GB2440898A

GB2440898A - Footwear having replaceable straps

Info

Publication number: GB2440898A
Application number: GB0616386A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jane Denise Rafter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-17
Filing date: 2006-08-17
Publication date: 2008-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 2026-08-17
Also published as: GB0616386D0; GB2440898B

Abstract

An article of footwear comprises a body 2 and at least one removable strap (3, figure 6). The body 2 is provided with rear attachment component 9 that defines elongate apertures (12), and a front attachment component 15 which defines a further elongate aperture 18. The strap (3) is provided, at each end, with enlarged ends in the form of T-shaped members (24). A further enlarged end is provided midway along the strap (3) in the form of a bead (23). The strap (3) is attached to the body (2) by passing each of the enlarged end (23,24) through a respective elongate aperture (12),18. Each of the enlarged ends (23,24) is then moved to a retaining end of the respective elongate aperture (12),18, such that at a portion of the attachment component 9,15 engages the respective enlarged end (23,24) to retain the enlarged end (23,24) on the retaining side of the attachment component 9,15. The strap (3) may be removed from the body 2 in order to provide a strap of differing appearance on the body 2 to change the appearance of the article of footwear.

Description

AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR

DescriDtjOn of Invention THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to an article of footwear, and more particularly relates to an article of footwear which incorporates at least one removable strap.

A conventional article of footwear, such as a shoe, usually incorporates a body which is provided with a sole to provide cushioning for the underside of a wearer's foot. The body is usually attached to an upper part of the shoe so that the upper part of the shoe can extend over the wearer's foot, to hold the body of the shoe in close proximity to the wearer's foot. In the case of a lady's shoe, the upper part of the shoe is often formed by a plurality of thin straps which are fixed to the body of the shoe. The straps on ladies shoes of this type are often coloured and decorated in a particular style in order to make the shoes attractive to the eye. The shoes can thus be of a particular style, and be co-ordinated with clothing to form a complete outfit. The style of ladies shoes is particularly important in the case of evening wear where co-ordination between the shoes and the rest of the outfit is of utmost importance.

Different outfits in a wardrobe are usually chosen to suit different occasions, or different times of day, and it is often very important to have a separate pair of shoes to match each outfit. This can result in larger number of shoes being required, which may give rise to a number of different problems. One problem is that shoes, in particular shoes for evening wear, are often very expensive, meaning that a significant amount of money must be spent on shoes in order to purchase the required number of shoes to match the outfits. Another problem is one of convenience. If the different outfits are to be worn on different occasions whilst the wearer is away from home, for instance when travelling or away on business, the wearer must carry all the different pairs of shoes with them, which can add substantially to the size and weight of that person's luggage.

The present invention seeks to provide an improve article of footwear.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article of footwear comprising a body, at least one removable strap, a first attachment component which incorporates an elongate aperture and a second attachment component which incorporates an enlarged end, one of the said attachment components being provided on the said body and the other of the said attachment components being provided on the said at least one strap, the elongate aperture being dimensioned to allow the enlarged end to be passed through the aperture to a retaining side of the first attachment component, the second attachment component being movable along the elongate aperture to a position where the enlarged end is adjacent a retaining end of the elongate aperture, so that at least a portion of the first attachment component surrounding the said retaining end of the elongate aperture engages the enlarged end to retain the enlarged end on the retaining side of the first attachment component.

In one embodiment the first attachment component is provided on the body and the second attachment component is provided on the said at least one strap.

Preferably the second attachment component is formed integrally with the said at least one strap.

In another embodiment the second attachment component is provided on the body and the first attachment component is provided on the said at least one strap.

Preferably the first attachment component is formed integrally with the said at least one strap.

In a further embodiment the first attachment component is a deformable loop, with the deformable loop defining an edge of the said elongate aperture, the loop being deformable to substantially close the elongate aperture when the enlarged end is retained at the retaining end of the elongate aperture and a predetermined force is applied to one of the said attachment components in a direction substantially away from the other said attachment component.

In a still further embodiment the first attachment component comprises a member which is provided with a cutaway region, the cutaway region having an enlarged lower region and a narrow elongate region, with an edge of the cutaway region defining an edge of the said elongate aperture, the enlarged lower region of the cutaway region being dimensioned to allow the enlarged end to be passed from one side of the member to a retaining side of the member, the enlarged end being slideable along the narrow elongate region to a retaining end of the elongate aperture.

Preferably a moveable element is provided around the said first attachment component, the moveable element being moveable from a release position, in which the enlarged end may be passed through the elongate aperture, to a retaining position in which the moveable element reduces the size of the elongate aperture to retain the enlarged end at the retaining end of the elongate aperture.

In one embodiment the enlarged end is defined by a cross bar of a substantially T-shaped member.

In another embodiment the enlarged end is defined by a bead.

In a further embodiment the enlarged end is defined by a knot tied in a strip of flexible material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article of footwear comprising a body and a removable strap, the body being provided with a plurality of attachment components each having an elongate aperture, the strap being provided with a plurality of attachment elements which are each formed by respective enlarged portions of the strap, each of the elongate apertures of the attachment components being dimensioned to allow a respective one of the attachment elements to be passed through the aperture to a retaining side of the attachment component, each attachment element being moveable along a respective one of the elongate apertures to a position where the attachment element is adjacent a retaining end of the elongate aperture, so that at least a portion of the attachment component surrounding the retaining end of the elongate aperture engages the attachment element to retain the attachment elements on the retaining side of the attachment components.

Preferably one end of the body is provided with a single attachment component and a pair of attachment components are provided on the body at positions spaced apart from the single attachment component, each of the pair of attachment components being positioned on a respective side of the body.

Conveniently one of the pair of attachment components is connected to the other of the pair of attachment components by a member which extends at least partly through the body.

Advantageously at least one of the attachment components is provided with a moveable element which is moveable to a position which narrows the elongate aperture to retain an attachment element at the retaining end of the elongate aperture.

Preferably there is an attachment element at each end of the strap and a third attachment element positioned substantially half way along the length of the strap.

Conveniently the attachment elements at each end of the strap are to be retained by the pair of attachment components and the attachment element substantially halfway along the strap is to be retained by the single attachment component.

Advantageously the attachment elements at each end of the strap are generally T-shaped elements.

Preferably the attachment element substantially halfway along the strap is a bead.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side view of an article of footwear in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, with a removable strap being attached to a body, FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the body of Figure 1, FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view from above the body of Figure 2, FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a rear attachment component being provided on the body of Figure 2, FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a front attachment component being provided on a front part of the body of Figure 2, FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the removable strap of Figure 1, FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view corresponding to Figure 5, with a front part of the removable strap being inserted into the front attachment component, FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view corresponding to Figure 7, with the front part of the removable strap being attached to the front attachment component, FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view of one end of the removable strap of Figure 6 being inserted into the rear attachment component of Figure 4, FIGURE 10 is a diagrammatic view corresponding to Figure 9, with the rear attachment component being attached to the end of the removable strap, FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic view of a rear attachment component in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, FIGURE 12 is a diagrammatic view of a rear attachment component in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, FIGURE 13 is a diagrammatic view of a rear attachment component in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, FIGURE 14 is a diagrammatic view of a rear attachment component in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, attached to one end of a removable strap in accordance with the further embodiment of the invention, FIGURE 15 is a view corresponding to Figure 3, of a further embodiment of the invention, FIGURE 16 is a diagrammatic view of one end of a removable strap in accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention, FIGURE 17 is a diagrammatic view of one end of a removable strap accordance with a yet further embodiment of the invention, and FIGURE 18 is a diagrammatic view of a strap in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring initially to Figure 1, an article of footwear 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a body 2 to which is attached a removable strap 3, so that the article of footwear 1 may be worn on a person's foot. it is to be appreciated that the strap 3 may be removed from the body 2.

Referring now to Figures 2 to 5, the body 2 incorporates a sole 4 that has a generally flat front region 5. The front region 5 is formed integrally with one end of an upwardly inclined section 6. The other end of the inclined section 6 is formed integrally with a raised section 7. A heel element 8 is fixed to the underside of the raised section 7, so as to provide support for a heel of a person standing on the sole 4.

A rear attachment component 9 is fixed to each side of the sole 4 at a position where the inclined section 6 joins the raised section 7. Each rear attachment component 9 is connected to the other by a band 10. In this preferred embodiment, the band 10 is formed integrally with each of the rear attachment components 9. The band 10 passes through an aperture which extends transversally through the sole 4, so that the band 10 fixes the rear attachment components 9 to the sole 4.

Each rear attachment component 9 is identical to the other and incorporates a flexible loop 11 which, in this preferred embodiment, is of leather. The loop 11 defines an elongate aperture 12. An upper bead 13 surrounds part of the loop 11 which, from the description below, will become apparent is adjacent a retaining end of the elongate aperture 12. A moveable element in the form of a lower bead 14 surrounds a lower part of the loop 11. It is to be appreciated that the lower bead 14 may be slid along the loop 11, in a direction towards the upper bead 13.

A front attachment component 15 is fixed to a front part of the sole 4, to extend upwardly from one side of a generally central region of the front flat section 5 of the sole 4. The front attachment component 15 is positioned so as to extend between two toes of a person wearing the article of footwear 1.

The front attachment component 15 is formed by a length of flexible cord, which, in this preferred embodiment, is of leather. The ends of the cord forming the front attachment 15 are inserted through an aperture 16 in the upper surface of the sole 4, and end regions of the cord extends into the sole 4, to fix the front attachment component 15 to the sole 4. The cord forming the front attachment component 15 is formed into a front loop 17, and the front loop 17 defines a further elongate aperture 18.

The front attachment component 15 has a similar bead configuration to the rear attachment components 9. The front attachment component 15 has an upper bead 19 fitted around the upper part of the front loop 17 which is a part of the front loop 17 that, as will become apparent from the description below, is adjacent a retaining end of the further elongate aperture 18. The front attachment component 15 has a moveable element in the form of a lower bead 20 which is fitted around a lower part of the front loop 17. It is to be appreciated that the lower bead 20 may be slid along the front loop 17 in a direction towards the upper bead 19.

Referring now to Figure 6, the removable strap 3 is constructed from a flexible cord 21 which is, in this preferred embodiment, of fishing wire that is threaded through several decorative beads 22. The beads 22 are each of generally similar diameter to one another, but one larger diameter bead 23 is positioned substantially halfway along the length of the cord 21. It is to be understood that the larger bead 23 forms an attachment element in the form of an enlarged portion of the strap 3 and defines an enlarged end which is provided on the removable strap 3.

In other embodiments the attachment element formed by the larger bead 23 may be positioned closer to one end of the strap 3 than the other end of the strap 3.

Flexible sections of the strap 3 extend from either side of the larger diameter bead 23. The length of each of the sections of the strap 3 correspond generally to the distance between a respective length from the front attachment component 15 to one of the rear attachment components 9. The sections of the cord 21 on either side of the larger bead 23 can be flexed, so that the strap 3 defines a substantial V-shape, as seen in Figure 6. When the strap 3 is in such a V-shaped configuration, the larger bead 23 defines a front part of the strap 3, and the ends of the cord 21 each form rear parts of the strap 3.

An attachment element in the form of a generally T-shaped member 24 is provided at each end of the cord 21. The T-shaped members 24 are identical to one another, and each has a cross bar 25 of greater length than the diameter of the beads 22. It is to be understood that each of the T-shaped members 24 also form an enlarged end which is provided on the strap 3.

Referring now to Figure 7, the front part of the strap 3 is attached to the body 2 by inserting the larger diameter bead 23 of the strap 3 through the further elongate aperture 18 of the front attachment component 15, in a direction generally indicated by arrow 26 The larger bead 23 is passed through the further elongate aperture 18 to a retaining side of the front attachment component 15, with the retaining side being the side of the attachment component 15 which is remote from the rear attachment components 9. The larger bead 23 is then slid along the further elongate aperture 18 towards an upper retaining end of the further elongate aperture 18, in a direction generally indicated by arrow 27 as seen in Figure 8.

When the larger bead 23 is moved to the upper retaining end of the further elongate aperture 18 the upper end of the loop 17 of the attachment component 15 moves between the larger bead 23 and adjacent beads 22 on the strap 3. The upper end of the loop 17 defines a portion of the front attachment component 15 which surrounds the upper retaining end of the further elongate aperture and which engages the larger bead 23 to retain the larger bead 23 on the retaining side of the front attachment component 15.

If the strap 3 is pulled in a direction towards the rear attachment component 9, the front part of the strap 3 and the larger bead 23 exert a force on the front loop 17, which tends to distort the front loop 17 to make the further elongate aperture 18 narrower. When the further elongate aperture 18 is made narrower, the width of the further elongate aperture 18 is significantly less than the diameter of the larger bead 23, making it difficult for the larger bead 23 to be pulled through the further elongate aperture 18. *11

Once the larger bead 23 is positioned at the upper retaining end of the further elongate aperture 18, the lower bead 20 of the front attachment component 15 is slid upwardly along the length of the front loop 17 to sit below the larger bead 23, as seen in Figure 8. When the lower bead 20 has been slid to the upper position, the lower bead 20 holds the upper part of the front loop 17 closed so as to retain the larger bead 23 at the upper end of the front loop 17 and to minimise the possibility of the larger bead 23 being pulled through the further elongate aperture 18. Friction between the material of the front loop 17 and the inner surface of the lower bead 20 serves to hold the lower bead 20 in the upper position. It is to be appreciated that the strap 3 does not have to be pulled before the lower bead 20 is slid along the front loop 17, as the lower bead 20 can push the larger bead 23 towards the retaining end of the front loop 17 if the larger bead 23 is not already positioned at the retaining end.

After the front part of the strap 3 has been attached to the front attachment component 15, one of the 1-shaped members 24 is inserted through the elongate aperture 12 of one of the rear attachment components 9, as seen in Figure 9. The 1-shaped member 24 is then slid to an upper retaining end of the elongate aperture 12, adjacent the upper bead 13. When the T-shaped member 24 is positioned adjacent the upper bead 13, the upper end of the rear attachment component 9 which surrounds the upper retaining end of the elongate aperture 12 engages the cross bar 25, to retain the cross bar 25 on a retaining side of the rear attachment component 9. The retaining sid.e of the rear attachment component 9 is the side of the rear attachment component 9 which is remote from the front attachment component 15. If the strap 3 is pulled in a direction generally indicated by arrow 28, the rear attachment component 9 distorts with the elongate aperture 12 becoming narrower.

The lower bead 14 is then slid along the loop 11 of the rear attachment component 9, towards the upper end of the rear attachment component 9, in a direction generally indicated by arrow 29. As the lower bead 14 moves towards the upper end of the loop 11, the longitudinal length of the elongate aperture 12 is reduced. This reduction in size of the elongate aperture 12, makes it difficult for the T-shaped member 24 to be pulled through the elongate aperture 12, and thus the T-shaped member 24 is retained securely on the retaining side of the rear attachment component 9.

It is to be understood that the lower bead 14 can be slid along the loop 11 of the rear attachment component 9 without the strap 3 having been pulled in the direction generally indicated by the arrow 28. In this case, if the T-shaped member 24 is not already positioned towards the upper end of the loop 11 then the lower bead 14 will push the T-shaped member 24 to the upper end of the loop 11 as the lower bead 14 is slid.

Once one end of the strap 3 has been attached to one of the rear attachment components 9, the attachment process is then repeated to attach the other end of the strap 3 to the other rear attachment component 9.

Once the front part of the strap 3 and each end of the strap 3 has been attached to the body 2 by a respective attachment component 9,15, as seen in Figure 1, the article of footwear 1 may be worn.

It is to be understood that whilst the method described above for attaching the strap 3 to the body 2 involves attaching the front attachment component 15 to the strap 3 before attaching the rear attachment components to the strap 3, the portions of the strap 3 may alternatively be attached to the body 2 in any order. For instance, the strap 3 may be attached to the rear attachment components 9 first and then the strap 3 may subsequently be attached to the front attachment component 15.

After the strap 3 has been attached to the body 2 it is to be understood that the strap 3 may be removed from the body 2 by carrying out the method described above in reverse. The strap 3 can thus be removed from the body 2 so that an alternative strap may be attached to the body 2. This alternative strap may be of a different appearance to the original strap 3, for instance having beads of a different colour. Thus, it is to be appreciated that any one of a plurality of straps may be attached to the body 2, to give the article footwear I a particular appearance, to match a particular outfit. A user of the article of footwear 1 can thus give the impression that they own several different articles of footwear, whilst in fact only having a body 2 with a plurality of interchangeable straps 3. If that person is travelling, then they will only need to carry one body 2 to be worn on each foot, along with a plurality of straps 3 to give the impression of having many different articles of footwear. As the straps 3 are significantly less bulky than the body 2, carrying a plurality of straps 3 takes up significantly less space than carrying several complete articles of footwear.

Whilst the front and rear attachment components 9,15 have been described thusfar as having an upper bead 13,19 and a lower bead 14,20, in an alternative embodiment, each attachment components 9,15 may only have a lower bead 14,20, as seen in Figure 11. It is to be understood that the attachment components 9,15 of this alternative embodiment operate in a similar manner to that of the preferred embodiment, with each lower bead 14,20 being moveable along a respective loop 11 of the front and rear attachment components 9,15 to reduce the length of the elongate apertures 12,18.

In other embodiments the upper beads 13,19 may be omitted from the front and/or rear attachment components 9,15 and an enlargement may be formed in the upper end of each loop 11,17 so as to prevent the corresponding lower beads 14,20 from sliding off the loop 11,17. The enlargement may be in the form of a knot tied in the loop 11,17, a thicker section of the loop 11,17, or a member attached to the loop 11,17 to enlarge the end of the loop 11,17 to prevent the lower beads 14,20 from being slid off the end of the loop 11,17.

Whilst the preferred embodiment described above has front and rear attachment components 9 which are provided with beads 13,19 and 14,20, it is to be appreciated that the configurations of the front attachment component and the rear attachment component 9 may be altered to have a greater or fewer number of beads as compared with the preferred embodiment, or no beads at all.

The description above specifies moveable elements in the form of the lower beads 14,20 being slideable along the loops of either the rear attachment components 9 or the front attachment component 15, but in other embodiments the lower beads 14,20 may be replaced by a band or sleeve, or indeed any other article which has an aperture to allow the article to be fitted around the loop and slid along the loop to narrow or widen the aperture of the loop.

It is to be understood that the front and rear attachment components 9,15 may take on many different configurations depending upon the arrangement of beads, enlargements, or moveable elements which are included on the front and rear attachment components 9,15.

Referring now to Figure 12, a rear attachment component 9 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is formed of a flexible rectangular tab 30 which may be, for instance, made of leather. The rectangular tab 30 incorporates a cutaway region 31 which defines the elongate aperture. The cutaway region 31 has an enlarged lower region 32 which is positioned at a lower end of the tab 30. The cutaway region 31 has a narrow elongate section 33 which extends upwardly from the enlarged lower region 32 towards an upper section of the tab 30. In this embodiment, one end of the strap 3 is attached to the rear attachment component 9 by initially inserting an enlarged end of the strap 3 through the enlarged lower region 32 of the cutaway region 31. Then the enlarged end is slid along a retaining side of the tab 30 towards the upper end of the narrow elongate section 33. When the enlarged end is adjacent the upper end of the cutaway section 31 a collar 34, which is equivalent to one of the lower beads 14,20, is slid upwardly along the tab 30 to reduce the length of the elongate aperture 12, to retain the enlarged end of the strap 3 at the upper end of the cutaway region 31.

Referring now to Figure 13, an alternative embodiment of the invention has a rear attachment component 9 which is of a similar configuration to the rear attachment components 9 of the embodiment shown in Figure 12. However, this alternative embodiment has a flexible tab 30 which incorporates a cutaway region 31 in the form of a button hole that is defined by an elongate slit in the tab 30.

Referring now to Figure 14, a further embodiment of the invention is provided with each rear attachment component 9 in the form of a T-shaped member which is equivalent to the T-shaped member 24 on the strap 3 of the preferred embodiment of the invention described above. In this further embodiment, each of the T-shaped members 24 of the strap 3 of the preferred embodiment have been substituted for a loop 35 which is equivalent to the loop 11 of one of the rear attachment components 9 of the preferred embodiment. A bead 36 is fitted around the strap 3 and is slideable along the strap 3 so as to narrow or widen the loop 35 and perform an equivalent function to the bead 14 of the preferred embodiment. It is to be appreciated that, in this further embodiment, the components for attaching the strap 3 to the body 2 have effectively been interchanged, as compared with the preferred embodiment described above, but the method by which the components are attached together remains analogous to the method described above.

It is to be appreciated that in other embodiments of the invention the front attachment component 15 may take the form of a T-shaped member, so as to be analogous to the rear attachment component 9 shown in Figure 14. In such embodiments, a central portion of the strap 3 is provided with a loop to fit around the 1-shaped member to attach the strap 3 to the body 2 in a similar manner to the attachment using the rear attachment component 9 shown in Figure 14.

Whilst the preferred embodiment described above has rear attachment components 9 which are attached respectively to each end of the band 10 so as to extend from an aperture in respective sides of the sole 4, in another embodiment the rear attachment components 9 protrude upwardly through apertures 37 formed on respective sides of the upper surface of the sole 4. In this alternative embodiment, the rear attachment components 9 can be linked together by a band which extends transversally through the sole 4 between the apertures 37, or the band can be omitted and the rear attachment components 9 can simply be attached to the body 2 at the base of the aperture 37.

In a further embodiment, the rear attachment components 9 are eachattached to a respective end of a band which extends transversally through the sole 4 in a similar manner to the preferred embodiment, but in this further embodiment the band extends between two layers of material which form the sole 4. In this further embodiment the band is sandwiched between the layers of the sole 4 during manufacture, without an aperture being formed specifically through the sole 4.

Referring now to Figure 16, a still further embodiment of the invention has a strap 3 which is provided, at each end, with an enlarged end in the form of a further larger bead 38. It is to be understood that each of the further larger beads 38 corresponds to a 1-shaped member 24 of the preferred embodiment described above.

Referring now to Figure 17, a yet further embodiment of the invention has a strap 3 which is constructed from a strip of flexible material. In this yet further embodiment, the strip of flexible material is of leather, and an enlarged end is formed at either end of the strap 3 by a knot 39 tied at each end. It is to be understood that each of the knots 39 correspond to a respective 1-shaped member 24 of the preferred embodiment described above.

In the embodiments described thusfar, the strap 3 is formed from beads 22 which are threaded onto a flexible cord 21, but in other embodiments of the invention the strap 3 may be formed in any other strap configuration such as of a leather strip without beads, leather or suede strips which incorporate apertures or patterning formed by laser cutting, embroidered fabric strips, lengths of chain, or hand-woven or beaded strips. It is to be understood that the strap 3 in different embodiments can take on different forms which may be chosen so as to give the strap 3 a particular look to define the style of the footwear.

Referring now to Figure 18, another embodiment of the invention has a strap in the form of a generally triangular shaped integral flexible sheet 40. Two corners of the generally triangular flexible sheet 40 are provided with rear attachment components 41, and the remaining corner of the sheet 40 is provided with a front attachment component 42. It is to be understood that the attachment components 41,42 of this embodiment may take the form of any of the attachment components described above. The sheet 40 of this embodiment can be attached to the body 2 of the article of footwear 1 in the manner described above in relation to the preferred embodiment. The sheet 40 acts as a removable strap which, when attached to the body 2, extends over the instep of the foot of a person wearing the article of footwear so as to retain the article of footwear on the wearer's foot. The sheet 40 may be, for instance, formed of embroidered fabric, printed fabric or fabric to which decorative items, such as one or more fabric flowers may be attached.

Whilst the sheet 40 of the embodiment of Figure 18 is described as being an integral sheet, in other embodiments the sheet 40 may incorporate cutaway sections, or be in the form of a net arrangement to which decorative articles may be applied.

Whilst in the embodiments described thusfar, the article of footwear 1 has only one strap 3 to be attached to the body 2, in other embodiments the article of footwear I may incorporate a plurality of removable straps. In other embodiments, the article of footwear 1 may incorporate a larger of fewer number of attachment components 9, 15, to enable the strap or straps to be attached to the body 2. In some embodiments, the strap or straps may be of a sufficient length so as to be wrapped around the ankle or lower leg of a person wearing the article of footwear 1.

In further embodiments, the body 2 may be provided with attachment components 9,15 at any position on the body 2, to allow the removable straps to extend over different parts of a wearer's foot. The rear attachment components of the preferred embodiment have been described as being fixed to each side of the sole 4 at a position where the inclined section 6 joins the raised section 7 of the body 2. However, in other embodiments of the invention the rear attachment components 9 may be fixed to the sole 4 at a position which may be away from where the inclined section 6 joins the raised section 7.

It is to be appreciated that the heel element 8 of the article of footwear 1 of embodiments of the invention may be a heel element of any size so as to result in a high heeled article of footwear, or an article of footwear having a small heel, or any variation of heel size in-between. Indeed, in some embodiments of the invention the heel element 8 may be omitted completely so as to define an article of footwear having a flat sole.

It is to be appreciated that the article of footwear 1 in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be of one or more materials, including plastic or metal materials or any animal skin such as leather, suede, and crocodile skin.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. An article of footwear comprising a body, at least one

removable strap, a first attachment component which incorporates an elongate aperture and a second attachment component which incorporates an enlarged end, one of the said attachment components being provided on the said body and the other of the said attachment components being provided on the said at least one strap, the elongate aperture being dimensioned to allow the enlarged end to be passed through the aperture to a retaining side of the first attachment component, the second attachment component being movable along the elongate aperture to a position where the enlarged end is adjacent a retaining end of the elongate aperture, so that at least a portion of the first attachment component surrounding the said retaining end of the elongate aperture engages the enlarged end to retain the enlarged end on the retaining side of the first attachment component.

2. An article of footwear according to Claim 1, wherein the first attachment component is provided on the body and the second attachment component is provided on the said at least one strap.

3. An article of footwear according to Claim 2, wherein the second attachment component is formed integrally with the said at least one strap.

4. An article of footwear according to Claim 1, wherein the second attachment component is provided on the body and the first attachment component is provided on the said at least one strap.

5. An article of footwear according to Claim 4, wherein the first attachment component is formed integrally with the said at least one strap.

6. An article of footwear according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the first attachment component is a deformable loop, with the deformable loop defining an edge of the said elongate aperture, the loop being deformable to substantially close the elongate aperture when the enlarged end is retained at the retaining end of the elongate aperture and a predetermined force is applied to one of the said attachment components in a direction substantially away from the other said attachment component.

7. An article of footwear according to any one of Claims I to 5, wherein the first attachment component comprises a member which is provided with a cutaway region, the cutaway region having an enlarged lower region and a narrow elongate region, with an edge of the cutaway region defining an edge of the said elongate aperture, the enlarged lower region of the cutaway region being dimensioned to allow the enlarged end to be passed from one side of the member to a retaining side of the member, the enlarged end being slideable along the narrow elongate region to a retaining end of the elongate aperture.

8. An article of footwear according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein a moveable element is provided around the said first attachment component, the moveable element being moveable from a release position, in which the enlarged end may be passed through the elongate aperture, to a retaining position in which the moveable element reduces the size of the elongate aperture to retain the enlarged end at the retaining end of the elongate aperture.

9. An article of footwear according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the enlarged end is defined by a cross bar of a substantially T-shaped member.

10. An article of footwear according to any one Claims 1 to 8, wherein the enlarged end is defined by a bead.

11. An article of footwear according to any one Claims 1 to 8, wherein the enlarged end is defined by a knot tied in a strip of flexible material.

12. An article of footwear comprising a body and a removable strap, the body being provided with a plurality of attachment components each having an elongate aperture, the strap being provided with a plurality of attachment elements which are each formed by respective enlarged portions of the strap, each of the elongate apertures of the attachment components being dimensioned to allow a respective one of the attachment elements to be passed through the aperture to a retaining side of the attachment component, each attachment element being moveable along a respective one of the elongate apertures to a position where the attachment element is adjacent a retaining end of the elongate aperture, so that at least a portion of the attachment component surrounding the retaining end of the elongate aperture engages the attachment element to retain the attachment elements on the retaining side of the attachment components.

13. An article of footwear according to Claim 12, wherein one end of the body is provided with a single attachment component and a pair of attachment components are provided on the body at positions spaced apart from the single attachment component, each of the pair of attachment components being positioned on a respective side of the body.

14. An article of footwear according to Claim 13, wherein one of the pair of attachment components is connected to the other of the pair of attachment components by a member which extends at least partly through the body.

15. An article of footwear according to any one of Claims 12 to 14, wherein at least one of the attachment components is provided with a moveable element which is moveable to a position which narrows the elongate aperture to retain an attachment element at the retaining end of the elongate aperture.

16. An article of footwear according to any one of Claims 12 to 15, wherein there is an attachment element at each end of the strap and a third attachment element positioned substantially half way along the length of the strap.

17. An article of footwear according to Claim 16 as dependent upon Claim 13, wherein the attachment elements at each end of the strap are to be retained by the pair of attachment components and the attachment element substantially halfway along the strap is to be retained by the single attachment component.

18. An article of footwear according to Claim 16 or Claim 17, wherein the attachment elements at each end of the strap are generally 1-shaped elements.

19. An article of footwear according to any one of Claims 16 to 18, wherein the attachment element substantially halfway along the strap is a bead.

20. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.

21. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 11 of the accompanying drawings.

22. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 12 of the accompanying drawings.

23. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 13 of the accompanying drawings.

24. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 14 of the accompanying drawings.

25. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 15 of the accompanying drawings.

26. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 16 of the accompanying drawings.

27. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 17 of the accompanying drawings 28. An article of footwear substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 18 of the accompanying drawings.

29. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.