Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B1/00—Footwear characterised by the material
  • A43B1/0081—Footwear characterised by the material made at least partially of hook-and-loop type material 
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/02—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by the material
  • A43B13/12—Soles with several layers of different materials
  • A43B13/125—Soles with several layers of different materials characterised by the midsole or middle layer
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B13/00—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units
  • A43B13/28—Soles; Sole-and-heel integral units characterised by their attachment, also attachment of combined soles and heels
  • A43B13/36—Easily-exchangeable soles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B21/00—Heels; Top-pieces or top-lifts
  • A43B21/36—Heels; Top-pieces or top-lifts characterised by their attachment; Securing devices for the attaching means
  • A43B21/39—Heels; Top-pieces or top-lifts characterised by their attachment; Securing devices for the attaching means by rib groove
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B23/00—Uppers; Boot legs; Stiffeners; Other single parts of footwear
  • A43B23/24—Ornamental buckles; Other ornaments for shoes without fastening function
  • A43B23/25—Arrangement of ribbons on footwear
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
  • A43B3/0036—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use characterised by a special shape or design
  • A43B3/0078—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use characterised by a special shape or design provided with logos, letters, signatures or the like decoration
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
  • A43B3/24—Collapsible or convertible
  • A43B3/242—Collapsible or convertible characterised by the upper
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B3/00—Footwear characterised by the shape or the use
  • A43B3/24—Collapsible or convertible
  • A43B3/246—Collapsible or convertible characterised by the sole
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A43—FOOTWEAR
  • A43B—CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF FOOTWEAR; PARTS OF FOOTWEAR
  • A43B9/00—Footwear characterised by the assembling of the individual parts
  • A43B9/14—Platform shoes

Definitions

• the invention relates to footwear with removable and replaceable inserts and soles to convert a low heel shoe to a higher heel shoe, or convert a casual shoe to a sport shoe.
• 7,752,695 issued July 13, 2010 to Kaufman et al, is drawn to a shoe having an insertable and removable wedge that can be inserted into an openable space in the heel of the shoe between the insole and the sole.
• the invention is drawn to a temporary insert for use during the finishing process, but it teaches the use of a removable insert to alter the height of the heel of the shoe.
• U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0200675 to Gross, published on October 30, 2003, teaches a sandal or "flip-flop" style shoe with multiple inserts, or core modules, to adjust the height of the shoe.
• the core modules are all of uniform thickness so the overall height of the shoe is altered but not the height of the heel in relation to the toe.
• the core modules are positioned by a series of corresponding holes and insertable pins, and held together by mating hook and loop material.
• U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,259 issued Sept. 2, 1975 to Cracco discloses a sandal with interchangeable side plates and sole.
• the side plates and sole can be removed and replaced through a series of interlocking slots and are positioned with corresponding projections and holes.
• the side plates and sole can be altered to alter the look of the sandal, and in one embodiment a flat sole can be replaced with a sole with a wedge heel to convert the shoe from a low heel to a higher heel.
• Cracco does not disclose the use of an intermediate insertable component to alter a low heel into a high heel, and involves multiple components with a complicated locking mechanism.
• U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,822 issued June 7, 1994 to Johnson is drawn to an athletic shoe with interchangeable wear sole, or sole tread.
• the purpose is to allow the user to alter the tread to best match the tread to the surface of the athletic play area.
• the sole is positioned by a series of knobs and knob chambers that correspond to align the components, and the sole is held in place by Velcro hook and loop material and a series of lock brackets with locking pins placed around the perimeter of the sole.
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,237 issued on June 23, 2009 to Gallegos discloses a shoe with a removable and interchangeable cushion and orthotic plate. The cushion and orthotic plate are positioned and held in place by corresponding studs and apertures, or in the alternative by hook and loop material such as Velcro. Gallegos does not alter the height of the heel or the tread on the sole.
• U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2009/0193684 to Diamond published on August 6, 2009 teaches a convertible shoe with removable and replaceable foot bed upper and sole portion with various height and style sole and heel portion.
• the components are aligned by a series of corresponding prongs and recesses, and held in place by corresponding hook and loop material such as Velcro, along with a series of snap like fasteners on the periphery of the outsole.
• Diamond discloses heels of differing heights and styles, but does use an insert placed between the insole and sole to alter the height of the shoe or the heel.
• the invention is a convertible shoe that consists of an insole with a foot bed and upper, and insert, and a sole. There is a standard attachment that connects the insole to the insert and the insert to the sole.
• the insole can be attached directly to the sole to create a flat or a shoe with a low heel, and the insert can be added between the insole and the sole to create a shoe with a higher heel.
• the preferred embodiment of the convertible shoe will be a wedge style shoe.
• the wedge will have three separate components: an upper components consisting of an insoles; a middle component consisting of an insert; and a bottom component consisting of a sole.
• This wedge will go from a high heel, with an approximate height of four inches when all three components are fastened together, to a lower heel of approximately one to two inches when the middle insert is removed, and the insole is attached directly to the sole.
• the upper insole will always be the top of the shoe and the bottom sole will always be the bottom of the shoe.
• This version of the shoe will be available for women with a variety of style uppers.
• the convertible shoe of the present invention will also have a sport shoe version, that has only the upper insole and the bottom sole.
• This version will feature convertible bottom soles with different treads, and will convert from a tennis shoe or dress shoe to a golf shoe by replacing the bottom sole.
• This version of the shoe will be available in men, women, and children's versions and styles.
• the present invention accomplishes this by means of the attachment mechanism which consists of the paired protruding perimeter ridge and recessed perimeter channel and the attachment material.
• the perimeter ridge is on the underside of the upper component and the recessed channel is on the top side of the lower component.
• FIG 1 is a side view of the convertible shoe with the insole attached to the insert and the insert attached to the sole.
• FIG 2 is an exploded side view of the convertible shoe showing the insole in position to be attached to the insert and the insert in position to be attached to the sole.
• FIG 3 is a top perspective view of the first embodiment of the top attachment showing the channel and the top attachment field.
• FIG 4 is a bottom perspective view of the first embodiment of the bottom attachment, showing the protruding ridge and the bottom attachment field.
• FIG 5 is an exploded perspective from the underside of the convertible shoe showing the first embodiment of the bottom attachment of the insole and insert, and the tread of the sole.
• FIG 6 is an exploded perspective from above the convertible shoe showing the footbed of the insole and the first embodiment of the top attachment of the insert and sole.
• FIG 7 is a partial cross section showing the perimeter ridge inserted within the perimeter channel, and the attachment material.
• FIG 8 is a top perspective view of the second embodiment of the top attachment showing the channel, the prong recesses, and the top attachment field.
• FIG 9 is a bottom perspective view of the second embodiment of the bottom attachment, showing the protruding ridge, the protruding prongs, and the bottom attachment field.
• FIG 10 is an exploded perspective from the underside of the convertible shoe showing the second embodiment of the bottom attachment of the insole and insert, and the tread of the sole.
• FIG 11 is an exploded perspective from above the convertible show showing the footbed of the insole and the second embodiment of the top attachment of the insert and sole.
• FIG 12 is a rear view of the convertible shoe showing the concave cross section of the heel of the sole and insert, and the flared cross section of the heel of the insole.
• FIG 13 is a side view of the convertible shoe showing the insole attached directly to the sole for the low heel version of the shoe.
• FIG 14 is an exploded side view of the convertible shoe showing the insole in position to be attached directly to the sole.
• FIG 15 is a bottom view of the tread on the bottom of the sole of the convertible shoe.
• FIG 16 is a bottom view of a golf shoe version of the tread.
• FIG 17 is a side view of a different embodiment of the upper of the convertible shoe.
• FIG 18 is a side view of a different embodiment of the upper of the convertible shoe.
• FIG 19 is a detail of the bow and clip on the heel of the insole and sole of the convertible shoe.
• the convertible shoe 100 will go from a low heel to a high heel by simply adding an insert 30 between the top insole 10 and the bottom sole 50.
• the convertible shoe 100 will consist of three different components; a top portion consisting of an insole 10 with a foot bed 11 and a styled upper 60; a middle portion consisting of an insert 30; and the bottom portion consisting of the sole 50.
• the components are attached by a uniform attachment means, described in detail below, that allows the insole 10 to attach directly to the sole 50 for a low heel, or include the insert 30 for a shoe with a higher heel.
• the insole 10 can attach directly to the sole 50, but there will be a number of interchangeable soles 50 with differing tread components 52 on the bottom, so that by changing the sole 50 the type of shoe can be changed. This will allow, for example, the ability to change from a dress shoe to a golf shoe. Details of these embodiments will be described in conjunction with the attached figures.
• the convertible shoe 100 consists of an insole 10, an insert 30, and a sole 50.
• the insole 10 has a footbed 11, which is on the top of the insole 10 and where the wearer's foot will rest.
• the insole 10 also has a bottom surface 12 which includes the bottom surface 20 attachment components, which will be described below.
• the insert 30 has a top surface 31, a bottom surface 32, an insert toe end 33, an insert heel end 34, and an insert perimeter 35, which is the outside surface of the insert 30.
• the insert bottom surface 32 includes the bottom surface 20 attachment components, described below.
• the insert top surface 31 includes the top surface 40 attachment components described below.
• the sole 50 has a top surface 51, an underside, often called and referred to herein the tread 52, a sole toe end 53, a sole heel end 54, and a sole perimeter 55 or outer surface or outsole.
• the sole top surface 51 includes the top surface 40 attachment components as described below.
• the convertible shoe 100 is designed so that the insole bottom surface 12 and the insert bottom surface 32 are identical, and the insert top surface 31 and sole top surface 51 are identical, with both bottom surfaces having the same bottom surface 20 attachment components, and both top surfaces having the same top surface 40 attachment components. And, as described below, the bottom surface 20 attachment components correspond to the top surface 40 attachment components so that the insole 10 can be attached directly to the sole 50 to create a low heeled shoe, or attached to the insert 30 and the insert 30 attached to the sole 50 to create a high heel shoe.
• the insole 10, as best seen in FIG 2 has an essentially uniform thickness between the footbed 11 and the bottom surface 12 running from the insole toe 13 to the insole heel 14.
• the insole 10 of all variations of the shoe 100 has a uniform thickness.
• the insert 10 is 7.0 mm thick, but can run between approximately one quarter inch thick to three quarters of an inch thick.
• the insert 30 has a wedge shaped between the top surface 31 and the bottom surface 32, which is thin at the insert toe 33 and thick at the insert heel 34.
• the insert 30 of all variations of the shoe 100 has a wedge shaped thickness.
• the insert 30 of the preferred embodiment has a thickness at the insert toe 33 of approximately 7 mm thick, and has a thickness at the insert heel 54 of approximately 45 mm thick.
• the thickness as the insert toe end 33 will always be roughly one quarter of an inch thick, but the thickness at the insert heel end 34 can range between approximately one inch and approximately three inches.
• the sole 50 depicted in FIG 2, has a wedge shape between the top surface 51 and the tread 52, which is thin at the sole toe 53 and thicker at the sole heel 54. In the preferred embodiment the thickness of the sole 50 is approximately 7 mm at the sole toe 53 and approximately 58 mm at the sole heel 54.
• the thickness of the sole 50 at the sole toe 53 will always be approximately one half of an inch, but the thickness at the sole heel end 54 can range from between one half inch, for the convertible sports version as described below, to approximately three inches for the high heel version.
• FIGS 1 & 2 also show that the toe end of the shoe (13, 33 and 53) also is curved up slightly. This is common among shoes, and is referred to as the "kick up.”
• the kick up allows the wearer to roll forward on the ball of the foot, and is necessary to allow the wearer of the shoe 100 to walk comfortably and normally.
• the first embodiment of the attachment means are show in FIGS 3, 4, 5, & 6.
• the bottom surface attachment 20 is shown in FIG 4.
• the bottom surface attachment 20 is the same on the insole 10 bottom surface 12 and the insert 30 bottom surface 32.
• the perimeter ridge 20 has a toe end 23 and a heel end 24, and consists of a protruding perimeter ridge 21, and a bottom attachment field 25 which is located within the perimeter ridge 21.
• the perimeter ridge 20 has a toe end 23 and a heel end 24, and consists of a protruding perimeter ridge 21, and a bottom attachment field 25 which is located within the perimeter ridge 21.
• the perimeter ridge 21 has an essentially rectangular cross section and is approximately 1 ⁇ 4 (one quarter) of an inch wide and approximately 1 ⁇ 4 (one quarter) of an inch thick, but this size can vary slightly.
• the perimeter ridge 21 is 8.0 mm at the top and tapers slightly to 8.3 mm at the bottom, where the perimeter ridge 21 attaches to the surface 20.
• the height of the perimeter ridge 21 is 6.0 mm.
• the attachment material 26 is standard hook and loop material common known as Velcro, and in another embodiment the attachment material 26 is "Mushroom Velcro" such as that sold under the brand name 3-MTM Dual LockTM fastener.
• This material is known as mushroom Velcro because its cross section resembles a mushroom with a head protruding from a stem. When two corresponding sheets of mushroom Velcro are pressed together the heads snap into the space created by the stems to produce a very secure fit.
• the attachment material 26 is adhered to the attachment field 25 by gluing or other conventional and well known means.
• the top surface attachment 40 is shown in FIG 3, and is the same in the top surface of the insert 30 and the sole 50.
• the top surface attachment 40 has a toe end 43 and a heel end 44, and consists of a perimeter channel 41, and a top attachment field 45 which is located on the top surface within the perimeter channel 41.
• the perimeter channel 41 of the top surface 40 corresponds to the perimeter ridge 21 of the bottom surface 20 so that the perimeter ridge 21 protrudes downward and fits into the perimeter channel 41.
• the perimeter channel 41 has a roughly rectangular cross section and is approximately 1 ⁇ 4 (one quarter) of an inch wide and approximately 1 ⁇ 4 (one quarter) of an inch thick.
• the channel 41 is 8.2 mm wide at the bottom and 8.5 mm wide at the top, and is 6.0 mm deep.
• attachment material 46 is standard hook and loop material common known as Velcro, and in another embodiment the attachment material 46 is Mushroom Velcro.
• the top attachment material 46 will correspond to the bottom attachment material 26, so both will either be standard hook and loop material or both will be mushroom Velcro.
• the perimeter ridge 21 of the bottom surface 20 is configured to align with and fit into the perimeter channel 41 of the top surface 40, as shown in the cut away cross sectional view of FIG 7.
• Modern molding techniques allow for very precise molds so that the perimeter ridge 21 can be almost precisely sized and configured to fit within the perimeter channel 41.
• the two components can snap together to create a relatively secure attachment.
• the top attachment material 46 will engage the bottom attachment material 26 to secure the two components together.
• the paired attachment material 26 and 46 prevents the components from coming apart due to up and down or "peel" forces, and the placement of the perimeter ridge 21 within the perimeter channel 41 is designed to account for all of the other shear forces. Since the paired ridge 21 and channel 41 runs just inside the perimeter of the components, it can withstand lateral and twisting forces, and thus ensure the components of the shoe can stay together.
• the shoe components as seen in FIGS 3 & 4 and 8 & 9, are non-uniform in shape, and are similar in shape to most shoes, with the shoe widest near the toe where the ball of the wearers foot rests against the footbed 11, and narrowest towards the heel 13.
• This non-uniform configuration allows the paired ridge 21 and channel 41 to account for all of the various non- vertical shear forces that are present on the shoe 100.
• the channel 41 and ridge 21 are a uniform distance from the perimeter 15, 35 or 55 of the insole 10, insert 30 and sole 50 respectively. This distance ranges from an eight of an inch (1/8") to half an inch (1/2") depending on the size of the shoe 100 and the configuration of the ridge 21 and channel 41. This prevents any overlap of material, but more allows the material on the outside of the channel 41 to withstand lateral and transverse shear forces on that component of the shoe 100. This is an improvement over Gross and the other cited prior art which include multiple alignment and attachment posts which do not account for the dynamic nature of the forces on a shoe.
• the second embodiment of the attachment means are show in FIGS 8, 9, 10 & 11.
• the bottom surface attachment 20 is shown in FIG 8.
• the bottom surface attachment 20 is the same in the bottom surface of the insole 10 and the insert 30.
• the bottom surface attachment 20 has a toe end 23 and a heel end 24, and consists of a perimeter ridge 21, a multiplicity of downwardly protruding prongs 22, and a bottom attachment field 25 which is located within the perimeter ridge 21.
• the attachment material 26 is standard hook and loop material common known as Velcro, and in another embodiment the attachment material 26 is Mushroom Velcro like brand named 3-MTM Dual LockTM fastener.
• the bottom surface attachment 20 of the second embodiment is identical to the first embodiment but with the addition of the downwardly protruding prongs 22.
• the top surface attachment 40 of the second embodiment is shown in FIG 9, and is the same in the top surface of the insert 30 and the sole 50.
• the top surface attachment 40 has a toe end 43 and a heel end 44, and consists of a perimeter channel 41, a multiplicity of alignment recesses 42, and a top attachment field 45 which is located on the top surface within the perimeter channel 41.
• the alignment recesses 42 are approximately 6.2 mm in diameter, but the actual diameter can vary slightly depending on the size and configuration of the shoe 100.
• the bottom surface attachment 40 of the second embodiment is identical to the first embodiment but with the addition of the alignment recesses 42.
• the perimeter channel 41 of the top surface 40 corresponds to the perimeter ridge 21 of the bottom surface 20 so that the perimeter ridge 21 protrudes downward and fits into the perimeter channel 41.
• the prongs 22 of the second embodiment of the bottom surface 20 are sized and aligned to fit within the alignment recesses 42 of the second embodiment of the top surface 40.
• the prong 22 at the waist is the highest, of approximately 6 mm. This is to account for the need for extra sheer protection at that location.
• the perimeter ridge 21 can be molded as an almost exact fit for the perimeter channel 41 such that the perimeter ridge 21 can snap into place inside the perimeter channel 41.
• the two components can snap together to create a relatively secure attachment.
• the attachment material 46 is standard hook and loop material common known as Velcro, and in another embodiment the attachment material 46 is Mushroom Velcro.
• the top attachment material 46 will correspond to the bottom attachment material 26, so both will either be standard hook and loop material or both will be mushroom Velcro.
• the components, the insole 10, the insert 30 and the sole 50 are made of injection molded plastic in a process well known in the art.
• the components can be made from a variety of molded plastic materials, including, but not limited to EVA plastic, PE plastics, PU plastic, or any other molded plastic materials well known in the art.
• the upper insole 10 will have a shoe upper 60 to hold the foot against the footbed 11.
• the shoe upper 60 can be any number of common styles and variations, ranging from a simple toe strap to more elaborate enclosed shoe uppers. A couple of different variations are seen in FIGS 17 & 18, but it is possible, and within the conception of the invention, for the upper 60 to be in any style of woman's shoes.
• the shoe upper 60 can come in a wide variety of men's styles.
• the shoe upper 60 can be made of any common material for making shoe uppers including cloth and leather, as well as a variety of other natural or synthetic materials.
• the upper 60 is attached to the insole 10 by well known and conventional means, including but not limited to sewing and gluing.
• the visible outsides perimeters of the upper insole 10, middle insert 30, and bottom sole 50 can be covered with a veneer or other decorative material to create a decorative and stylish shoe.
• onr common veneer for wedge shoes is cork.
• the underside of the bottom sole 50, or tread 52 can be any type of conventional shoe bottom sole material from synthetics and plastics to leather.
• the insole heel end 14 of the insole 10 has a slightly flared cross section, with the edge near the footbed 11 wider than the edge near the bottom surface 12.
• the flared cross section creates a gripping surface to allow the user to grip the heel end 14 of the insole 10 in one hand.
• the insert heel end 34 of the insert 30 has a concave cross section to create a convenient gripping area.
• the sole heel end 54 also has a concave cross section to create a convenient gripping area. This allows the user to grasp the flared insole heel end 14 in one hand and the concave sole heel end 54 in the other hand and pull the components apart.
• the attachment means described above are designed to hold the components (the insole 10, insert 30, and sole 50) securely together to deal with the dynamic forces of walking.
• the combination of the paired attachment material 26 & 46, and the paired perimeter ridge 21 and perimeter channel 41 has proven to have sufficient holding strength to hold the components together during walking.
• the strength of the bond created makes it difficult to separate the components.
• the flared insole heel end 14 was designed to provide a handgrip at the heel end 14, and the concave insert heel end 34 and concave sole end 54 were designed to create a handgrip to allow the wearer to hold the shoe to separate the components.
• the flared end and concave ends are not only functional but also ad an additional style element to the convertible shoe 100.
• the user can grasp the flared insole heel end 14 in one hand and the concave cross section of the sole heel end 54 in the other hand and pull the components apart. In this position the sole 50 might come off the insert 30 or the insert 30 might separate from the insole 10. Once these two components are separated, the user can repeat the process with the remaining two components.
• FIGS 13 & 14 show the convertible shoe 100 in the low heel version, without the addition of the insert 30.
• the insole 10 is attached directly to the sole 50.
• FIG 1 depicts the convertible shoe 100 in the high heel version
• FIG 13 depicts the same shoe in the low heel version.
• These figures show the sole 50 with a heel 54 that is slightly thicker than the toe 53. It is possible, and within the conception of the invention, for the heel 54 and toe 53 of the sole 50 to be of nearly the same thickness to create a flat style shoe. Because of the geometry of the perimeter channel 41, the sole must be at least one inch thick to accommodate the channel 41 and still retain sufficient strength.
• FIG 14 shows a perspective of the insole 10 in place to be attached to the sole 50 for the low version of the shoe.
• FIG 14 shows the first embodiment, without prongs 22 and recesses 42, but it is also possible to use the second embodiment with prongs 22 and recesses 42 for the low version of the shoe 100.
• FIG 6 shows the shoe 100 with the insert 30, to created the high heel version of the shoe 100, and
• FIG 14 shows the same shoe 100 without the insert 30 to create the low heel version of the shoe 100.
• the tread 52 will include golf spikes.
• the user will have two bottom soles 50 with one insole 10 with an upper 60.
• One bottom sole 50 will have a standard shoe sole tread, such as seen in FIG 15, and the other bottom sole 50 will have a golf shoe sole with spikes, as seen in FIG 16.
• the sole 50 as described above, will have a relatively uniform thickness, which is generally necessary for sport shoes, and is generally common for men's shoes. This will allow the user to wear the same pair of shoes for golf and for non-golf wear.
• FIG 19 shows a removable bow 70.
• the bow 70 is attached to the upper 60 by means of a clip 76 attached to the bow 70, which slides into a tab 62 that is attached to the upper 60.
• the tab 62 is attached to the upper on two ends, leaving a slip space 63 in the middle to allow bow clip 76 to slide in to attach the bow 70 to the upper 60.
• the bow clip 76 includes a spring to allow easy opening of the clip, and teeth on the clip 76 to ensure that the bow 70 cannot slip off the tab 62.
• the heel jewelry can come in a wide variety of configurations from flowers to metallic letters to allow personalization of the shoe.
• the embodiment depicted in FIG 19 shows the tab 62 attached to the upper, but it is possible, and within the conception of the invention, to attach a tab 62 to the sole 50 or the insert 30. This allows the owner of the shoe 100 to fully personalize the shoe 100 with a variety of decorative features.
• the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain both the ends and the advantages mentioned, as well as other benefits inherent therein. While the present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitation to the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the present invention is intended to be limited only be the spirit and scope of the claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Footwear And Its Accessory, Manufacturing Method And Apparatuses (AREA)

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• 2012
  • 2012-10-11 ES ES12876214.3T patent/ES2629018T3/es active Active
  • 2012-10-11 JP JP2015511432A patent/JP6106898B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2012-10-11 WO PCT/US2012/059655 patent/WO2013169284A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2012-10-11 EP EP12876214.3A patent/EP2814352B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2012-10-11 DK DK12876214.3T patent/DK2814352T3/da active

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