AU2005100286A4

AU2005100286A4 - Improved fashion shoe

Info

Publication number: AU2005100286A4
Application number: AU2005100286A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Fiona Tait
Original assignee: Tait Fiona Mrs
Current assignee: Tait Fiona Mrs
Priority date: 2005-04-05
Filing date: 2005-04-05
Publication date: 2005-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 2013-04-05

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 FIONA TAIT COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title.

Improved fashion shoe The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 tNi SImproved Fashion Shoe Field of the Invention SThe present invention relates generally to footwear and in particular, an improved shoe having a detachable portion which allows the appearance of the shoe to IND be altered.

00 Background of the Invention t Footwear such as shoes should provide not only protection for the feet, but should also provide comfort and desirably serve as a fashion accessory. In order to Ic match the shoes to various outfits, several pairs of shoes are required which can be quite expensive. In addition to this, as shoes tend to have a relatively short life span due to everyday wear and tear, having a variety of shoes to match various outfits often adds to the expense.

In attempting to address the above, a shoe with interchangeable shoe coverings has been devised and is described in US Patent Application No. 2003/0233772 by Musial. This document describes a shoe having a plurality of interchangeable top coverings for altering the appearance of the shoe. The top covering is removably (directly) affixed to the base and when desired, a wearer may detach the top covering and exchange it for another top covering to alter the exterior appearance of the shoe.

The present invention provides an improvement to the above described footwear article.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Summary of the Invention In a first aspect, the present invention provides a shoe having a base, a top and at least one attachment piece, wherein the at least one attachment piece is permanently affixed to the base, and wherein the at least one attachment piece comprises at least one attachment portion for removable attachment of the top so that the top is indirectly and removably attached to the base through attachment with the at least one attachment piece.

m:\specifications\500000\503000\5O3297cmpmaw.doc SPreferably the shoe base is formed as a laminate of at least an outsole and an insole wherein the said attachment piece is fixed to said base between said outsole and said insole.

O Preferably the attachment piece is resiliently flexible and therefore able to stretch when in tension. Preferably also, the attachment portion is selected from any N one or a combination of a hook, stud, loop, button, slit and hook. Similarly, the top may be removably attached to the at least one attachment piece by means of a hook, Sstud, loop, button, slit and hook.

t In preferred embodiments, the top is a substantially flat piece of flexible material having a shape selected from any one of a square, triangle, oval, rectangle and Scircle.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Detailed Description of the Invention It will be appreciated that the shoe in accordance with the present invention may be fabricated from a range of materials known to persons skilled in the art such as leather, animal skin, rubber, plastic etc. The shoes may also take a range of configurations provided at least the top is able to be detached and interchanged with another suitable top. In this way, a wearer is able to interchange the tops as desired to coordinate the colour and/or style with a particular outfit.

The shoes in accordance with the present invention also advantageously allow the top to be replaced as required, ie when damaged etc. In this way, it is envisaged that the tops may be available for purchase to the wearer without necessarily having to purchase the base.

While the shoe base (ie sole and heel) is able to take any configuration such as high heel, flat heel, wedge heel, thick sole, thin sole etc, it is preferred that the sole is a platform heel and sole as this presents that most durable configuration.

By virtue of the attachment piece, and in particular the fixing of the shoe base unobtrusively between the outsole and the insole, the improved shoe of the invention is a much more elegant, durable, flexible shoe which provides added comfort to the user.

In one embodiment, the attachment piece is fabricated from a resiliently flexible material such as an elastic, which allows the attachment piece to expand and flex under tension to thereby provide comfort to the wearer with each step. The resilient m:\specifications\500000\503000\5O3297cmpmaw.doc Sattachment piece also allows the shoe to fit snuggly around the wearers foot, yet expand to the extent of allowing an unrestricted, comfortable fit while ensuring that the shoe remains on the wearers foot. It will be understood, however, that the attachment piece O need not be resilient and so inn another embodiment, the attachment piece(s) are fabricated from leather which are flexible, yet substantially non-resilient.

00 The top of the shoe may be fabricated from a variety of materials, however leather is particularly preferred. The top may be shaped in any form such as a square, rectangle, triangle, oval, circle etc and is preferably a flat piece of flexible material.

in The invention will now be further described with reference to the following nonlimiting figures and embodiments.

Brief description of the Figures Figure 1 shows the generic make up of the shoe of the invention.

Figure 2 shows two side views of a shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the invention with and without the top attached. Figure 2 also shows a top view of alternative tops able to be removably attached to the shoe as shown in this figure.

Figure 3 shows two side views of a shoe in accordance with another embodiment of the invention with and without the top attached. Figure 3 also shows a top view of alternative tops able to be removably attached to the shoe as shown in this figure.

Figure 4 shows two side views of a shoe in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention with and without the top attached. Figure 4 also shows a top view of alternative tops able to be removably attached to the shoe as shown in this figure.

Figure 5 shows two side views of a shoe in accordance with an embodiment of the invention with and without the top attached. Figure 5 also shows a top view of alternative tops able to be removably attached to the shoe as shown in this figure.

Legend 1 shoe 2 base 3 outsole 4 insole top m:\specifications\500000\503000\5O3297cmpmaw.doc S6 7 attachment pieces in 8 9 attachment portion 00 11 female portion 12 _13 male portion S14 15 loops 16 17 button holes Embodiments Referring firstly to figure 1, the generic makeup of the shoe is shown as a base including an outsole laminated to an insole The base has a heel and an attachment piece fitted to the base between the laminate of the outsole and the insole This manner of construction allows the attachment piece to enjoy physical and aesthetic flexibility as well as high strength. In this manner, the attachment piece forms a highly versatile means of attaching a choice of top components thereto as the wearer wishes.

Figure 2 depicts a shoe (depicted generally as 1) in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the base comprises four attachment pieces (only two shown) in the form of strips to which is affixed an attachment portion in the form of a female portion (11) of a press stud. The female portion of the press stud is able to receive the corresponding male portion (13) of the male stud located on the top to thereby indirectly attach the top to the base (2) by virtue of the attachment piece Figure 3 depicts a shoe (depicted generally as 1) in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the base comprises eight attachment pieces (only four shown) in the form of longitudinal strips to which is affixed an attachment portion in the form of a button. The top includes a series of loops (15) which are able to surround and engage the buttons to thereby indirectly attach the top to the base by virtue of the attachment piece Figure 4 depicts a shoe (generally depicted as 1) in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the base comprises two m:\specifications\500000\503000\503297cmpmaw.doc Sattachment pieces each in the form of a strip (only one shown) to which six attachment portions (three on each attachment piece) in the form of buttons are located. The top comprises six button holes (17) through which the buttons are able to pushed and t engaged to thereby indirectly attach the top to the base by virtue of the attachment piece IND Referring to figure 5, a shoe (depicted generally as 1) is shown having a base (2) r and a top The base comprises three attachment pieces (only two shown) which are positioned so as to define a thong-shoe configuration. The attachment t portion on the attachment pieces comprises, in this embodiment, a female portion of a press stud which is able to receive a male portion (13) of the press stud Slocated on the top to thereby indirectly attach the top to the base 2) by virtue of the attachment piece It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

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Claims

1. A shoe having a base, a top and at least one attachment piece, wherein the at O least one attachment piece is permanently affixed to the base, and wherein the at least one attachment piece comprises at least one attachment oO portion for removable attachment of the top so that the top is indirectly and removably attached to the base through attachment with the at least one attachment piece. n

2. A shoe according to claim 1 wherein the base thereof comprises a laminate of an outsole and an insole wherein said attachment piece is fitted to said base between said outsole and said insole.

3. A shoe according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the at least one attachment piece is resiliently flexible and therefore able to stretch when in tension.

4. A shoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one attachment portion is selected from any one, or a combination of, a stud, a loop, a button, a slit, a hole and a hook for cooperation with a corresponding attachment portion of the top. A shoe according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the top is a substantially flat piece of flexible material having a shape selected from any one of a square, triangle, oval, rectangle and circle. Dated this fifth day of April 2005 Fiona Tait Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F B RICE CO m:\specifications\500000\503000\503297cmpmaw.doc