Footwear component system

Abstract

A shoe has a sandal and a removable bootie. The sandal is provided with at least one adjustable strap for securing the sandal about a wearer's foot and includes an outsole. The removable bootie is adapted to cover the wearer's foot and includes a sole, the removable bootie may be provided with an attachment system such as laces or straps for securing the bootie about the foot. The sandal and the bootie are configured to cooperate with each other so that when the bootie is inserted into the sandal and secured therein, the sandal and bootie combination results in the shoe, and wherein the sandal and the bootie can be worn independently of each other.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to footwear, and more particularly, to footwear that can be converted to accommodate different purposes.DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART[0002] As with apparel, footwear is usually designed for the specific purpose for which it is to be used, which results in a great variety of footwear: dress shoes, casual shoes, sports shoes (of which there are further variations depending on the sport), sandals, etc. This results in a person having many different pairs of shoes for different requirements.[0003] Some people have been concerned with this, and have offered some solutions in terms of increasing the utility of a particular item of footwear. For example, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,392, which teaches an interchangeable shoe and slipper combination.[0004] Other solutions have been directed to changing the appearance of the footwear itself, such as US patent application publication no. 2002 / 0174569 to Tsai, which teaches a shoe with interc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0018] Thus, the present invention provides footwear that is versatile in that the sandal and the bootie can be used independently or together as a shoe. The sandal provides an open-air, high ventilation piece of footwear, whereas the bootie provides some form of protection, and the assembled shoe has all of the features of a traditional shoe, such as heel support, arch support, etc. The present invention provides for a three-in-one footwear component system that increases the versatility without the increased weight and size of three separate pieces of footwear.

Problems solved by technology

Carrying many different pairs of footwear increases the size and load that a traveler must carry, which can become a considerable burden, especially when luggage is hand- or back-carried.

While these products can touch upon all the functions for the different needs of a traveler, they represent compromises to having one piece of footwear dedicated to one set of environmental conditions.

For example, hiking sandals will offer great ventilation but will be lacking support and protection for the foot.

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