Abstract:
A shoe with a sole and an upper with closed eyes extending radially from the sole on each side near the front portion of the upper. Decorative accessories, such as straps having open-ended hooks are selectively engageable with the eyes for changing the appearance of the shoe.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/705,940, filed Sep. 26, 2012, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is in the technical field of footwear. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of interchangeable attachments that can be added to footwear. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Footwear is generally constructed with a sole which has a ground-contacting surface and a foot-receiving surface, a heel which may be flat, raised, or somewhere in between, and an upper or vamp, which is the front portion of the shoe that surrounds the toes and instep region of the foot. 
         [0004]    As the upper portion of the shoe is typically the most visible portion of the shoe, it is consequently the portion that is the most decorative or which is designed to receive or mount decorative elements. 
         [0005]    Rather than buying multiple pairs of shoes to acquire a different look in one&#39;s footwear, accessories have been developed to change or customize the upper portion of shoes. For example, the patent to Epstein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,311 teaches a footwear construction having interchangeable decorative straps secured to the sides of the upper by hook and loop fasteners, which have covers when they are not in use, or by the use of protruding open hook members to secure the decorative strap members. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,359 to Bricker teaches an interchangeable shoe strap system in which a permanent foot-retaining strap is covered with one of the halves of a hook and loop fastener. The underside of the interchangeable decorative straps is covered with the other half of the hook and loop fastener for mating with the permanent strap. 
         [0007]    The U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0266506 to Barteet teaches a shoe assembly in which interchangeable straps for the instep and heel portions are secured to the base of the shoe with snap fasteners. 
         [0008]    Despite these and other prior art teachings, and given the expense particularly of dress shoes, there remains a need in the art for an unobtrusive and relatively inexpensive means to provide for an interchangeable decorative strap and fastener system for footwear. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present system allows multiple types of decorative straps to be attached and removed from the front portion of a women&#39;s shoe utilizing hook and eye attachments with the eyes being secured at or near the area where the sole and upper of the shoe come together on the front portion of the shoe and the hooks being secured on each end of the decorative strap. The attachment mechanism is less visible, provides for a more secure attachment, and is not involved in supporting the foot, as it is for decorative purposes. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of the shoe portion of the present system; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the front shoe portion of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the decorative strap portion; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the decorative strap portion of  FIG. 3 ; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the decorative strap attached to the shoe. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The shoe comprises a sole  1  and an upper  2 . An eye portion  3 , which comprises one part of a fastening means is attached between the sole  1  and upper  2 . The eye, which may also be attached solely to the sole or the upper, projects radially from its attachment point, substantially perpendicular to the shoe. 
         [0016]    The decorative strap  4  comprises a decorative accessory which can be of varying materials and design. A portion of this strap may contain an elastic material  5 . Each end of the strap  4  has a hook portion  6  of the fastening means for the strap  4 . 
         [0017]    The decorative strap is attached to the shoe by connecting the hook  6  with an eye  3  on each side of the shoe. The combination of the decorative accessory strap  4  and elastic material  5  stretch over the top portion of the upper  2 . This arrangement keeps the strap adjacent, or substantially adjacent the upper of the shoe without the need for additional securing means. 
         [0018]    The eye fastener  3  may be connected to the top portion of the sole  1  before attaching the upper  2  to the sole  1  during shoe manufacture so that the eye protrudes slightly out from the side of the shoe between the sole  1  and upper  2 . Placement of the fastener  3  is important to ensure proper alignment of the decorative strap on the upper  2  of the shoe. The relative portions of the hook and eye may be reversed. The eye may also be supplied as an aftermarket item and applied to the shoe with a suitable attachment means, for example sharp pointed ends that are pressed into the sole, adhesives, etc. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , in addition to being quite small and unobtrusive, the eyes  3  have a closed configuration so that there are no free ends that could possibly catch on the wearer&#39;s other clothing, for example the leg portion of slacks. The closed configuration also prevents the eye from engaging other objects, e.g. carpeting, and being dislodged from the sole of the shoe. 
         [0020]    Unlike prior art designs, the small, unobtrusive, nature of the eyes also permits the wearing of the shoe with no decorative strap or other element fastened thereto, thereby providing a simple, elegant, appearance. 
         [0021]    The eyes may be retractable inwardly toward or into the sole, with a suitable recess being provided therefor. The retractability may be facilitated by a spring-loaded mechanism (not shown). With this mechanism, from an extended position as shown in  FIG. 2 , the wearer pushes the eye inwardly toward the shoe until it latches in a retracted position, substantially flush with the outer perimeter of the sole. Pressing inwardly on the retracted eye then releases the latch such that the eye returns to its extended position and is ready for use. This alternate embodiment also prevents the eye from engaging clothes, carpeting, etc., and presents a streamlined appearance for the shoe in the retracted position. 
         [0022]    In another alternative embodiment, the eye may be formed from a malleable material that can be bent inwardly against the sole when not in use. For using the eye, it is simply bent outwardly to an extended position. In a further embodiment, the eyes may be hinged and have a folded and locked position and an extended position. 
         [0023]    The decorative strap  4  can be made a number of ways with different designs and with a plurality of different materials, such as leather, vinyl, cloth, etc. The strap may also have decorative devices placed or secured thereon, such as, but not limited to, belts and bows. The provision of elastic material  5  for a particular portion of the strap is to allow the strap to stretch over the upper  2  of the shoe. The hook  6  is connected to each end of the strap. 
         [0024]    If the strap  4  is created to specific dimensions of an individual upper  2  and sole  1 , it may not be necessary to include the elastic material to accommodate various shoes and shoe sizes, as the strap would be substantially flush with the upper. 
         [0025]    A user can buy multiple decorative straps to attach to a single pair of shoes instead of buying multiple pairs of shoes with a different design across the upper of each shoe. This is particularly advantageous for shoes that are relatively expensive, i.e. dress shoes, but which are necessary in a business environment. 
         [0026]    While an embodiment of an interchangeable, decorative strap, shoe assembly and modifications thereof, have been shown and described in detail herein, various additional changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.