SHOE WITH REMOVABLE PORTIONS

Abstract

A shoe with removable portions wherein each removable portion can be separately washed or replaced. The shoe with removable portions comprises a sole portion, an insole portion, and an upper portion, wherein the sole portion and upper portion are removably secured to each other via a fastener. The sole portion includes a first fastener disposed at an upper edge around a perimeter thereof. The upper portion includes a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume with an open end, wherein a second fastener is disposed around a perimeter of the base. The insole portion includes a perimeter that fits within the perimeter of the sole portion, such that the insole portion can be placed between the base of the upper portion and the sole portion when the first fastener and second fastener are removably secured to one another.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/464,163 filed on Feb. 27, 2017. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shoes. More specifically, the present invention provides a shoe with removable portions. In a preferred embodiment, the shoe is configured as a slipper, wherein the removable portions of the slipper are washable. Further, it is contemplated that when a removable portion becomes worn from repeated use, the worn portion can be interchanged with a new portion, such that a user does not have to purchase an entirely new shoe.

Shoes are often worn on a frequent basis and can typically become soiled with dirt or develop undesirable odors. Unfortunately, simply placing a pair of shoes into a washing machine may not adequately clean the inner portion of the shoe. In most cases the inner portion is often the source of unpleasant odors, as the dark area can be a breeding ground for odorous bacteria. As a result, many people choose to simply replace their shoes or slippers on a frequent basis, which can be expensive, inconvenient, and environmentally unfriendly. Accordingly, a shoe that includes removable portions that can be separately washed or replaced is needed.

In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing shoes. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of shoes now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new shoe with removable portions wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when washing or replacing portions of a shoe.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved shoe with removable portions that has all of the advantages of the known art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe with removable portions comprising a sole portion, an insole portion, and an upper portion, wherein the sole portion and upper portion are removably secured to each other via a fastener.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with removable portions, wherein the sole portion includes a first fastener disposed at an upper edge around a perimeter thereof, the upper portion includes a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume with an open end, wherein a second fastener is disposed around a perimeter of the base, and wherein the insole portion includes a perimeter that fits within the perimeter of the sole portion, such that the insole portion can be placed between the base of the upper portion and the sole portion when the first fastener and second fastener are removably secured to one another.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with removable portions, wherein the fastener is a zipper.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with removable portions that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the shoe with removable portions.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the shoe with removable portions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the shoe with removable portions. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as a shoe having a sole portion, an insole portion, and an upper portion, wherein each portion is removable from the other portions, such that each portion may be separately washed or replaced by a user. In this way, each of the respective portions of the shoe may be replaced or washed when desired, allowing for an extended lifetime of the shoe without having to replace the entire unit. It is further contemplated that when in use, a pair of shoes with removable portions will be worn by a user, but for simplicity, only a single shoe will be discussed in the figures. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the shoe with removable portions. The shoe with removable portions 11 comprises a sole portion 12, an insole portion, and an upper portion 14, wherein the upper portion 14 removably secures to the sole portion 12 via a fastener 15. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 15 is a zipper that extends around a perimeter of the shoe 11. However, in alternative embodiments, the fastener 15 may be any suitable fastener, such as, a button or hook and loop material. The upper portion 14 includes a base and a sidewall 19 forming an interior volume with an open end 20, wherein the open end 20 is configured to receive a foot. The upper portion 14 is constructed of a flexible material, such as nylon, fleece, or wool. However, any suitable material can be used.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an exploded view of an embodiment of the shoe with removable portions. In the illustrated embodiment, the sole portion 12 of the shoe 11 includes a recess 26 on a lower surface 27 thereof, wherein the recess 26 is configured to grip a ground surface when walking. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 26 is disposed between the heel end and the toe end of the sole portion 12. However, in other embodiments, multiple recesses 26 may be disposed along the lower surface 27 thereof. In an alternative embodiment, such as a slipper, the lower surface 27 comprises a flat surface with no recess. The sole portion 12 is constructed of a durable material, such as rubber. However, any suitable material may be used.

The shoe with removable portions 11 includes an insole portion 13 that is configured to fit between the base 18 of the upper portion 14 and an upper surface of the sole portion 12 when the upper portion 14 and sole portion 12 are removably secured together. The insole portion 13 includes a perimeter 17 that is adapted to fit at a close tolerance within a perimeter 16 of the sole portion 12 of the shoe 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the perimeter 16 of the sole portion 12, the perimeter 17 of the insole portion 13, and the perimeter 22 of the base 18 of the upper portion 14 each comprise a shape that substantially matches a bottom of a foot.

In some embodiments, the insole portion 13 may include a separate heel insert 25 configured to match the heel end of the insole portion 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the heel insert 25 comprises a semi-circular shape. However, the heel insert 25 may comprise any suitable shape. Both the insole portion 13 and the heel insert 25 are constructed of a padded material configured to provide a comfortable support for a user's foot. In this way, a user can separate the removable upper portion 14 and lower portion 12 in order to add the separate heel insert 25 to the insole 13 when desiring more support for their heel.

In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 15A, 15B is a zipper, wherein the fastener comprises a first fastener 15A disposed around a perimeter 16 at an upper edge 23 of the sole portion 12, and a second fastener 15B disposed around a perimeter 22 of the base 18 of the upper portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the first fastener 15A and second fastener 15B are configured to removably secure to each other such that there are no openings between the upper portion 14 and sole portion 12 of the shoe 11. In this way, when the shoe 11 is worn by a user, the user's foot is completely secured therein. In use, once a portion 12, 13, 14 of the shoe 11 becomes dirty or odorous, the user can simply remove said portion and thoroughly clean it. Further, if the portion becomes worn, the user can replace the warn portion without having to replace the entire shoe.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1) A shoe with removable portions, comprising:

a sole portion having a first fastener disposed around a perimeter thereof;

an insole portion, wherein a perimeter of the insole portion is configured to fit within the perimeter of the sole portion; and

an upper portion, wherein the upper portion includes a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume with an open end, wherein the open end is configured to receive a foot;

wherein the upper portion includes a second fastener disposed around a perimeter of the base, wherein the first fastener on the sole portion is configured to removably secure to the second fastener of the upper portion.

2) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the first fastener of the sole portion is disposed at an upper edge around the perimeter thereof.

3) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the insole portion comprises a padded material.

4) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein each the perimeter of the sole portion, the perimeter of the insole portion, and the perimeter of the upper portion comprise a shape that substantially matches a bottom of a foot.

5) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the sole portion is constructed of a rubber material.

6) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the first fastener and the second fastener are a zipper.

7) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the upper portion comprises a flexible material.

8) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the sole portion includes a recess on a lower surface between a heel end and a toe end.

9) The shoe with removable portions of claim 1, wherein the insole portion includes a heel insert configured to match a heel end thereof.