Footwear having removable straps

Abstract

Footwear having removable straps is disclosed herein. More specifically, the footwear disclosed herein includes a removable strap assembly having concealed releasable connection means for attaching to the sole of the footwear.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part application claiming the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 558,356 entitled “FOOTWEAR HAVING REMOVABLE STRAPS”, filed on Nov. 9, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention generally relates to footwear having removable straps.BACKGROUND[0003]Footwear having removable straps can be advantageous as they allow the wearer to have more fashion options when dressing. For example, a wearer can select different colors or styles of straps to match different outfits they are wearing, without having to buy entirely new footwear.[0004]Prior attempts to design reversible footwear have disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,684 to Lin discloses a detachable strap on footwear, but the means for connecting the strap to the footwear is readily visible to the user and others. This configuration is highly undesi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]According to certain embodiments, the teachings herein disclose footwear including a sole and a strap assembly, the sole having one or more embedded, open-ended channels individually housing a first connection member having a base anchored by an elastic cord; wherein the strap assembly is coupled to one or more second connection members having means for releasably engaging with the one ore more first connection members.

[0011]In certain embodiments the strap assemblies provided herein include a single strap having a pair of second connection members. In further aspects, the strap assemblies can include a front strap connected to two back straps, wherein each strap is individually coupled to a second connection member. In more specific embodiments, the plurality of first connection members individually comprise a male component of a quick release buckle and the plurality of second connection members individually comprise a female component of the quick release buckle.

[0012]In other aspects, the channels of the footwear described herein can more specifically include inner grooves conforming to the sides of the male and female components of the quick release buckle.

[001

Problems solved by technology

Prior attempts to design reversible footwear have disadvantages.

This configuration is highly undesirable to fashion conscious consumers.

However, the straps described in this patent are not entirely secure.

For example, if the strap is inadvertently moved in a backwards direction, the strap could easily become disengaged from the sole of the footwear.

However, the attachment means for this design are complicated such that they would require a significant amount of time to change straps.

Furthermore, the attachment means have detachable parts (e.g., loose pins and button members) that could easily be lost.

While mentioning a female connecting member, configured to receive a male connecting member, recessed in the sole of the footwear such that only a slot is visible, this patent does not suggest or teach a way to detach the secured male and female connecting members that are recessed within the outsole, other than rotating the strap.

More specifically, this patent fails to recognize the difficulties associated with releasing a completely recessed quick-release connection means, such as buckles and snap fasteners that cannot be detached by simple rotation.

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