Patent Publication Number: US-2019183207-A1

Title: Footwear with upper attachment mechanism

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/607,127, filed on Dec. 18, 2017, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/664,309, filed on Sep. 24, 2018, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure generally relates to footwear with an attachment mechanism of a footwear upper. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Footwear in the nature of a slide or a slide sandal typically may have an outsole and an upper that has a strap or series of straps that cross the toes and lower half of the foot to hold the footwear in place. These straps may be typically affixed to the lateral sides of the outsole via an adhesive, or using a similarly permanent method. 
     This means that when a user purchases footwear such as slides, they do so knowing that the upper and outsole are bonded together permanently and inextricably. However, many users may wish to wear more than one style or design of slides. Users may need to purchase multiple types of footwear (i.e., multiple pairs of both outsoles and uppers). 
     Additionally, permanent bonding processes may reduce the flexibility of footwear sellers by coupling outsole inventory to upper inventory. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure provides footwear including a sole and at least one upper. The sole includes: a sole body; and at least one first mating connector located on the sole body. The at least one upper includes: an upper body; and at least one first mating connector located on the upper body. Each of the at least one first mating connector of the upper is configured to be detachably attached to one of the at least one first mating connector of the at least one sole. 
     Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a kit including at least one sole, a plurality of first uppers, and a plurality of second uppers. The at least one sole includes: a sole body; and at least one first mating connector located on the sole body. Each of the plurality of first uppers includes: an upper body; and at least one first mating connector located on the upper body. Each of the at least one first mating connector of the first upper body is configured to be detachably attached to one of the at least one first mating connector of the at least one sole. Each of the plurality of second uppers includes: an upper body; and at least one first mating connector located on the upper body. Each of the at least one first mating connector of the first upper body is configured to be detachably attached to one of the at least one first mating connector of the at least one sole. Each of the first uppers preferably differs from each of the second uppers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1-2  illustrate perspective views of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of a sole of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of a sole of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a top view of an upper of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom view of an upper of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a side view of a sole (partially disassembled) of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a side view of a sole of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a cross sectional view of a sole of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  is a top perspective view taken from the rear of one embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a top perspective view taken from the front of one embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a top perspective view taken from the rear of one embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  is a top perspective view taken from the front of one embodiment. 
         FIG. 14  is a top perspective view taken from the rear of one embodiment. 
         FIG. 15  is a top perspective view taken from the front of one embodiment. 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a kit according to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles of the present disclosure is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the disclosure disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Moreover, the features and benefits of the disclosure are illustrated by reference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure expressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the disclosure being defined by the claims appended hereto. 
     This disclosure describes the best mode or modes of practicing the disclosure as presently contemplated. This description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but provides an example of the disclosure presented solely for illustrative purposes by reference to the accompanying drawings to advise one of ordinary skill in the art of the advantages and construction of the disclosure. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts. 
     It is important to note that the embodiments disclosed are only examples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily limit any of the various claimed disclosures. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to others. In general, unless otherwise indicated, singular elements may be in plural and vice versa with no loss of generality. 
       FIGS. 1-2  illustrate perspective views of a footwear according to one embodiment. The footwear in  FIGS. 1-2  corresponds to a footwear in  FIGS. 10-11 . 
     The footwear  100  shown in  FIGS. 1-2  may be one example of a footwear according to one embodiment. Examples of a footwear may include, but not limited to, slides, slide sandals, shoes, boots, and other types of footwear. The footwear  100  may include a sole  200  and at least one upper  300 . The upper  300  may be detachably attached to the sole  200 . In the illustrated example in  FIG. 1 , one end of the upper  300  may be attached to one side of the sole  200  and the opposite end of the upper  300  may be attached to the opposite side of the sole  200 . 
     In one example, the sole  200  may include a sole body  210 , at least one first mating connector  230 , and at least one second mating connector  240 . 
     The sole body  210  may be made of polyurethane, cork, rubber, plastic, combination thereof, or other type of material. The sole body  210  may include a first side  211  and a second side  212  that face opposite sides to each other in a lateral direction X 1  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the sole body  210 . In the illustrated example in  FIGS. 3-4 , the sole body  210  may be provided with a first recess  215  at the first side  211  of the sole body  210 , and a second recess  216  at the second side  212  of the sole body  210 . The recess  215  may accommodate at least a part of the upper  300 , for example, such that the upper  300  is substantially flush with the first side  211  of the sole body  210  when the upper  300  is attached to the sole  200 . The first recess  215  of the sole body  210  may include a recess wall  2151  facing to one side in the lateral direction X 1  of the sole body  210 . The second recess  216  may include a recess wall  2161  facing to the other side in the lateral direction X 1  of the sole body  210 . The sole body  210  shown in the figures (e.g.,  FIGS. 3-4 ) that has recesses  215  and  216  is one example of a sole body, it being understood that the sole body  210  does not have to include the recess  215  or  216 , or there could be other recess configurations other than as shown in the figures. 
     The at least one first mating connector  230  may be located anywhere on the sole body  210 . For example, in  FIG. 2 , the at least one first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  may be located at the first side  211  of the sole body  210 . At least a part of each first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  may be located within the first recess  215  of the sole body  210 . The at least one first mating connector  230  may be configured to be detachably attached to the upper  300 . In one embodiment, the at least one first mating connector  230  may be one mating connector, and in another embodiment the at least one first mating connector  230  may be two or more mating connectors. In the example of  FIG. 2 , three first mating connectors  230  are provided in the sole  200 . The first mating connectors  230  of the sole  200  may be arranged along a front and back direction Y 1  of the sole  200 . The first mating connectors  230  of the sole  200  may be different from the sole body  210 , and may be fixed to the sole body  210 . In another embodiment, the first mating connectors  230  may be integrally formed with the sole body  210  (e.g., in one embodiment the first mating connectors  230  and the sole body  210  may be formed with the same mold(s) at the same time and be made of the same material). 
     The at least one second mating connector  240  may be located anywhere on the sole body  210 . For example, in  FIG. 2 , the at least one second mating connector  240  of the sole  200  may be located at the second side  212  of the sole body  210 . A part of each second mating connector  240  of the sole  200  may be located within the second recess  216  of the sole body  210 . The at least one second mating connector  240  may be configured to be detachably attached to the upper  300 . In one embodiment, the at least one second mating connectors  240  may be one mating connector, and in another embodiment the at least one second mating connectors  240  may be two or more mating connectors. In one example in  FIG. 2 , three second mating connectors  240  are provided in the sole  200 . The second mating connectors  240  of the sole  200  may be arranged along the front and back direction Y 1  of the sole  200 . The second mating connectors  240  of the sole  200  may be different from the sole body  210 , and may be fixed to the sole body  210 . In another embodiment, the second mating connectors  240  may be integrally formed with the sole body  210  (e.g., in one embodiment the second mating connectors  240  and the sole body  210  may be formed with the same mold(s) at the same time and be made of the same material). 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-2 , one upper  300  may be provided in the footwear  100 . As discussed above, the upper  300  may be configured to be detachably attached to the sole  200 . As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 and 5-6 , the upper  300  may include an upper body  310 , at least one first mating connector  330 , and at least one second mating connector  340  (see  FIGS. 5-6 ). 
     The upper body  310  may be made of cloth, polyurethane, cork, rubber, plastic, combination thereof, or other type of material. As shown in  FIGS. 5-6 , the upper body  310  may include a first end  311  and a second end  312  that is spaced apart from the first end  311  in a lateral direction X 2  of the upper body  310 . In the illustrated example, the upper body  310  may include a strap that may be flexible. 
     In view of  FIGS. 5-6 , the at least one first mating connector  330  of the upper  300  may be located on the upper body  310 . In one example, the at least one first mating connector  330  of the upper  300  may be located at the first end  311  of the upper body  310 . It may be preferable for optimal fit that the at least one first mating connector  330  are located as close as possible to a corner of the upper body  310 . The at least one first mating connector  330  may be configured to be detachably attached to the at least one first mating connector  230  of the sole  200 . In one embodiment, the at least one first mating connector  330  may be one connector and, in another embodiment, the at least one first mating connector  330  may be two or more connectors. In the illustrated example in  FIGS. 5-6 , three first mating connectors  330  are provided in the upper  300 . The first mating connectors  330  of the upper  300  may be arranged along a front and back direction Y 2  of the upper  300 . The first mating connectors  330  of the upper  300  may be different from the upper body  310 , and may be fixed to the upper body  310 . In another embodiment, the first mating connector  330  may be integrally formed with the upper body  310 . 
     In one embodiment, each of the first mating connectors  330  of the upper  300  may include a snap connector that is configured to be detachably attached to a corresponding snap connector of one of the at least one first mating connector  230  of the sole  200 . The snap connectors may include a snap stud and a snap socket that can be detachably attached to the snap stud. For example, when the snap connector of the first mating connector  330  of the upper  300  is a snap socket, the corresponding snap connector of the first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  may be a snap stud that can be detachably attached to the snap socket. In contrast, when the snap connector of the first mating connector  330  of the upper  300  is a snap stud, the corresponding snap connector of the first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  may be a snap socket that can be detachably attached to the snap stud. Users may attach the upper  300  to the sole  200  by pushing each snap socket/stud combination into place, and detach the upper  300  from the sole  200  by pulling the snap socket and stud apart. Alternatively, other types of mating connectors may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure including, but not limited to, buttons, zippers, threaded connectors, non-threaded connectors of any style or configuration, hook and loop fasteners, and the like. Furthermore, while the upper  300  includes mating connectors on both sides of the upper, it will be understood that the upper may only include mating connectors on one side, wherein the other side is attached to the sole. Other mating configurations are possible. 
     Among the first mating connectors  230  of the sole  200 , a type of the snap connector of one or more of the first mating connectors  230  of the sole  200 , and a type of the snap connector of the other one(s) of the first mating connectors  230  of the sole  200  may be different from each other. Similarly, among the first mating connectors  330  of the upper  300 , a type of the snap connector of one or more of the first mating connectors  330  of the upper  300 , and a type of the snap connector of the other one(s) of the first mating connectors  330  of the upper  300  may be different from each other. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the sole  200  may include at least one fixing structure  250  that may fix the first mating connector  230  (and the second mating connector  240 ) to the sole body  210 . The fixing structure  250  may include at least one of fasteners (e.g., a screw, a nail, a bolt, and a pin), adhesives, and other types of fixing structures. In one example where the first mating connector  230  includes a snap stud, such a snap stud may include a hole through which a screw is inserted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , another example of the fixing structure  250  may include an anchor mechanism, for example, around which the sole body  210  is molded. The anchor mechanism could take different types of shapes, structures or configurations in addition to configurations described herein. The anchor mechanism may be any configuration that would be difficult to extract or pull out of the sole body  210 . In one non-limiting example, the anchor mechanism and the mating connector may be specialized anchor/mating connector hardware that is formed as one continuous, custom made piece. A non-limiting example of the anchor mechanism may include an anchor  251  located inside the sole body  210  and an anchor connector  252  extending from the first mating connector  230  (e.g., a snap stud) of the sole  200  toward to the anchor  251 . The anchor connector  252  may be, but is not limited to, a rod (e.g., threaded rod) or other type of connector. The anchor connector  252  may be directly connected to the first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  and to the anchor  251 . The anchor  251  (and the anchor connector  252 ) may be held in place during forming process (e.g., molding process) of the sole body  210 . The sole body  210  may form around the anchor  251 , making it more difficult or impossible to pull out the first mating connector  230  (e.g., a snap stud) without ripping out a lot of material of the sole body  210 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the sole body  210  may be provided with an additional recess  218  that is recessed from the recess wall  2151  of the first recess  215 . At least a part of the first mating connector  230  (e.g., a snap stud) of the sole  200  may be located within the additional recess  218  of the sole body  210 . Other anchor and anchor connector configurations are contemplated. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , another example of the fixing structure  250  may include a plate  255  fixed to the sole body  210 , for example, by screws and/or adhesives (note that the sole  200  in  FIGS. 8-9  is for right foot, while the sole  200  in  FIGS. 1-2  is for left foot). The plate  255  may be fixed to the first side  211  of the sole body  210 . The plate  255  may be made of polyurethane, cork, rubber, plastic, combination thereof, or other types of material or combinations of material. In one example, the plate  255  and the mating connectors  230  may be formed as one continuous custom made piece, for example, that may be made of plastic, metal, or other types of material or combinations of material. In one example, the plate  255  may be provided with holes  256 . The number of holes  256  may correspond to the number of the first mating connectors  230  (e.g., snap studs) of the sole  200 . In the illustrated example, each first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  may include a first portion  231  and a second portion  232 . The first portion  231  may be a base of a snap stud, and may be located between the sole body  210  and the plate  255 . The second portion  232  may be a projection of a snap stud, and may extend from the first portion  231  through the hole  256  of the plate  255  to an outside of the sole  200 . This structure may be advantageous in that it allows for usage for styles of the first mating connectors  230  (e.g., snap studs) that do not have a hole in the center of each first mating connector  230  (e.g., snap stud), since the first mating connectors  230  may be held to the sole body  210  by the plate  255  without being directly screwed through the first mating connector  230 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , spacings  281  and  282  between adjacent two of the plurality of the first mating connectors  230  of the sole  200  may match spacings  381  and  382  between adjacent two of the plurality of the first mating connectors  330  of the single upper  300 , respectively. The spacings  281 ,  282 ,  381 , and  382  may vary according to desired structures of the footwear  100 . 
     The relationship between the first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  and the first mating connector  330  of the upper  300  with respect to snap connectors discussed above may be applicable similarly to relationship between the second mating connector  240  of the sole  200  and the second mating connector  340  of the upper  300 . Therefore, the relationship between the second mating connector  240  of the sole  200  and the second mating connector  340  of the upper  300  with respect to snap connectors is not explained here. 
     In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the upper  300  may be detached from the sole  200  by the first mating connector  330  of the upper  300  being detached from the first mating connector  230  of the sole  200 . Optionally, the upper  300  may be detached from the sole  200  by the second mating connector  340  of the upper  300  being detached from the first mating connector  240  of the sole  200 . This may provide new types of footwear. For example, the present embodiments may allow the upper to be attached to the sole  200  in a temporary, reusable (re-attachable), and/or swappable manner. 
       FIGS. 12-13  illustrate another example of a footwear according to one embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 12-13 , the footwear may include a plurality of uppers  300   a.  In the illustrated example, the number of uppers  300   a  is two, but the number of upper  300  in a footwear may be a number greater than two. Other numbers are possible. The upper bodies  310   a  of the uppers  300   a  may respectively include a plurality of straps that are each detachably attached to the sole  200 . In the illustrated example, the uppers  300   a  each may include one first mating connector  330   a  that is detachably attached to the first mating connector  230  of the sole  200  at the first end  311   a,  and one second mating connector  340   a  that is detachably attached to the second mating connector  240  of the sole  200  at the second end  312   a.  In the illustrated example, two of the straps of the upper  300   a  may cross each other in plan view. Optionally, one or more covers  290  may be provided to cover the connector  230  and  240  that are not attached to the connector  330  or  340  of the upper  300   a  to hide the unused connectors of the sole  200 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 14-15 , which illustrate another example of a footwear according to one embodiment, two of the straps of the upper  300   b  may not cross each other in plan view. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates one example of a kit according to one embodiment. 
     The kit in  FIG. 16  may include at least one sole  200   e,  a plurality of first uppers  300   e,  and a plurality of second uppers  300   f  The sole  200   e  in  FIG. 16  may be the same as the sole  200  as discussed referring to  FIGS. 1-9 . Each first upper  300   e  may be the same as the upper  300  as discussed referring to  FIGS. 1-9 , or each upper may be different as desired by the user. In addition, each first upper  300   f  may be the same as the upper  300   a  as discussed referring to  FIGS. 12-13  or the upper  300   b  as discussed referring to  FIGS. 14-15 . In one embodiment, each of the first uppers  300   e  may differ from each of the second uppers  300   f.  In particular, each of the first uppers  300   e  may differ in shape, thickness, and/or attachment configuration from each of the second uppers  300   f.    
     While the present disclosure has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the disclosure. 
     All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.