Patent Publication Number: US-2007113429-A1

Title: Shoe

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to shoes and, more particularly, to casual shoes like sandals provided with one or more storage compartments incorporated in the shoe structure and having utility for the temporary storage of personal items during shoe usage as when enjoying a beach, lake or pool.  
      2. Description of Prior Art  
      There is a need for shoes, especially casual or athletic shoes, that are provided with storage compartments for small articles such as golf tees, coins, keys, cards or the like. Early versions of such articles included providing pockets in the calf portion of a shoe or boot, attaching a purse to the frontal shoe upper, using the laces to hold articles and others. Later developments included the provision of a pocket in the heel or other section of the shoe.  
      There is perceived a real need for casual shoes such as sandas to have a compartment for containing these small items particularly when the wearer is on the beach or at a pool where normally worn clothing such as shorts or bathing suites does not normally contain adequate pocket space for such items. It is to this perceived need that the present invention is directed.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention intends to provide multiple storage compartments in casual shoes such as sandals into the sole and upper of the footwear to hold small personal items such as keys, credit cards and money while further incorporating in its construction various means to assure retention and prevent the untimely loss of such items.  
      It is, therefore, a principal objective of the present invention to provide multiple pocket portions in the structure of the shoe with appropriate closure means to assure that personal items contained therein will not be inadvertently lost by the wearer.  
      Another objective of the present invention is to provide such multiple pocket portions to achieve safe and secure storage for small items that may enhance the appearance of the footwear.  
      Yet a further objective of the present invention is to such multiple pocket portions that will not bring discomfort to the wearer when such multiple pocket footwear is worn.  
      These and other objectives will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of this invention, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with drawings.  
      This invention contemplates the formation of multiple pockets or compartments for the storage of small personal items in a casual shoe. The casual shoe provided has an upper portion and a sole to which it attaches. The sole has a heel in which is positioned a compartment having an opening with an opening and closing mechanism such as a zipper. The upper portion includes a tab with two openings and two closing strips one end of which is fixedly secured to the upper portion and the other end of which goes through the openings and folds back upon itself to be secured together with appropriate fastening means. The space between the fold straps provides another pocket or compartment for storage of more small items.  
      In another preferred embodiment having a different upper portion, two side members making up the upper portion extend upwardly from each side of the sole, are joined together and then extend downwardly to connect with the sole as a single member. One or both of the sides have article receiving and retaining means therein which in preferred form is an openable and closable zipper. One or both of the heels are fashioned with compartments similar to those described in the first embodiment. In both cases, the heel compartments are waterproof to preserve papers and cards carried thereby. One or both of the compartments in the side members of the second embodiment may be made waterproof.  
      Thus there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In that respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its arrangement of the components set forth in the following description and illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.  
      It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development. It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by its claims, nor to limit its scope in any way.  
      Thus, the objectives of the invention set forth above, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are noted with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.  
      The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. They illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is perspective view of a first embodiment of a casual shoe with receiving and securing compartments for small items such as coins and keys having overlapping and securing side members.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a casual shoe with receiving and securing compartments for small items having two upper portion side members, each extending upwardly from each side of the sole, joined together and then extending downwardly to join the sole as a single member.  
       FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the casual shoe shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the casual shoe shown in  FIG. 2 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring now to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , a casual shoe  10  has a sole  12  joined to an upper portion shown generally as  14 . Sole  12  has a heel  16  and forward section  18  to which is secured to upper portion  14 . Upper portion  14  has a fixed dimension and the fixed dimension portion fits over and around the foot of the wearer. Two closing straps  22  extend from a secured end  24  on upper portion  14  over to and through openings  26  in tab  21  and then back again to upper portion  14  as shown in  FIG. 3 . A securing element such as Velcro material  23  is used to connect the folded engaging closing straps  22  as shown in  FIG. 3 . A substantially flat pocket  28  for carrying cards, change or keys is positioned between folded closing straps  22  and is held in place by additional securing elements such as Velcro material  23 . Pocket  28  is sealable to prevent moisture from entering the compartment and damaging its contents.  
      An additional waterproof pocket or compartment  30  is formed in each shoe heel  16  as shown in  FIG. 1  with an exterior openable and closable zipper  32 . Compartment  30  preferably contains a waterproof container to protect any contents from damage.  
      A second preferred embodiment of a casual shoe is shown generally in  FIG. 2  as  34 . A sole  36  supports an upper portion shown generally as  38  and lade up of side members  40 . Side members  40  extend upwardly from each side  42  of sole  36 , join together and then extend forwardly and downwardly to connect with sole  36  as a single member  44 . Longitudinal compartments  46  are formed in each side member  40  as shown which may or may not be waterproof. Zippers  48  close compartments  46  attractively along a good length of side members  40 .  
      Each shoe of the second embodiment casual shoe  34  has a heel compartment  50  formed similarly to compartment  30  of first embodiment casual shoe  10 .  
      From the preceding description, it can be seen that casual shoes with article-receiving and retaining compartments have been provided that will meet all of the advantages of prior art devices and offer additional advantages not heretofore achievable. With respect to the foregoing invention, the optimum relationship to the parts of the invention including variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, use and assembly are deemed readily apparent to those skilled in the art. All equivalent relationships illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed herein.  
      The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. All suitable modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the amended claims are deemed within the present inventive concept.