Interchangeable Shoe System

Abstract

An interchangeable shoe system is provided that is comprised of a removable upper unit and a completed shoe unit that can be interconnected utilizing respective upper and lower connecting means. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the completed shoe unit is equipped with Velcro on the top of the front half portion. The front half portion (also termed as the front half herein) is defined as the area from the ankle opening, and to the sides of the ankle opening, to the front end (the toe section). Additionally, the completed shoe unit is also equipped with a zipper on the top of the front half portion. The zipper surrounds the completed shoe unit, generally beginning from the middle of one side of the completed shoe unit, extending around the front end of the completed shoe unit (the toe section), and ending at the middle of the opposite side. The removable upper unit is equipped with the other half of the zipper and Velcro. The Velcro and zipper on the upper unit will connect with the Velcro and zipper on the completed shoe unit via their respective connecting means. Thus, the upper unit and completed shoe unit are able to attach and detach from one another. Additionally, the zipper and Velcro will secure the upper unit to the completed shoe unit against movement. The presented interchangeable shoe system allows the user the option to change the upper unit or completed shoe unit according to a variety of shapes, colors fabrics, functionalities, and designs.

Claims

1. An interchangeable shoe system that is comprised of: a completed shoe unit that covers the foot as an orthodox shoe would; however, in the case of an open-toed shoe embodiment, such as a sandal, the front half portion of the sandal would be covered: connecting means are on the top of the front half portion of the completed shoe unit in order to attach and detach to the removable upper unit; and a removable upper unit that has connecting means to attach, and detach, to the top of the front half portion of the completed shoe unit.

2. The interchangeable shoe system of claim 1 wherein the connecting means in an embodiment are zippers and Velcro.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The features of the inventions disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings of the preferred embodiments. The illustrated embodiments are intended to illustrate, but not to limit the inventions. The drawings contain the following figures:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective of the interchangeable shoe system, according to an embodiment, including a removable upper unit and a completed shoe unit.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective of the completed shoe unit, according to an embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective of the removable upper unit, according to an embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 1

[0018] FIG. 5 is a top view of FIG. 2

[0019] FIG. 6A is a top view of FIGS. 3 and 6B

[0020] FIG. 6B is a below view of FIGS. 3 and 6A

[0021] FIG. 7 is an opposite perspective of FIG. 1

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0022] While the present description sets forth specific details of various embodiments, it will be appreciated that the description is illustrative only and should not be construed in any way as limiting. Furthermore, various applications of such embodiments and modifications thereto, which may occur to those who are skilled in the art, are also encompassed by the general concepts described herein.

[0023] As will be described, in further detail below, embodiments of the present inventions provide an interchangeable shoe system that allows the user to change the aesthetic, material makeup, and functionality of the front half portion of the shoe, referred herein as the upper unit, as well as the base of the shoe, referred herein as the completed shoe unit. For example, the user may decide to change the upper unit from one that is equipped with laces to one that is not. Additionally, the user may wish change the base of the shoe from an athletic sole to that of a recreational sole.

[0024] One of the many advantages associated with embodiments disclosed herein is that the zipper attached to the completed shoe unit is on the outside. Therefore, the user's foot will not come in direct contact with the zipper, as there will be material separating the user's foot from the zipper. The interconnecting means described herein will securely join the upper unit and completed shoe unit together. Furthermore, the presented interchangeable shoe system is unique in its design as the interchangeable upper unit will only constitute the front half portion of the shoe, instead of the entire top of the shoe. This design is very important as it will allow the user's upper unit and completed shoe unit to be made of different materials, have different colors and serve different functionalities. As a result, embodiments of the interchangeable shoe system can allow the user the option to freely and quickly modify his shoe at any time while still maintaining the aesthetic appeal of a normal shoe sold in today's market. The presented interchangeable shoe system is also beneficial to the user in that the two elements can be replaced in the case of an undesired situation. For instance, if a food product or liquid spills on the upper unit, a user can quickly rectify the situation by changing his stained or wet upper unit for a clean or dry unit. In addition, the removable upper units in the presented interchangeable shoe system will allow a user to travel more lightly if he desires to have multiple footwear attires, in comparison to traveling with multiple shoes. Lastly, the presented interchangeable shoe system is beneficial to the footwear consumer as it will allow users a more affordable way to change their current shoe's aestheticism as well as replace older elements for newer elements.

[0025] The drawings herein are meant to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present inventions. The drawings are not meant to limit the inventions. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the interchangeable shoe system 10, according to an embodiment, comprised of a removable upper unit 12 and a completed shoe unit 14. The upper unit 12 and completed shoe unit 14 can be interconnected through various means. FIG. 1 represents the shoe system 10 after the upper unit 12 and the completed shoe unit 14 have been connected.

[0026] The interchangeable shoe system 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 as a slip-on shoe. However, it is contemplated that the upper unit 12 and completed shoe unit 14 in the interchangeable shoe system 10 described herein can be modified to incorporate a myriad of types of shoes, designs, materials, functionalities, and shapes. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the completed shoe unit 14 substantially covers the user's foot as an orthodox slip-on shoe in today's market would, including the toes, forefoot, and the heel portion of the foot below the ankle. The completed shoe unit 14 can be modified to incorporate a variety of types of shoes, such as: boots, athletic shoes, slippers, sandals, wedges, laced shoes, and other types of shoes known in the art. Therefore, although the figures illustrate exemplary embodiments of the completed shoe unit 14, this element of the interchangeable shoe system 10 can be modified to provide the user with a myriad of personalization options as desired.

[0027] However, in regards to open-toed shoe embodiments, such as sandals, the completed shoe unit 14, in that type of embodiment, will not be open-toed. Instead, the front half of the completed shoe unit 14 will always be covered, as illustrated by 16. As shown in FIG. 2, 16 is a covering which prevents the front half portion of the user's foot from being visible from an outside perspective. The covering provided by 16 is very important to the interchangeable shoe system 10 as it prevents the user's foot from coming into direct contact with the means for interconnection. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, 16 prevents the user's foot from coining into direct contact with the zipper 18 and the Velcro 20, which serve as the connection means for the interchangeable shoe system 10. The connecting means 18 and 20 can tend to ensure that the upper unit 12 and the completed shoe unit 14 remain securely attached. However, the connecting means can also include other materials that allow the upper unit 12 to be attached to the completed shoe unit 14, such as buttons, clips, hooks, straps, clamps, and other types of fasteners known in the art.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective of the removable upper unit 12. FIG. 6A illustrates FIGS. 3 and 6B from a top view and FIG. 6B illustrates FIGS. 3 and 6A from a below view. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the zipper 18 partially surrounds the outer border of the upper unit 12, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The zipper extends around the upper unit 12 in a U-shape. Referencing FIGS. 6A and 6B, the zipper does not extend around the northern side 22 of the upper unit 12. A variety of types of zippers known in the art may be utilized. As shown in FIG. 6B, Velcro 20 is attached to the upper unit 12 on the bottom side. The zipper 18 and Velcro 20 on the upper unit 12 will be able to connect with the zipper 18 and Velcro 20 on the completed shoe unit 14. Once connected, the Velcro 20 from both the upper unit 12 and completed shoe unit 14 will not be visible from an outside perspective. Additionally, although the exemplary upper unit 12 illustrates the front half portion of a slip-on shoe, it is contemplated that the upper unit 12 can be modified to incorporate a variety of types of shoe tops known in the art.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a top view of FIG. 2. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, FIG. 4 illustrates the interchangeable shoe system 10 once the removable upper unit 12 has been connected to the completed shoe unit 14. On the other hand, FIG. 5 illustrates the interchangeable shoe system 10 once the removable upper unit 12 has been detached from the completed shoe unit 14. FIG. 7 is the opposite perspective of FIG. 1. As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the upper unit 12 fits snugly around the top of the front half of the completed shoe unit 14. However, the upper unit 12 may be designed to fit loosely around the top portion of the front half of the completed shoe unit 14, in accordance with a myriad of design options.