Abstract:
The invention relates to a boot having a sole, an upper placed above the sole, an outer bootie placed between the sole and the upper, a first interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie, and a second interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie. The first interchangeable inner bootie may be different than the second interchangeable inner bootie so that a user can, depending upon the weather conditions, select which inner bootie to insert into the outer bootie. The invention also relates to a method for making the boot.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to a boot with interchangeable inner booties.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A variety of different shoe constructions are typically used by the footwear industry. For the most part, each shoe construction has characteristics that make it particularly well-suited for specific applications. For example, some shoe constructions are selected for their durability, others for their flexibility and comfort, while still others are selected for their aesthetic appeal.  
         [0003]     In the category of shoe construction that withstands the elements of nature or other weather related conditions, warmth and waterproof ability are often essential and, in some cases, are imperative for survival if the wearer is outdoors for long periods of time. Generally, boots are used because they seem to provide better protection, particularly if the terrain on which the wearer walks is wet or mountainous.  
         [0004]     A boot for these conditions often has a watertight lining plus an insulation layer.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,898 to Trimble seems to show a boot with an insulating liner that is removable so that it may be dried in a quicker fashion than if the liner was not removable.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,959 to Tomaro appears to relate to a shoe with two interchangeable booties, where one bootie is waterproof and for cold weather and the other is waterproof and for warm weather.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,147 to Covatch appears to relate to a shoe with an inner bootie permanently placed in an outer bootie. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,810 to Baychar and U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,740 to Merk also appear to show one liner or bootie placed within the boot.  
         [0008]     In all of the above described boots, if the wearer experiences a dramatic change in temperature, whether colder or warmer, the wearer may have little recourse in adjusting the boot to conform to the changing conditions since a single bootie is often used and the wearer has no other choice but to use the single bootie or, if multiple booties are described, the adjustment may be limited to one bootie. Moreover, if the single bootie is damaged or lost, the entire boot may be rendered useless.  
         [0009]     What is desired, therefore, is a shoe that may be adjusted to a change temperature. Another desire is a shoe that may be adjusted to accommodate significant changes in temperature. A further desire is a shoe that may be adjusted to accommodate changes in other environmental elements, such as wetness or wind.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an adjustable shoe.  
         [0011]     Another object is a shoe that may be altered according to the weather.  
         [0012]     These and other objects of the invention are achieved by a boot having a sole, an upper placed above the sole, an outer bootie placed between the sole and the upper, a first interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie, and a second interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie. The first interchangeable inner bootie may be different than the second interchangeable inner bootie so that a user can, depending upon the weather conditions, select which inner bootie to insert into the outer bootie.  
         [0013]     In some embodiments, a socklining is placed above a top surface of the outer bootie. In other embodiments, a footbed is removably placed within the outer bootie or within one of the interchangeable inner booties.  
         [0014]     In some embodiments, the sole is a midsole. In other embodiments, the sole is an outsole, an insole, or a tuckboard.  
         [0015]     In further embodiments, a plurality of interchangeable inner booties are provided, each being removably attachable within the outer bootie. In some of these embodiments, each interchangeable inner bootie of the plurality of interchangeable inner booties is different than a next interchangeable inner bootie.  
         [0016]     In another aspect of the invention, the pair of interchangeable inner booties that are each removably attachable within the outer bootie are also removably attachable within each other.  
         [0017]     In another aspect of the invention, a method of providing a boot includes the steps of providing a sole, placing an upper above the sole, placing an outer bootie between the sole and the upper, providing a first interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie, and providing a second interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie.  
         [0018]     In some embodiments, the method includes the step of removably placing the first interchangeable inner bootie within the outer bootie and removably placing the second interchangeable inner bootie within the first interchangeable inner bootie.  
         [0019]     In further embodiments, the method includes the step of providing a plurality of interchangeable inner booties where each inner bootie is removably attachable within the outer bootie. In some of these embodiments, the method varies each interchangeable inner bootie from a next interchangeable inner bootie. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  depicts the boot in accordance with the invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  depicts a cross sectional view of the boot shown in  FIG. 1   
         [0022]      FIG. 3  depicts a method for providing the boot shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]      FIG. 1  depicts shoe  10  in accordance with the invention. Shoe  10  includes upper  12 , sole  14 , outer bootie  20  permanently placed between upper  12  and outsole  14 , first interchangeable inner bootie  30 , and second interchangeable inner bootie  40 .  
         [0024]     Outer bootie  20  is any bootie that is attached within shoe  10 , or between upper  12  and sole  14 , which is shown to be an outsole. Outer bootie  20  includes an insulation layer for keeping a user&#39;s foot warm. In some embodiments, outer bootie  30  also has a water resistant layer to keep the foot dry. Moreover, in further embodiments, outer bootie  20  has a breathable material layer to enhance air circulation. Also, outer bootie  20  may also have a wicking material layer to help move moisture away from the foot. Outer bootie  20  can be stitched, cemented, and/or fastened with fasteners to sole  14 .  
         [0025]     As shown, first interchangeable inner bootie  30  is insulated and may have a wool layer or other material for cold weather. In a further embodiment, first interchangeable inner bootie  30  has a water resistant layer. In some embodiments, first interchangeable inner bootie  30  includes a layer of breathable material. In other embodiments, first interchangeable inner bootie  30  employs a layer of wicking material for wicking moisture away from a user&#39;s foot to help keep the foot dry. Still further, first interchangeable inner bootie  30  has a cushion layer for enhancing comfort to a wearer. First interchangeable inner bootie  30  further includes any combination of the above physical characteristics and may also have the same limitations as outer bootie  20 .  
         [0026]     First interchangeable inner bootie  30  is removably placed within outer bootie  20  so that the benefits of first interchangeable inner bootie  30  are optional in the event outer bootie  20  provide sufficient warmth or water resistance.  
         [0027]     First interchangeable inner bootie  30  has different physical characteristics than second interchangeable inner bootie  40 . Second interchangeable inner bootie  40  is more heavily insulated than first interchangeable inner bootie  30  and is for colder temperatures than first interchangeable inner bootie  30 . Second interchangeable inner bootie  30  also includes at least all of the materials, benefits, and limitations of first interchangeable inner bootie  30  and outer bootie  20  plus second interchangeable inner bootie  40  may have several layers of each, such as multiple insulation layers, multiple water resistant layers, multiple wicking layers, and multiple layers of breathable material.  
         [0028]     A wearer may wear shoe  10  without either first or second interchangeable inner bootie  30 ,  40 . In the event the wearer encounters cold weather, the wearer can then insert first interchangeable inner bootie  30 . If the temperature gets colder, the wearer then has the option of removably inserting second interchangeable inner bootie  40  within first interchangeable inner bootie  30  or simply replace first interchangeable inner bootie  30  with the heavier, warmer second interchangeable inner bootie  40 . By placing second interchangeable inner bootie  40  within first interchangeable inner bootie  30 , the insulating effects are essentially doubled, or compounded, since insulation is the combination of both first inner bootie  30  and second inner bootie  40  as opposed to first inner bootie  30  or second inner bootie  40 . In addition to doubling the insulation, where water resistant layers, cushion layers, wicking layers, or breathable layers are common to both inner booties, these characteristics would also be doubled.  
         [0029]     In some embodiments, and more particularly shown in  FIG. 2 , second interchangeable inner bootie  40  is placed within first interchangeable inner bootie  30  to vary the fit of shoe  10  around a user&#39;s foot. By placing second interchangeable inner bootie  40  within first interchangeable inner bootie  30 , the resulting fit is tighter around the foot. By wearing either first interchangeable inner bootie  30  or second interchangeable inner bootie  40 , the fit is looser. By wearing shoe  10  without any inner bootie and only with outer bootie  20 , shoe  10  is even looser.  
         [0030]     In further embodiments, a plurality of interchangeable inner booties are provided, where each interchangeable inner bootie has a different physical characteristic than a next interchangeable inner bootie. The differences include varying levels of water resistance, warmth, weight, breathability, and combinations of these. A plurality is defined to be two or more.  
         [0031]     In this fashion, the wearer can vary or compound the fit, warmth, and water resistance of shoe  10 , which obviates the need to bring multiple shoes on a trip, where each shoe is worn for different temperatures or for different purposes.  
         [0032]     The invention envisions another embodiment where third interchangeable inner bootie  42  is removably placed within second interchangeable inner bootie  30 , which is removably placed within first interchangeable inner bootie  30 . In this fashion, there are multiple ways for varying or compounding fit, warmth, water resistance, and the like. Similar to second interchangeable inner bootie  40 , third interchangeable inner bootie  42  includes at least all of the limitations of first interchangeable inner bootie  30  and may further include additional layers not found in first interchangeable inner bootie  30 .  
         [0033]     Securing mechanism  38  is used for securing first interchangeable inner bootie  30  within outer bootie  20  and includes adhesive, tape, fasteners, rivets, hook and loop, buttons, and the like. The location of securing mechanism  38  is, as shown, around a shin area or upper part of each bootie. In addition or instead of this location, securing mechanism  38  is located beneath each inner bootie so that each inner bootie is attaching to a bottom part of outer bootie  20 .  
         [0034]     The securing mechanism for securing second interchangeable inner bootie  40  has the same limitations as securing mechanism  38  for securing first interchangeable inner bootie  30  and third interchangeable inner bootie  42 .  
         [0035]     As shown, socklining  48  is placed on a top of sole  14 , which is an outsole. Socklining  48  provides a surface adapted to receive the user&#39;s foot and is usually smooth, such as leather. Moreover, socklining  48  may be used with a cushioned footbed. The footbed is to enhance comfort to the foot and is usually placed beneath the leather socklining. In some embodiments, socklining  48  is removed and replaced with the footbed, which will utilize the securing mechanism  38 .  
         [0036]     In some embodiments, securing mechanism  38  is placed between socklining  48  and sole  14  so that socklining  48  is removable. In other embodiments, socklining  48  is removably placed within outer bootie  20 . In further embodiments, socklining  48  is removably placed within any of the first, second, or third interchangeable inner bootie.  
         [0037]     It is understood that although sole  14  is described and shown to be an outsole, sole  14  is any anchoring point to which upper  12  is attached to define a volume into which the foot is placed. Therefore, sole  14  may be a midsole, insole, and/or tuckboard.  
         [0038]      FIG. 3  depicts method  70  for providing the boot, method  70  include the steps of providing  72  a sole, placing  74  an upper above the sole, and placing  78  an outer bootie between the sole and the upper. Method  70  also includes providing  82  a first interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie and providing  84  a second interchangeable inner bootie removably attachable within the outer bootie, where the second interchangeable inner bootie is different than the first interchangeable inner bootie. The differences between the booties are described above.  
         [0039]     In some embodiments, method  70  includes the step of removably placing  86  the first interchangeable inner bootie within the outer bootie and removably placing  88  the second interchangeable inner bootie within the first interchangeable inner bootie.  
         [0040]     In further embodiments, method  70  provides  92  a plurality of interchangeable inner booties where each inner bootie is removably attachable within the outer bootie. In some of these embodiments, method  70  varies  94  each interchangeable inner bootie from a next interchangeable inner bootie.