This invention provides footwear, e.g., a shoe, sandal, etc., comprising at least one adjustable, semi-detachable strap having one end permanently fixed to the sole of the footwear, configured to cross over the foot, and having at the opposite end an element of a fastener capable of being attached to one of a plurality of complementary second fastener elements attached at multiple positions on the sole, and which can also be detached from a complementary second fastener element, or part, and attached to a different complementary second element, changing the angle at which the strap crosses over the foot, altering the appearance of the shoe and concealing or revealing predefined areas of the foot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The footwear of the invention, e.g., shoes, sandals, etc., generally comprise a lower portion, i.e. , a sole, positioned between the bottom of the foot and the surface to be walked on, and an upper portion that covers at least a part of the wearer’s foot. The upper portion is connected to the lower portion either continuously or at a plurality of locations. The foot is positioned between the upper and lower portions. Often, the sole comprises two or more layers, one designed to survive contact with surfaces that are hard, abrasive, slippery, etc., and one designed to provide a comfortable surface for contacting the foot, i.e., the foot bed. The upper portion functions to at least partially cover the wearer's foot and to keep the lower portion of the footwear in contact with the foot.

In addition to functional aspects of shoes, e.g., foot protection, support, etc., it is generally desirable to have shoes that provide comfort and style. Comfort is associated with the feel afforded by the sole of the shoe to the sole of the foot, and in part by an upper portion that is appropriately constructed to accept the wearer's foot and to accommodate the various movements, stresses, and strains placed on the upper portion during wear. Style relates to a variety of factors, such as upper and lower portions that are compatible, color, shape and design of the upper portion, compatibility with other attire, and fashion.

Most shoes and sandals are designed to reflect a particular aesthetic or use. Much work has been done to provide convertible footwear allowing the wearer to remove, replace or accessorize the upper portion of the shoe. There has also been work to make the structure of the shoe changeable, e.g., replaceable heels and the like.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,996 discloses a method by which the heel of a shoe can be replaced with another of a different height. US Pat 4,967,492 discloses shoes with adjustable girth.

US Pat. 7,823,299 discloses an interchangeable flip-flop/sandal capable of interconversion between a flip-flop and a sandal by movement of a heel and/or forefoot band between a first stored position and a second in-use position. In the first stored position, the heel and/or forefoot band is movably stored adjacent to the heel. In the second in use position, the heel and/or forefoot band is placed on the user's foot.

US Pat 7,272,899 discloses shoes that allow straps to be attached, removed, covered, or exchanged so that many different looks can be achieved. A variation provides a shoe base with an existing strap or straps equipped with attachment points so that the existing straps can be covered, creating a different look for the shoe.

US Pat 7,398,607 discloses a heel strap apparatus for securing the rear portion of a strapless shoe to the ankle of the wearer’s foot having a linking strap segment first end and a linking strap segment second end, for wrapping around the back of a wearer heel; an ankle engaging portion extending from the linking strap segment for wrapping around the front of the wearer’s ankle to engage the ankle; and a shoe engaging portion extending from the linking strap segment for fitting around the bottom of the shoe to engage the shoe.

US Pat 10,694,806 discloses reversible decorative straps and attachment devices to place the reversible straps over the top of permanently affixed straps.

US Pat 4,461 ,102 discloses a shoe with interchangeable shoe straps having resilient spring connectors at opposite ends of each strap for attaching the shoe straps to the lower portion of the shoe. The resilient spring connectors are affixed to opposed ends of each strap, and are removably attachable to the lower portion of the shoe.

As can be seen from the above, a large part of the art for altering the appearance or use of a shoe, uses shoe elements that are replaced in full, such as straps and heels. Footwear which can be altered by changing the position of elements that remain attached to the shoe or sandal would be an improvement in that only one part of the element needs to be altered and additional pieces do not get lost.

A number of shoes have upper portions that cover only portions of the wearer’s foot, for example, shoes and sandals having an upper portion consisting mainly of a few straps, and/or strips of fabric or leather. In some footwear, a series of straps set close together will form a cascade, like slats in a blind, that covers most, or all of the foot, except what may be visible between the straps.

Many people may have conditions with their feet that they may wish to cover, which might make them less likely to choose or wear certain shoes or sandals that would make the condition visible. For example, the upper portions of many high heeled shoes for women consist of a few straps and/or a covering at the toes. Many of these shoes, while fashionably desirable, generally offer no support, protection or concealment for sensitive foot maladies or conditions that the wearer may view as unattractive. For example, bunions are a common occurrence that may be painful, may require support with extra comfort and may seem unattractive to the wearer or others. However, the bunion would be unsupported, unprotected, and visible when wearing many desirable shoes.

The present invention provides a strap system that would allow one to alter the arrangement of a strap or straps on a shoe, sandal or other footwear to change the appearance of the footwear, to provide greater concealment, e.g., of bunions and the like, and offer more support and or comfort to such sensitive parts of a foot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to solve this problem by providing footwear that comprises a semi- detachable strap, that is, a strap, one side of which is permanently affixed to one side of the shoe, preferably to the sole, while the other end of the strap contains a first part of a fastener, which can be attached to a second part of the fastener located on the shoe, wherein the first part of the fastener may be separated from the shoe and reattached to a different second part of the fastener located at a different location on the shoe. In the present invention, the semi-detachable strap is configured to cross over the top of the foot from the sole of the shoe to attach to one of a plurality of complementary second parts of the fastener, wherein each second part of the fastener is permanently affixed the shoe, preferably the underside of the sole. To change the shoe configuration, one simply disconnects the first part of the fastener from the second part that it is connected to, and then connects the first part of the fastener, and the strap, to another second fastener part at a different position.

The semi-detachable strap will typically comprise elastic material, either throughout the strap or near the first fastening element, to make attachment easier and ensure that the strap can reach each of the second fastener elements without being either too loose or too tight for comfort.

The second fastening elements are preferably affixed to the bottom of the shoe’s sole protruding downwards. One positive element of this placement is that the fastener will not typically be visible, although this placement requires that the second fastener element is placed where enough space exists between the sole and the floor or ground so that the fastener and strap do not contact the floor or ground under normal wear. In one embodiment of the invention, the footwear is a high-heeled shoe, as seen in the figures, with significant space under the instep for the fastener.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a shoe of the invention comprising conventional strap (1 ), a strap of the invention (2), a high heel, a heel strap (3), and a sloped sole at the instep of the shoe Figure 2 shows the shoe of the preceding drawing with the inventive strap (2) disconnected, the position of the first fastener part (4), and three of the second fastener parts (5) located under the sole of the shoe

Figure 3 shows the shoe, the strap fastened to one of the second fastener parts and shows how the invented strap can attach to the other fastener parts

Figure 4 shows an example of a fastener useful in the invention, with a first part (6a) and second part (6b)

Figure 5 shows the under-side of the shoe with the sole peeled back showing the that the second fastener parts are located in the bottom part of the sole, the conventional strap (1 ) is glued to the sole at both strap ends, while the inventive strap (2) is glued at one strap end.

Figure 6 shows a shoe of the invention in an exploded view The figures described above relate to one instructive embodiment of the invention. For example, in some embodiments there will be no toe strap (1 ). Some embodiments may employ a toe thong, which has a strap running between two toes. Often, other functional or decorative elements are present, e.g., jewelry such as chains, studs, pendants including toe thong pendants, rings including toe rings, stones and minerals, etc., fabrics or other decorative materials, other straps, colors, designs, etc., designs of metal, leather, cloth, plastic, etc., and combinations of them.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a shoe or sandal with a semi-detachable, adjustable strap, typically positioned to be capable of concealing a bunion, the shoe or sandal comprising: a lower portion, i.e., a sole, comprising:

1 ) a top foot bed upon which a wearer places the foot, and

2) a lower sole that extends from the bottom of the foot bed to the ground; one or more straps configured to cross over the foot attached to the sole, wherein at least one, i.e. one or more, of the straps is semi-detachable, wherein one end of the strap is permanently attached to the sole and another end of the strap comprises a first part of a fastener, wherein the semi-detachable strap is configured to cross over the top of the foot and reversibly connect individually to one of a plurality, i.e., at least two, of complementary second parts of the fastener, which second parts of the fastener are permanently attached to the sole, preferably the underside of the sole, wherein the shoe or sandal has as many or more of the second fastener parts than there are first fastener parts, wherein the detachable, adjustable strap can be attached to any one of the second parts of the fastener through the connection of the first fastener part, can be disconnected from the second fastener part, and connected to a different second fastener part to change the angle at which the strap crosses over the foot, alter the appearance of the shoe or sandal, and cover or reveal different areas the foot.

“Attaching individually to more than one second part of the fastener” means that the first part of the fastener strap can be attached to more than one second fastener part, but only attaches to a single second fastener part at a time. There can be more than one semi-detachable alterable straps present, but only one is required. Typically, the semi-detachable strap comprises an elastic or elastic fabric as known in the art, generally at the end of the strap comprising the fastener part.

The sole of the shoe or sandal has two or more layers stacked one on top of the other, a heel that may be of one piece with the sole or part of the sole or a separate piece attached by known methods, e.g., glued, nail, etc. Other straps, e.g., ankle straps, and sections of leather or cloth may also be attached to the sole, such as canvas segments, to cover the toes.

The semi-detachable, adjustable strap or straps of the invention are reversibly attached at the free end to the bottom of the sole by a fastener, and various types may be used, e.g., a latch such as a hook latch or sliding latch, a type of snap fastener, snap press fastener, rivet - grommet fastener, cap-rivet fastener, etc., one part of which is incorporated into the free end of the semi-detachable strap, which couples with the fastener elements protruding from the sole. One embodiment uses a rivet fastener such as a rivet-cap or rivet-grommet fastener wherein the second fastener parts that protrude through sole are rivets. The fasteners must hold the strap and sole together in a in a secure manner, that is they will not become unfastened during normal use such as walking, dancing, climbing stairs, driving, etc., but will become unattached by pulling apart as with common snap fasteners.

The fastener is made from a durable material such as a metal, magnet or tough polymer. Often the part of the fastener protruding from the sole is a rivet, which is pushed through the lower portion of the sole. In some embodiments, magnets in the sole may be used to reinforce connectivity of the fastener parts. The upper portion of the sole is set on top of the lower portion to prevent discomfort to foot from the presence of the top or head of the rivet. With a rivetgrommet fastener, the grommet will be placed in the detachable strap, and in some embodiments, a metal ring may be added for security. Visible parts of the fastener also be covered with an ornamental cap for the sake of appearances.

For example, in one embodiment a bunion is to be concealed. One end of the semi-detachable strap is permanently affixed to the shoe, e.g., often glued, stapled, or nailed, typically, to the ball of the shoe, i.e. , the position of the shoe sole corresponding to a position proximate to the balls of a foot, typically along the edge of the sole where the hallux (“big toe”) joins the foot. This is the site of most bunions, in other embodiments the strap may be attached to the sole on the opposite side of the foot, i.e. , the place at the juncture of the fifth digit (little toe) with the foot, which is a site of a smaller number of bunions.

The strap can then be positioned over the foot and fastened to one of the rivets or other equivalent fastener part. There is a choice as to which rivet the strap is attached to. One consideration in the choice will be based on which angle of the strap most fits the fashion or look desired. Another consideration will be to make sure that the strap remains at an angle where the bunion is concealed. For added comfort, silicone, gel, or a cotton piece, etc., is often embedded in the bunion strap directly at the bunion.

Other straps can be present, e.g., ankle straps, permanent fixed straps, toe thongs, additional semi-detachable straps, even fully detachable straps arranged along the edge of the sole. In some embodiments, silicone, gel, or cotton toe separator is embedded at the base of toe thong sandals. Wider swathes of leather or fabric may also be found on the upper part of the shoe or sandal, for example, toe coverings. These additional straps etc., will affect the visible impact from the placement of the at least one semi-detachable strap. A second or third semi - detachable strap will allow for greater variation in strap placement in the shoe or sandal, as long as there are the same amount or more second fastener parts protruding from the sole as there are semi-detachable straps. The above straps may be of any style and use any method of conductivity.

The materials used in making the present invention are those well known in shoemaking and there is no need to change them for the sake of the invention. The semi-detachable straps of the invention can be made from any of the materials used in the upper portion of shoes. In some instances, the strap will largely be produced from the same material that would have been used if the shoe or sandal was produced with conventional straps, which also generally include an elastic material. Further the straps of the present invention can in some cases be made fully from an elastic material, or part of the strap, such as the free end of the strap will contain an elastic material. This is to allow the strap to comfortably reach any of the rivets or other fastener part protruding from the bottom of the sole. One example, out of many possibilities for providing elasticity in the strap, is the polymer spandex or other elastane.

The length of the semi-detachable straps of the invention is determined by the distance to the fastener parts protruding from the sole. Given that a non-elastic strap may not reach each of the options, or may reach some of the options with excessive slack, the straps are made with some elastic character, but the length of the straps should still be chosen with some care. The width of the straps is variable and depends largely on the role of the strap, e.g., concealment of a bunion, and aesthetics. When the strap of the invention is used to cover a bunion, a width of one inch or more is typically used.

As stated above, the sandal or shoe of the invention must have enough clearance at the points of the sole where the fasteners reside so that the fasteners do not hit the ground. Shoes with heels 1 .5 inches or higher, e.g., 1 .5 to 6 or 7 inches, 2 to 6 inches, or 2 to 4 inches high represent a particular substrate for the fastening system of the invention.

There is no limitation on the height or style of heel useful in the prevention.

As an example, Figure 2 shows a high heeled shoe having 3 rivets protruding from the bottom of the sole, and an angled semi-detachable strap positioned to conceal a bunion. In this example, the shoe has an ankle strap (3) and a traditional, fully attached strap (1 ) crossing the base of the toes with the strap of the invention (2) positioned behind it. The angled semi- detachable strap, referred to here as a bunion strap, is glued at the ball of the sole, i.e. , the part of the sole corresponding to the balls of the feet, near the hallux (big toe), and is well positioned to cover/conceal the bunion area of the foot.

While the present figures show a shoe with three rivets protruding from the sole, other second fastener parts may be used and more or less than three of such fastener parts may be used, e.g., 2, 3, 4 or 5, and in some particular embodiments, 2 or 3 have been used successfully.

Figure 5 shows a first fastener part attached to the elastic material located at the end of the bunion strap. The fastener is made from a durable material with a metal ring for security. The first fastener part, e.g., a fastener cap will be used to snap onto any of the three rivets extending from the outer sole of the shoe. Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of the fastener.

Figure 6 shows rivets protruding from, or being pushed through, the bottom of the sole with the heads or caps of the rivets positioned between the lower sole and upper layers of the sole. The rivets are embedded in a line progressing lengthwise across the arch of the shoe’s outer sole, e.g., at the start of the sandals arch, mid arch and the highest point of the arch closest to the heel. The rivets are placed in the sole in positions such that the rivets and the rivet attached to the fastener cap do not contact the floor or ground under ordinary use.

The rivets are punched through the bottom of the sole and the extended top of the rivet serves as an anchor to keep the rivet securely attached to the non-visible side of the under sole and accessible to the fastener part or fastener cap of the bunion straps. The upper part of the sole is not penetrated by the rivets and lays over the rivets so that comfort is not impaired. As shown in the figures, e.g., Figure 3, the fastener cap can connect to any of the rivets offering different shoe styles.

As is well known, in general, a person’s foot will exhibit an incline that progresses from the toes to the ankle. The steepness is enhanced when a shoe has a heel, which increases as the heel becomes higher relative to the toe of the shoe. Figure 3 and 6 show a high heel shoe showing how three rivets or other second fastener will allow one to cover parts of the shoe at different heights along this incline. As heels get higher the incline gets steeper and the difference in height between the three rivets or other second fastener becomes more pronounced.

The present invention takes advantage of this feature. The placement of the straps of the invention relate not just to functional advantages but also to decorative advantages. Being able to provide decorative elements to the strap based on the position of the strap, including the height along the foot incline, by selecting one of the positions, e.g., tiers, in Figure 6, i.e., A. Start of arch, B. Mid arch, and C. Highest arch point, provides a designer with more options then previously. For example, it is possible to decorate one strap and effect its visible impact by moving the strap to a different tier.