as a slide-receiving cavity 38 defining a portion of a second circular arc 40. The open-ended slot 38 has a flange 42 that helps capture the protrusion 24 when the interchangeable heel 12 is used. Because the protrusion 24 is larger in size than that of the flange portion 42, once the protrusion 24 is located within the open-ended slot 38, the heel 12 cannot be removed from the bottom heel surface 18 of the shoe 12 in a downward movement. Therefore, the heel 12 has to be removed the same way it was installed. The portion of the second circular arc 40 is configured to securely accept the first circular arc 34 of the protrusion 24 through a close and tight-fit. Matching the size and shape of the two arcs 34 and 40 helps to provide a secure attachment between the shoe body 14 and the interchangeable heel 12.

A stop 44 is attached to the removable heel 12. The stop 44 may be at least one stop, two stops, or a plurality of stops. The stop 44 is configured to prevent translation of the removable/interchangeable heel 12 relative to the protrusion 24.

The removable heel 12 may include a set of holes 46 for the stop 44 to be placed within. The holes 46 may be a single hole, two holes, or a set of holes such as four holes. The stop 44 may comprise a pin, a dowel pin, or a metallic pin. The stop 44 may also be formed as part of the heel 12 and not a separate part installed at a later time.

The stop 44 may be installed in either of two holes such that the removable heel can be configured for either a left or a right shoe configuration. FIG. 3 shows such a stop 44 placement. One should note that two of the holes 46 are left empty. The stops 44 prevent the protrusion 24 from rotating in both directions when the protrusion is placed within the open-ended slot 38. More importantly, the stops 44 prevent the protrusion 24 from slipping outward from the heel 12 when in use. This prevents the protrusion 24 from translating away from the interchangeable heel 12. It is to be noted that in this depiction the stops 44 are placed in the front right hole 46 and the left rear hole 46. The stops 44 can't be placed in both the front holes 46 or both the rear holes 46, as this would prevent the protrusion 24 from rotating in either direction when placed inside the open-ended slot 38.

Still referring to FIG. 3, a flexural lock 48 is attached to the removable heel 12 and configured to engage the channel 36. The flexural lock 48 may also be referred to herein as a biased lock 48. The biasing can be accomplished with a flexure section 50 or an auxiliary spring not shown herein. The flexural lock 48 is configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel 12 relative to the protrusion 24. The flexural lock 48 may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the protrusion. The flexural lock 48 may comprise a manually accessible tab extension 52, wherein the person 22 can depress the tab extension 52 disengaging the flexural lock 48 from the channel 36. As can be seen by those skilled in the art, many combinations of flexural locks 48 and channels 36 can be devised to stop rotation and translation as this disclosure is not limited to the precise form shown and described herein. The lock 48 may be permanently installed into the heel 12 with a fastener, bonding, tie, pin, rivet 54 or any other suitable means by one skilled in the art.

The removable heel 12 may be defined as comprising a centerline 56. A distance from the centerline 56 to a stop 44 is greater than a half of a width defined between the two oppositely disposed straight edges 30. This is so because the protrusion 24 has to be narrower than the stops 44 or else the protrusion 24 could not be placed within the open-ended slot 38. For clarification refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the protrusion/slide 24 about to enter the open-ended slot 38. FIG. 6 is similar view to FIG. 4, now showing the protrusion/slide 24 entering the open-ended slot 38.

FIG. 10 is a simplified cross-sectional top view taken along lines 10-10 of FIG. 6. One can see that the width 60 is less than the distance 62 between the two stops 44.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, now showing the protrusion/slide 24 rotating relative to the open-ended slot 38 of the interchangeable heel 12. FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 10, now showing the protrusion/slide 24 rotating relative to the open-ended slot 38 of the interchangeable heel 12. One can see that the stops 44 prevent further rotation. Also the forwardmost (right front) stop 44 prevents translation of the protrusion 24 from open-ended slot 38.

The protrusion 24 may be defined as comprising a second centerline 58 between the two oppositely disposed curved edges 32. The protrusion 24 may be translatable within the open-ended slot 38 when the centerline 56 of the removable heel 12 is perpendicular to the second centerline 58 of the protrusion 24 as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7 and 10. Then, the removable heel 12 may be pivotable/rotatable relative to the protrusion 24 in a single rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline 56 of the removable heel 23 is perpendicular with the second centerline 58 of the protrusion 24 to a second position wherein the centerline 56 of the removable heel 12 is aligned with the second centerline 58 of the protrusion 24.

The purpose of creating a heel attachment mechanism which requires the person 22 to first slide the protrusion 24 into the open-ended slot 38 and then rotate the heel 12 relative to the shoe body 14, results in a secure and tight fit between the shoe body 14 and the removable/interchangeable heel 12. The lock 48 engages the channel 36 such that rotation is now fixed. The heel 12 cannot slide out because the stop 44 is in the way. Through this unique and inventive attachment mechanism, the heel 12 is secured in a strong and reliable means that provides comfort to the person 22 that the heel 12 will not become loose, wobbly or fall apart.

FIG. 12 is a simplified cross-section top view similar to FIG. 10, now showing a new alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 11, now showing the lock 48 preventing rotation and translation by fully engaging a rectangular recess 64 disposed within the protrusion. In this embodiment the open-ended slot 38 has a larger circular arc 40. The protrusion 24 is just thin enough to pass by the small gap 62. Once the protrusion 24 is translated into the open-ended slot 38, it is rotated. The rectangular recess 64 is matched fit to the lock 48. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that other shapes beyond rectangles could be devised to match fit the recess 64 and the lock 48. Once the lock 48 engages the recess 64, the removable heel 12 and shoe 10 are together connected as one assembly. In this embodiment, the stops 44 have been eliminated while maintaining the secured locking between the shoe body 14 and the interchangeable heel 12. The person 22 can rotate the heel 12 relative to the shoe body 14 in either rotational directional to facilitate the lock 48 engaging the recess 64.

Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A shoe with an interchangeable heel, comprising:

a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person, the shoe body comprising an outsole defining a bottom heel surface;

a protrusion permanently attached to the bottom heel surface, the protrusion comprising two oppositely disposed straight edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the two oppositely disposed curved edges together define a first circular arc;

a channel disposed within the protrusion between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the channel faces away from the bottom heel surface;

a removable heel comprising an open-ended slot defining a portion of a second circular arc, wherein the portion of the second circular arc is configured to securely accept the first circular arc of the protrusion, wherein the removable heel is rotatably attachable to the protrusion;

at least one stop attached to the removable heel, the at least one stop configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion; and

a flexural lock attached to the removable heel configured to engage the channel, the flexural lock configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion, and wherein the flexural lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the protrusion.

2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the at least one stop comprises a pin, a dowel pin, or a metallic pin.

3. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the removable heel comprises at least two holes configured to accept the at least one stop.

4. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the at least one stop may be installed in either of the at least two holes such that the removable heel can be configured for either a left or a right shoe configuration.

5. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the removable heel is defined as comprising a centerline, and wherein a distance from the centerline to the at least one stop is greater than a half of a width defined between the two oppositely disposed straight edges.

6. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the removable heel is defined as comprising a centerline and wherein the protrusion is defined as comprising a second centerline between the two oppositely disposed curved edges.

7. The shoe of claim 6, wherein the protrusion is translatable within the open-ended slot when the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular to the second centerline of the protrusion.

8. The shoe of claim 7, wherein the removable heel is rotatable relative to the protrusion in a single rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular with the second centerline of the protrusion to a second position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is aligned with the second centerline of the protrusion.

9. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the flexural lock comprises a manually accessible tab extension, wherein the person can depress the tab extension disengaging the flexural lock from the channel.

10. A shoe, comprising:

a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person, the shoe body comprising an outsole defining a bottom heel surface;

a translatable and rotatable slide permanently attached to the bottom heel surface, the slide comprising two oppositely disposed straight edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the two oppositely disposed curved edges together define a first circular arc;

a channel disposed within the slide between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the channel faces away from the bottom heel surface;

a removable heel comprising a slide-receiving cavity defining a portion of a second circular arc, wherein the portion of the second circular arc is configured to securely accept the first circular arc of the slide, wherein the removable heel is rotatably attachable to the slide;

at least one stop attached to the removable heel, the at least one stop configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the slide; and

a biased lock attached to the removable heel configured to engage the channel, the biased lock configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the slide and wherein the biased lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the slide.

11. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the biased lock comprises a flexure, spring, or magnet.

12. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the at least one stop comprises a pin, a dowel pin, or a metallic pin.

13. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the removable heel comprises at least two holes configured to accept the at least one stop and wherein the at least one stop may be installed in either of the at least two holes such that the removable heel can be configured for either a left or a right shoe configuration.

14. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the removable heel is defined as comprising a centerline, and wherein a distance from the centerline to the at least one stop is greater than a half of a length defined between the two oppositely disposed straight edges.

15. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the removable heel is defined as comprising a centerline and wherein the slide is defined as comprising a second centerline between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the slide is translatable within the open-ended slot when the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular to the second centerline of the slide.

16. The shoe of claim 15, wherein the removable heel is rotatable relative to the slide in a single rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular with the second centerline of the slide to a second position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is aligned with the second centerline of the slide.

17. The shoe of claim 10, wherein the biased lock comprises a manually accessible tab extension, wherein the person can depress the tab extension disengaging the biased lock from the channel.

18. A shoe, comprising:

a shoe body configured to accept a foot of a person, the shoe body comprising an outsole defining a bottom heel surface;

a protrusion permanently attached to the bottom heel surface, the protrusion comprising two oppositely disposed edges separating and contiguous with two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the two oppositely disposed curved edges together define a first circular arc;

a channel disposed within the protrusion between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the channel faces away from the bottom heel surface;

a removable heel comprising an open-ended slot defining a portion of a second circular arc, wherein the portion of the second circular arc is configured to snugly accept the first circular arc of the protrusion, wherein the removable heel is rotatably attachable to the protrusion; and

a biased lock attached to the removable heel configured to automatically engage the channel, the biased lock configured to prevent rotation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion and wherein the biased lock may be manually disengaged by the person to release the removable heel from the protrusion.

19. The shoe of claim 18, including at least one stop attached to the removable heel, the at least one stop configured to prevent translation of the removable heel relative to the protrusion

20. The shoe of claim 18, wherein the removable heel is defined as comprising a centerline and wherein the protrusion is defined as comprising a second centerline between the two oppositely disposed curved edges, wherein the protrusion is rotatable within the open-ended slot when the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular to the second centerline of the protrusion, and wherein the removable heel is pivotable relative to the protrusion in a rotational direction from a first position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is perpendicular with the second centerline of the protrusion to a second position wherein the centerline of the removable heel is aligned with the second centerline of the protrusion.