Elastic snap accessory system

Abstract

An accessory-fastening device for securing an ornamental item onto an article of footwear that is resistant to accidental dislodgment including a sole for contacting the ground mounted to an upper that has a snap hole and a sheet of flexible material having a top side and a bottom side affixed to the upper proximate the snap hole, a snap stud affixed to the sheet of flexible material that extends outward from the article of footwear, and a snap socket which is attached to an ornamental item to removably fasten the ornamental article to the snap stud. The sheet of flexible material that covers the snap hole provides a means of energy absorption and the dissipation of energy caused by the normal activity of a foot bend.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present disclosure relates generally to footwear and more particularly the securing of an ornamental item onto an article of children's footwear that is resistant to accidental dislodgment.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Footwear is typically designed to be stylish, comfortable, ergonomic, and / or practical. However, each pair of footwear is usually limited to its appearance at the time it is purchased. Providing an article of footwear with removable, interchangeable ornamental elements allows a wearer to modify the shoe's appearance. There are a number of ways to attach removable objects (for example snaps, Velcro, buttons, and the like). However the removable ornamental object frequently is unintentionally detached when as a person walks and the shoe bends.[0003]One approach to remedy this problem is to increase the holding power of the snap. However, this approach suffers from a number of significant drawbacks. First, if the snap is too secure a we...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide a simple means of attaching decorative ornaments onto a shoe that resists accidental removal of the ornaments due to normal foot flexing activity.

[0009]It is a further object of the present disclosure to provide a means of displaying decorative ornaments on a shoe without creating an uncomfortable concentrated pressure point between a person's foot and the snap fastening device.

[0010]Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a means of a simple single snap system that does not take away from appearance of the footwear.

[0011]Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a means of eliminating pressure points that snap fastening devices create when attached to articles of clothing made of non-flexible material.

Problems solved by technology

However, each pair of footwear is usually limited to its appearance at the time it is purchased.

However the removable ornamental object frequently is unintentionally detached when as a person walks and the shoe bends.

However, this approach suffers from a number of significant drawbacks.

First, if the snap is too secure a wearer will be unable to remove the accessory, thus defeating the purpose of the removable ornamental object for a shoe in the first place.

Second, the snap and accessory prevents the shoe from flexing at its natural position, which causes discomfort to the wearer, and the decorative accessory is unintentionally detached.

This design feature presents a problem however, in that the stiff supporting means for the snap base unintentionally initiates ornamental decorations to dislodge as the shoe bends when a person walks while wearing the shoe.

It does not prevent the interchangeable decoration from dislodging off the snap(s) during normal foot bending activity.

However, this design suffers from the fact that the supporting fastening device on the shoe is unyielding, causing decorative accessories to inadvertently disengage from the snap during normal foot flexing activity.

Images