Quick release locking mechanism and method, especially for a hidden-type convertible shoe

A novel quick release locking mechanism is disclosed. The locking mechanism is comprised of a male latch member and a female receptacle. The male latch member is comprised of an arbor with a planar handle at its proximal end and a catch apparatus at its distal end. The arbor is further equipped with a slidable annulus that moves between the lower margin of the planar handle and the catch apparatus. The female receptacle is comprised of a housing and a duality of notched resilient arms. Operation of the locking mechanism is achieved by introduction of the male latch member into the female receptacle with sufficient force to urge open the resilient arms which then springably close around the catch means, thus locking the mechanism. The female receptacle is further supplied with appropriate stops to prevent separation forces from inducing upward travel of the resilient arms during use, thus increasing lock strength and durability. Unlocking is achieved by pressing the male latch member further into the female receptacle such that the resilient arms are urged open by the slidable annulus which is then pressure captured in the resilient arm notches. The male latch member is then retracted. During retraction, the catch means dislodge the slidable annulus thus allowing full separation of the male latch member from the female receptacle.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to locking mechanisms and more particularly to a hidden-type locking mechanism that is especially useful for a convertible shoe that allows a consumer to easily remove a shoe upper and replace it for uppers of different styles, functionality, and colors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Manufacturers and retailers have long known the value of a convertible shoe that allows a consumer to detachably secure a plurality of shoe uppers to a single pair of shoe soles. In addition to the economic advantage of replacing numerous pairs of shoes with a single pair of shoe soles and a variety of uppers, such a shoe has other advantages, including conservation of space during travel. Prior attempts to produce such a shoe have not been successful in that they suffer from many disadvantages, including complexity of manufacture, difficulty of use, unreliability, and unconventional appearance. Such attempts have included efforts to attach shoe uppers to a shoe sole using snap fasteners, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,058 to H. Jneid, and using zippers, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,528 to P. Hartung. These attempts failed to provide functionality in that they are overly complex and do not provide a hidden-type connection. Recent embodiments for a convertible shoe have attempted to substantially hide the connection between vamp and sole, including U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,486 to G. Lin utilizing clips and U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,846 to G. Lin using a pushbutton locking mechanism. Yet, such attempts have not adequately solved the problem of ease of manufacturing while providing secure locking, hidden view, and facility of use by the consumer. For example, the patent to Lin requires difficult and expensive manufacturing techniques to insure that the push button is accurately positioned and to prevent foaming material from fouling the internal components. In addition, the push button is visible, or, if attempted to be hidden, presents substantial manufacturing difficulty and increased costs. Furthermore, such mechanisms must be located along the outer perimeter of the shoe sole such that the pushbutton is accessible, thus preventing its application to thong style shoe designs in which one upper connection is positioned toward the center and away from the perimeter of the shoe sole.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

One object of the invention is to improve the versatility and function of locking mechanisms for fastening materials or objects.

Another object of the invention is to improve locking mechanisms that can be substantially hidden from view during use.

An additional object is to improve the appearance and operation of locking mechanisms by eliminating external release members while providing secure and reliable locking function.

A further object of the invention is to improve hidden-type locking mechanisms for a convertible shoe.

Still another object is to reduce the complexity of hidden-type locking mechanisms for ease of manufacturing and reduction of costs.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

With the limitations of the previous attempts in mind, the present invention provides an improved locking mechanism that overcomes the deficiencies recited above. The present invention has numerous applications, including but not limited to accessories such as belts and purses as well as utility items such as containers, luggage, and the like. The invention is especially useful for a hidden-type convertible shoe since no external release buttons or levers are utilized, thus simplifying the manufacturing process and improving both function and aesthetic appeal.

The locking mechanism of the present invention is comprised of a male latch member and a female receptacle. The male latch member includes an arbor with a planar handle at its proximal end and a catch apparatus at its distal end. A slidable annulus is permanently mounted to the arbor and moves between the catch apparatus and the lower margin of the planar handle. Locking of the mechanism is achieved by pressing the male latch member into the female receptacle such that the resilient arms open and then springably close behind the catch apparatus. Separation forces tending to induce upward motion of the resilient arms during use are resisted by stops along the top perimeter of the female receptacle. Unlocking is achieved by pressing the male latch member further into the female receptacle such that the slidable annulus first urges open the resilient arms and is then removably pressure captured in the resilient arm notches. The male latch member is then retracted. During retraction of the male latch member, the slidable annulus is dislodged by the catch apparatus, thus allowing for complete separation of the male latch member from the female receptacle.

The locking mechanism of the present invention is ideal for mass production through plastic injection molding using a variety of plastic materials, including polyoxymethylene and nylon resins and their polymers to form the female receptacle, male latch member, and slidable annulus, such that optimum operation, strength, and durability are achieved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, and specifically toFIG. 1, the present invention includes a locking mechanism comprised of a female receptacle15and a male latch member10. Now referring toFIGS. 4 and 5, the female receptacle15is comprised of a primary housing15A to house the female receptacle15and which is shown as a rectangle, insertion guide18which is formed in the bottom of the female receptacle, and resilient arms16with capture notches17to hold the male latch member10. A cover20to hold together the female receptacle15is fitted with insertion guide18A and has integral stops21along the top perimeter of cover20. The cover20is further fitted with pins22and23for insertion into registers22A and23A of the primary housing15A to effect complete assembly of the female receptacle. Referring now toFIGS. 2 and 3, the male latch member10is comprised of an arbor12with planar handle11at its proximal end and catch apparatus14at its distal end. A slidable annulus13is mounted to the arbor12and moves between the catch apparatus14and lower margin of the planar handle11. Now referring toFIGS. 6 and 7, locking of the mechanism is achieved by pressing the male latch member10into the female receptacle15such that resilient arms16are urged open by, and then springably close behind, the catch apparatus14. Stops21as shown inFIG. 5prevent upward travel of the resilient arms16tending to be induced by separation forces while the locking mechanism is in use.FIG. 9shows the stops21with a cavity for the catch apparatus14of the male latch member10forming the top of cover20.

Referring now toFIG. 8, unlocking of the mechanism is achieved by pressing the male latch member10further in the first direction into the female receptacle15such that the slidable annulus13urges open the resilient arms16, is pressure captured in the resilient arm notches17, and is dislodged by catch means14during upward withdrawal in the second direction of the male latch member10, thus completely unlocking the mechanism.

In the embodiment shown inFIG. 10, a plurality of female receptacles15are embedded permanently in a shoe sole27and a corresponding number of male latch members10are affixed to the lower perimeter of the shoe upper26at their planar handles11. In this embodiment, the shoe upper26is detachably mounted to the shoe sole27such that uppers of various styles, colors, and functionality may be engaged with a single pair of shoe soles. To facilitate a hidden-type connection, the top surfaces of the female receptacles15are recessed into the shoe sole27such that when the uppers26are mounted to the sole27, that portion of the upper attached to the planar handle11of the male latch member10resides substantially below the top surface of the shoe sole27, thus giving the fully assembled convertible shoe25the appearance of a conventional shoe.

Referring now toFIGS. 1 through 10, engagement of the shoe upper26to the shoe sole27is accomplished by grasping that portion of the upper affixed to the planar handle11and pressing the male latch member10into the female receptacle15in the first direction. Locking may be indicated by an audible clicking sound that signals that the catch apparatus14has been captured by the resilient arms16. Disengagement is achieved by grasping the upper26at the planar handle11and pushing the male latch member10deeper into the female receptacle15in the first direction, thus forcing the slidable annulus13to urge open the resilient arms16. During this action, the slidable annulus13is removably captured by the resilient arm notches17. An audible clicking sound may signal that the slidable annulus13has been captured. The male latch member10is then withdrawn in the second direction as previously described. This embodiment provides a secure, hidden-type connection that can be easily and quickly engaged and disengaged, while providing the appearance and aesthetic appeal of a conventional shoe.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in the foregoing detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, and particularly to shoe applications, but is capable of rearrangements, modifications, and substitution of parts and elements as well as use in numerous devices requiring a quick release locking mechanism. The present invention is therefore intended to encompass such rearrangements, modifications and substitutions of parts and elements as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.