Boots – shoes – and leggings – Sole-attaching means – Detachable soles
Patent
1997-04-11
1999-11-16
Patterson, M. D.
Boots, shoes, and leggings
Sole-attaching means
Detachable soles
36101, A43B 324, A43C 1300
Patent
active
059835281
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a shoe, essentially comprised of a sole subassembly and an upper structure subassembly, which sole and upper structure are releasably joined together.
Typically shoes of different colors, appearance, and structure are purchased and worn based on their compatibility with specific items of clothing which the shoe wearer desires to wear. Thus, an assortment of shoes will be acquired by a wearer, not only for leisure and sports applications but also in shoes for everyday wear. It is well known that shoe soles are more costly to manufacture than shoe uppers, for reasons of the materials required and also the manufacturing steps involving machine operations and/or manual operations.
In order to satisfy the desire to wear a variety of shoes of different colors and forms to match frequent changes of clothing, heretofore it has been necessary for a wearer to accumulate a numerically large stock of different shoes. The costs of this stratagem are prohibitive for broad sectors of the population.
A shoe of the general type described initially supra is known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,440), in which the sole has a generally trough-shaped (flattened U-shaped) cross section, and the upper structure penetrates into the sole structure to the level of the upper ("inner") surface of the sole proper, or farther. In this known shoe, the said penetratingly extended part of the upper structure tends to transmit movement which is uncomfortable to the wearer. The flexing of the sole when the wearer walks or runs causes buckling and bulging of the material of the upper structure in the natural flexural zones of the shoe. Loci of rubbing develop at the lateral regions of the wearer's foot which are hazardous to a wearer seeking a long duration of wear.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe of the type described initially supra, which shoe:
allows changing of the shoe configuration and color in a manner which is easy and inexpensive, so that matching with different items of clothing can be achieved;
has a fundamental structure which is not radically different from that of ordinary shoes;
is easy and inexpensive to manufacture;
does not require unusual tools or other means for the wearer to effect the desired changes when changing clothes; and
provides wearing comfort which is not inferior to that of ordinary shoes having the upper structure permanently bound to the sole structure.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that the shoe sole has a ridgelike upwardly projecting support member which is fixed to the sole and extends at least partially around the peripheral region of said sole, so that at least the part of the releasable joining device which is connected to the sole is shielded from acting as a barrier the internal space of the shoe by said ridgelike support member acting as a barrier.
The advantage of the inventive solution is essentially that the described support member provides only basic shape stability to the shoe and does not contribute to movements of shoe components adjacent to the side regions of the wearer's foot which regions are highly susceptible to frictional irritation during walking or running. A further advantage is that the described ridgelike support member which extends around the peripheral region of the sole acts to impede lateral penetration of water into the internal space of the shoe, by forming a barrier thereto. Further, the comfort to the wearer of the inventive shoe is essentially the same as with ordinary shoes having the upper structure and sole permanently joined.
The described ridgelike support member is not visible when the sole and upper structure are fastened together, and thus does not affect the overall appearance of the shoe. Therefore it is easy to use different upper structures and soles in desired combinations. The upper structure, which generally determines the impression created by the shoe as to color and form, may be completely removed from a given sole an
REFERENCES:
patent: 2552638 (1951-05-01), Melzer
patent: 3972136 (1976-08-01), Epstein
patent: 4103440 (1978-08-01), Lawrence
patent: 4333248 (1982-06-01), Samuels
patent: 4745693 (1988-05-01), Brown
patent: 5544430 (1996-08-01), Jacko
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