Abstract:
A unique running sandal. is described that uses a ladder buckle on the top of the foot to allow for secure and easy adjustment of the sandal. This sandal is designed for running and hiking applications, and is intended for rugged usage. The sandal uses a single lacing that runs from the circular thong hole in the sole through the ladder buckle over to an outside heel anchor hole, then around the heel to an inside heel anchor hole and back to the ladder buckle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE  
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit. of the filing date of Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/655,980, filed Jun. 5, 2012, Application of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to an innovative design of footwear, in particular a lightweight sandal for running. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    For thousands of years, man has built, various types of footwear to protect feet against stones, gravel, and other sharp objects that impact the foot. Early designs of sandals led to shoes and then to sneakers. But modern footwear can be confining and uncomfortable. Recently, a movement has started to return to minimalist footwear, leading to a resurgence in the use of sandals. 
         [0004]    Huarache Sandals, pre-Colombian in design and origin, were worn by indigenous Mexicans for centuries. Indigenous people built these sandals with leather soles and laces. Although many lacing styles existed there were several used by the Native Tarahumara Indians for running sandals. These thong, strap styled huarache sandals used ¼″ wide leather laces that weave underneath the leather sole, around the ankle., and ultimately are tied with slip knots back on themselves on top of the foot. 
         [0005]    Although this ancient lace tying method enables the wearer to completely customize the fit of their sandals, it is also difficult to master because of the intricate knots involved. This invention brought forth replaces the ancient system of knots with a singlet adjustment device (buckle). The singular adjustment device enables the huarache wearer to have their cake and eat it too by preserving the incredible adjustability of ancient huarache lacing but at the same time making the means of adjustment easier. 
         [0006]    However, sandals typically are not designed for rugged use as a running or a hiking shoe. The strapping is not rugged enough nor is it designed for the custom fit that is required for running and hiking. The present invention addresses this need for a. rugged, comfortable sandal. 
     
    
     
       FIGURES 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows the running sandal with the strapping and the buckle. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the running sandal. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows the sole of the running sandal. 
           [0010]      FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  show the adjustment of the buckle to maximize user comfort. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows the ladder buckle. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is an alternative ladder buckle design. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows an optional elastic, heel lacing. 
       
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    A running sandal with a sole that has three holes, the first hole near the toe of the sole, a second hole in parallel with a third hole near a heel of the sole. A lacing for the running sandal is attached to the sole at the first hole, the lacing continuing towards the heel of the sole, connecting with a ladder buckle or similar mechanical device, before reaching the second and then third holes. The lacing is connected to the sole at the second and third holes, and loops around the heel of the sole between these two connections. The lacing then travels through and is connected to the ladder buckle (or similar device). The ladder buckle, or similar device, connected to the lacing, that has multiple openings for allowing the lacing to be connected in at least two points. 
         [0015]    A method of lacing a running sandal, starting with the tying a knot in the lacing (or attaching the lacing through a similar method) on one side (surface) of the sole of the sandal. Next, pulling the lacing through the thong strap hole in the sole and stringing the lacing from the hole towards the heel. Then the lacing goes through two holes in a ladder buckle or similar mechanical connection device and then the lacing goes outside of a side of the sole and up through the outside heel anchor hole, the lacing strung on the toe side lacing that is traveling to the side of the sole. Next, stringing the lacing from the crossing with the lacing around a heel of said sole and through an inside heel anchor hole, the lacing continuing outside of the sole and back on the inside heel side of the lacing entering the inside heel anchor hole. Finally, pulling lacing through two holes in the ladder buckle or similar mechanical connection device. 
       DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of the running sandal from above the sandal. From this view, the lacing  5  can be seen emerging from the circular thong strap hole  7  below which it is tied. The circular thong strap hole  7  is in the front of the sole  8 . The other end of the lacing  5  loops through ladder buckle  1 , with the excess lacing  5  exiting, the buckle  1  towards the outside heel anchor hole  6 . 
         [0017]    Once the single lacing strap  5  leaves the ladder buckle, it goes around the outside of the sole  8  and underneath the sole to outside heel anchor hole  6 . Lacing  5  goes through outside heel anchor hole  6  from the bottom to the top of the sole  8 . When it emerges from the outside heel anchor hole  6 , the lacing  5  goes to the outside of lacing  5 , and then continues around the heel of the sandal  2 , looping to the inner side of the sole to the inner heel anchor hole  9 . 
         [0018]    At the inner heel anchor hole, the lacing  5  goes into the inner heel anchor hole  9  from the top to the bottom of the sole  8 . When the lacing  5  emerges from the inner heel anchor hole  9 , the lacing  5  moves to the outside of the sole  8  and loops behind and underneath the lacing,  5  heading into the inner heel anchor hole  9 . The lacing  5  then returns to the ladder buckle  1  where it loops through the top of the buckle  1 , leaving the excess lacing  5  as a short tag, end strap  46 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows the running, sandal from a side view. From this view, the lacing  5  can be seen as attached at the bottom of the sole  8  at the circular thong strap hole  7 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  also shows the lacing  5  as attached to the inner heel anchor hole  9 . The lacing  5  moves from the ladder buckle  1  to the outside of the sole  8 , underneath the sole to inner heel anchor hole  9 , up through the hole  9 , around to the outside of the lacing  5  going into the hole  9 , and around the heel. 
         [0021]    This lacing  5  system on a thong strap style sandal ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) uses an adjustment device that both creates a multi-directional adjustment system and connects the lacing  5  together. 
         [0022]    The lacings  5  may be made of various synthetic and natural materials. These may include nylon, polypropelene, polyester, leather, rubber, and plastic. Lacing  5  may either be flat, tubular, or cord like in shape. Typical lacing  5  may be anywhere from 1/16″ wide to 1″ wide. Thicknesses may range from 0.01 min to 0.25 mm. In the best implementation the lacings  5  are composed of military grade parachute nylon and range in width from ½″ to 9/16 ″. Thickness may range from 0.9 mm to 2 min. 
         [0023]    In an alternative embodiment, the lacing  5  could comprise multiple materials sewn together. For example, a black webbing could be sewn at the end of the lacing  5  where the lacing travels through the ladder buckle  1 . This black webbing makes the tightening and adjusting easier on the user. The multiple materials for the lacing  5  could be affixed through heating or other methods in addition to sewing. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows the sole  8 . The sole  8  may be composed of various synthetic and natural materials. Leather, hemp, rubber, neoprene, and composites mixtures of the former. Sole  8  thicknesses may range from virtually non-existent (0.05 mm) to very supportive and thick (5 cm). In the best implementation the sole  8  is anywhere from 4 to 8 mm thick and built from a proprietary vibram rubber compound. The soles  8  are comprised of three holes. The circular thong strap hole  7  is 0.5 cm in diameter, and the inner and outside heel anchor holes  6  and  9  lengths are 1.5 cm long×0.3 cm. The buckle  1  invention, however, does not depend on having holes through the sandal sole  8  itself. The inner and outside heel anchor holes  6  and  9  may manifest themselves in the same implementation as side loops attached to the top of the sole  8 . 
         [0025]    An alternate embodiment has the lacing  5  attached to the sole  8  through other means, such as stitching or fusing the lacing  5  to the top of the sole  8  or through a short strap attached to the sole. These alternative attachments could be used for one or any combination of the circular thong strap hole  7  and/or the inner and outside heel anchor holes  6  and  9 . 
         [0026]    Multi-directional Adjustment 
         [0027]    As can be seen in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the lace  5  passes through the adjustment device, a ladder buckle  1 , twice. The lacing  5  passes through first on the thong strap  46  from the circular thong strap hole  7 , then again on the inside foot strap  45  from the inner heel anchor hole  9 . Passing the lace through the adjustment device twice enables two ways of adjustment. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  show two was of adjustment of the running sandal. 
         [0029]    In  FIG. 4   a , the adjustment device, the ladder buckle  1 , may be moved up and down the thong strap  46 . This movement adjusts where both the inside foot strap  45  and thong strap  46  cross the foot as well as where the adjustment device  1  is centered on the foot. 
         [0030]    In  FIG. 4   b  the tag end  47  of the inside foot strap  45  may be tightened through the adjustment device  1 . This tightening cinches down the lacing  5  creating a snug fit on the foot. 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  shows a ladder buckle  1 . It is composed of a mold injected acetyl plastic produced by Dupont called Delrin Plastic. The buckle  1  consists of two holes  52  for running lacing  5 , a tab  55  on the top to allow the user to comfortably make adjustments, and a series of groves  51  to prevent slippage. Alternately, the ladder buckle could have additional holes such as the three hole buckle as seen in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b . 
         [0032]    In an alternate embodiment, the ladder buckle  1  could be replaced by a cord lock or any other device with two or more holes for holding lacing  5 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 6  shows an alternative ladder buckle  1  design, with a perpendicular cross bar  56  to allow the lacing  5  from the thong strap hole  7  to the heel anchor hold  45  to slide with relative ease while the other end of the lacing  5  can be held tightly with the groves  51  at the other side of the ladder buckle  1 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 7  shows an optional elastic, heel. The elastic heel fabric  71  is attached to the lacing  5  by affixing the elastic heel fabric  71  by sewing or other attachment mechanism. The elastic heel fabric  71  attaches to the lacing  5  in two places  72  over the heel of the sole  2 , and is attached such that the elastic heel fabric is on the heel side of the sole. The elastic heel fabric  71  is made from recycled bicycle tubes and a fabric backing or of other flexible materials. When worn, the elastic can stretch to accommodate the heel and hold the strap up to prevent slipping. 
         [0035]    The forgoing descriptions of various embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and equivalent arrangements will be apparent.