MXPA97002560A - Shoes that have a sole with slots of release of adherent material and improved depressions of flexibili - Google Patents

Abstract

A sandal for the grip on the ice to be mounted releasably on the foot of a person or on a sole of a boot or other primary footwear, used per person. The sandal comprises a sole, a toe holding assembly and a heel holding assembly for mounting the sandal on the boot. The sole of the sandal has a bottom surface that has plural groups of shims projecting from it. Some of the shims are placed within a forefoot and toe portion of the sole and extend at a sharp angle toward the longitudinal axis of the sole. These shims include end portions that have, mounted thereon, respective screws for grip on the ice. Slots are provided between the shims in the anterior portions for the foot and toe of the sole, with the width and depth of the slits increasing from the mid side of the sole towards the lateral side of the sole. The slots allow the material, which tends to adhere to the sole between the slots, to be forced out of the slots when the user walks. In order to increase the flexibility of the sole, a plurality of depressions is provided in the region of the arc adjacent to the anterior portion for the p

Description

FOOTWEAR THAT HAS A SOLE WITH SLOTS OF RELEASE OF ADHERENT MATERIAL AND DEPRESSIONS FLEXIBILITY IMPROVERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to accessories in the form of a sandal, which is adapted to be used on other footwear to make it resistant to slippage on ice or snow. Various accessories, sandal type, ice grip for footwear are commercially available and have been described in the patent literature. Examples of such patented devices are found in the following US patents. Nos .: 1,032,600 (Grout); 2,361,972 (Smith); 3,214,850 (McNair); 3,516,181 (Jordan); 4,344,238 (Peyser), 4,353,172 (Bryant); 4, 525,929 (Mcneil et al); and 4,910,883 (Zock, Jr.). While the devices described in such patents generally seem adequate for their intended purposes, they never leave anything desired from various points of view, such as simplicity of construction, ease of assembly, removal and adjustment. In the patent literature, several sandals have been described with means to allow the adjustment of their mounting belts, such as the U.S. Patents. Nos .: Des. 131.318 (Levin); 2,801,478 (Gilbert); 4,817,302 (Saltsman); 4,869,000 (York); and 4,920,664 (McGregor et al.). However, none of these sandals disclose a strapping arrangement which can be used with an ice grip sole to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art ice grip sandals. The 32 North Corporation of Kennebun k Maine sells an ice grip sandal for use on primary footwear, under the tradename STABILICERS. Said sandal includes a sole which is arranged to be secured to the bottom surface of the sole of a boot or primary shoe through two fastening assemblies by means of straps, namely a front or toe fastening assembly and a strap. rear fastening or heel assembly. The front assembly comprises a longitudinally extending strap and a transversely extending strap, which are releasably secured, together, by means of VELCRO fasteners to form a box for the toe to receive the toe of the primary shoe for keep it in place. The rear assembly comprises a belt arranged to be extended over the instep of the primary footwear from one side of the sole towards the other side to keep the heel of the sole of the sandal on the heel of the primary footwear. In order to prevent the toe portion of the sandal from dislodging or tripping, the toe portion of the sandal sole bends upward. Since this arrangement can reduce the potential for setbacks a bit, it still leaves a lot to be desired from this point of view. This is particularly true since the toe fastening assembly is not particularly effective in keeping the toe portion of the sole of the sandal tightly against the toe portion of the sole of the primary footwear. The sole of the sandal has separate or separate, protruding shims or steps, with screws at each end of each shoe for grip on the ice. Since these shims may serve their intended purpose of grip on the ice, the sole of the sandal between the shims appears to be susceptible to clogging by the adherent material, v. gr. mud In this way, there is a need for a sandal that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a sandal that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. It is another object of this invention to provide a sandal for use on a primary footwear to provide slip resistance thereto, and which includes a sole arranged to easily release the material adhered thereto. It is another object of this invention to provide a sandal that includes a mounting belt assembly constructed so that the sandal can be easily mounted on the sole of any type of primary footwear.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION These and other objects of this invention are achieved by providing a sandal arranged to be attached to the sole of a primary shoe to provide a desired grip function. The sandal comprises a sole and connecting strap means secured to the sole to join the sandal to the primary footwear. The sole of the sandal has a longitudinal axis, a toe portion and an anterior portion for the foot, an arch portion, a heel portion, a medial side, a lateral side, an upper side, and a side of background. According to a preferred aspect of this invention, the bottom side of the sole comprises a first group of calipers placed both on the toe portion and on the anterior portion for the foot, and a second group of calipers located on the foot portion. heel portion. The shims of the first group extend generally at an acute angle towards the longitudinal axis and define plural grooves between them. Each of the grooves widens in size from the mid side of the sole of said sandal to the lateral side thereof, to facilitate the expulsion of the soft adherent material therefrom. The arch portion of the sole has a plurality of depressions therein, each of which extends from the adjacent medial side of the sole to the adjacent lateral side of the sole. These depressions are confined to a region of said arch portion immediately adjacent to the anterior portion for the foot of the sole to allow the sole of the sandal to flex easily in that region.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and many intended aspects of this invention will be readily appreciated as they are better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a conventional boot having an ice grip sandal constructed in accordance with this invention secured thereto by assembling belts to provide slip resistance on ice surfaces; Figure 2 is an elevation view of the side side of the sandal of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the bottom side of the sole of the sandal shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3; Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the medial side of the sandal of Fig. 1; Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 3; Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the bottom side of the sole of an alternative embodiment of the sandal shown in Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Referring now to the various figures, in which similar reference numbers refer to similar parts, where shown in Figure 20, a sandal constructed in accordance with this invention to be secured to any type of conventional footwear 22, v. gr. , a boot, which has a sole 22A and an upper part B to make the boot resistant to slippage on slippery surfaces. According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the sandal is particularly suitable for providing slip resistance on ice and its sole is particularly constructed to obtain that end, providing means to automatically effect the release of soft materials, v. gr. , snow, sleet, mud, etc. , which could otherwise adhere to the sole. The sandal 20 basically comprises a belt assembly 24 and a sole 26 having a primary shoe heel retention member 28 (Figure 2) mounted thereon. The sole 26 includes plural groups of plural shims on the bottom surface thereof. In particular, a first group of shims 30 angularly extended is located in the anterior region for the foot of the sole. The shims 30 will be described in detail later. It is sufficient for now to establish that they extend at an acute angle towards the longitudinal axis of the sole and define plural adherent material release slots 32 therebetween. A second group of shims 34 with a generally triangular shape, is located in the toe region of the sole and define plural slots 36 therebetween. The shims 34 are arranged so that their rear edges extend along the front edge of the shim 30 further forward, to define an adhesion material release slot 32 between that shim and the shims 34 in a triangular shape. Another shoe 34, generally with a triangular shape, however larger, is located in the region of the anterior arch for the foot of the sole. The larger triangular shoe 34 is arranged so that its leading edge extends along the rear edge of the shoe 30 further back to define a groove of release of adherent material 32 between that shoe and the shoe 34, of triangular shape, bigger. A pair of shims 38 forming a third group, are located in the heel region of the sole and define a slot 40 therebetween. A fourth row of shims 42, generally triangular in shape, are located in the rearmost portion of the heel region of the sole and define plural slots 44 therebetween. The shims 42 are disposed so that their leading edges extend along the rear edge of the shim 38 further back to define an adhesive material release slot 46 between that shim and the triangular shaped shims 42. As can be clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 5, and as will be described later, each of the shims 30, 34, 38 and 42 includes at least one upper surface. The upper surface is designated by the suffix "A" for each of the shims and is arranged in the same plane as the upper surfaces of all the other shims of the sole and serve as the ground engaging surface when the sandal is assembled on the primary footwear. Multiple ice grip projections are mounted in the form of slotted head metal screws on the shims so that the head 48 of each screw projects beyond the plane of the ground engaging surface portion of each screw. one of the shims, with the threaded shaft 50 of each screw extending into a respective hole in the shim as shown in Fig. 4. The belt assembly 24 will be described in more detail below. It is now sufficient to state that it comprises a toe sub-assembly 50, and a heel holding sub-assembly 52. Each subassembly comprises elongated, plural strap members, which are secured to the sole 24 and which cooperate with each other to allow the sandal 20 to be mounted on the boot 22, so that the sole 26 of the sandal is disposed below the boot. the sole 22A of the boot 22, as shown in Figure 1. The sole 26 of the sandal can be of any type of conventional or non-conventional construction of any suitable material that is a little flexible and / or elastic, such as leather, rubber, plastic, etc. , provided that it extends over the entire length and width of the sole 22A of the primary footwear, v. gr. , boot 22, on which the sandal is to be mounted. In this way, as can be clearly seen in Figure 3, the sole 24 of the sandal 20 includes a front end 26A, a rear end 26B, and a pair of sides, namely, a middle side 26C and a side side 24D. The pairs of sides 26C and 26D are located on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the sole. Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 5, the details of the toe sub-assembly 50 and the heel holding sub-assembly 52 forming the belt assembly 24. Up to that point will be described., the toe holding sub-assembly comprises three elongated flexible straps 54, 56 and 58, which are connected to the sole of the sandal in the toe and anterior regions for the foot. The heel holding subassembly comprises two elongated flexible straps 60 and 62 connected to the sole of the sandal in the heel region. The strap 54 of the toe hold sub-assembly has one end 54A securely secured to the upper surface of the toe portion of the sole 24, and another end 54B having a ring 64 secured thereto. The ring 64 is secured through the end 54 of the belt 54 extending through the opening in the ring and bent over itself and sewn together through a plurality of stitches. The run 56 of the toe holding subassembly has one end 56A (FIG. 5) securely secured in the upper portion of the anterior portion for the foot of the sole adjacent to the medial side 26C and extending at an acute angle, v. gr. , approximately 45 °, towards the longitudinal axis of the sole 26. The strap 56 has a free end 56B that includes a band 66 of the hook component of a VELCRO® fastener mounted on the outer surface thereof. A cooperation band 68 of the VELCRO® fastener loop component is mounted on the outside of the belt 56 towards its intermediate portion. The free end 56B of the belt 56 is arranged to extend through the opening in the ring 54 and to fold over itself so that the VELC RO® 66 and 68 bands engage releasably therebetween, thereby releasably securing the belt 56. to the strap 54. The strap 58 of the toe hold sub-assembly has an end 58A (Figure 2) securely secured to the upper surface of the anterior portion for the foot of the sole adjacent the side side 26D and extends in a acute angle, v. gr. , approximately 45 °, towards the longitudinal axis of the sole 26. The strap 58 has a free end 58B which includes a band 66 of the hook component of a VELCRO® fastener mounted on its external surface. A cooperation strip 68 of the VELCRO® fastener loop component is mounted on the external surface of the belt 58 towards its intermediate portion. The free end 58B of the belt 58 is arranged to be extended through the opening in the ring 54 and bent over itself so that the VELCRO® bands 66 and 68 engage releasably therebetween, thereby releasably securing the belt 58. to the belt 54. This action completes the formation of a toe box to receive the toe portion of the primary footwear, v. gr. , the boot 22. As it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, each of the straps 56 and 58 can be releasably secured, independently, to the ring 54, the length of the strap being adjustable by bending merely over plus or minus its free end through the ring, as desired. This feature allows the size and shape of the toe box to be adjusted to conform to the toe shape of the primary footwear. In addition, the use of VELCRO® on the belts allows the size adjustment and securing to be achieved quickly and easily. The heel holding subassembly 52 comprises the heretofore identified belts 60 and 62. Each of these belts is also formed of a flexible material such as that which forms the belts of the subassembly 50. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 5, the strap 60 has an end 60A securely secured to the upper surface of the sole 26 of the sandal in the heel region adjacent to the medial side 26C and a free end 60B. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the belt 62 has an end 62A fixedly secured to the upper surface of the sole 26 of the sandal in the heel region adjacent to the side side 26D and a free end 62 B on which a buckle 70 is fixedly secured. The strap 60 is arranged to extend over the instep of the boot 20, as shown in Figure 1, so that its free end 60B is releasably secured to the buckle 70 of the belt 62, after the toe sub-assembly has been secured, as described above, thus completing securing the sandal on the boot. The heel retention member 28 is preferably integrally formed with the sole 26 and the upward projections therefrom at the end 26B of the sole. The member 28 includes an anterior surface 72, which is concave to conform to the convex rear surface of the heel of the primary shoe or boot 22. A plurality of ramp-shaped projections 74 project forward from the concave surface 72 and are disposed at different heights on the member 28. Each of the projections 74 includes a flat bottom surface 76, which is arranged to engage the upper surface edge exiting the heel of the boot. The projections are provided at different heights on the member 28 in order to adapt to various thicknesses of the boot heel. Each of the projections includes an upper surface 78 that extends downward, to allow the heel of the boot to slide over it when the sandal is mounted on the boot (the elastic projections are flexed a little during this procedure) , so that the flat bottom surface 76 of one of the projections 74 engages the upper surface edge that comes out of the boot to hold it in place. The upper part of the member 28 is in the form of a flat surface 80, which acts as a convenient passage over which the other foot or a hand can be positioned to pivot the member 28 slightly backwards, thereby releasing the coupling between the (s) projection (s) 74 and the heel of the primary footwear, when the sandal is to be removed from the boot. The straps of the clamping subassemblies 50 and 52 can be untied either before or after the coupling of the projection 74 and the primary shoe heel has been achieved. In any case, once the straps are disconnected and the member 28 is pivoted slightly backward to release the coupling, the continuous pressure on the upper surface 80 of the member 28 will tend to hold the sandal in place on the floor, What the primary footwear can be easily removed simply by lifting it from the sandal.

Reference should now be made to Figures 2-7, where details of the soft adhesion release slots and some of the shims will now be discussed. As can be seen therein, each of the slots 32 widens in size from the medial side 26C of the sole of the sandal to the lateral side 26D thereof. In particular, each of the grooves 32 is linearly widened in width and depth from the medial side to the lateral side, such that the width and depth of the groove on the middle side of the sole is less than the width and depth of the groove. depth of the groove on the side side of the sole. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the width of each of the slots 32, on the middle side, is 3.18 mm, and on the side side it is 6.36 mm, while the depth of each of the slots 32, in the middle side is 6.36 mm, and on the lateral side it is 12.7 mm.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, since the slots 32 extend at an acute angle toward the longitudinal axis of the sole as the wearer walks with the sandal mounted on his boots, normal pronation or winding action through the anterior region for the foot of the sandal, causes any soft material, v. gr. , snow, sleet, mud, etc. , which could tend to adhere to it is, rather, forced or expelled. In this regard, said soft material may flow from the narrowest portion of the grooves, on the lateral side of the sole, to the wider portion of those grooves and out of the open end of the grooves on the middle side, so that said material is ejected from the slots as the foot rolls inward during each step. As can be seen in Figures 2, 3 and 5, the slot 40, being of uniform width from the mid side of the sole towards its side side, however it is widened in depth from the middle side towards the side side. This arrangement facilitates the expulsion of soft material from it during walking, as the foot rolls inward during each step. If desired, the two slots 36, between the triangular shims 34 in the toe region, can be configured to widen from their inner ends toward their inner ends, i.e., the ends at the sole edge, to facilitate the expulsion of the soft material from them. Thus, the two slots 44, between the triangular shims 34 in the heel region, and the slit 46, between that the shims and the shim 38 in that region, can be configured to widen from their inner ends towards their ends. external ends to facilitate the expulsion of soft material from them.

The shims 30 angularly in extension, are constructed so that their outer edges make a good contact or engagement with the ground when walking, notwithstanding the presence of screw heads 48 projecting therefrom. Up to this point, each of the shims 30 includes a pair of ends or protrusions with a generally triangular shape, the upper surface 30A of which makes the surface floor coupling for the shim 30. A respective screw is mounted within each of the shims. protuberances 30A, so that its head emerges therefrom as previously described. The portion of each of the shims 30 between its protuberances 30A is in the form of a narrow intermediate band 30B, whose upper surface is below the upper surface 30A of the protuberances, as shown in Figure 4. This arrangement ensures that the protuberances of the shims are coupled to the ground before the intermediate belt portions of the shim. As can be seen in Figures 4 and 6, the leading edge of each shim 30 tapers down from its upper surfaces 30A and 30B towards the bottom of the slot 32 immediately opposite that shim. This taper surface arcs to the point where it leaves the bottom of the slot 32. The taper surface 30 of each of the shims, is provided to further improve the good coupling to the floor through the protrusion portions of the shims, while channeling any soft material, which tends to adhere on the shim in the associated slot 32 to be expelled therefrom when walking, as described above. The leading edge of the large triangular shim 34 includes a taper surface 34C similar to the depression 30C, and said surface comes out with the slot 32 to channel the soft material of the shim 34 into that slot for ejection from the same when walking. The above-mentioned transverse shoe 38 is similar in construction to the shims 30 and thus includes a pair of triangular-shaped ends or protuberances, the upper surfaces 38A of which make the floor-engaging surface for the shoe 38. A respective screw it mounts inside each of the protuberances 38A, so that its head leaves it as described above. The portion of the wedge 38, between its protrusions 38A, is in the form of a narrow intermediate band 38B, whose upper surface is below the upper surface 38A of the protuberances. This arrangement ensures that the protuberances of the shim 38 engage the ground before their intermediate band portions. In addition, the rear edge of the shim 38 tapers down from its upper surfaces 38A and 38 towards the bottom of the slot 40 immediately behind that shim. This taper surface arches at the point where it comes out with the bottom of the slot 40 and is provided to further improve good ground engagement by the protruding portions of the shims, while channeling any soft material, which it pretends to adhere to. it fits in the associated slot 40, for the expulsion of the same when walking. As can be seen in Fig. 5, the rearmost edge of the triangular shroud 34 is designated by the reference numeral 34D and extends perpendicularly from the base of the sole 26 to serve as a stop surface. . In a similar manner, the forwardmost edge of the transverse shoe 38 further forward is designated with the reference number 38D and extends perpendicularly from the sole base 26 to serve also as a stop surface. The two stop surfaces 34D and 38D are provided to allow a stair tread (not shown) to fit between them when the sandals of this invention are used by a worker climbing a ladder, so that the particular stop surface being coupled by the ladder rung grabs it to prevent the sandal from slipping off the rung. In Figures 8 and 9, an alternative embodiment of a sandal 20 'constructed in accordance with this invention is shown. The sandal 20 'is in all respects identical to the sandal 20 described above, except for the inclusion of a plurality of flexibility enhancing grooves (which will be described below) and a plurality of notches (which will also be described below) . In this way, to summarize the details of the construction and operation of the common components of sandals 20 and 20 'will not be reiterated herein. In addition, the same reference numbers will be given for the common components of the sandals. As can be seen in Figures 8 and 9, the sandal 20 'includes a plurality of depressions 90A, 90B, 90C, 90 D, 90E and 90 F located in the region of the sole arch immediately adjacent to the anterior portion. for the foot, that is to say, immediately backwards of the shoe 34 further back. Each of the depressions is an elongated linear depression with a cross section with a generally V-shape, except that the bottom 92 of each depression is generally flat, as is clearly shown in Figure 9. Each depression includes an end 94 located very near and adjacent to the mid side 26C of the sole 26, and an opposite side 96 located very close and adjacent to the lateral side 26D of the sole 26, so that each depression extends substantially over the entire width of the sole in the region where it is placed. In accordance with a commercial modality, v. gr. , a "Extra Large" sole of the present invention, the space between the ends 94 of the depressions in the middle side 26C of the sole, of at least the five more forward depressions, is smaller than the space between the depressions. ends 96 of those depressions on the lateral side 26D of the sole. The width of each of the depressions in said commercial mode is approximately 1.02 m, the depth of each of the depressions is approximately 2.16 mm. The space between the depressions 90A and 90B on the mid side of the sole is approximately 7.92 mm, and is approximately 10.2 on the side side of the sole. The space between the depressions 90b and 90C on the mid side of the sole is approximately 7.92 mm, and is approximately 9.65 mm on the side side of the sole. The space between the depressions 90C and 90D on the mid side of the sole is approximately 7.92 mm, and is approximately 9.27 mm on the side side of the sole. The space between the depressions 90D and 90E on the mid side of the sole is approximately 7.92 mm, and is approximately 8.76 on the lateral side of the sole. The space between the depressions 90E and 90F on the mid side of the sole is approximately 7.92 mm, and is approximately 7.92 mm on the side side of the sole. In this way, it can be believed that the depressions are in a slightly fan-shaped arrangement. It should be noted that the aforementioned dimensions are merely illustrative, so that the size and separation of the depressions may differ depending on several factors, v. gr. , the size of the sole. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, depressions 90A-90F provide a reduced thickness area of the sole 20, so that the sole can flex easily. This ensures that the user of the sandal can comfortably walk with it. In addition, the depressions reduce the likelihood of breaking the sole immediately at the rear of the shoe 34 further back. The inclusion of the depressions also facilitates the manufacture, v. gr. , by injection molding, of the sole providing trajectories for the material to flow easily through the mold portions that form the depressions when injected through a mold hatch in the toe portion of the sole. The toe holding sub-assembly 50 and the heel holding sub-assembly 52 are secured to the sole 20 of the sandal 20 'in a different form than in the sandal 20. At this point, the sole 26 of the sandal 20 'includes plural notches to secure the respective ends of the straps forming the belt assembly 24. In particular, the sole 26 includes a slightly arcuate notch 98, which extends through the thickness of the sole at the tip of the portion of toe, and a first pair of notches 100 and 102, generally linear, extending through the thickness of the sole on the medial and lateral sides of the sole adjacent to the shims 34 and 30A, respectively, and a second pair of grooves 104 and 106, generally linear, extending through the thickness of the sole on the mid and lateral sides of the sole adjacent the groove between the shims 38. The three flexible belts 54, 56 and 58 of the clamping assembly of toe, they are connected to the notches 98, 100 and 102, respectively. This is achieved by extending the end of these belts through these notches and securing them in place through any suitable means, v. gr. , the end of each of the straps extending through its associated notch can be bent over the edge of the sole and on itself to form a loop, which is sewn in its place. In a similar manner, the ends of the two elongate flexible belts 60 and 62 of the bead hold assembly are connected to the notches 1 04 and 106 in the sole of the sandal in the heel region. It should be noted that in this joint, in which the sandal of this invention has particular utility when used on primary footwear, such as the boot shown, the sandal does not need to be used in such a manner. Thus, the sandal of this invention can be used as the same primary footwear, that is, the sandal can be used directly on the foot. In addition, the sandal 20 need not be constructed to include ice grip projections, these being screws or other types of projections. Actually, the anterior region for the foot of a sole of any primary footwear, v. gr. , a boot, or any footwear that will be used on other footwear, v. gr. , a galclo (rubber shoe), can be constructed according to this invention, in order to include the soft material release slots described above and the associated shims. It should also be noted that this joint, which is the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9, includes six bending grooves 90A-90F, the subject matter of the invention is thus not limited. In this manner, any desired number of grooves can be provided in a region of the area of the arch contiguous with the anterior area for the foot, and the shape of the grooves need not be a flat bottom V shape. What is important is that the depressions extend substantially over the entire width of the sole in the region in which they are placed. Without further elaboration, the foregoing will fully illustrate the invention that others may, applying current or future knowledge, adapt to be used under various conditions of service.

Claims (10)

1 .- A sandal for use on the foot of a person or on a primary footwear having a sole that includes a heel and a toe to provide resistance to slippage, said sandal comprising a sole having a longitudinal axis, a portion of toe, an anterior portion for the foot, an arc portion, a heel portion, a medial side, a lateral side, an upper side and a bottom side, said bottom side of said sole comprising a first group of shims located both in the toe portion and in the anterior portion for the foot, said shrouds of the first group extending generally at an acute angle towards said longitudinal axis and defining plural slots between them, each of the slots widening in size from the middle side of the sole of the sandal, to the lateral side of the sole, said portion of the sandal arch having a plurality of depressions therein, each of the d epressions extending from the medial side of the sole to the adjacent lateral side of said sole, the depressions being confined to a region of said arch portion immediately adjacent to the anterior portion for the foot, to allow the sole of the sandal to flex easily in said region.

2. The sandal according to claim 1, wherein each of the depressions is linear, and wherein the space between at least some of the depressions adjacent to the medial side of the sole of the sandal is less than that of the sandal. space between those depressions adjacent to said lateral side of the sole of the sandal.

3. The sandal according to claim 2, wherein each of the depressions has a generally V in cross section.

4. The sandal according to claim 3, wherein each of the depressions has a generally flat bottom.

5. The sandal according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises a plurality of ice grip projections extending from said shims.

6. The sandal according to claim 1, wherein also comprises means of connecting straps to releasably secure said sole of the sandal at the foot of a person or the sole of the primary footwear.

7. The sandal according to claim 6, wherein said means of connecting straps comprise a toe holding assembly and a heel holding assembly, said toe holding assembly being connected to the sole. of the sandal in said toe portions and anterior to the foot, said heel holding assembly being connected to the sole of the sandal in the heel portion.

8. The sandal according to claim 6, wherein said sole includes plural notches thereon to secure the means of straps for attachment thereto.

9. The sandal according to claim 1, wherein said sole further comprises bead retention means in the form of a member projecting upwards from the upper surface of the sole at its trailing end, to frictionally engage a portion of the heel of the person or heel of the primary footwear, to provide additional means for providing the primary footwear in engagement with the upper side of said sole.

10. - The sandal according to claim 1, wherein said sole is molded as an integral unit. 1 1 .- Attachment belt means for use with a sandal to be worn on the foot of a wearer, the sandal comprising a sole including a heel portion, an anterior portion for the foot, a toe portion, a middle side, a side side, and a longitudinal axis, said means of connecting belts comprising a toe holding assembly and a heel holding assembly, said toe holding assembly being connected to the sole of the foot. the sandal in the toe and anterior portions for the footsaid heel holding assembly being arranged to be connected to the sole of the sandal at the heel portion, said toe holding assembly comprises a first strap, a second strap and a third strap, each of these straps being formed of a flexible material, said first strap having one end arranged to be connected to the toe portion of the sole, and another end having a ring secured thereto, said second strap having an end arranged to be connected to the sole. anterior portion for the foot of the sole adjacent to the middle side and extending at an acute angle towards the longitudinal axis, said second strap having another end that includes releasably insurable and continuously adjustable means, said third strap having an end arranged to be connected to the anterior portion for the foot of the sole adjacent to the lateral side and extending at an acute angle towards the axis nigitudinal, said third strap having another end that includes therein releasably insurable, continuously adjustable means, said releasably secure means of the second and third belts being arranged to be releasably secured to said ring to form a toe box of size continuously adjustable to receive a user's toe. 12. The binding strap means according to claim 11, wherein said releasable securing means of the first and second straps are adjustable to allow the size and shape of the toe box to be adjusted to conform to a desired form. 13. The binding strap means according to claim 1, wherein said bead fastening assembly comprises a first strap, and a second strap, each said strap being formed of a flexible material, the first strap. having one end arranged to be connected to the heel portion of the sole adjacent the mid side, and another end having releasably insurable means secured thereto, said second strap having an end arranged to be connected to the heel portion of the sole adjacent to the middle side, and the other end having releasably insurable means, secured thereto, said releasably insurable means of the first and second straps of the heel holding assembly being arranged to be releasably secured between them to hold the user's heel on the heel portion of the sole of said sandal. 14 - The means of connecting belts according to claim 12, wherein said heel fastening assembly comprises a first belt, and a second belt, each of these belts being formed of a flexible material, said first belt having a end arranged to be connected to the heel portion of the sole adjacent to the middle side and another end having releasably insurable means secured thereto, said second strap having an end arranged to be connected to the heel portion of the sole adjacent to the side means and another end having releasably securing means secured thereto, said releasably securing means of the first and second straps of the heel holding assembly being arranged to be freely secured therebetween to hold the user's heel on the portion of the heel. heel of the sole of said sandal. 15. Means of binding straps for use with a sandal to be worn on the foot of a wearer, the sandal comprising a sole including a heel portion, an anterior portion for the foot, a toe portion, a foot middle side, a side side, and a longitudinal axis, said means of connecting straps comprising a toe holding assembly connected to the sole of the sandal in the toe and anterior portions for the footsaid toe holding assembly comprises a first strap, a second strap, and a third strap, each of said straps being formed of a flexible material, said first strap having an end arranged to be connected to the finger portion. of the foot of the sole and another portion having a connector member secured thereto, said second strap having an end arranged to be connected to the anterior portion for the foot of the sole adjacent to the medial side and extending at an acute angle towards the longitudinal axis said second strap having another end that includes releasably insurable means, continuously adjustable therein, said third strap having an end arranged to be connected to the anterior portion for the foot of the sole adjacent to the lateral side and extending at an acute angle towards the longitudinal axis, said third strap having another end that includes releasably insurable means, continuous adjustable therein, said releasably adjustable means of said second and third straps being disposed to be releasably secured to said connector to form a toe box of continuously adjustable size to receive a user's toe. 16. The binding strap means according to claim 15, wherein said releasably securable means of said first and second straps comprise multiple loop fasteners and multiple hooks. 17. The means of connecting belts according to claim 15, wherein further comprise a fastening assembly of heel connected to the sole of the sandal in its heel portion. 18. The binding strap means according to claim 17, wherein said bead fastening assembly comprises a first strap and a second strap, each said strap of the bead fastening assembly being formed of a flexible material. . 19. The binding strap means according to claim 18, wherein said first strap of the heel holding assembly has one end arranged to be connected to the heel portion of the sole adjacent to the middle side and another end having releasably insurable means secured thereto, and wherein the second strap of said heel fastening assembly has an end arranged to be connected to the heel portion of the sole adjacent the middle side and another end having releasably insurable means, secured to same, said releasably insurable means of the first and second straps of the heel holding assembly being arranged to be releasably secured therebetween to hold the heel of the wearer on the heel portion of the sole of the sandal.