Abstract:
A strap pad provides a modification to open type shoes known as flip-flops, sandals, or any footwear that incorporate a strap to hold a foot to the sole of a shoe. As the strap stretches and/or the sole compresses from use, the foot fits loosely between the strap and the sole of the shoe. The strap pad is fixed to the underside of the strap so the foot fits snuggly between the strap pad and the sole. The strap pad may fit completely under the strap so it is hidden from view. The strap pad may be fixed to the strap using adhesive, a snap fastener, or a hook-and-loop fastener.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates pads and cushions that fit under straps of flip-flops, sandals, and other open type footwear to provide a snug fit for the wearer. 
       DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
       [0002]    Flip-flops, shower shoes, sandals, and other open type footwear typically incorporate a strap that holds the foot to the sole of the footwear but otherwise leave much of the foot exposed to air. Flip-flops are usually made of a rubber sole with a Y-shaped strap that is fixed to the rear sides and the front of the sole. The front of the strap generally goes between the toes of the wearer. Shower shoes are more of a slipper in which the strap holding the sole to the foot is a thick piece of rubber or cloth that crosses the top of the foot perpendicular to the sole. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method is provided for modifying an open type shoe having a sole and a strap that holds a foot to the sole. The method includes attaching a “strap pad” to an underside of the strap so the foot fits snuggly between the strap pad and the sole. The method may be performed by a consumer after the purchase of the open type shoe when the strap becomes stretched and/or the sole becomes compressed from use. 
         [0004]    In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a footwear package includes an open type shoe having a sole and a strap that holds a foot to the sole, and a number of strap pads attachable to an underside of the strap so the foot fits snuggly between a strap pad and the sole. Each strap pad has a shape that matches the strap so the strap pad fits completely under the strap. 
         [0005]    In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a package of strap pads is provided for an open type shoe comprising a sole and a strap that hold a foot to the sole. The package includes a number of strap pads attachable to an underside of the strap so the foot fits snuggly between a strap pad and the sole. At least two strap pads are of the same shape but different thicknesses. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    In the drawings: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a top view of a pair of open type shoes; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of a foot in the shoe of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the shoes of  FIG. 1  with strap pads attached to underside of straps of the shoes; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of a foot in the shoe of  FIG. 1  with the strap pad; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a strap pad; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  shows a package including pairs of strap pads; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows a package including a pair of open type shoes and pairs of strap pads; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a strap and a strap pad using a snap fastener; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a strap and a strap pad using a hook-and-loop fastener, all arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure 
       
    
    
       [0016]    Use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a top view of a pair of open type shoes  100 , such as flip-flops, shower shows, sandals, or other types of open type shoes. Each shoe  100  has a sole  102  and a strap  104  that holds a foot to the sole. In the particular example shown in  FIG. 1 , strap  104  is a Y-shaped strap that is fixed to the front and the rear sides of sole  102 . Strap  104  includes a toe post  106  that passes between the first and the second toes, and two elongated strips  108  that wrap around the sides of the foot. Alternatively strap  104  may be a single wide strip over the front of the foot. 
         [0018]    When new, shoes  100  fit to the feet snugly and are comfortable to the wearer. After a short time, sometimes within hours, shoes  100  break in to the wearer&#39;s feet and become loose. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of a foot  202  in shoe  100  with a space  204  between strap  104  and the top of the foot. The loose fit causes shoes  100  to fly off when walking normally, which leads to embarrassment, inconvenience, and even injury. To prevent shoes  100  from taking flight, the wearer tends to curl their toes to keep the shoes on. The toe-curling causes injuries to the plantar fascia, the connective tissue that runs from heel to toe. It also causes inflammation and pain along the sole of the foot, and creates heel spurs and overall tired feet. The wearer then overcompensates by changing his or her gait, taking shorter strides and turning their ankles inward to keep shoes  100  from falling off. Over time, this can cause long-term foot, ankle, and hip problems due to the lack of solid foot and ankle support. In addition, people with flat feet or high arches can aggravate old problems and do long-term, serious damage by wearing loose, open type shoes. 
         [0020]    Some more expensive open type shoes have arch supports or other foot molded sole shapes that may help to address the problem. However these features stop working once the strap has stretched and/or the soles has compressed to the wearer&#39;s foot shape. Many flip-flops cost upwards of $50 to $75 per pair and sandals can cost hundreds of dollars. Thus, what are needed are methods and apparatus that allow open type shoes to fit better, last longer, and be more comfortable. 
         [0021]    A strap pad, also referred to as a “strap cushion” or a “flip strip,” is a piece of comfortable and durable material that is fixed to the underside of a strap on an open type shoe. The strap pad compensates for the space left when the shoe has been broken-in and no longer fits as snugly as it did when it was new. The strap pad may also compensate for a shoe that is too large when purchased new. Attaching a strap pad is an inexpensive and indiscernible way to make a shoe fit better. The strap pad not only extends the life of the shoe but may also keep wearers from curling their toes and injuring themselves or from losing their shoes as they walk and injuring themselves. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of shoes  100  with strap pads  302  (shown in phantom) attached to the undersides of straps  104  of the shoes in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For a Y-shaped strap  104 , a strap pad  302  is provided for each strip  108 . Strap pads  302  may have the shape of a quadrilateral, such as trapezoid, parallelogram, or a rectangle. Alternatively, a single V-shaped strap pad that spans across strips  108  may be used. Furthermore, a single rectangular strap pad may be used with an open type shoe with a single strap across the front of the foot. 
         [0023]    In one or more embodiment, strap pads  302  are specifically made for a particular pair of shoes  100 . Each strap pad  302  has a shape that matches the shape of strap  104  at the strap pad&#39;s attachment location so the strap pad fits substantially or completely fit under the strap. Alternatively, strap pad  302  has a generic shape that is trimmed by the wearer using scissors or a knife to match strap  104 . Strap pad  302  may have a variety of thicknesses (e.g., thin, medium, thick) to accommodate a variety of foot sizes. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  shows a side view of foot  202  in shoe  100  with strap pad  302  in the shoe in one or more embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen, strap pad  302  removes any space  204  ( FIG. 2 ) between strap  104  and foot  202 , thereby providing a snug fit for the wearer&#39;s foot between the strap pad  302  and sole  102 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of strap pad  302  in one or more embodiment of the present disclosure. Strap pad  302  includes a cushion body  502 , a layer of adhesive  504  on top of the cushion body, and a backing  506  on top of the adhesive layer. Cushion body  502  may be a single layer of material or multiple layers of different materials. The bottom surface of cushion body  502  may be contoured to provide a comfortable fit against the top of foot  202 . 
         [0026]    After a wearer purchases and breaks in shoes  100 , the wearer may attach strap pad  302  to the underside of strap  104 . The wearer first removes backing  506  from adhesive layer  504  and then applies the adhesive layer to the underside of strap  104  at a proper attachment location where the strap substantially or completely covers strap pad  302 . The wearer may also trim strap pad  302  to match the shape of strap  104 . 
         [0027]    Flip flops, sandals, and other open type shoes are preferred when visiting beaches, rivers, lakes, pools, and other recreational areas involving water activities. Thus, these open type shoes often get wet and they are generally worn without socks. Flip flops and sandals are also mostly made of rubber and/or leather, and both of these materials generate a substantial amount of perspiration in the foot area as the foot is directly adjacent to the rubber or leather. Considering the above, strap pad  302  is made with materials that are durable, comfortable, breathable, and/or waterproof. These qualities allow strap pad  302  to stand up to a wet environment while delivering comfort to the user. In one or more embodiments, cushion body  502  may be foam, sponge, rubber, neoprene, or cloth (e.g., felt). In one or more embodiments, strap pads  302  of a variety of different materials can be provided to a wearer and the wear selects a strap pad based on the intended use for shoes  100 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  shows a package  600  including strap pads in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Package  600  may be a board that includes strap pads of different shapes. For example, package  600  includes strap pads  602  that are parallelograms and strap pads  604  and  606  that are rectangular (less than all are labeled for clarity). Package  600  may include strap pads of the same shape but different sizes. For example, rectangular strap pads  604  are smaller than rectangular strap pads  606 . Package  600  may also include strap pads of different thicknesses. For example, package  600  includes a section  612  of strap pads  602 ,  604 , and  606  of a thin thickness, a section  614  of strap pads  602 ,  604 , and  606  of a medium thickness, and a section  616  of strap pads  602 ,  604 , and  606  of a thick thickness. 
         [0029]    Package  600  may be manufactured in a batch process where a large sheet of cushion body material (e.g., foam, rubber, or neoprene) is coated with adhesive, a large sheet of backing material is applied to the adhesive to form a sandwich board of cushion body, adhesive, and backing materials, and the shapes of the strap pads are stamped out in the sandwich board. The large sheet of cushion body material may have sections of different thicknesses to form strap pads of different thicknesses. 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  shows a footwear package  700  including a pair of open type shoes  100  and strap pads  302  in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Package  700  may be a board that includes strap pads  302  of different thicknesses. For example, package  700  includes a section  702  of strap pads  302  of a thin thickness, a section  704  of strap pads  302  of a medium thickness, and a section  706  of strap pads  302  of a thick thickness. 
         [0031]    Package  700  may be manufactured in a batch process where the material for soles  102  and cushion body  502  are the same. A large sheet of the sole and cushion body material is provided. An area of the body material is coated with adhesive, a sheet of backing material is applied to the area with the adhesive, and the shapes of the strap pads  302  are stamped out in the area with the adhesive and backing materials while the shapes of soles  102  are stamped out in another area without the adhesive and backing materials. The large sheet of sole and cushion body material may have sections of different thicknesses to form strap pads of different thicknesses. Straps  104  are then attached to soles  102 . 
         [0032]    Although self-adhesive cushion straps are described above, other mechanisms for attaching a cushion strap to the underside of a strap may be used.  FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a strap  802  of an open type shoe and a strap pad  804  using snap fasteners  806  in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Each snap fastener  806  includes two halves  808  and  810 , a stud and a socket. Halves  808  are fixed adhesively or mechanically (e.g., by sewing or attaching fixtures) to the underside of strap  802  and halves  810  are fixed mechanically or adhesively to the top of cushion strap  804 . Cushion strap  804  is then snapped onto the underside of strap  802  to interlock snap fasteners  806 . 
         [0033]    Halves  808  may be sold as part of a package including strap pad  804  with halves  810  preinstalled on the strap pad. Halves  808  may be self-adhesive so the wearer would remove a backing from an adhesive topside and then adhere the topside of halves  808  to the underside of strap  802 . Alternatively an open type shoe may be preinstalled with halves  808 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a strap  902  of an open type shoe and a strap pad  904  using a hook-and-loop fastener  906  in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Hook-and-loop fastener  906  includes two components, a strip  908  of hooks and a strip  910  of loops. Strip  908  is fixed adhesively or mechanically (e.g., by sewing) to the underside of strap  902  and strip  910  is fixed adhesively or mechanically to the top of cushion strap  904 , or vice versa. The top of cushion strap  904  is then applied to the underside of strap  902  to interlock strips  908  and  910  of hook-and-loop fastener  906 . 
         [0035]    Strip  908  may be sold as part of a package including strap pad  904  with strip  910  preinstalled on the strap pad. Strip  908  may be self-adhesive so the wearer would remove a backing from an adhesive topside and then adhere the topside of strip  908  to the underside of strap  902 . Alternatively an open type shoe may be preinstalled with strip  908 . 
         [0036]    Various other adaptations and combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention. Numerous embodiments are encompassed by the following claims.