Patent Publication Number: US-9402436-B2

Title: Customizable replacement strap converter system for flip flop sandals

Description:
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/662,032 filed on Jun. 20, 2012. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for converting standard flip-flop sandals into customizable lace-up sandals. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, primarily for protection against the environment and for fashion. Many different styles and mindsets regarding footwear have existed over many centuries and across many cultures. Some ancient cultures such as the Egyptians, Hindu and Greeks did not regard footwear as an essential garment and often went barefoot, though the Egyptians and Hindus were known to occasionally don ornamental footwear, such as a sole-less sandal known as a “Cleopatra.” Other cultures, such as the Romans, considered footwear as visual signs of social and economic status and power, while going about barefoot was an indicator of poverty on the level of slaves and peasants. 
     Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer&#39;s foot by straps passing over the instep and occasionally over the ankle. Sandals may take many different forms but the common understanding is that a sandal leaves a large portion of the upper foot exposed, particularly the toes. Conventional foot sandals ordinarily include a platform with straps extending across the platform and permanently secured within the platform structure. The foot is then slipped into the strap so as to provide a means of holding the foot to the platform. Sandals have been very popular for many years, and are widely used indoors and outdoors, usually in warmer weather and climates. During the past decades, sandals have been increasingly considered a popular design accessory, so that a pair of sandals is selected by the user to blend well aesthetically with other clothing to be worn by the user, coordinating the “look” of the sandals with those clothes. Sandals may, however, be expensive, and when styles change, previously purchased sandals become obsolete, and the user may feel the need to purchase a new pair to keep up with the latest style trend. 
     Many different types of sandals exist, including clogs, fisherman sandals, geta, Grecian sandals, and thong sandals or “flip-flops.” Flip flops are one of the most common types of sandals, where two ends of a Y-shaped strap are attached to the sole of the sandal on the opposite sides of the sole where a wearer&#39;s foot would rest, with the two ends intersecting at a thong or toe piece extending from the sole for placement between the big or first toe and the second toe of the wearer&#39;s feet. This configuration of sandal straps contributes to the common name of “flip-flops” due to the slapping of the sole against the heel that occurs while walking. 
     It has been proposed in the past to manufacture sandals and shoes with interchangeable and removable elements, but these prior art devices are normally quite complicated and difficult to provide for the interlocking of the elements. The present invention provides for a method to customize thong sandals which is very simple and provides for a method to quickly and easily replace the original straps with any configuration of straps, laces, embellishments, or charms the user may desire. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which allows the user to replace the Y-shaped strap of a typical pair of thong or flip-flop sandals with custom straps laces, embellishments, charms or other accessories. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one of the converter pegs. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded lower perspective view of the sandal sole and the plurality of converter pegs. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the sandal sole with the plurality of converter pegs installed. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the present invention in use having a strap arrangement using only the plurality of straps. 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the present invention in use having a strap arrangement incorporating the strap tie ring. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the present invention in use having a strap arrangement incorporating the strap tie ring, embellishment and embellishment connection magnet. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION 
     All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     The present invention is an apparatus for the conversion of standard Y-strap sandals or thongs into customizable lace-up sandals. The present invention generally comprises a plurality of converter pegs  1  and a strap arrangement  2 . The plurality of converter pegs  1  and the strap arrangement  2  are installed onto a sandal sole  3  from a pair of pre-existing flip-flop sandals. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , each of the plurality of converter pegs  1  comprises a top face  111 , a peg portion  112 , and a cord loop  12 . The peg portion  112  and the top face  111  constitute a converter peg body  11 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the converter peg body  11  is made from injection molded plastic or another relatively stiff polymer. The cord loop  12  is made from a soft, flexible plastic, nylon or other polymer, various types of fabric or another appropriate material that is soft, pliable, comfortable and safe for extended skin contact. Peg portion  112  is cylindrical. 
     The top face  111  is positioned on the peg portion  112 , wherein the top face  111  and the peg portion  112  are concentrically positioned with each other. The peg portion  112  is positioned adjacent to the top face  111  opposite the loop cord. A perimeter for the top face  111  has an equal diameter to a first diameter of the peg portion  112 . 
     The cord loop  12  is perpendicularly attached to the top face  111  opposite the peg portion  112 . The cord loop  12  comprises a first loop end  121 , a second loop end  122 , and a medial loop portion  123 . The first loop end  121  and the second loop end  122  are positioned adjacent to each other, and are attached to the top face  111 . The medial loop portion  123  is positioned opposite the first loop end  121  and the second loop end  122 . 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the converter peg body  11  and the cord loop  12  are manufactured such that the cord loop  12  is permanently attached to the converter peg body  11 , wherein the cord loop  12  is oriented perpendicular to the converter peg body  11 . In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a converter peg is assembled from a length of cord that is attached at its ends to make a cord end junction by tying a knot, melting the ends together, or affixing them together with adhesive or similar means, and pushing the cord loop  12  through a cord aperture in the converter peg body  11  smaller than the cord end junction. In another embodiment, the cord end junction of the cord loop  12  are prevented from passing through the cord aperture by affixing an o-ring, split washer, crimp cover, or any combination of o-rings, split washers and crimp covers between the cord end junction and the cord aperture. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , the sandal sole  3  comprises a plurality of peg apertures  31 . The sandal sole  3  may be from an existing flip-flop sandal from which pre-installed straps have been removed or a standalone sandal sole  3 . In the preferred embodiment, each of the plurality of peg apertures  31  has typical dimensions of flip-flop sandal soles. In other embodiments, each of the plurality of peg apertures  31  has atypical dimensions. A quantity of peg apertures for the plurality of peg apertures  31  is equal to a quantity of converter pegs for the plurality of converter pegs  1 . The plurality of peg apertures  31  traverses through the sandal sole  3 , wherein the plurality of peg apertures  31  is positioned around the sandal sole  3  according to a typical flip-flop sandal arrangement. In the typical flip-flop sandal arrangement, a first peg aperture from the plurality of peg apertures  31  is positioned approximately between a user&#39;s first toe and second toe, and a second peg aperture and a third peg aperture from the plurality of peg apertures  31  are positioned opposite each other across the instep area of a user&#39;s foot. Each of the plurality of peg apertures  31  comprises a first aperture portion  32  and a second aperture portion  33 . The first aperture portion  32  and the second aperture portion  33  are concentrically positioned with each other and are positioned adjacent to each other. A first aperture diameter for the first aperture portion  32  is larger than a second aperture diameter for the second aperture portion  33 , forming a peg aperture T shape. 
     The plurality of converter pegs  1  is removably inserted into the plurality of peg apertures  31 . The converter peg body  11  and each of the plurality of peg apertures  31  have approximately equal dimensions, such that the converter peg body  11  may be removably inserted into one of the plurality of peg apertures  31  by applying a small force, and friction between the converter peg body  11  and the one of the plurality of peg apertures  31  prevents the converter body from accidentally becoming dislodged from the one of the plurality of peg apertures  31 . The second aperture portion  33  blocks the plurality of converter pegs  1  from being pulled completely through the sandal sole  3  during use. Preferably, when the plurality of converter pegs  1  is inserted into the plurality of peg apertures  31 , a lower extremities of the converter peg body  11  of the plurality of converter pegs  1  is flush with a bottom surface of the sandal sole  3 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-5 , the strap arrangement  2  comprises a plurality of straps  21  and a strap tie ring  22 . The strap arrangement  2  is removably connected to the plurality of converter pegs  1 . Each of the plurality of straps  21  is removably connected to the medial loop portion  123  of one of the plurality of converter pegs  1 . Each of the plurality of straps  21  may be comprised of lengths of fabric, cord, string, or any other elongated strip of material the user may wish to utilize. The strap tie ring  22  is an optional accessory. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the strap arrangement  2  further comprises a decorative embellishment  23  and an embellishment connection magnet  24 , wherein the decorative embellishment  23  comprises a magnetic backing  231 . The decorative embellishment  23  is a decorative object which adds aesthetic appeal to the visual appearance of the present invention, and may take virtually any form including, but not limited to, a flower, rhinestone, button, object, or any other desired shape. The plurality of straps  21  is removably connected to the strap tie ring  22 . To create a customized strap arrangement  2 , the user threads each of the plurality of straps  21  through the cord loop  12  of one of the plurality of converter pegs  1 , places their foot atop the sandal sole  3 , and proceeds to wrap the plurality of straps  21  around their foot and lower leg in any desired manner. The decorative embellishment  23  and the strap tie ring  22  are optional for creating the customized strap arrangement  2 . The user may additionally incorporate rings, charms or other additional embellishments into the strap arrangement  2  as the user desires. For example, the user may arrange and thread the laces through the loops and around the foot in such a way that a ring may be held in place by the laces on the top of the foot near the instep 
     If the user wishes to include the strap tie ring  22 , the user simply threads one or more of the plurality of straps  21  through the strap tie ring  22  in any configuration the user desires. If the user wishes to include the decorative embellishment  23  in the customized strap arrangement  2 , the user first positions the magnetic backing  231  concentrically with the strap tie ring  22 , between the strap tie ring  22  and the user&#39;s foot. The user then positions the decorative embellishment  23  adjacent to the strap tie ring  22  that the embellishment connection magnet  24  is positioned adjacent to the strap tie ring  22  opposite the magnetic backing  231 . The embellishment connection magnet  24  is thereby removably connected with the decorative embellishment  23  by the magnetic backing  231 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the embellishment connection magnet  24  and the magnetic backing  231  protrude toward each other within the strap tie ring  22  in order to close the gap due to separation by the strap tie ring  22  so that the embellishment connection magnet  24  and the magnetic backing  231  are in physical contact, ensuring a secure connection. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the decorative embellishment  23  may be removably connected to the strap tie ring  22  by other means, such as, but not limited to, hook and loop tape, hooks, or snaps. In another embodiment, the strap tie ring  22  itself is magnetic and the magnetic backing  231  is not necessary. 
     To use the present invention to convert a typical pair of flip-flop sandals into a pair of customized sandals with a customized strap arrangement  2 , the user cuts or otherwise removes an existing strap setup from a pair of typical flip-flop sandals, inserts the plurality of converter pegs  1  into the plurality of peg apertures  31 , steps into the sandals and connects the strap arrangement  2  to the plurality of converter pegs  1  as previously described. The plurality of converter pegs  1  and the strap arrangement  2  are only connected to any given sandal sole  3  temporarily, as the strap arrangement  2  is the only means of preventing the plurality of converter pegs  1  from sliding out from the bottom of the sole. After the user unlaces or otherwise removes the strap arrangement  2 , the user may easily remove the plurality of converter pegs  1  and subsequently install the present invention in a different sandal sole  3 , to achieve a different look by using a sandal sole  3  with a different color or pattern, for example. 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.