Shoe with attachable and interchangeable skate accessories

A shoe adapted for use with a plurality of various attachable and interchangeable skating accessories whereby said accessories may be selectively and removably locked into the sole of said shoe, and whereby certain safety features are provided in the form of front and rear stops for a roller skate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Conventional shoes designed for selective use as either a shoe or roller 
skate generally relate to "collapsible" roller skates wherein rollers are 
provided in preformed depressions in the sole of said shoe and are 
partially releasable in response to a suitable release means so that at 
least a portion of each roller will extend from its respective depression, 
said release means generally serving to support said rollers in the 
extended position. 
The major defect of such constructions is that there is insufficient 
support to the rollers when in the extended position so that skating tends 
to be unstable. Also, due to the fact that the total support function is 
localized to a very small point in the central portion of the shoe body, 
these skates are not capable of supporting much weight and are therefor 
suitable only for very young children. For the same reason, these skates 
are extremely susceptable to malfunctions and damage, and generally 
provide a very short useful life. 
Another defect of such shoe/skate combinations is that the rollers are 
generally not easily detachable from the shoe body so that when the 
supportive device fails, the combination becomes useless as either a skate 
or a shoe. 
Yet another defect of such shoe/skate combinations is that as the rollers 
must be concealable in the body of the shoe and are generally not 
detachable therefrom, it is not possible to change different types of 
rollers or other skating accessories to provide a variety of skating 
effects. 
The purpose of the present invention is to improve the above said defects 
and to provide a shoe with skating accessories that is of a very stable 
construction and which is far less susceptable to malfunctions, providing 
a greatly increased useful life. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe and skate 
combination wherein the skating accessories are easily attachable to and 
detachable from the shoe so that a variety of skating means are 
interchangeable for producing different skating effects. 
It is yet another purpose of the present invention to provide a shoe and 
skate combination whereby support is distributed uniformly over the skate 
means, providing more stability and allowing persons of all ages to use 
the skate with a minimum chance of malfunction. 
It is a further purpose of the present invention to increase the overall 
safety of a skate and more specifically to provide suitable stops which 
are located at both the front and rear portions of the skating means in 
such a way that they will not interfere with the walking function of the 
shoe when the skating means is removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment according to the present 
invention includes a shoe body 10 having suitable fastening means 11 for 
fastening the shoe body 10 to the foot of the user. Along the bottom 
portion 12 of the shoe body 10 is provided a sole 20 of a suitable 
material to provide suitable traction when wearing the shoe for the 
purpose of walking. Along the length of the sole 20 and into the shoe body 
10 is a generally arcuate slot 13. The slot 13 runs longitudinaly along 
the central bottom portion 12 of the shoe body 10 and is spaced from each 
end of the shoe. As shown in FIG. 2, the top portion 110 of the shoe body 
10 may be contoured to provide comfort to the foot of the user. 
At a central portion of one side of the shoe body 10 there is provided a 
suitable catch means 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the catch means comprises a 
bore 35 through a suitable portion of the shoe body 10 communicative with 
the longitudinal slot 13. Through said bore is provided a pin 31 and a 
cylindrical locking member 32. Said locking member 32 is urged into the 
slot 13 by means of a spring 34 which is biased between a stopper 33 and 
said locking member. By pulling the pin 31 manually, the locking member 32 
will leave the slot 13. In this way the catch means 30 is always in the 
shoe body 10 and will not be lost or misplaced. 
A variety of skating means is provided to be used in conjunction with a 
shoe of the construction described above, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C. 
With particular reference to FIG. 4A, one embodiment of a skating means 
includes a set of rollers 50 mounted on a suitable mounting plate 40. The 
mounting plate 40 is constructed so that the upper edge 41 thereof follows 
the configuration of the slot 13. A hole 401 is provided at a suitable 
position on the mounting plate 40 for locking engagement with the 
cylindrical locking member 32 of the catch means 30. To insert the roller 
assembly the catch means 30 is pulled and held manually out of the slot 13 
whereupon the mounting plate 40 may be inserted until the upper edge 41 
thereof is flush with the top of the groove 13, as shown in FIG. 2. The 
catch means 30 is then released, whereupon the force of the spring 34 will 
cause the locking member 32 to enter and extend beyond the hole 401. In 
this way the roller assembly is locked into place within the shoe body 10. 
According to one embodiment of a roller assembly, the rollers 50 are 
provided on shafts 43. Said shafts 43 extend beyond the edge of the shoe 
body on each side thereof and are contained in generally "U" shaped 
support casings 44. Said casings 44 are flat across the top and are flush 
with the sole 20 of the shoe when the roller assembly is in it correct 
position in the slot 13. 
The mounting plate 40 is also provided at each end with an extending 
portion 42 which is also flush against the sole 20 of the shoe body 10 to 
provide better support. In this way the weight of the user is distributed 
uniformly along the upper edge 41 of the mounting plate 40 and the bottom 
of the groove 13, along the extended portions 42, as well as along the 
flat upper portions of the support casings 44. 
As a safety feature, a stop 46 of a suitable material may be secured to 
both the front and rear extended portions 42 to enable the user to stop 
safely even when skating at high speeds. 
As shown in FIG. 4B, according to a second embodiment of the roller 
assembly, the rollers 50 may be rotably secured to protruding portions 441 
of the mounting plate 40' so that the rollers 50 are not in contact with 
the sole 20 of the shoe body 10 and are free to rotate. In this embodiment 
the rollers are provided along the central portion of the bottom of the 
shoe so that more dexterity is required when skating, thus creating a 
different skating effect. Rubber stops may also be used with this 
embodiment by attaching them by means of a screw through a hole 45 
provided at both the forward (not shown) and rear portions thereof. 
According to a combination shoe and skate as disclosed, it is possible to 
employ a wide variety of skating means of various designs, including a 
blade 60 for ice skating, as shown in FIG. 3C. The ice skating blade 60 
consists of a mounting plate in the same configuration as the preceding 
embodiments, having upper support edges 61 and a suitable hole 601 for 
engagement with the catch means 30 of the shoe body 10. The lower portion 
of the mounting plate is extended and formed in a suitable configuration 
for skating on ice. To provide better support, semi-round support posts 64 
in the same general configuration as the support casings 44 of a previous 
embodiment may be formed integrally with the mounting plate. The support 
posts 63 have flat upper surfaces which fit flush against the sole 20 of 
the shoe 10 and extend transversly across the sole 20 of the shoe 10 on 
either side of the skate 60, providing the necessary support and stability 
required to skate. 
Of course, the style of the shoe body itself may be subject to many various 
designs. For example, to provide more comfortable walking when the skating 
means are not in use, the shoe 10 may be provided with an inclined toe 
portion 12A and a slightly rounded heel portion 12B as shown in FIG. 5. 
In this way there is provided a shoe that is suited for walking in the 
normal fashion and which, in conjunction with various interchangeable 
skating means of the type disclosed above, may be used for roller skating, 
ice skating and the like. It will be noted that skating means will be 
subject to a great variety of designs without leaving the scope of the 
present invention and should be restricted only by the claims heretofollow 
.