ADJUSTABLE SHOE

The present invention relates to a shoe of adjustable size.

In particular, the present invention provides for a shoe intended preferably for children in their first months, during which the child's feet grow by many sizes in a short period of time.

State of the Art

Shoes of adjustable lenght are known in which the sole is divided into parts movable one with respect to the other to accommodate the length of the shoe to the desired size.

Applied to these soles are vamps which are adjustable as well .

Adjustable shoes of known type, however, exhibit several drawbacks as far as the quality of the support provided for the feet is concerned, which is particularly important in case of footwear for children.

A second drawback is given by the relative rigidity of the adjustment, which is generally achieved by connecting the movable parts with restrained joints, according to a certain number of preset positions corresponding to the desired sizes.

Summary of the Invention

A first object of the invention is therefore to propose adjustable shoes providing an optimal support for the feet all the time.

A second object is to allow a precise, custom-made adjustment of the shoes.

Yet another object is to propose adjustable shoes able to maintain the same outward appearance for any adjusted size. The above indicated technical object and specified purposes are substantially obtained by providing footwear adjustable in size comprising the characteristics disclosed in one or more of the attached claims.

Detailed Description Further characteristics and advantages of the present

invention will be more evident from the indicative, and thus non-limitative, description of one preferred, but nonexclusive, embodiment of invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: - Fig. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the shoe with a one-piece vamp, according to the invention, in a first top side view;

- Fig. 2 illustrates the shoe of Fig. 1 in plan view;

Fig. 3 is a mid cross-section of the shoe of the preceding figures showing the mechanism for adjusting the shoe length in the configuration of minimum size thereof;

Fig. 4 is a mid cross-section of the shoe of the preceding figures showing the mechanism for adjusting the shoe length in the configuration of maximum size thereof; - Fig. 5 shows a detail of the adjustment mechanism of Fig. 4;

- Fig. 6 shows a second preferred embodiment of shoe with divided vamp, according to the invention, in a first top side view; - Fig. 7 is a front view of the shoe of Fig. 7;

- Fig. 8 is a plan view of the shoe of Figs. 6 and 7;

- Fig. 9 shows the second preferred embodiment of shoe in a second side view;

- Fig. 10 is a mid cross-section of the shoe of Figs. 6 to 9, showing the mechanism for adjusting the shoe length; and

Fig. 11 is a top view of the adjustment mechanism according to the invention.

Described herebelow with reference to the attached figures is an adjustable shoe 1 comprising: a one-piece sole 5 having longitudinal axis "a", a first plate 8 fixed to a rear region of the sole 5, and a second plate 9 able to slide onto a front region of the same sole 5. The shoe further comprises: a vamp 2 also connected onto the sole 5, means 10 for continuous adjustment of the longitudinal distance between the firt plate 8 and second

plate 9, and a side welt 4 perimetrically connected to the sole 5.

The first plate 8 comprises one or more rotation seats 11 formed in the sole 5 which allow a continuous adjustment means 10 - preferably a longitudinally disposed screw 10 - to go and rotate therethrough, said means being operable from the outside of the shoe and freely rotatable within the seat 11 solid to a portion of the sole 5. The screw 10 is also engaged in a threaded bush 12, formed in the sole as well, but solid to the second plate 9 wherein it can be engaged and rotated so as to operate the displacement of the same plate 9 longitudinally with respect to the first plate 8. Advantageously, the screw 10 can be accessed from the heel region 16 of the sole 5 and be driven by using a screwdriver 14, for example.

The side welt 4 is elastically deformable and is disposed into free contact with the vamp 2 in order to fit to the vamp 2 and follow the displacements thereof during the adjustment of the longitudinal distance between the first and second plates 8, 9.

Figs. 1 to 5 show a preferred embodiment of the adjustable shoe 1 comprising a one-piece sole 5 having applied thereto a one-piece vamp 2. A description of the mechanism for adjusting the length of shoe 1 is given herebelow with reference in particular to Figs. 3, 4 and 11.

The mechanism comprises the first plate 8 solid to the rear region of the sole 5 and provided below with one or more seats 11 allowing the adjusting screw 10 to pass and rotate therethrough.

The mechanism also comprises a second plate 9 able to slide onto the sole 5 and provided as well, in its lower part, with a threaded seat or bush 12 in which the screw 10 can be engaged.

Interposed between the plate 9 and the sole 5 is a rigid insole 13 to which the lower part of the vamp 2 is attached in order to provide a uniform level for the front support of the foot at the height of the plate 8. A shoe according to the present invention may also comprise an insole of elastic material 6 attached to the vamp 2 along a seam 7 spaced from the fixing edge by a preset extent, in order to define a free band 18 allowing an elastic deformation of the insole 6 following the mutual displacement of plates 8 and 9 between a position of minimum size and a position of maximum size of the shoe 1. According to the invention, the screw 10 is received inside the sole 5 and is able to freely rotate within a seat formed in the same sole 5 and communicating with the rear region of the heel 16 in order to be adjusted from the outside by using a screwdriver 14, for example, or similar means for socket head screws.

In use, the screw 10 may therefore be made to rotate to displace continually the plate 9 through the engagement thereof with the bush 12, so as to push the front part of vamp 2 into the interspace 17 between the welt 4 and vamp 2.

In this way, the vamp 2 has the possibility to take up with accuracy all the intermediate positions between the minimum and maximum sizes, typically between 23 and 25 sizes for children's footwear, by causing merely a minimum closing of the interspace 17 and thus an increase of the sole's surface that rests on the ground. Once the right size has been set, the shoe 1 is put on the wearer's foot by well known adjustable fastening means which include, for example: the use of an adjustabhle lace going through loops, or of a Velcro® coupling, both of which being directly formed on the vamp 2, these means being well known and, therefore, not to be further described herein.

A further preferred embodiment of the shoe according to the invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 10.

In this second embodiment, the vamp 2 comprises a rear portion 2a and a front portion 2b separated from, and movable to each other in longitudinal direction onto the same sole 5 by using the continuous adjustment means 10 above described.

The rear portion 2a of vamp 2 is fixed to the sole 5, whereas the front portion 2b can slide in a continually adjustable way between a position of minimum size and a position of maximum size of shoe 1.

The rear portion 2a and the front portion 2a of vamp 2 can then be connected by adjustable laces 3 or reversal cpupling elements of "Velcro" type (registered trademark) 22.

Advantageously, the shoe 1 of the invention fits perfectly while not changing substantially the appearance thereof owing to the fact that the mechanism is fully inside the sole 5 and that the deformability of the welt 4 is able to accommodate all the displacements of the vamp 2.

The invention thus conceived may also be subjected to several modifications and variants, all of them falling within the inventive scope; moreover, all the parts can be replaced by technically equivalent elements.