Description:

A shoe that expands as the foot grows to reduce the amount of footwear that a child requires as he/she grows to alleviate the financial strain that a family faces when raising a child. This is not only a cost-efficient design, it is also sustainable as children's shoes are often discarded before they are fully worn out due to their feet growing at such a rapid rate. It is not uncommon for children in lower class families to continue wearing shoes that are too small as they cannot afford to buy a new larger pair, this design will decrease the amount of podiatric issues that can form/continue into adulthood associated with wearing improper fitting footwear as a child. As the foot grows the out-sole and mid-sole will open up in a similar fashon to a rose as it flowers, the wings on the out-sole and mid-sole will roll down and open up as the foot grows. The out-sole and mid-sole are offset so that as the foot grows and the shoe expands, only the mid-sole and out-sole will come into contact with the ground thus protecting the upper/foot. A durable upper will be used with elastic areas strategically placed to accommodate the expansion as the foot grows. A lacing system will be used to secure the foot on place and will be loosened as necessary while the foot grows.

100 : Out-sole.

102 : Mid-sole.

104 : Silhouette of Upper/foot.

FIG. 1 : Front 3/4 view of Out-sole/Mid-sole before expansion.

FIG. 2 : Front 3/4 view of Out-sole/Mid-sole during expansion.

FIG. 3 : Exploded front 3/4 view of Out-sole, Mid-sole and silhouette of foot/upper.

FIG. 4 : Side view of Mid-sole/Out-sole before, during and after expansion.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)