Abstract:
A shoe includes a reversible upper portion. Each shoe in the pair includes a sole and a reversible upper. An attachment system enables the uppers to be removably attachable to the soles in different exposure orientations. The coupling system may include a mating elements on the upper and the sole. The mating elements may be keyed such that one or more mating elements on the upper may only mate with selected respective elements on the sole. This system enables the reversal of the uppers to expose different aesthetic appearances if the uppers have different aesthetics on the top and bottom. As the uppers are preferably designed to be asymmetrical, reversing the uppers is accomplished by detaching and moving the upper from one sole to the other sole, inverting it to expose the other side, and attaching it to the other sole. This is particularly useful for a pair of sandals.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to an article of footwear, such as a sandal or other shoe, having a reversible upper system.  
       DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND ART  
       [0002]     Most shoes include an upper and a sole. The upper is commonly fixedly attached to the sole to help retain the foot of the user to the shoe. Such shoe uppers commonly present only a single outward appearance. This limits the potential outward appearances of a shoe. Further, with a single upper presentation system, strains, scratches, and other blemishes may cause the shoe to have an unsightly appearance and render it inappropriate or undesirable for wear. A shoe having a reversible upper system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,409,813. However, such a reversibility system has a significant drawback in that it inherently results in an undesirable fit, and exposes ground-contacting sole material directly to the foot of the user.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a better understanding of some aspects of the invention. It is not intended to be an extensive overview of the invention or aspects thereof. Nor is it intended to identify or define critical elements of the invention. This summary merely describes some aspects of the invention in a simplified manner as a prelude to the detailed description hereinafter.  
         [0004]     It is an aspect of the invention to provide a pair of shoes having a set of uppers that are removably attachable to sole units. The uppers are reversible such that it will have a first appearance on one sole and a different appearance when inverted and coupled to the other sole. This provides the user with multiple fashion choices for the presentation of his or her shoes.  
         [0005]     An aspect of the present invention is directed to a pair of shoes including a left sole, a right sole, and first and second reversible uppers. The uppers are removably detachable from the left and right soles. Each of the uppers is longitudinally asymmetric.  
         [0006]     Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a pair of shoes including a left sole, a right sole, and first and second uppers each removably detachable from the left and right soles. The pair of shoes further includes a keyed upper-to-sole coupling system for coupling the uppers to the soles such that the first upper can be coupled to the left sole in a first exposed orientation and coupled to the right sole in a second exposed orientation opposite from the first exposed orientation, and wherein the second upper can be coupled to the right sole in a first exposed orientation and coupled to the left sole in a second exposed orientation opposite from the first exposed orientation.  
         [0007]     Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a pair of uppers that are movably attachable to a pair of soles. The uppers include keyed mating coupling elements such that the first upper is attachable to a first sole only in a single exposed orientation and is attachable to the second sole only in a different exposed orientation, and the second upper is attachable to the second sole only in a single exposed orientation and is attachable to the first sole only in a different exposed orientation.  
         [0008]     The various advantages and features of novelty that characterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims. To gain an improved understanding of the advantages and features of novelty that characterize the present invention, however, reference should be made to the enclosed detailed description and accompanying drawings which describe and illustrate various embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a pair of shoes having upper portions being attached to the soles in a first configuration in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the pair of shoes of  FIG. 1  with the upper portions being removed.  
         [0011]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are top and bottom views respectively of an exemplary upper in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the pair of shoes of  FIG. 1  with the upper portions being attached to the soles in a second configuration in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are front-lateral and front-medial perspective views of the shoe of  FIG. 1  with the upper portion being attached to the sole in the first configuration. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     In the following description of the various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that depict illustrative arrangements in which the invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, various terms used herein are defined below.  
         [0015]      FIGS. 1-6  show an exemplary embodiment of a pair of articles of footwear generally designated with reference number  10  and referred to herein as a pair  10  of shoes  12 . The shoes  12  are preferably, but need not be, sandals such as shown in the figures. The pair  10  of the shoes is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4  and includes a left shoe  12   l  and a right shoe  12   r.    
         [0016]     Each shoe  12   l  or  12   r  in the pair  10  includes a sole  14  and an upper  20 . The sole  14  is intended to provide a wear resistant lower surface and preferably also a suitable amount of cushioning capabilities. The upper  20  holds the user&#39;s foot to the sole  14  and provides a fit for the user&#39;s foot. The upper  20  includes a back edge or otherwise open area to form a foot opening permitting the insertion of the user&#39;s foot into the shoe  12  and onto a footbed  17 . In an exemplary arrangement where the shoe  10  is a sandal, as depicted, the removable upper  20  is a strap system. As will be evident from the following description, each upper/strap system  20  is removably coupled to each sole  14  by an upper-to-sole attachment system that enables the upper  20  to be reversible when transferred from one shoe in the pair (e.g., the left shoe  12   l ) to the other shoe in the pair (e.g., the right shoe  12   r ).  
         [0017]     Additionally, each shoe  12 , upper  20 , and sole  14  includes a medial side and a lateral side. The medial side is the side that faces toward the centerline of the user&#39;s body when worn. The lateral side is the side that faces away from the centerline of the user&#39;s body when worn. The lateral side of each shoe is designated by reference numeral  13   l , while the medial side of each shoe  12  is designated by reference numeral  13   m . Also, as can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the lateral side of each sole  14  is designated by reference numeral  15   l , while the medial side of each sole  14  is designated by reference numeral  15   m . Similarly, the lateral side of each removable upper  20  is designated by reference numeral  21   l , while the medial side of each removable upper  20  is designated by reference numeral  21   m.    
         [0018]     In an exemplary embodiment each sole  14  is formed of any conventional durable material to resist wearing during use, such as but not limited to, rubber and rubber compositions, including phylon. The soles  14  may be formed by a single unitary molded structure. Alternatively, each sole  14  may include a midsole material for cushioning and an outsole. If used, the composition of midsole may be of any desired structure or material, such as compression molded ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), intended to provide cushioning for the user. Many variations of midsole structures that may be used in the present invention include but are not limited to full length molded designs and discrete portions of cushioning material. Further, if desired, the midsole can include one or more subcomponents such as gas, liquid, or fluid bladders encapsulated in midsole material, and/or vertical column structures. As described hereinafter, the sole  14  also includes coupling elements that form part of an upper-to-sole coupling system. In the depicted embodiment, each sole  14  includes a front medial coupling  52 , a rear medial coupling  54 , a front lateral coupling  56 , and a rear lateral coupling  58 .  
         [0019]     Each upper  20  has two different presentable external surfaces, such as faces  22   i  and  22   ii  on a central body portion. Based on which sole  14   r  or  14   l  that upper is attached to, one of the faces  22   i  or  22   ii  will be exposed at a given time and the other of the faces  22   i  and  22   ii  will be facing inward toward the foot of the user.  FIG. 3   a  shows the upper  20  in a first exposed orientation such that first external face  22   i  is exposed to provide a first appearance.  FIG. 3   b  shows the upper  20  in a second exposed orientation, inverted from the first orientation, such that second external face  22   ii  is exposed to provide a second appearance. As can be understood, the first external face  22   i  and the second external face  22   ii  are on opposite sides of the upper. In an exemplary arrangement, as depicted, external faces  22   i  and  22   ii  have two different appearances. However, one alternative embodiment, not shown, includes the first external face  22   i  and the second external face  22   ii  having the same appearance.  
         [0020]     The upper  20  may also include, as depicted, a rear trim  24  or covering and a front trim  26  or covering. If desired these sections  24  and  26  may be padded. These sections may serve to protect the main body portion  22  and add increased comfort to the pair of shoes  10 . The material for the upper  20  is not critical to the invention. However, in one configuration, the upper  20  may be made partially or entirely of synthetic materials. For example, the front and rear trim sections  26  and  24  may be made of a synthetic leather material, and the central body region  22  may be made of a woven synthetic material and may include a synthetic coating if desired. However, it is recognized that many other materials may be used in lieu of those described herein.  
         [0021]     The upper  20  also includes extension sections that serve as straps and also extend to a coupling device. These extensions may be part of the central body portion  22 . In the depicted exemplary embodiment, there is a front medial extension  32 , a rear medial extension  34 , a front lateral extension  36 , and a rear lateral extension  38 . A coupling element  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48  is located at or near the end of each respective extension  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 . As described hereinafter, the coupling elements  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48  of the upper  20  engagingly mate with the coupling elements  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  of the sole  14 .  
         [0022]     To enhance comfort, each upper  20  is not symmetric about a longitudinal center line of the shoe. That is, the uppers  20  are asymmetric. Specifically, they are longitudinally asymmetric in that the lateral and medial sides are not mirror images about a center line through the approximate center of the shoe. This enables the strap system  20  to better and more comfortably interface with the anatomy of the human foot to enhance the fit of the shoe  12 . While the drawings depict a first exemplary asymmetric strap system  20 , alternative asymmetric strap systems/uppers may be used in lieu of the depicted embodiment.  
         [0023]     The upper-to-sole attachment system includes the removably mating or interfacing couplings on the upper  20  and on the sole  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, the coupling includes an anchor on the sole  14  and a mating hole on the upper  20 . More specifically, and as seen in  FIG. 2 , each anchor on the sole  14  includes an outwardly protruding body portion or shank  50  and an enlarged end section or shoulder  51  disposed on the distal end of the body portion  50 . The anchor may be molded integrally with the sole  14  or a portion of the sole  14 . Alternatively, the anchors may be molded separately and be provided with a plug portion  53  that is an extension of the body portion  50 . This is schematically represented in the rear medial portion of the right sole  14   r  of  FIG. 2 . If the anchors are made separately, the sole  14  may include a channel sized complimentary to the plug portion  53  and the plug portion  53  may be inserted into and glued or otherwise fixed into the channel.  
         [0024]     The mating coupling portion on the upper  20  includes a flange  60  that has a hole  62  therein. The hole is preferably shaped and sized to be slightly larger than, but substantially complimentary to, the body portion  50  of the anchor. The shoulder  51  is similarly shaped but slightly larger than the hole  62 . The shoulder  51  is somewhat flexible to permit the hole  62  to be worked over the shoulder  51  and onto the body portion  50 . Once positioned on the body portion  50 , the flange  60  will remain coupled to the anchor during normal footwear usage until the flange is manually worked back over the flexible shoulder  51 . It is recognized that other complimentary coupling arrangements may be used.  
         [0025]     In the depicted embodiment, the upper-to-sole attachment system is a multiple point attachment system, and includes four attachment points wherein the strap system  20  and the sole  14  can be removably coupled. In the depicted arrangement, there is an attachment point at the front medial, rear medial, front lateral, and rear lateral portions of the shoe. Thus, this respectively corresponds to the coupling elements on the sole  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and  58  and the coupling elements on the upper  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48 . It is recognized that more or less than four couplings may be used, and they need not be located in each quadrant of the shoe.  
         [0026]     Since the upper  20  is asymmetric, it is helpful to prevent the user from placing the upper  20  on the sole upside-down or angularly displaced. The coupling system is preferably “keyed” to achieve this goal. By keyed, and in the depicted arrangement, it means at least one coupling for the upper  20  does not normally fit or mate with at least one coupling for the sole  14 . Specifically this is achieved in the exemplary depicted embodiment by including two sets of differing couplings for the upper  20  and two sets of differing couplings for the sole  14 . Thus, there are some couplings wherein they will not properly mate with one another. In one arrangement, as shown, one coupling will not fit the remaining coupling. While this can be achieved in different manners, such as having a different size and/or shape, the rear lateral couplings on the sole and on the upper depicted embodiment is differently (e.g., sized larger) than the other three couplings. This will ensure that the user places the upper  20  in one orientation on one sole and in the opposite exposed orientation when attached to the other sole.  
         [0027]     The larger size also serves as a visual indicator so that a user is not likely to attempt to forcibly assembly and possibly break a coupling device while trying to attach an upper to a sole. A second indicator to minimize the likelihood of an incorrect installation is that the spacing between the couplings is different on the medial and lateral sides. Thus for example, the distance between the two couplings on the lateral side D 1  may be smaller than the spacing on the medial side D 2 . This too will inherently aid the user in the proper assembly process.  
         [0028]     As indicated above, the appearance of the upper  20  will preferably be different to give the user additional aesthetic flexibility in the use of the product. Thus, while the surfaces of  22   i  and  22   ii  are represented by a striped and a checkered pattern respectively, such representations are intended to depict generic different surfaces. For example, one exposed surface could be a solid color while the other surface could be a pattern. Thus, this would be helpful to wear the desired pattern based on the event/location and/or the clothes that the user is wearing. Alternatively, the exposed surfaces  22   i  and  22   ii  could be two different pastel colors and the user could install the uppers to best match the clothes that the user is wearing. Alternatively, one side could have a mascot or other indicia of a sports team where the opposing side could be a solid or pattern. If desired, both sides could be provided with the same pattern. This would provide the user with flexibility to change the appearance of the shoe if the shoe upper was worn, damaged, and/or blemished.  
         [0029]     While the various features of shoe  12  work together to achieve the advantages previously described, it is recognized that individual features and sub-combinations of these features can be used to obtain some of the aforementioned advantages without the necessity to adopt all of these features. The present invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying drawings with reference to a variety of embodiments. The purpose served by disclosure of the embodiments, however, is to provide an example of the various aspects embodied in the invention, not to limit the scope of the invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.