2. Description of the Prior Art Almost everyone has at one time or another found it necessary to carry articles of footwear from one place to another. For example, roller skaters will frequently carry a pair of walking or running shoes while they roller-skate so as to change into them when needed, e. g., to enter a restaurant or shop that prohibits wearing roller skates. However, carrying such footwear articles is rather awkward (it is hard to carry a pair of shoes individually or by their tied shoe laces), unattractive, and unsafe (i. e., it may cause roller skaters to lose balance and thereby inducing accidental falls).

Moreover, people frequently wear kneepads to protect the knees or the clothing in the knee area when kneeling or falling on a surface while gardening, roller-skating or playing volleyball. A storage bag for storing such kneepads at the end of the aforementioned activities may not be readily available, or if available, may be awkward or inconvenient to carry.

The foregoing problems can be obviated by an interchangeable article that incorporates both the kneepad and shoe. However, none of the conventional kneepads and shoes is made to be interchangeable. For instance, conventional knee pads offer protection against knee injury, but they cannot be used as footwear articles. Likewise, conventional shoes may be

suited for ordinary walking or running, but they cannot be used as knee protectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the invention to offer a convertible article that can easily be transformed into a knee protector or a footwear article.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a convertible article that is comfortable and durable in wearing, sufficiently protective as to the wearer's knee or foot, and high in shock- absorbing capacity.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a convertible article that securely and comfortably retains the article on the wearer's foot or knee.

The present invention comprises a convertible article for use as a shoe or kneepad. The article inclues a flexible sole, a cushioning pad, a flexible mesh or flaps for connecting the pad to the sole, and a plurality of flexible straps for supporting the sole either on a person's foot to serve as a shoe or on a person's leg in such a manner that the pad overlies the knee of the person to serve as a knee pad. The sole is molded in one piece, fabricated from thermoplastic rubber material such as the styrene-butadiene block copolymer or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and has at least one elongated groove transversely dispose on its bottom surface.

The pad is fabricated from any suitable foam rubber-like malleable material of sufficient shock absorption ability. The straps are preferably in the form of VELCRO fasteners.

Other features and avantages of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the following Description of the Preferred Embodiments when read in light of the attache

drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the convertible article for use as a shoe according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of the first embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the convertible article for use as a knee pad according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a side view of the second embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 3 fitted onto a leg; Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 7 fitted onto a leg; Fig. 6 is a side view of the convertible article for use as a shoe according to third embodiment of the invention; Fig. 7 is a top view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a front perspective view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of fig.

6; Fig. 9 is a top view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 6 for use as a knee pad according to the invention; and

Fig. 10 is a side view of the third embodiment of the convertible article of Fig. 6; Fig. 11 is a bottom view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 12 is a top view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 13 is a side view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when employed as a shoe; Fig. 15 is a front view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when employed as a shoe in a shoe position; Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when employed as a knee pad; Fig. 17 is a front view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when employed as a knee pad in a knee pad position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, in which similar or corresponding parts are identifie with the same reference numeral, and more particularly to Figs. 1-6, a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated showing a convertible article 10 for use as a shoe or kneepad. The convertible article 10 inclues a flexible sole 11 having top, bottom, and side surfaces, a cushioning pad 12 with flexible flaps 13 extending therefrom, and first and second pairs of spaced straps 14,15 for supporting the sole 11 on a person's foot 16 (Fig. 2) or knee (similar in position to the placement on knee 17 of a second embodiment 110 of the present invention

in Fig. 4). Referring to Figs. 1 and 5, the sole 11 has a pair of elongated grooves 18 transversely dispose at its bottom surface. By incorporating the grooves 18, the sole 11 is more flexible in accommodating the physical movement (e. g., bending) of a wearer's knee or foot.

The sole 11 of the convertible article 10 is molded in one piece by heat and pressure and fabricated from flexible, durable material, such as thermoplastic rubber material or any other elastomeric materials which may be molded and configure into unit soles. Conventional styrene-butadiene block copolymer (thermoplastic rubber), rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, polybutadiene, isoprene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) are examples of the resilient material that can be used to fabricate the sole 11. A number of the sole materials are disclosed by U. S. Patent Nos. 5,572,804 and 5,554,694 incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The sole 11 is tapered on the side surfaces in a wedge-like fashion to accommodate the shape of the person's foot 16 and knee 17. As will be appreciated the overall structure of the sole 11, including its one-piece molding, resilient property, and tapered shape, the sole 211 is designed to accommodate the pronated and supinated movements of a wearer's foot and leg.

The arch portion of the shoe comprises a pad 12 and a pair of flexible laterally extending flaps 13. The pad 12 is fabricated form any suitable foam rubber-like malleable material of sufficient shock absorption ability such as natural or synthetic foamed rubber, e. g., resilient compressible material such as micro-cellular filled closed cell foam such as polyurethane or ethyl vinyl acetate. The pad 12 is supporte by the pair of laterally extending flexible flaps 13 which are sewn or otherwise suitably dispose between the front and rear portions of the sole 11. The

flaps 13 taper in a wedge-like fashion and are made from any material of sufficient flexibility (e. g., a polymer layer or a woven mesh of natural or synthetic fiber, e. g., nylon mesh). When used as a shoe, the flaps 13 extend on the opposite sides of the wear's foot to provide lateral support. When used as a knee protector, the flaps 13 naturally collapse underneath the pad 12 such that the pad 12 is firmly pressed against the sole 11.

The first and second pairs of the spaced straps 145 and 15 are respectively consiste of partially opposing straps 19-22, which are made from any flexible material such as elastic. Each opposing end of the straps 19-22 has a hook-loop fastening material such as the VELCRO hook and loop fastener 15A affixed thereon. Of course, other suitable fasteners may be employed, e. g., buckles. Each non-opposing end of the straps 19-22 has a mounting recess, e. g., hole (not shown), embedded thereon for securing the straps 19-22 onto the sole 11.

More specifically, the first and second pairs of straps 14 and 15 are each pivotally anchored to two hinges 23, which are stitched or otherwise suitable secured to the opposite sides of the sole 11, for supporting the sole 11 either on the person's foot 16 to serve as a shoe or on a person's leg in such a manner that the pad 12 overlies the knee 17 of the person to serve as a knee pad. A pin-like portion 24 on each of the hinges 23 respectively engages each of the mounting recesses to pivotally secure the straps 19-22 onto the sole 11. The first and second spaced straps 14 and 15 are ajustable in length to accommodate different size feet and legs. For instance, the first strap assembly 14 may have a total length that ranges from 1.8 to 2.8 times the length of the sole 11, and the second strap assembly 15 may have a total length that ranges from 0.8 to 1.6 times the length of the sole 11. Thus, typically, the straps 19-22 are

provided with sufficient VELCRO fastener to accommodate this length adjustment.

A second embodiment 110 of the convertible article in the present invention is shown in Figs. 3-5. This article 110 has the same basic structure as the first embodiment, except for the pad 12 and flaps 13 shown in Fig. 1, which are respectively replace by a reclining pad 112 and a mesh 125 having a center portion and opposite side portions. The reclining pad 112, with its two end portions dispose at an angle to one another, is stitched or otherwise suitably secured (e.. g, removably secured with VELCRO fasteners) to the center portion of the mesh 125. The side portions of the mesh 125, which taper in a wedge-like fashion, are sewn or otherwise suitable dispose between the front and rear portions of the sole 11 (attache to or integral with the sole 11). When used as a shoe, the mesh 125 extends on the opposite sides of the wear's foot to provide lateral support. When used as a knee protector, the mesh 125 naturally collapse underneath the pad 112 such that the pad 112 is firmly pressed against the sole 11. The mesh 125 may be made from any material of sufficient flexibility. for mesh 125, typical material include polymeric materials such as nylon. Typical mesh 125 may be a film sheet or a woven fibrous sheet.

A third embodiment 210 of the convertible article in the present invention, as shown in Figs. 6-10 has the same basic structure as the second embodiment 110. however, in this article 210, a sole 211 without any elongated grooves is used instead of the sole 11 as shown in the second embodiment 110. Moreover, a pad 212 similar to the cushioning pad 12 of the first embodiment is sewn or otherwise suitably dispose underneath a one-piece arch 225. As shown in Fig. 16, the resilient property of the sole 211 is sufficient to accommodate the

pronated and supinated movements of a wearer's leg. The sole 211 is molded in one piece by heat and pressure and fabricated from thermoplastic rubber material or any other elastomeric materials which may be molded and configure into unit soles. Also the straps 214,215 are integral with the sole 211 or otherwise attache directly to the sole (e. g., by providing each strap with a flared end, not shown, and embedding such flared ends in respective slits, not shown, in an upper surface of the sole 12.

A fourth embodiment 310 of the convertible article in the present invention is shown by Figs. 11-17. The fourth embodiment comprises a flexible sole 311, a first strap 320 and a second strap 420. Sole 311 has a portion 311A, an instep portion 311B, and a heel portion 311C. First strap 320 passes through the toe portion 311A (Fig. 15) and second strap 420 passes through the heel portion 311C.

The first strap 320 has an elongate member 321, having first end 322, second end 324, a top surface 326, and a bottom surface 328. A strap extension 330 is attache to the elongate member 321. A first buckle 332 is attache to the first end 322, a second buckle 334 is attache to the strap extension 330. First and second pieces of VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336,337 are attache to the bottom surface 328. Third and fourth pieces of VELCRO hook and loop fastener 338,339 are attache to the top surface 326 (Fig. 12).

The second strap 420 has an elongate member 421 having first end 422, second end 424, a top surface 426 and a bottom surface 428. A strap extension 430 is attache to the elongate member 421. A first buckle 332 is attache to the first end 422, a second buckle 435 is attache to the strap extension 430. First and second pieces of VELCRO hook and loop

fastener 436,437 are attache to the bottom surface 428. Third and fourth pieces of VELCRO hook and loop fastener 438,439 are attache to the top surface 426 (Fig. 12).

The elongate members 321,421 and strap extensions 330,430 may be made of any conventional strap material as disclosed for the straps of the first, second and third embodiments described above. Examples of suitable strap material include woven nylon or other polymer fiber, polymer film, leather, or strips of cloth from natural fibers.

The buckles 332,334,432,434 may be of metal, plastic or other suitable material. If desired, buckle 334,434 may be attache directly to the elongate member 321,421.

The sole 311 may be made of any conventional sole material as described for the soles of the first, second and third embodiment described above. The sole 311 may be made of a single layer or multiple layers. Sole 311 as shown has a first layer 313 of soft foam material, e. g., polyurethane, and a second layer 315 of a tougher material, e. g., neoprene rubber. As shown in Figs. 11,15 and 17, the second layer 315 may have a ribbed bottom surface. The sole 311 may be provided with optional elongated grooves 360. These resemble grooves 18 (Fig. 1) transversely dispose at its bottom surface. The grooves are preferably located to approximately divide the sole into its toe portion 311A, instep portion 311B and heel portion 311C.

The elongate members 320,420 may typically have a length that ranges from about 3.5 to about 5 times the width"W"of the sole 311 (Fig. 13). However, it is apparent from the present disclosure that the first, second and third embodiments may be modifie to substitute the straps 320,420 of the fourth embodiment for the straps of the first, second and third

embodiments.

It is also apparent that the fourth embodiment may be modifie to have each strap 320, 420 formed of separate portions each integrally extending from, or attache to, sides of said sole 311. For example, first strap 320 may be modifie by having a relatively short first portion having buckle 332, extend from one side of the sole and a relatively long second portion, having buckle 334 and four strips of VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336,337,338,339, extend from the opposed side of the sole. In this modification, the total length of the first strap separated into two portions would be about 2.5 to about 4 times the width"W"of the sole because the strap portion through the sole is not present. Also, in this modification, the total length of the second strap separated into two portions would be about 2.5 to about 4 times the sole width"W".

Typically, the second buckle 334 is attache to the extension 330 and the extension 330 is attache to the first strap 320 at an attachment location 331 which, in normal use, is a distance"A"along the first strap 320 of about 0.5 to about 1.5 inches from the sole 311 (Fig.

13). The first VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336 and third VELCRO hook and loop fastener 338 are typically a distance"B"along the first strap 320 of about 1 to about 1.5 times the width "W"of the sole 311 from the attachment location 331. The second VELCRO hook and loop fastener 337 and fourth VELCRO hook and loop fastener 339 are typically a distance"C"along the first strap 320 of about 2.5 to about 3.5 times the width"W"from the attachment location 331. The fastener portions 336,337,338,339 typically have a length"D"along the first strap 320 of about 1 to about 3 inches.

In use it can be seen that the strap 320 is placed through buckles 322,334 and the strap 420 is placed through buckles 422,434 as necessary. This placement is shown for strap 320 for a shoe position in Figs 14 and 15, as well as a kneepad position in Figs. 16 and 17. As shown, the first VELCRO hook and loop fastener 336 and second VELCRO hook and loop fastener 337 are located on said first strap to interlock when the strap is in the knee pad position. The third VELCRO hook and loop fastener 338 and fourth VELCRO hook and loop fastener 339 are located on the first strap to interlock when the strap is in a shoe position.

As can be understood from the above description and from the drawings, the convertible articles 10,110,210 and 310 of the present invention provide a suitable kneepad to be worn in order to prevent injury, and a suitable shoe to be worn while walking or running.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the appende claims cover such changes and modifications that come within the spirit and scope of the invention.